The dogs were ecstatic to see them. Sierra’s moms were just as thrilled about the gifts Evan gave them. They didn’t treat him any differently, despite knowing how he’d just spent the last few days with their daughter. If anything, he felt something more maternal in their hugs than he’d expected. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
It contributed to his continued silence as they neared home. The dogs hung their heads out the window and filled the car with their panting. To anyone else, they might have looked like one big, happy family.
His mindset darkened further.
By the time they got upstairs, he knew he needed some time alone. Sierra seemed to sense it, too. She gave him a kiss when they reached her apartment.
“Will I see you before you leave?” she asked, referencing his upcoming road trip.
“Maybe,” he said.
“Okay.” She smiled. “Thanks for letting me kidnap you these past few days.”
“Thanks for holding me hostage.”
Glancing down at Miller and Beck, whose tails wagged the moment she caught their eyes, she said, “You know, I really don’t mind watching the dogs while you’re gone. It’s not like you live far away, and—”
“That’s okay,” he interrupted. “It’s probably best that they don’t get too attached to anyone, with the move at the end of the season and all.”
He saw the flash of hurt in her eyes and wished he could offer her something less painful than the truth. But he couldn’t.
He wouldn’t.
“I understand.” She hesitated before adding, “But I really think you should check Geoff’s references with the agency you’re using.”
Irritation swept through him. Didn’t she think he knew how to take care of his own dogs?
He forced his temper down and nodded. “Okay, I will. Good night, Sierra.”
She seemed as though she wanted to say something more, but smiled instead. “Good night, Evan. I hope you do well on the road trip.”
As she stepped into her apartment and closed the door, he realized that she already knew he wasn’t intending to tell her goodbye before he left. She’d just done it for him.
Chapter 39
“So, how’s everything going with your super-hot Australian guy?” Hannah asked.
Sierra looked up from her omelet and saw that both she and Zoe were watching her expectantly. The three of them had met downtown for breakfast before the Sunday church crowd gathered. Looking back down at her plate, she shrugged.
“It’s going fine.”
How could she explain that in the two-and-a-half weeks since their return from Savannah, everything with Evan seemed good on the surface, but he was keeping a barrier between them? How could she tell them that she and Evan had yet to spend an entire night together in either of their apartments, even when neither of them had any obligations the next day? What would they think if she confessed that he never contacted her when he was away on road trips?
Her friends wouldn’t understand.
Hell, she didn’t understand.
“Fine?” Zoe asked, dipping her head. “Fine?”
“I’m seriously crushed right now,” Hannah huffed, leaning back in her chair. “I’ve been fantasizing about this guy for almost two months!”
Despite herself, Sierra laughed. “Well, if it helps, he’s masterful in bed.”
Hannah perked up. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Then what has you looking like someone pissed in your orange juice?” Zoe asked, never one to beat around the bush.
“I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” Sierra said, buttering a slice of toast.
“So, spill it,” Zoe said, waving her fork. “That’s why we’re here, right? Well, outside of my kissing your feet for getting me connected with your aunt and moms.”
Sierra smiled. Just after Zoe expressed the interest in applying for the interior design assistant position, Sierra had contacted her relatives about allowing her friend to take on a few pro bono design projects among their many rental properties. She figured it would help Zoe build up a portfolio and save her family some money over hiring an established professional. Over the past five weeks, Zoe had developed designs for rooms in four different properties. Her relatives intended to hire her to see each of them through to completion.
“I might not have gotten that job I mentioned the last time we were together,” Zoe said around a bite of waffle, “but your family is giving me the start I need to go into business for myself. Your aunt even said she knows a few of the players on the team who are always looking to change things up in their homes.”
“Just stay away from the Jensens,” Sierra warned.
Zoe shook her head. “No shit.”
Hannah made a sound of agreement as she sipped her coffee. “So what else is on your mind, Sierra?” she asked. “Is it that Camille chick?”
Sierra swallowed another bite of omelet. “Well, she’s definitely one of the issues I’ve got to deal with.”
“Did you say that Bastian kept her on, even with all of the evidence you provided?” Zoe asked.
“Yes. She denied it, and he’s too busy to try and get someone new right now.”
“That’s bullshit,” Hannah said. “Why haven’t you gone in there and cleaned up shop?”
Zoe snorted. “Did you seriously just ask Sierra that question?”
Hannah made a face that showed she saw Zoe’s point. “All right, fine. Sierra’s not going to do anything about it. Maybe we should stage an intervention.”
Frowning, Sierra looked between her friends. “What do you mean, I’m not going to do anything about it?”
“Wow,” Zoe said with a laugh. “We actually got a frown out of you. If we’re not careful, we might get a harsh word.”
Hurt rolled through her. Just like Evan had once told her, they were telling her she was too nice. That she was a pushover.
Why did being nice to people have to be an egregious fault? Wasn’t it possible that the world could use a little more niceness? Wasn’t there a saying about winning more flies with honey than with vinegar?
But who wants flies? whispered the voice in her mind.
