The Changeup (Men of the Show) by Rhonda Shaw

intently, engrossed in every word she was saying and giving appropriate murmurs of interest.
    “They are too cute together,” Karen whispered.
    Maddie took another deep breath before crossing the point of no return. “What are you guys doing?”
    At the sound of her voice, two heads whipped around.
    “I’m explaining to Chase what’s happening on The Last Airbender .”
    “Ah, that sounds interesting.” She gave Chase a knowing look with a small twist of her lips as she tried not to make light of Bree’s seriousness.
    “Oh, it is. Very interesting,” he agreed.
    She gestured to Karen standing behind her. “Chase, this is my friend Karen. Karen, this is Chase.”
    He placed Bree on the ground and walked over with his hand extended. “It’s nice to meet you.”
    “Likewise. I’ve heard a lot of about you—from both Maddie and Bree.” Karen’s mischievous look quickly turned appreciative as her eyes trailed over his blue-and-white pin-striped oxford shirt, which he’d left casually untucked and hanging over relaxed faded jeans.
    “I hope all good,” he said as his deep brown eyes twinkled.
    “Uh, yeah, we ignore Karen around here for the most part.” Maddie glared at her friend, but Karen only smiled sweetly at Chase. Picking up her purse, she threw it over her shoulder. “Shall we?”
    “Oh, yeah.” He turned back to Karen. “It was nice to meet you, Karen. I’ll see you later, Bree.”
    “Bye, you guys. Have fun.” Karen followed them out. As Maddie turned to shut the door, she whispered quickly in her ear. “He’s a doll. If you don’t eat him up, I will.”
    * * *
    As Maddie walked beside him, Chase took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders as discreetly as possible. He couldn’t believe how anxious he felt. It seemed when it came to Maddie he was feeling nerves he hadn’t felt in a long time. The more he thought about it, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever felt nerves like this. He’d always been able to remain calm in stressful situations but he’d also worked hard at mastering the art of appearing calm and collected even when his insides were erratic and jumbled. You never let a hitter see you sweat and he was determined not to let Maddie see it either.
    “You look amazing,” he complimented, striving to break the tension between them.
    “You sound surprised,” she said, sounding insulted.
    “No!” He stopped dead in his tracks. “That’s not what I meant. I’m not surprised...not at all. I just...didn’t expect...I wasn’t prepared...shit.”
    She laughed at his jumbled words, instantly feeling more at ease. “I’m just teasing.”
    His lips twitched as he reached out, gently taking her hand in his. He studied her fine fingers for a second before raising his gaze to hers. “You’ve got me tongue-tied.” His expression was suddenly serious. She always marveled at how different it made him look; in a split second, he could go from looking like an eager and animated kid to a serious, mature young man. “You look incredible. I’m just wondering how I got to be so lucky.”
    Maddie fought against the urge to tug her hand out of his. She didn’t want to acknowledge the fluttering she felt in her heart at his words. She feared he was pulling her into an abyss she wouldn’t be able or want to escape. It had been so long since someone had spoken to her that way that it was music to her ears, but daggers to her heart at the same time. It all felt good now, but would end up hurting her in the end.
    She broke out into a slow, cautious smile. “Thank you. You look very nice yourself.”
    Chase gave her her favorite crooked smile and she cursed the twinge of her heart at the sight of his slightly uneven front teeth. He was perfection everywhere else, it seemed, his body a well-crafted, finely tuned machine used in nightly battles on the ball field, except that one slight imperfection. It helped to remind Maddie that he wasn’t perfect and had flaws just like her. He was human