Chapter 12

Ientered Gina's room, carrying my dress by the hanger. It had taken three hours for her to pick out her dress this morning and five minutes for me—after I'd woken up alone in bed. I wondered if Crew disappeared so early because he was embarrassed by what he'd said last night. Or, if he even remembered.

"Hey," Gina said from her vanity, looking so excited to be going to the banquet.

"Hey," I said.

"I can't wait to see you in your dress again," she said. "You look so beautiful in it."

I balked. "Too bad I've got no one to impress."

"Are you kidding? Do you know how many of Cody's teammates want to tame the angry Peyton?"

I cocked my head. "What?"

"Yeah. Cody told me."

"They were talking about me?" I asked, unable to believe my ears. Was I the laughing stock of the team? Had they taken wagers on who could get with me? No. Fucking. Way.

"What's wrong?" Gina asked, noting the vacant look on my face.

I shook my head as my heart drummed faster and a cold chill rushed over my body. "Nothing."

She smiled and I could see she had no idea what she'd done by telling me that.

"I'll be right back," I said as I rushed out of her room and into the bathroom. I closed the door, and with my back to it, I slipped down to the floor.

Had I really been a bet?

Was that why Crew paid for breakfast? Why he was all you're as pretty as your necklace?

I would not cry.

I would not give into the overwhelming feeling of dread taking over my body. I would not give in to the feeling of my world being out of my control.

I was in control.

I pulled in a deep breath, releasing it slowly despite the imaginary weight pressing against my chest. I was stronger than this.

Gina knocked on the door. "Peyton? Are you all right?"

"I just need a minute."

"Did I say something to upset you?" she asked.

"No," I lied. "I just need a few more minutes."

An hour later, I'd battled the panic attack and won. My fitted navy dress stopped midthigh and my nude heels made me inches taller. My makeup was flawless and contoured in all the right places. Gina had curled my hair into beachy waves and I was ready to get this night over with.

I took in Gina in her red dress, whistling a long-drawn-out whistle. "Cody is going to fall over when he sees you."

"And, every guy in that banquet hall is gonna fall over when they see you," she assured me.

There was only one player I hoped fell over. It'd be easier to stomp on him that way. "Let's do this."

Our Uber drove us to the beachside banquet hall in the next town. My heartbeat began to hasten as the driver stopped in front of the massive one-story structure. I opened the car door and stepped out. Gina followed me as we made our way to the entrance. A couple ball players in suits and ties opened the door, their eyes drifting over us in quiet approval. Normally, I would have spewed a snarky comment, but I wasn't about to give them anything else to talk about.

We snaked our way through the crowded lobby, past the gift basket raffle. Two ball players sat behind the table, their eyes following us as we passed by without stopping to buy tickets. We headed toward the music and into the large banquet hall. The room was filled with at least twenty large round tables—ten on either side of the dance floor.

Heads turned when we entered. I spotted Crew talking to a teammate until he noticed me. His eyes widened and a slow smile crept across his lips.

I averted my gaze and sought out Sam. He too was looking my way.

"You go find Cody. I'm gonna say hi to Sam," I said to Gina before marching over to Sam. His smile grew as I moved toward him, clearly surprised I was heading in his direction.

"Wow," he said, his eyes moving over my dress.

I grabbed his hand. "Can we talk?"

His eyes shot to my hand in his. "Sure."

I pulled him away from the room toward a door that led to the beach patio. He came willingly. Once we were outside, I stopped and turned to face him. "I need you to be honest with me."

"O-kay," he said, confused by the urgency in my tone.

"Does the team have a bet going about me?"

His features stilled. "Bet?"

"Is there a bet about who can tame me?" I asked with a small quiver to my voice now that I was actually saying it aloud.

"It's not like that," he said.

"What's it like?" I asked.

"Peyton?"

I turned at the sound of my name.

Crew stood there with his hands in the pockets of his gray suit pants. "Are you okay?"

A harsh, humorless laugh burned in my throat. "Define okay."

Sam scooted around me and escaped toward the door.

"Where are you going?" I called to Sam.

"Find me later," he said before disappearing inside.

The waves crashed in the distance as the sound of muffled music trickled outside to the patio where Crew and I stood alone. In the near darkness, his light blue eyes were accentuated by his blue tie.

"What do you want?" I asked.

His head hitched back. "I saw you take off with Sam. I wanted to be sure you were okay."

"Since when do you care?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Since when do you care about anything that happens to me?"

