If We Never Met by Barbara Freethy

Chapter Seventeen

Saturday morning,Dante didn't wake up until his alarm went off at eight. He felt tired but really happy. After leaving the cabin around two o'clock in the morning, he hadn't gotten more than four hours of sleep. He wished they'd been able to spend the whole night together, which was odd, since he rarely wished for that. But Keira was different in so many ways.

He'd followed her home from the cabin, making sure she was in her house before heading back to the inn. It was late enough that everything was quiet. He hoped the tabloid reporters had left the area, but that was probably being too optimistic. He just wished they'd concentrate only on him and leave Keira alone, but that was also a foolish thought.

He hated that Keira was having to deal with the press and also with Nikki's lies. She didn't deserve to have her reputation shredded online, but he was glad she hadn't shut him out because of it. He'd had more fun with her than he could remember having with a woman, and that wasn't just because of the great sex they'd shared. It was everything else, too.

He'd liked being with her. And he'd enjoyed talking to her. He'd told her things he hadn't told anyone, and he felt a little lighter today, maybe because he'd let some of the fear and worry out.

After a quick shower, he dressed and headed down the stairs, eager to grab breakfast before he headed to rehab. Today's session would only be two hours, but he wanted to have the energy to do it well. He walked into the dining room, filled his plate with fruit and eggs, grabbed a cup of coffee, and then looked for an empty table. There were several open. It was early, and most of the guests were probably taking a slower start to the day. But Mark Langley was up and sitting at a table by himself, sipping coffee as he gazed at his phone. He wasn't wearing a suit today, but he wore a short-sleeve button-down blue shirt with tan chinos, looking casual but also put together.

He hadn't planned on sitting with anyone at breakfast, but it seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up. He moved over to Langley's table and said, "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not." Mark tipped his head toward the open chair as he set down his phone. "How are you today?"

"Good. I'm heading to the rehab center in a few. Wanted to get some food first."

"How's your rehab going?"

"Very well. The center and the therapists are impressive."

A gleam of pride entered Mark's eyes. "I'm happy to hear that. We're still rolling out some of our services, but I believe the rehabilitation center will eventually be one of the finest in the country."

"I believe you're right. How did you end up here in Whisper Lake? Were you working at another center before this?"

"Yes. I was at a clinic in Las Vegas, but I needed a change, and the mountains seemed perfect. Plus, I wanted the opportunity to manage such a new and cutting-edge facility."

"I can understand that."

"You've become good friends with Keira, haven't you?"

"I have."

"She probably told you that her mother and I grew up together."

"She mentioned that you dated in high school."

"We did, and it's been great getting to know Ruth again. We hadn't seen each other in years, but it feels like we picked up right where we left off."

"She doesn't seem different to you? Keira said her mother had an accident and a serious brain injury."

"She doesn't remember some things that I do, but she seems like she's doing very well," Mark replied. "I'm sorry she had to go through all that. But she's a fighter. She always has been. She raised Keira pretty much on her own."

"That's what I heard. Did you know Keira's father?"

"No. I never met him, but what I heard about him, I didn't like much. He always sounded selfish and narcissistic. But Ruth was in love with him. She says now she was too young when they married. She didn't realize what he was like. When you're young, you don't look too closely at things. You skip over red flags and ignore alarm bells, because attraction is a powerful thing."

"Are you speaking about Ruth or yourself?" he asked curiously, as Mark seemed to have gone off into the past.

Mark started, as if surprised and displeased he'd said so much. "Both, I suppose. I was married for thirteen years, but it was only good for the first three." Mark shrugged. "It was a mistake, but I got my son out of it, so I'll never regret the choices I made."

"Where is your son now?"

"He lives in Los Angeles."

"Do you see him often?"

"Unfortunately, no. My son blamed me for the divorce. There were so many things he didn't understand."

"Maybe one day he will. Does your ex-wife live in Los Angeles?"

"She passed away a few years ago."

That was new information. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It was sad. But we hadn't been together in a long time, so I didn't really know her anymore."