Hannah reached over and rubbed Sierra’s arm. “We’re sorry, hon. That came out harsher than we meant.”
“No, it didn’t,” Zoe argued. “I want her to kick Camille’s ass.”
Sighing, Sierra pushed her plate away, no longer interested in eating. “I’ve got a shoot coming up with Bastian. Just so you both know, I already plan on confronting Camille. That’s one of the things weighing on me right now.”
“Well, good for you,” Zoe said with an approving nod. “If you want reinforcements, I’ll drop whatever I’m doing and bring my brass knuckles along.”
Sierra knew she meant it. “Thanks.”
“What else is bothering you?” Hannah asked.
“Well…I don’t like Evan’s dogsitter.”
Hannah looked puzzled. “Why not?”
“I just, well…I honestly don’t know.”
Sierra fiddled with her napkin as her friends exchanged looks. She felt silly now, saying anything. Evan had called the agency for Geoff’s references like she’d asked. He’d talked directly with the owner and everything had come back glowing. But she still felt uncomfortable around Geoff, despite the fact that they saw so much of each other.
“Are you concerned for your safety?” Zoe asked, her brow furrowed.
Considering that, Sierra shook her head. Geoff had had plenty of opportunities to harm her if that had been his goal. She’d never felt in danger.
“No,” she admitted. “But I do worry about Miller and Beck.”
Hannah reached over and placed a hand over hers. “Maybe it’s just your anxiety over Evan’s absence during his road trips,” she suggested. “Those are the times you see the dogsitter, right?”
Could that be it?
Sierra thought about how disappointed she’d been over the last road trip when she didn’t
hear from Evan at all. So far on this road trip, he hadn’t reached out to her, either. In all the time they’d known each other, he’d never taken the time to call or text her while he was away. She was planning on mentioning it to him the next time he was home. Maybe he just didn’t know that she would like to hear from him. Besides, it wasn’t as though she tried to contact him, either. She honestly didn’t know whether it would be welcome, which was a whole other concern.
And then there was the fact that he refused to let her take care of the boys, even though she really wanted to. She knew that to him, giving the care of his dogs over to her was a form of commitment. Of course it bothered her that he refused.
Was that why she felt this heightened level of discomfort around Geoff? Did she just resent him? She decided that could quite possibly be true.
Nodding, she said, “Thanks, Hannah. That does help put it into perspective.”
Even if it doesn’t make me feel much better about things with Evan, she silently added.
“Excellent,” Zoe said, wiping her mouth with her napkin. “So you’re all good for now?”
She smiled. “Sure. Now, Hannah…tell us about the sports journalism class you’re thinking about taking.”
The rest of the meal focused on her friends, which was fine with Sierra. She ran their conversation though her mind as she drove home. They’d essentially called her spineless and paranoid in the kindest way possible.
Sadly, she was beginning to believe they were right.
Her mood was low as she ascended the elevator, so when she got off of it and heard a loud yelp from Evan’s apartment, she closed her eyes and wondered what the universe was up to. Why did it continue to taunt her?
Resigned, she hurried down the hall to Evan’s apartment and knocked on the door. She wasn’t surprised when Geoff opened it.
“Hi, Sierra,” he said with a smile. “Nice to see you.”
“You, too,” she said, forcing a smile in return. “I thought I heard one of the dogs. Is everything okay?”
He stepped back, opening the door so Miller and Beck could reach her. Miller ran up and greeted her with his usual energy, but Beck limped and whimpered.
“I think he hurt that front forepaw again,” Geoff said. “I let him out of his cage, and he and Miller started wrestling. The next thing I know, he’s yelping.”
Kneeling down, she rubbed Beck’s ears. “Poor baby. You were just starting to feel better, too.”
“I know.” Geoff shook his head. “Unlucky little guy. He should probably stay off that forepaw for a while, don’t you think?”
She nodded.
“Hey, do you think you could get that wagon from your neighbor friend again?” he asked.
Was she infusing the eagerness into his tone? She wasn’t sure.
“I can ask,” she said. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
“Thanks. Since you’re just returning home, maybe we could walk the dogs together. It’d be great to have your help with Beck again.”
“Um, okay. Let me drop my things off and call about the wagon.”
He smiled. “Great, thanks.”
She headed back to her apartment, feeling his gaze on her as she walked. As she inserted the key in her door, she gave a surreptitious glance his way. Evan’s door was closed far enough that the dogs couldn’t get out. All she saw was a couple of inches of shadow where Geoff stood.
Fighting her unease, she went into her apartment and reached into her bag for her cell phone. Scrolling through her contacts, she paused with her thumb over Evan’s name and glanced at the clock. Since they had a night game in Philly, he was probably still at his hotel and not at the stadium. She’d likely reach him.
She thought about what Hannah had said. Was she overreacting? Geoff had been so nonchalant about Beck’s injury, not acting guilty of anything sinister. The dogs hadn’t shied away from him. What would she tell Evan if she called him? That Geoff happened to be over and Beck had gotten hurt again? Geoff would tell him that exact same thing when he called with his daily update.