"What the hell's going on with you? Did you have another panic attack?"

I scoffed. "You would throw that in my face."

"Throw what in your face?" he asked incredulously.

"The fact that you know I have panic attacks," I said. "Was it all a ploy?"

"I'm not following."

"A ploy, Crew! A ploy to tame angry Peyton."

Just like Sam's face moments before, his face faltered.

"Yeah," I said, "I know about the bet."

"There's no bet."

"Bullshit," I challenged.

"I swear. Some of the guys were talking shit because that's what guys do. And they were wondering which one of us could tame the angry…you. No money was exchanged. It was just for laughs."

"Oh, so it's funny?"

"No, it's not funny," he said, his eyes lowering to his shoes.

"What's the winner get?" I asked.

His eyes shot up. "There's no winner. It was just guys talking."

"I don't believe you."

He threw his hands out to his sides. "Well, I can't help you with that. You're the one with trust issues. Not me."

I grabbed a nearby drink that someone had left and tossed the contents in his face. "You're an asshole."

He gave a sigh of resignation, then dragged both hands over his face to wipe the liquid from it. "I'm telling you the truth. You can choose to believe it or not. But I'm not the guy you've created in your mind. I'm not gonna let you down or do something shady behind your back. But you believe I am, so there's really nothing I can do to change that." He turned away from me and walked back inside.

I stood alone with the empty glass in my hand and the ocean breeze whipping my hair around my face.

Was he right?

Did I create things in my head?

I believed he was a jerk, so I was gonna do everything in my power to keep that notion going—whether it was the truth or not.

"Here you are!" Gina said as she stepped outside. "Why are you all alone out here?"

I shook my head as I placed the empty glass back down. "I'm just getting used to the way my life is gonna be. Always alone."

She walked over and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Stop it. You're gonna meet someone. It just won't be a baseball player since we all know how you feel about them. Come on. Dinner's about to be served. We're sitting with the Delaney's, and we're far away from your father and Crew."

We ate pasta dinner and the conversation flowed freely between Cody, his host family, and Gina. I was seated next to the Delaney's eight-year-old son Rory who kept talking to me, which was a blessing since I didn't have to make small talk with the adults while reeling from my interaction with Crew.

Cody's arm was draped around the back of Gina's chair, and she lit up whenever he leaned in and whispered into her ear. I hoped he didn't break her heart. I hoped he was who he seemed to be.

After the ice cream dessert was served, the dinner music turned off and the coaching staff took to the stage to show their appreciation for the team sponsors. They finished their portion of the night by giving out team awards. Cody won for best sportsmanship. Our table stood and applauded as he made his way up to the stage to accept his award.

We sat down when he stepped up to the podium and stared down at the sportsmanship plaque in his hand.

"Thanks so much for this amazing award," he began. "All I've ever wanted was to be a baseball player. I never take my job lightly, but I also want to lift up the other players around me. Being a good teammate is something I always strive to be, and I appreciate that Coach Mike and his entire staff recognize that. It's been an honor playing in the Cape League for the Sharks. Thanks to the coaches, my teammates, and to all the fans, especially my awesome host family the Delaney's, and my biggest fan Gina. I'm so glad I met you."

Gina's smile couldn't get any wider while she clapped for Cody as he stepped down from the stage. When he reached our table, he showed off his plaque before sitting back down. He turned to Gina who unexpectedly grabbed his cheeks and planted a long kiss to his lips.

"Our final award of the night is for this year's MVP," Coach Mike announced from the podium. "This player shows a combination of quiet intensity and relentless determination when he plays. He may not be the loudest player on the bench, but he's also not one to celebrate his own successes with bat flips and elaborate trots around the bases. He shows what it means to lead by example. This year's MVP is Crew Burke."

The room broke into applause. I turned in my seat to see Crew stand from his table. He fist-bumped my father before he walked to the stage. I couldn't help notice the wet spot on his jacket from the drink I'd thrown in his face. I guess he should've considered himself fortunate that I hadn't thrown a bowl pasta.

On the stage, Crew accepted the MVP award from his coach. He stepped up to the podium as he stared at the award in his hands. "Thank you to Coach Mike and the rest of the Sharks coaching staff for this honor." His eyes lifted and he scanned the room. "But it feels wrong to accept an award that says I'm the most valuable player because I feel like every player on the field contributes and is essential to the team's success. So, I'll just accept this award on behalf of the rest of my team. Let's go bring home the championship, boys."