"Now you've reconnected with an old flame. I always think it's interesting when people who dated in high school find each other again decades later. It seems like it might be meant to be."

"We'll see. It is nice to talk to someone who shares some of the same memories." Mark lifted his coffee mug to his lips and took a sip. Then he said, "I'm not sure Keira thinks too highly of me. She seems suspicious of my motives."

"Keira seems to be a very fair-minded person," he said. "Maybe you should talk to her. Tell her more about yourself. She just wants to protect her mom. If you're up front with her, and you get to know each other, I'm sure she'll give you a chance."

"I hope so. Ruth is very important to me. I'd like to get to know Keira better. I definitely want Ruth's daughter on my side."

Mark said all the right things, but there was still something about him, something in his conversation that felt a little too smooth. He needed to shake him up a little, see if he could surprise him into saying something. "It's none of my business, but I was in the parking garage the other day and caught the end of a somewhat intense argument between yourself and a woman with dark-red hair. I hope everything is all right."

Mark stiffened. "I didn't see you."

"I hope she wasn't a dissatisfied patient."

"No. She has nothing to do with the clinic. I apologize if that was awkward."

"More concerning than anything else. She seemed very angry."

"She's just going through some personal issues. I've been trying to help her out."

"She's a friend then."

"Not really a friend." Mark checked his watch. "I should leave. Ruth and I are going to the farmers' market to pick up some fresh vegetables and fruit." Langley pushed back his chair and stood up. "I'm sure we'll talk again soon."

"I'm sure we will. We're on the same floor."

"Yes." Mark paused. "The woman I was arguing with, she's someone from my past. Did you mention her to Keira?"

"I did," he admitted.

"I should probably talk to Keira then."

"You should. From what I know, Keira and her mother are very tight. If you want something with Ruth, you're going to need her daughter to get on board."

"You're right. I'm going to make that a top priority. Have a good day."

"You, too." As Mark left, he wondered if he'd made a mistake in admitting that he'd told Keira about Mandy. On one hand, it gave Mark time to come up with a story to explain the argument with Mandy. But on the other hand, Mark had also been put on notice that his relationship with Mandy was more public than he'd realized. Mark could either share the nature of that relationship with Keira and her mother, or he could go for a cover-up. Whichever choice he made would be revealing. Hopefully Keira would see it that way.

He finished his coffee and then headed out the door. He needed to get to rehab, and then he was going to have to face his past at a child's softball game. Even though Keira had told him to skip it, to meet them at the harbor at two, he was going to make the game. He'd never let fear control him; he wasn't going to start now. And besides that, he really wanted to see Keira again.

Keira arrived at the park at the beginning of the second inning. Chloe and Hannah were standing off to the side of the first-base dugout, watching Chloe's almost three-year-old son, Leo, dig in the dirt along the fence.

"Hi there," she said. "Looks like someone is getting dirty."

Chloe smiled. "He found a stick, and that's all it took."

"How's the game going? Has Hailey batted yet?"

"No, her team is in the field," Hannah interjected. "She's at second base."

"I see her." She gave Hailey a wave as the little girl looked in their direction.

Hailey smiled and gave a small wave back before turning her attention to the girl in the batter's box.

Jake, who was standing in the dugout nearby, shot them all a look. "Don't distract my players," he said.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "Jake is taking his coaching role way too seriously."

"It's nice of him to do it," Chloe said.

"He was just going to sponsor the team until the coach had to have his appendix out. Zach couldn't do it, because he has his hands full designing Justin's new office complex. It's going to be something else, from what I hear."

"I'll bet. More business coming to Whisper Lake," she said. "And more jobs."

"The town is growing fast," Chloe agreed. "I might have to hire more help. We're busy seven days a week now. It's all good, but I'm used to having more downtime."

"I know what you mean. The shop is busy, too." She paused as Gianna came over to join them.

"Keira, thanks for coming," Gianna said.

"No problem. I'm hoping our girl gets a hit for her birthday."

