Play by Play (A Play Makers Novella) (2 page)

Elevator Girl
: Technically, yes, although most of it is still in boxes in the middle of the living room. Baby steps, right?

Me
: Yeah, I’ve been here two years and I’ve still got stuff in boxes. They’re actually pretty convenient.

EG
: Don’t give me any ideas! Well, here’s my floor. Good seeing you again.

Me
: Hey! Can I ask you something?

EG
: [
wincing
] Sure.

Me
: [
trying not to seem like a stalker even though I had now gotten out of the elevator on her floor
] Are you seeing anyone? Because I’m single, so if you are too—how about dinner some night?

EG
: That’s sweet, but it doesn’t seem like a good idea, does it? I mean, we live in the same building. So . . . no. But thanks for asking.

[FYI, I took this as a tentative “yes.” Because basically, she’s saying if we
didn’t
live in the same building, she’d go out with me. So I went for it.]

Me
: I’ve been thinking about moving to the city. So I’m really more like a transient.

EG
: [
laughing—which is always a good sign, right?
] Good to know. I don’t date transients, but if you’re interested in jogging through the park some morning, give me a call and I’ll meet you by the picnic tables.

[Then she handed me a business card. So now I know her name
and
her cell phone number. So basically, score!]

Me
: I’m Jake, by the way.

EG
: Nice to meet you, Jake. Have a nice night.

Excellent progress, right? So let’s move on to the
other
play-by-play. The Giants are kicking ass again and all you naysayers can feel free to apologize in the comments for ever doubting me.

Click
here
for more sports from Jake Dublin . . .

COMMENTS:

The Opinionated Sports Guy
:

A warning again to keep it clean, folks. Unless you’re actually
trying
to get me drummed off the net, in which case, good luck with that.

Ed the first
:

Gotta ask, what else was on the business card? Occupation at least, I assume. Plus, you never told us how old she is. And the Giants will blow it, mark my words.

The Opinionated Sports Guy
:

She’s a lawyer for some company I never heard of. The Giants may or may not win it all, but they won’t blow it, it’ll be close.

Anon 2
:

Spill her name. We can’t keep calling her Elevator Girl.

The Opinionated Sports Guy
:

That’s priceless coming from someone who calls himself anonymous. FYI, not gonna happen.

Tweetie Burred
:

U R not just hopeless, ur an idiot. What if she reads your column or blog and sees what ur saying about her? She’ll hate u.

The Opinionated Sports Guy
:

Thanks for the pep talk, Tweetie. I can always count on “u”

Freelance Critic
:

A lawyer? Are you nuts? You’re a lawsuit waiting to happen. Just back away. And stop rooting for the SF teams. It’s pathetic and unprofessional.

The Opinionated Sports Guy
:

Pay attention, I’m a Rustlers fan as of this year. Man crush, remember?

Freelance Critic
:

This is why I recommend your blog to everyone I know, man. You have no shame. Funny, funny stuff.

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Chapter Three

Sophie James tested the wireless connection on her laptop and smiled in quiet satisfaction. Apparently the gymnastics involved in installing a router under the built-in desk and networking twelve separate components had paid off. Her new business partners would be impressed, as would her macho cousins. Not that
they
could have done this. Their school-aged kids? Sure. But the jock dads? Never.

And now she was officially moved into her new condo. As she folded up the last empty box, she thought about Jake, the self-proclaimed “transient” who had offered to help. Adorable
and
hilarious—how many guys could claim that? And then there was his body, just the kind she liked. Tall, tanned and ripped.

Remind me again why you can’t date him?

Just for fun, she grabbed her cell phone and called her best friend, who was usually stuck in traffic around this time and would welcome the Bluetooth interruption.

“Don’t tell me,” Marcy drawled as soon as she answered. “You’re thinking about that elevator guy again?”

“You can’t even say hello?” Sophie complained. “And yes, he just popped into my head.”

“Well, pop him back out. You just moved hundreds of miles because you were dumb enough to date a coworker. Look how
that
turned out. And this is ten times worse.”

“Daniel was a stalker in sheep’s clothing. Plus, office romances are infamous for a reason. Co-dwelling is completely different. We don’t even live on the same floor.”

“I will
kick
your ass if you don’t stay away from him,” Marcy warned her. “You don’t know anything about him except he loiters in your parking garage. Anyway, if you want to date losers, I know a bunch. Why settle for an unknown?”

Sophie sighed. One of the downsides of leaving her last job—formerly known as her “dream come true”—was living so far from Marcy. They had been friends since their first year of law school at UCLA, and had each accepted positions at San Diego law firms, imagining they’d live out their lives and careers there.

Then Daniel had happened. Or rather, Sophie had enabled Daniel to happen.

“You’re in the Silicon Valley now, remember? Hook up with a software billionaire, not some charming jock.”

“Just because he’s in good shape doesn’t mean he’s a jock,” Sophie retorted, then she grimaced at her own defensiveness. The only thing worse than a coworker was a sports guy, at least in Sophie’s world. And Marcy knew it so she was intentionally using Jake’s body as a negative rather than a glorious positive.

Unfortunately, her friend was correct. Sophie had gotten an overdose of that world as a kid when she went to live with her uncle and his sons after her parents were killed. And as much as she loved her adoptive family, they had been
all
guys, all the time, and hadn’t known the first thing about raising a female. There had always been a game on TV and another one scheduled to begin at any moment. The house had been filled with love but also with athletes—smelly, boisterous, humongous guys who dominated the premises inside and out.

And as Sophie grew older, she even dated a few of those jock friends, entranced by the great physiques, but eventually annoyed by a culture where the calendars were controlled by playoff games and where political debates were settled on a basketball court.

