Now it was up to him to make sure both of them won.
WHEN THEY’D FINISHED eating their cold soup and warm turkey sandwich—she had chosen the diner more for its privacy than the quality of its food—Savannah told Kit that she had to get back to her office. He paid for their meal, then walked her to her car.
“What time shall I pick you up tonight?” he asked.
She started to give him a time, then suddenly slapped a hand against her forehead. “I can’t go out with you tonight.”
He immediately looked suspicious, and she knew he thought she was running scared again. “Why not?”
“My son has a baseball game. I had to miss his last one because I worked late. I really can’t miss again tonight.”
He relaxed. “Then I’ll go with you to cheer him on.”
Savannah almost groaned. She could already hear the talk that would cause. But she couldn’t think of any way to ask him not to go without being rude, or confirming his accusation that she allowed the town gossips to rule her actions.
“It really won’t be much fun,” she assured him. “It’s hot at the park. Crowded. Loud. Dusty.”
He nodded, and the corners of his mouth twitched with a smile he seemed to be repressing. “I’ve been in a few ballparks in my time. I know what to expect.”
Kit Pace was a very stubborn man, Savannah realized with an inward sigh of defeat. He wasn’t going to back off unless she specifically asked him to go away and forget all about her. And, even though she knew that was exactly what she should do, she couldn’t make herself say the words.
Kit’s smile widened. He touched her cheek with a gentle finger, his eyes sympathetic. “I’ll be good. I promise I won’t embarrass you.”
“You won’t have to,” she answered glumly. “Everyone else will make certain of that.”
He grew serious. “I wish I could promise there won’t be any gossip, Savannah. But there will be. It’s just an unpleasant part of life we have to learn to deal with— particularly my life. I don’t agree that a person who becomes successful in the entertainment industry should automatically forfeit the right to privacy, but that seems to be the way we operate in this country. I don’t like it, but I’ve learned to live with it.”
Savannah told herself that it was only a ball game. Surely the gossips couldn’t make too much of that. Especially since Kit had put out the story that he was researching small-town life. What better place to begin than at the ballpark?
She nodded. “I’ll see you later, then. Why don’t you just meet me at the park at six?”
He nodded, listened carefully to the directions she gave him, then stepped back to allow her to open her car door.
“Savannah,” he said as she slid beneath the wheel and prepared to drive away. “Thanks for giving me— giving us—a chance. You won’t be sorry.”
“I hope not, Kit,” she murmured, turning her key. “I truly hope not.”
“CHRISTOPHER PACE is coming to my ball game? Are you kidding?” Michael’s eyes were huge with excitement.
“Cool,” Miranda breathed. “Maybe he’s going to write a book about futuristic terrorists taking over a Little League game or something.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah, right. I’m sure that’s exactly what he’ll do.”
“It could happen,” Miranda answered defensively. “Huh, Mom?”
“I have no idea,” Savannah replied. “I don’t have a writer’s imagination.”
“Man, I can’t believe he’s coming to watch,” Michael murmured, hitting his fist into his worn baseball mitt. Michael’s baseball record was not stellar, but he loved the game with a passion Savannah had never quite understood.
“Reality check,” Miranda taunted. “He isn’t coming to watch you. He’s coming to check out the atmosphere. And maybe,” she added impishly, “to check out Mom. I saw the way he was looking at her last night.”
Savannah flushed.
Michael’s eyes narrowed speculatively.
“So you guys aren’t, like, dating or anything, are you?” he asked his mother, looking as if he couldn’t decide whether he approved of that idea or not.
“Of course they’re not dating,” Ernestine snapped, entering the kitchen just in time to hear her grandson’s question. “The man is here on business. Why would a man who dates fashion models and movie actresses be interested in your mother?”