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"He didn't call it an accident. It was an accident," Matt said.
"Right," Derrick said.
"It was. I'm telling you." He took a deep breath and then said, "Besides, things are about to change."
"That so?"
"Yeah. I'm going to get back in the majors this year. I feel it," he lied, his stomach writhing with every word.
Derrick raised his eyebrows. "Andy helped you out that much already?"
"She's mostly helped against my will," he said, relieved that that, at least, was true. Despite his best efforts to force his sister to drop him as a client for her sports publicity firm, she'd been pressing her nose to the grindstone for months in an effort to get him back in the public eye and—with any luck—back on a major league bench.
So far, results had been meager at best. Not that she ever let on that fact to him.
"That's how she rolls." Derrick nodded. "I told her not to have the wedding here, you know. I said I'd come to San Diego, but no, Andy wasn't going to inconvenience me." Derrick rolled his eyes.
“There’s got to be some way to stop her when she gets like this. I remember when we were kids Dad used to try to just give her some other pet project to take on. Remember when she tried to get him to date?”
Matt laughed. “That was a disaster. But yeah, I remember.”
“It’s like she needs to be the one to control everything, and if she doesn’t—”
Matt stopped listening. Something inside of him, deep down, had clicked. Andy had passed off his case to Shay.
Shay who hated and despised him. Who wanted nothing to do with him. Who would jump at the chance to be rid of him.
And that was exactly what he needed.
“Hey, you here?” Derrick asked, and Matt shook his head.
“Care to share with the class?” Derrick asked.
Matt hedged. On one hand, he was bursting to share his newly cooking plan, but on the other...
“No, sorry, just...” He shook his head again. “I just remembered something I have to do.”
Chapter 2
The rest of the night with Derrick passed in a rush of laughter and euphoria. It was nice, being with him again after so many years. And, of course, after the initial check-ins about baseball and Derrick's work with the army, they got to talking about old times. The pranks they used to play on Andy. The way their dad used to sing so loud in the shower that even the neighbors would complain. Before they knew it, the bartender was shouting for last call and they were both pleasantly buzzed and ready to walk home.
In the morning, Matt grabbed his rental car and thought again of his sister. Or rather, what he'd overheard his sister saying. Shay was going to be taking on his case. Shay with her beautifully short temper and her passionate distaste for him.
She was like a gift, all wrapped up and ready for him to open.
After all, if he tried to pull one over on Andy, she'd know what he was doing—would smell it on him. But Shay? She'd be on the lookout for even the slightest reason to let him loose. Maybe he could even act up enough that she'd be able to convince Andy to let his contract lapse. Then he'd be in the clear. No Shay, no Andy, and no more guilt over ruining what could be a successful business for them.
All he had to do was find his angle.
When he got back to the house, he parked on the couch, flicked open a magazine, and waited. Logan and Andy had already gone out for the day—they’d left a note that they planned on fishing for their supper that night. Which, of course, left only Matt and Shay. All alone.
Another gift.
After only a few minutes, her door creaked open and he heard her long, fitful yawn before her footfalls slapped against the cool, tiled floors.
"Good morning." Matt beamed at her, and she squinted back through bleary eyes.
Apparently, Shay wasn't much of a morning person. In fact, it almost made him laugh to see her normally sleek black hair sticking out in all directions, her mascara smeared under her left eye, and her normally piercing dark eyes clouded by sleep. It almost made her seem human.