Going against her instincts, she swallowed hard and passed over Evan’s name. Instead, she dialed a number further along the list.
“Hi, Becca,” she said. “I wanted to ask about borrowing Kenny’s wagon again…”
Chapter 40
Four days later, Evan was home on an off day before they started a six-game home stand. He had a lunch meeting with his agent, Wayne, to discuss the best path to pursue for his career as the regular season headed into the final two months and the free agency deadline loomed. It was a subject that he’d been giving plenty of consideration, especially over the past three weeks.
As he walked past Sierra’s apartment on his way out, he forced back a flash of guilt over not knocking and wishing her good morning. He’d seen her the night before when he got in, he reminded himself, so she knew he had this meeting. It wasn’t like he had to check in with her whenever he left his apartment, for crying out loud.
Still, he knew it was rather dickish for him to come home, have hot sex with her, then act like nothing had happened the next day. It was just as dickish for him to leave for days at a time and not reach out to her at all.
His mother had raised him to treat women better than how he’d treated Sierra since they returned from Savannah. Hell, he knew his mom would have kicked his ass over it if she’d still been alive. He’d never treated a woman like this.
But then, he’d never felt for another woman what he did for Sierra.
And that was exactly why he was doing it.
He knew it was fucked up, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. The more he realized he couldn’t get her out of his mind, the more he tried to distance himself from her.
Unfortunately, his efforts weren’t working. Like with one of those Chinese finger traps he’d played with as a kid, the more he tried to pull away, the more ensnared he became. The truth was, it was rather terrifying.
“Hi there, Mr. Dorsey,” Oliver greeted him as he entered the lobby. “Nice to see you. Glad the team had a successful road trip.”
“Thanks, Oliver. How’s everything been?”
“Oh, good. Can’t complain. Never know what to expect from one day to the next around here.”
Evan smiled. “It’s like a TV drama, isn’t it? Any new babies, engagements, or otherwise I need to be aware of?”
“Can’t say anything that big,” Oliver said with a chuckle. “Guess you already know about Ms. Sierra and your dog walker.”
His smile faded. “What?”
Oliver looked puzzled. “Ms. Sierra and…what’s his name? Geoff?”
A sour feeling churned in Evan’s stomach. “What about them?”
“Oh. I hope I’m not speakin’ out of turn. It’s just that Ms. Sierra’s looked so happy lately, and she’s spendin’ so much time with that Geoff fellow. Every time I look up, it seems like they’re comin’ down with the dogs together. I just figured…well, I shouldn’t have said anythin’.”
Evan didn’t know what to say. He realized that he’d been more successful at distancing himself from Sierra than he’d believed, but not in the way he’d intended.
No one knew of their relationship. He hadn’t even talked about it with Cole. He hadn’t taken her out on a single date since they’d gotten home from Savannah, either, using his busy schedule as his excuse. Everything that existed between them took place behind closed doors, without so much as a text message exchanged between them otherwise.
Outside of paying her, he’d been treating her like a whore.
Jesus. He was an enormous asshole.
“It’s okay, Oliver,” he said at last, not wanting the other guy to feel bad. No, that prize belonged to him. “I was just caught off-guard because I’ve been seeing Sierra. She and Geoff are just acquaintances.”
Oliver blinked. “No shit? Uh, beg your pardon.”
“No worries. We haven’t exactly been spreading the news. I can understand how you’d be confused.
”
“Sure,” the manager said.
But he still looked surprised and baffled, as though it made much more sense to him that Sierra was dating Geoff. Evan’s feeling of guilt multiplied. He had to get out of there before he found himself declaring something to Oliver that he had no business declaring to anyone.
“Well, catch you later,” he said.
He slinked out the front door, wondering how the hell he’d gotten to this point. As he walked across the courtyard to the parking lot, he jammed his hands into his pockets and glowered at the sidewalk. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to get into a relationship in the first place, he mused irritably. He didn’t need all of this emotional baggage right now. Or ever.
He came up short when he spotted his bike. The leather of his seat was in shreds, exposing piles of foam padding. Across the rear fender was a barely legible message scrawled into the black paint with a key.
Die Dorsey.
Apparently, he mused as he looked around the empty parking lot, someone there wasn’t a huge fan.
* * *
Sierra worked on editing and uploading until Evan got home from his meeting with his agent. She waited another hour, hoping he’d stop by. He didn’t, and like it always did, it sliced at her heart. When she heard him go out onto his balcony, she opened the door to hers and stepped outside.
“Hi, Evan,” she said.
“Hi, Sierra.”
He sipped the bottle of beer he held and stared into the park across the street. Outside of flicking a quick glance her way, he didn’t make any attempt to engage her in conversation. She guessed he wasn’t feeling chatty.
Well, that was just too bad.
“How’d your meeting go?” she asked.
“Fine.”
“What did you and your agent decide regarding your prospects after this season?”
He turned his gaze to her. “I’m not supposed to talk about that sort of thing with anyone other than my agent, especially at such a critical time.”