Second Thoughts: A Hot Baseball Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

you. Or maybe even the third.” When Jamie frowned, Ashley said, “Look, I’m only going to say this one more time. You’re the one who was so freaked out by seeing Nick. What can it hurt to post your profile? If you hate every guy who replies, you don’t have to do anything else.”
    “You say that now. But down the road, you’re going to twist my arm until it breaks.”
    “Of course I’m going to twist your arm. I’m your best friend, and that’s my job. I’ve been slacking off for seven years. Ten minutes and counting.”
    Jamie sighed, but her fingers moved over the keyboard. She copied Ashley’s words and pasted them into her TrueLove profile. Pausing to read over the page one last time, she said, “I’m not sure…”
    Ashley reached across and clicked on the button that said Submit. A cartoon heart pulsed in the center of the screen. “I am,” she said.
    “I don’t believe you just did that!”
    “Leave it alone for a few hours. You can log in tonight to see who replies. Now, I have some cinnamon strudel cookies. Want to try them?”
    “Don’t try to make this up to me with sweets.” But even as she groused, Jamie had to laugh. Ashley was her best friend. And Ash really did only want what was best for her.
    Besides, in twenty-four hours, she could delete Shygirl6 and pretend like the entire stupid online site had never existed.
    ~~~
    Nick sprawled on his couch, using his bare feet to kick his unfolded laundry down to the third cushion. The television blared with sports news, endless recaps of the previous night’s playoff games. The Rockets should have been there— would have been, if they hadn’t lost their key hitter way back in June, if Ormond hadn’t gone for retirement, if a hundred little things had been different…
    He should turn off the TV and forget about the playoffs. This was the off season, whether he was happy about that or not. Hell, half the guys Nick knew were taking vacations to places with lots of sand and sun and drinks with crappy little umbrellas. The other half were getting to know their wives again, their kids, all the people they barely saw over the long baseball season.
    What the hell was wrong with him?
    Jamie Martin. That’s what.
    He should have known she was in town. Ever since being traded to Raleigh, he’d kept in touch with Ashley, having dinner with her every month or two. Looking back, he could see she’d been vague for quite a while. She’d made plans and broken them, saying she was too busy working at that upscale Italian place downtown.
    He hadn’t really thought about it. He’d been busy himself, wrapping up the season. The Rockets had been in contention for a playoff berth right until the end.
    But now, he knew Ashley’s distance had been because of Jamie. Jamie Martin had moved back to Raleigh, and she hadn’t wanted him to know.
    And he couldn’t really blame her.
    Jesus, she looked amazing. The short hair had caught him by surprise at first, but he kept wondering what it would feel like if he ran his fingers through it. And that makeup… He could count on one hand the times she’d bothered with the stuff when they were in school. Aside from those little changes, those meaningless things, she was exactly the same.
    That wasn’t true. She had changed. A lot. Her face was more serious. Her eyes were a lot less trusting. She looked like she’d spent a lot of time thinking, a lot of time worrying about…
    What? He had no idea.
    She’d obviously built a successful business as a photographer. That had been her dream, after all. And in a twisted way, her dream had become his, after he’d broken up with her. He’d needed her to succeed, so he could believe he wasn’t a complete asshole.
    He still winced out of reflex when he thought about the small diamond he’d shopped for so carefully, the one she’d twisted off her finger when he broke up with her. The damn thing was upstairs, in his nightstand, shoved all the way to the back with the