Fastball by V. K. Sykes

am.
But we can’t be seen together again except when it’s strictly
business.”
    Jake sat down on the bed, deflated and
exhausted. What she said didn’t surprise him, although he’d been
hoping for a different answer. He’d convinced himself that when the
furor over the interview business died down, she’d agree to see him
again, even if it had to be kept secret. But he’d already learned
enough about Maddie Leclair to know she meant what she said. Yeah,
the rules that kept them apart were ridiculous, but she obviously
wasn’t going to risk her career to see him. He understood that and
it made perfect sense, especially since they barely knew each
other. But the rejection still stung.
    For some reason he couldn’t explain, he felt
like something truly important was slipping away from him.
    “All right,” he finally said. “I do
understand. But I won’t pretend to be happy about it. You’re a
special woman, and I wish we’d had the opportunity to get to know
each other.” He paused, but she didn’t respond. He forced himself
to finish before he made a complete ass of himself. “Take care of
yourself, Maddie, and don’t let those losers in the front office
get you down.”
    “I’m really sorry, Jake. Goodbye.”
    She hung up.
    He held onto the receiver long after Maddie
had disconnected. Though her rejection didn’t surprise him, how
badly he felt about it did. He hadn’t been feeding her a line when
he said she was special. She was more than special, and his
attraction to her was both unexpected and compelling. Some instinct
urged him not to give up, not to walk away. He didn’t think it was
simply some macho reaction to her refusal to see him. Granted, that
didn’t happen very often—well, at least not since the breakdown of
his marriage—but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d zeroed in
on a woman the way he had with her. Something was going on between
them and he needed to get to the bottom of it. If he didn’t, it
would drive him crazy.
    He got up and headed for the shower, already
thinking ahead. When it came to Maddie Leclair, he wasn’t ready to
throw in the towel. No damn way.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
     
    Jake shoved his carry-on under the seat in
front of him as the plane began its final descent into
Philadelphia. Not a moment too soon, as far as he was concerned.
Although he’d been ripping the cover off the ball, the last few
days had sucked as far as his personal life was concerned.
    His hot streak had continued in Phoenix, as
the Patriots swept the three-game series with the Diamondbacks. The
team rode the magic arm of Nate Carter to a 4-0 shut-out in the
opener, while the final two games turned into high-scoring blowouts
with Jake contributing a total of three homers and six RBI’s. He
felt great about the way he was hitting the ball, and happy his
performance had given a lift to the team.
    But the high of his professional life was
dampened by his growing frustration over Maddie and their crappy
situation. Jake saw her every day, either at the stadium or in the
hotel, but only from a distance. She studiously avoided him, going
out of her way to ensure there were no opportunities for even
casual conversation.
    He understood why. Both of them had been
thoroughly reamed out by the general manager when they offered
their apologies after Maddie’s story was published. Charley Cameron
had been right about that. Team management had been steamed about
the interview, and Dembinski—a pig-headed general manager if there
ever was one—had been in no mood to be forgiving. The GM had
snarled at Jake that if the team hadn’t been in such a tough spot
because of Rodriguez’s injury, he’d have sent him packing on the
first flight back to Allentown. Jake had taken that threat with a
grain of salt since he was playing great, but Dembinski was a
mercurial guy and he’d been known to make questionable moves just
to emphasize a point.
    Maddie hadn’t spoken more than a guarded
hello to him