"That would be lovely, but she's been struggling a little, so who knows?" Gianna paused, giving her a thoughtful look. "I'd love to know how you're doing, Keira, with everything that's going on, beyond the two-word text you sent saying: I'm fine."

"I'm fine," she reiterated.

Hannah gave a scoffing laugh. "No way you're fine."

"Is there anything we can do to fight the lies that woman is telling about you?" Chloe asked. "I'm not usually on social media, but I could get on there and post something."

"We all could," Gianna said.

"No. I don't want any of you to do anything. It will blow over eventually, and the people I care about know the lies aren't true. I didn't break up Nikki and Dante, and I only met Nikki once a long time ago. I didn't betray my girlfriend."

"Of course you didn't. You would never do that," Gianna declared. "The three of us know that better than anyone."

She looked around her circle of friends and smiled, thinking of how many years they'd known each other, loved each other, supported each other. These women would always have her back, and she would have theirs. "Thanks," she said. "To be totally honest, though, there is something between Dante and me. There's an attraction, a chemistry."

"Really?" Gianna asked, a new light in her eyes.

"But," she added hastily, "it's not going anywhere. Dante is only in town for another two weeks. We're just going to be…friends."

"Kissing friends?" Hannah asked.

"Maybe," she conceded. "Let's not make a big thing about it. We're just going to have fun and that's it. And now that you know that, I hope you will not act weird around him when he comes on the boat with us later. I invited him. I hope that's okay."

"It's more than okay," Gianna said. "And we'll be good."

"I know you and Chloe will be good…" She gave Hannah a pointed look.

"I'll be good, too," Hannah said dryly.

"And I'm afraid I won't be there, so I'm going to expect a full report at some point," Chloe said. "I also want to say, Keira, that you should have some fun. Even when you think a relationship might last forever, it doesn't always make it." She cleared her throat. "Sorry, I took that a little too dark."

"I vote for fun, too," Gianna said. "I spent way too much time trying to figure out Mr. Right, even accepting a few engagement rings along the way because I kept thinking I just wanted to get married. But all those guys were wrong. When I saw Zach again, I knew that I'd been trying to force something that wasn't there."

"I have no words of wisdom," Hannah put in. "I just think Dante is hot and you're hot and you could be really hot together."

She grinned. "I can always trust you to keep it simple."

"Maybe he could be your plus one for the wedding," Hannah added, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Stop obsessing over my plus one," she ordered. "But I'll think about it. I don't know where things are going to go with us."

"I know," Hannah said.

She made a face at Hannah. "You don't know everything."

"I know this. Dante is walking toward us."

She whirled around in surprise, seeing Dante make his way down the right-field line. After what he'd told her the night before, she hadn't expected to see him before the boat trip. But here he was, looking incredibly sexy in faded jeans and a dark-orange T-shirt, his thick brown hair blowing in the warm breeze. Her heart flip-flopped in her chest, her mind flashing back to the beautiful memories they'd made the night before.

She moved away from her friends to greet him. "I can't believe you're here," she said. "I thought you were going to meet us at the boat."

He smiled as he gazed into her eyes. "I didn't want to waste time that I could spend with you."

Her heart sped up at his husky words. "What about the baseball?"

"I think I can handle it. As long as you're here."

"I'm here," she said.

"I want to kiss you. But…"

She sucked in a quick breath. "But?" she echoed.

"There are a lot of people looking at us."

She glanced over her shoulders, seeing her friends gazing at them with unapologetic curiosity. "We could give them something to see."

He grinned. "I thought you'd want to keep our relationship private."

"Our relationship has never been private." She put her hands on his shoulders as she stole a much-needed kiss. "There. It's done."

"For now," he promised.

"For now," she agreed.

They stared at each other for a long minute, with the air sizzling between them, but a sudden cheer broke the trance they seemed to be in.

She turned toward the field as a fly ball headed straight for Hailey. She caught it and another cheer broke out. "That's Hailey," she said. As Hailey ran toward the dugout, she shouted, "Good catch, Hailey."

Hailey looked over at her with a big smile on her face as her team got ready to hit.

