Sample Chapter
Kira’s heart thumped out a nervous beat as she stood by the fence line and watched Sexy Umpire Man—a.k.a. Jamie Lawson—gather his gear and head toward the parking lot.
This was it.
If she didn’t act now, she’d miss her shot.
Ask him out, the voice in her head said, louder now, more insistent. What’s the worst that can happen?
Okay, so she’d never actually asked a man out in her life. Unless you counted the Sadie Hawkins dance in eighth grade—and that had been a disaster involving a sprained ankle and fruit punch down the front of her dress.
But still. She was only in town for the summer, and as her sister had oh-so-helpfully reminded her, that made any potential embarrassment blissfully temporary.
She could do this.
She inhaled, rolled her shoulders back like she was about to walk into a boardroom, and moved to intercept him just before he reached the parking area.
“Hey,” she said, her voice a little breathier than intended. “Do you have a minute?”
He turned, clearly caught off guard. There was a flicker of surprise in his tawny-gold eyes before his expression shifted into something warm and curious. He offered his hand. “Jamie Lawson.”
She slid her hand into his. “Kira Walker,” she said, trying not to overanalyze how big and warm his palm felt against hers.
“Nice to meet you, Kira.” His smile was polite, open. “Are you here with your family?”
“Sort of,” she said. “I live in Minneapolis but I’m staying with my sister for the summer. That’s them there—” she gestured across the field “—her kids, her father-in-law. The Johnsons.”
He followed her motion and nodded. “Got it.”
She thought she saw something in his face relax, but she couldn’t tell for sure. Her brain was already a mess of nerves.
“I… um…” She laughed awkwardly. “I think I might’ve enjoyed watching you more than the game.”
His brows lifted, and he blinked. “Oh?”
Real subtle, Kira.
“I mean,” she rushed to clarify, “you’re very… committed. When you call the strikes.”
His lips twitched. “Well, it’s kind of the point of the job.”
“Right. Of course.” She winced and gave a tiny shake of her head. “I just—I guess I thought maybe you were noticing me, too.”
There. It was out.
A flicker of something crossed his face. Surprise, then thoughtfulness. His gaze locked with hers, warmer now. “You weren’t wrong,” he said softly.
The butterflies in her stomach officially started a mosh pit.
Emboldened, she pushed through the nerves. “So... would you maybe want to have dinner? With me? This week?”
There was a pause. Had she shocked him? He looked a bit like he’d been hit with a curveball.
Then—a smile that completely undid her. Slow, crooked, with a dimple in one cheek that shouldn’t have been legal.
“I’d like that,” he said.
“You would?” she said before she could stop herself. It came out breathless, surprised, a little too hopeful.
But he didn’t seem to mind. His grin deepened. “If you don’t mind giving me your number, I’ll call you to set up a time. I coach a kids’ team too, so I need to check our schedule.”
Of course he coaches, too. The universe clearly wanted her to swoon.
He pulled his phone from his back pocket, handed it to her, and she tapped in her number with slightly trembling fingers.
“I’m late for a family dinner,” he said as he took the phone back, those dimples still working overtime. “But I’ll talk to you soon, Kira Walker.”
She stood there, watching him walk away, feeling light-headed and lit up all at once.
Dinner with the sexy umpire.
Holy wow, she’d actually done it.