His teammates all stood from their spots at their respective tables and cheered. The rest of the room followed, applauding Crew as he made his way back to his table.

Was he the selfless guy he claimed to be in his speech? Did I have him all wrong?

With the speeches over, the DJ began playing dance music. Cody stood and held out his hand to Gina who took it eagerly. They walked out to the dance floor and began to sway to the music, despite it being a fast song. I'd never seen her this happy. Maybe she had manifested her happily ever after.

Rory looked over at me. "Wanna dance?"

I laughed. "Dance?"

He nodded.

"Sure." I pushed myself to my feet and followed him to the dance floor. He weaved us around couples dancing until he stopped in a spot in the very center. I grabbed his small hands and moved us from side to side.

"Spin me!" he said.

I lifted one of our joined hands and twirled him around and around.

"I'm getting dizzy!" he cried.

"Then slow down," I laughed as he tried to stand still, but his dizziness made him walk sideways.

"Are you okay?" I asked as the song changed to a slow one.

"Yesssss," he said, sidestepping and trying to keep his balance.

"Hey, buddy."

Rory and I both turned to find Crew standing near us on the dance floor. He had taken off his suit jacket and the sleeves of his white button-down shirt were rolled up and his blue tie was loosened.

"Mind if I dance with Peyton?" he asked him.

My heartrate hastened. Why did he want to dance with me? Hadn't we said all that needed to be said outside?

"Sure," Rory said. "She was making me too dizzy anyways."

"Hey," I admonished. "You wanted me to spin you."

He shrugged before running off and leaving Crew and me in the center of the dance floor.

Crew reached for my hips, but I stepped back. He cocked his head. "Are you really gonna do this right now?"

"Do what?"

He glanced around the room, probably worried that people were watching our interaction.

"Feel free to find one of your adoring fans to dance with," I said.

"I don't want a fan." He stepped forward and slipped his hands around my hips. "I want you."

I don't know if it was the way he said he wanted me, or because I was causing a slight scene resisting a dance with the MVP, but I slipped my arms over his shoulders and he pulled me against his chest. Since I was wearing heels, I was just up to his shoulder, so it made it easy for me to not look into his eyes as he swayed us slowly to the music.

"You look beautiful," he whispered in my ear, his breath tickling my lobe.

I said nothing, angry that I'd given in so easily.

"I would've told you that before if you weren't so hell bent on being mad at me."

I was silent as the music echoed through the room.

"This is the longest you've gone without talking," he acknowledged. "I didn't think it was possible."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

We danced in silence. I tried not to focus on the gentle way his hands rested on my lower back or the scent of his cologne working its way into my senses. And forget his rock-hard chest pressed to mine. I would not focus on that.

The song ended and another slow one began. I tried to step back, but he held onto me tightly, stopping me from leaving. "I have a proposition for you," he finally said.

I didn't respond.

"Let's start over. I think we need a clean slate."

I pulled back so I could see his eyes. "Is this part of the bet?"

"There's no bet," he assured me.

I shrugged, not sure if I completely believed that.

"I'm Crew and I play baseball."

"I hate baseball players."

He chuckled. "O-kay…so…I'm Crew and I sleep next to the prettiest girl in the banquet hall."

I rolled my eyes, unsusceptible to his lines.

"Your turn," he said.

"This is stupid."

"You're the one who threw a drink in my face, but here I am. So, humor me."

Was I really gonna play along with his ridiculous game?

I exhaled. "I'm Peyton and I…" Strangely, I didn't know what else to say. Who was I? I was certainly angry. And heartbroken. And a baseball player hater. But this year had been a blur of emotions—especially sadness. I didn't even know what made me happy anymore.

"I have beautiful green eyes," Crew finished for me.

"I'm more than pretty green eyes."

He laughed.

"I love the beach," I said, pleased with myself for coming up with something.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "It's good to meet you, Peyton who loves the beach. I think we're gonna be great friends."

I rolled my eyes again. "You're so stupid."

"Oh, you don't want to be my friend?"

"Girls and guys can never just be friends," I said.

"Definitely not if they're sleeping in the same bed."

"Then stop sleeping in my bed."

"You first."

"Why must you challenge me?" I asked.

"Is that what I do?"

"Oh, no. You mainly piss me off."

He laughed, and his whole face lit up.

The song ended and a fast song began. Crew released his hold on me, so I dropped my arms from his shoulders and stepped back. He ticked his head toward the door. "Walk with me."

"Why?"

"Because, like I told you last night, I wanted to see you here tonight."