When she turned back to Dante, she saw a smile play around the corners of his mouth. "What?"

"Making the last out of the inning when you're on defense is always the best feeling."

"I bet. So, this isn't bringing only bad memories?"

"Surprisingly not. Her face was so full of joy. I remember that feeling."

"I'm sure you felt it a lot, considering how good you are at the game."

"Baseball is still a game of percentages. The best hitters in the league get out seventy percent of the time, and I try to raise that to a hundred percent of the time if I can."

"Hmm, I never thought of it that way. There's more failure than success."

"That's why the success is so sweet. It's a difficult game. But when you win, it feels amazing."

"I'd love to see you play."

His smile dimmed. "Maybe you will. Who knows?"

"I know," she said confidently. "I have faith in you."

"If I could will my arm to work, I would, but it's not that simple. It's not about desire."

"I understand, Dante. You have a real injury to deal with. But you're working hard, and you have a great rehab facility and an excellent doctor. I think you'll make it back."

"Hopefully. But I didn't come here to talk about my game. Why don't you introduce me to your friends? I know Hannah, but not the other two."

"Okay." They walked down the sideline, joining up with Hannah, Chloe, Gianna, and also Zach, who had just arrived. She introduced him to everyone, but there wasn't time for prying questions as Hailey came up to bat.

They cheered her on, but after two swings and two misses, Hailey hit a weak ball to the pitcher and was thrown out at first. Her smile turned into a dejected frown as she walked back to the dugout, and no amount of cheering and support seemed to change that.

"She's so hard on herself," Gianna murmured.

"I keep telling her it's just a game. She's here to have fun," Zach put in. "But that almost makes her angrier."

"I agree," Gianna said. "Last game, I said nice try, and she almost bit my head off."

"I hated when anyone said that to me," Dante said, drawing all eyes to him.

"Really?" Gianna asked curiously. "Why?"

"Because I was disappointed in myself. I couldn't hear what anyone else had to say. I just knew that I'd failed, and it pissed me off." He cleared his throat. "But your little girl is not me, so…"

"No, that makes sense," Zach said with a nod. "I never felt that way when I was playing sports. I just figured I'd do better the next time, even if that wasn't true. I guess I wasn't hard on myself at all." He gave Dante a thoughtful look. "How did your parents handle you?"

"Oh, don't go by my parents," Dante replied. "My mom would just serve me up a big bowl of pasta after a game. That was her go-to solution for everything bad that happened. My dad never showed up to see me play, so he had no idea what was going on, nor did he care. But you should keep on supporting Hailey. She'll appreciate it even if she can't show it."

"Leo, stop eating the dirt," Chloe said suddenly, interrupting their conversation to grab her son off the ground. He had dirt smeared across his mouth. "Anyone have a fix for this problem?"

"Not me," Dante said with a laugh. "I never ate dirt."

"I think we're going to head home," Chloe said. "I have a gift for Hailey in my car."

"I'll come with you to get it," Gianna said.

As they left, Zach moved closer to Dante and started talking about baseball and kids.

Hannah slid next to her and gave her a little smile. "Nice kiss, but a little G-rated."

"We're in public."

"True. But I can still see that you are so into him."

"I am," she admitted. "For however long it lasts."

"Live in the moment."

"That's what I'm going to do."

As the inning ended, Jake came over to the fence, motioning for Zach and Dante to come over. A moment later, to her amazement, Dante gave her a wry smile and a shrug as he headed toward the dugout. "I'm going to coach first base," he said.

"Have fun."

As Dante moved to the field, Zach rejoined them. "Dante said he could give Hailey some tips later on her swing."

She was surprised again. "That's great."

"He seems like a nice guy."

"Keira definitely thinks so," Hannah said with a laugh.

She made a face at her friend. "You be quiet."

"When am I ever quiet?"

She didn't bother to answer, her attention moving to Dante. As each girl hit and reached first base, he had a little chat with them. She had no idea what he was saying, but the girls seemed to be completely captivated. How could she blame them? She was completely captivated, too.