“You still don’t know what he does for a living, right?” Marcy was demanding.

“He’s a transient,” Sophie reminded her cheerfully. “And it’s none of my business unless I decide to date him. Which I
really
want to do. But I won’t, because you’re right. I made a commitment to my new job and I can’t afford to get chased away again, not even by someone as adorable as Jake.”

“But you’re going to jog with him if he calls?”

“He called last night. We’re on for Tuesdays and Thursdays.” Sophie laughed at herself. “I know it’s crazy, but it’s different from last time. I didn’t take the time to be friends with Daniel first, and when it fell apart, there wasn’t any—well, any shared history to fall back on. It’ll be different with this guy. We’ll be friends first, or I’ll discover he’s got some horrible flaw and we won’t even make it that far. Or maybe we’ll end up enjoying the friendship so much we won’t want to risk it—”

“You’re hopeless,” Marcy told her with a growl. “Just because he looks like some space hero—”

“I never said he
looks
like Captain Sheridan. Just that he reminds me of him. A
little
. Mostly his smile.”

“Like I said, you’re hopeless. Why not just jump into bed with him and spare everyone the suspense?”

“Well, for one thing, I don’t know which apartment he lives in,” Sophie retorted. “And despite your mocking, I really do intend to vet him first. But after that—well, we’ll see, won’t we?” Dropping the playful tone, she added more sincerely, “He gives out an amazing vibe, Marce. Nothing like Daniel. Just as charming, but in such a nonthreatening way. And he has this amazing, awe-inspiring smile that puts you at ease, and the next thing you know, the whole effect goes sideways and you just want to rip his clothes off.”

“Lovely.”

Sophie laughed, then her tone softened. “I think I can trust him, Marcy. You know how much that means to me. Plus, when we were talking in the parking garage, there was a
huge
game on TV. The Giants battling to stay alive for the pennant. A
real
jock wouldn’t miss that in real time. Not even for a hot date. So I’ll be careful, but let’s face it. If he’s half as perfect as he seems, I won’t be able to resist for long.”

Chapter Four

Jogging with Jake—a.k.a. the hot new neighbor—would be tricky. Sophie had known that going in, given his ability to tease and charm and basically flirt a girl into adoring him.

But as she stretched beside the picnic tables in the park near her building, she realized Jake wasn’t really the problem.
She
was. She had the hots for the guy, and if she wasn’t careful he’d catch on and take his routine to a whole new level.

For one thing, she should have worn her normal running clothes. Instead, she had ended up at Target buying a stretchy pink T-shirt with a low V-neck along with matching pink socks to wear with white shorts and white running shoes. Worse, she had abandoned her sports bra in favor of her sexiest white-lace push-up bra.

What a loser, she told herself. You should go home and change right now.

But it was too late, and as usual when she caught a glimpse of the new neighbor, she couldn’t help but smile. He had looked good in khakis and a long-sleeved shirt, but this was even better. Long, rangy muscles; an effortless yet conquering stride; and that smile again.

His white muscle shirt draped loosely over his broad chest, and his dark blue basketball-style shorts hung almost to his knees. But he might as well have been naked because all she saw was prime Jake.

“Hey, Sophie,” he said with a smile so sincere it had to be devilish.

“Hi, there.” She exhaled to lessen the breathlessness in her tone. “It’s a perfect morning for a run, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, it’s a beauty.”

For some reason, his words made her giddy, but she steeled herself, then said, “I usually try for forty-five minutes, but I’ll have to cut it short today. Unfortunately. I need to fly to Dallas unexpectedly, so I’ll barely have time for a quick shower before I head to the airport.”

Jake grinned. “Don’t worry, quick showers are my specialty.”

She rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh at the playful suggestion.

“Do you travel a lot in your job?” he asked more sincerely. “I thought lawyers just sat at a desk.”

“That was true in my old job,” she agreed. “But this company is still a start-up in some ways, so everyone does triple duty.” She caught herself, unwilling to get into such detail so quickly. Hadn’t she crafted a list of nonpersonal conversation starters for just this purpose?

Jake seemed to get the hint. “Which way are we headed?”

“I don’t have a set route yet,” she admitted. “I’m still trying them out. If we go up the hill and to the west, we can glimpse the ocean. But to the east is that beautiful vineyard. So you choose.”

“Let’s go east today,” he said in that easygoing voice that made her want to rip his clothes off. “When you have more time we can drive over to the beach and run there.”

She could almost picture it. Jake’s long, muscular arms and shoulders glistening in the sun. His long, lean legs chasing her, pulling her down onto the sand . . .

And somehow he knew. That was clear from the way he moved closer, his tall, lean form eclipsing hers, his smile now devastating in its warmth and power—

“We’ll see,” she interrupted briskly. “For now, we’ll go to the vineyard. And we’ll discuss some topics of the day. Like genetically engineered food. Are you pro or con?”

“Huh?”

She arched a confident eyebrow. “I made a list of safe subjects, since we’re still barely acquaintances. There’s a lot of variety, though, so you can take your pick.”

“I love lists,” he assured her, flashing a grin that was alarmingly effective. “And lucky for you, I have opinions on just about everything.”

Chapter Five

Jake Dublin: THE OPINIONATED SPORTS GUY

August 1, a.k.a. Countdown

I’m headed to
Hutch Hutchison’s War Room
this Saturday, so if you’ve always wondered how tall I am or whether I can survive a blistering interrogation, here’s your chance.

I’m guessing they want to grill me about my enthusiasm over the new expansion teams, since I seem to be one of the few columnists/bloggers who expect them to do well out of the chute. So today’s blog entry will serve as a practice session for that topic—I’ll give you my latest thinking, then I want you to fire off some tough questions in the comments.