Page 54 of Really Truly Yours
“Dylan.”
“Okay, Dylan.” Grayson, with his left hand, scrawls out a message I read upside down. Keep swinging, Dylan! Gray Smith. He adds a hashtag followed by his jersey number.
The kid leaves, and Grayson gives a quick wave to the boy’s parents who watch from the wings.
“That was nice.”
“Getting recognized?”
“No, you were nice.”
His entire face tightens. “You expected me to give him the Donny treatment?”
“Of course not.”
The tension mostly releases. He rubs his chin. “If you say so.”
Okay, maybe I wondered, but that’s a me problem. His and Donny’s relationship is new and complex. He deserves some leeway.
He takes a swig of water and jiggles the ice. “You know what? My cover is definitely blown.”
I follow his discreet sweep of the restaurant. More guests have arrived, and a disproportionate number of eyeballs seem to drift to our little corner. “I see you left your disguise at home today.” That ridiculous ball cap he tried to hide under the day we met.
“Disguise, huh? Truth is, I don’t usually need one. I only did it last week because…” His eyes loop. “I was feeling insecure. Some strange woman just had to meet me.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” I grin.
He folds his muscled arms and sits back. “I’ve been meaning to ask. How’d you get my number, anyway?”
I’m surprised he’s only now getting around to the question. “A couple weeks ago, your team was playing in the Metroplex. I went out to the ballpark one morning and hung around as close as I could get to the players’ entrance.”
He frowns. “Security around there is pretty tight.”
“I had to try. Donny was desperate. Finally, this one guy came near where I was, and he looked like a player.”
“You’re telling me you accosted a strange man on the street?”
“Basically.”
He shakes his head. “Who was it?”
“I never got his name. He drove a red Ferrari.”
Gray rolls his eyes. “Oh, he’s a player alright. And now I know who to have a word with when I get back.”
My brain snags for a moment on the get back part.
“So he’s the one who sold me out?”
He’s teasing, but I cringe. I’m a private person myself, so I struggled with trespassing someone else’s boundaries. “Not entirely. Of course, I didn’t tell him exactly why I needed to talk to you. I let him know it was important, though, and he gave me your agent’s number.”
One of his eyebrows shoots high. “Archer knows about this?”
“Yes, and honestly, I was shocked when he gave me your number instead of passing mine along to you. But I got the impression he already knew something about your situation, so maybe my story rang true.”
Grayson nods, thoughtful. “Yeah. He knew all about it when Tripp and I were reunited last year.” He scuffs his palm against his chin. “I cannot believe you just stood around outside. You got lucky, you know that?”
I shrug. “I’d been praying hard. Donny, too. I don’t think it was luck.”