4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Cassie

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I talked to Dominic. No, that's a lie. I knew exactly what I was expecting. An asshole. A pitcher who thought he knew it all and was God's gift. Oh, I still have that thought. But having seen him with Tony, I saw something different. Although I knew I was keeping my distance. However, even knowing that, I'm not sure why it struck me as odd when I felt him sit next to me on the stand.

I peeked a glance at him, almost laughing too hard at the hat and glasses he wore. I'm sure he had a very wide set of fans, and I did not doubt that more than a few women would LOVE to talk to him. Or more like get in his pants. But seeing him in disguise just to enjoy a game was something else altogether.

"Do you often come alone?"

"These days, all the time."

"Tony said his dad wasn't in the picture much." I sighed. I had really hoped that Tony wouldn't get into all that, but I did know better. Coach Raul really wanted these kids to open up to the young baseball players. And most did see these stars as big brothers. So, I should have known that Tony would just feel comfortable enough to blab it all.

"He's not. His choice. He wasn't around much before the divorce either."

"Cassie, how old are you?"

I popped another piece of popcorn in my mouth, debating on how to answer that.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's impolite to ask a woman her age?" He chuckled before he glanced around.

"She did. But forgive me, I'm finding it hard to place how you are already divorced with a son as old as Tony. You don't strike me as an older woman."

"Thank you." And I meant it. It wasn't every day I heard those words. "I'm thirty-seven. "

"Bullshit." I almost choked on the popcorn for as loud as he said it. "Sorry," he muttered, glancing around before turning to look at me. "You just don't look it. When I saw you in the stands earlier, I swear you were in your late twenties."

"Again, thank you. But I'm way past that." He nodded and I wanted to say more but kept my mouth shut. I wasn't going to give in to talking to him, to flirting, or even caring what he said.

But he was also the first man to tell me I didn't look my age. That the gray hair I kept hidden didn't diminish my beauty. That the crow's feet were becoming more pronounced day by day, didn't take away all my youth. And the fact he didn't say all of that scared me.

"Did your ex cheat?"

"Dominic, I'm not sure what all Tony told you-"

"Hey," he said, cutting me off. "I'm not trying to be a dick or overstep my bounds. I'm just trying to get to know you a little bit. You can imagine how hard it is, from the only place you've known, to a whole new state? I have no friends, no one to hang out with."

Truthfully, no, I didn't know. Santa Fe was my home. I was born and raised here, and I absolutely loved the city, just like I loved the state. Oh, I know a lot of people gave it a bad reputation, and that's fine, but for those of us who knew, we understood the magic and tranquility found in a place like this.

But I could understand loneliness. And because of that, I could extend an olive branch. Nothing more! Ever.

"I can't imagine, sorry. Only ever lived here. But, no, to answer your question, Peter didn't cheat. At least not with a woman, or a man. He cheated with a job. He strived to want something better and put everything else on the back burner, family being the biggest thing he neglected. He wanted what he wanted and didn't care about who he stepped on to get there. And now he has his golden job.

"I hated being second place, especially in my marriage. It's a place one should never be if you love them. So, because of that, I vowed that I would never put myself in a position where Tony and I weren't number one. We're a packaged deal. And I refuse to hurt him again. It was bad, is bad enough, with his dad and all the hurt that comes from that."

"I can see that. You're right though. You should always be number one." He licked his lips, watching the players as they walked on the field, and I cheered for my son. He glanced up at the stands and his mouth fell open in shock at the man next to me. Even in disguise, Tony would know who it was .

"I think that's why I have steered clear of relationships," he confessed, and I lifted a brow. "I want to be able to put my partner before anything else and so long as I'm in this game, she wouldn't be." He turned to me and even behind the darkened lenses I could see his eyes.

"Are we getting into something real and deep here?" I teased.

I wasn't sure why I went there, but I could admit that hearing that from him was something I never suspected. He didn't quite strike me as the man who wanted a home life. Then again, I only ever saw the playboy image on sports TV or sports magazines, and it was enough for me to never dig deeper.

"Maybe we are? I'm not a total jerk, you know?"

"No, I can't say I know." I paused while taking another bite of popcorn and frowned. "All I've ever seen of you is what the tabloids liked to spread. I never bothered to look deeper, not like Tony did." I twisted my lip, hating how that sounded. I wasn't a shallow person, far from it. But pro athletes, well, they just didn't always have the greatest impression on me.

"I can understand. You can make it up to me, though?" I laughed as I gave him a dubious look.

"Not doing any sexual favors here." He wiggled his brows but let out a light chuckle .

"Nothing like that. But as I'm getting a feel for the team, and some of those new players were enemies, I need a friend. And a tour guide. As a self-proclaimed woman of Santa Fe, I thought you would know the area the best."