Irresistibly Yours (Oxford #1)(51)

Wait. Oh God. Did he think she’d followed him here?

She scooted forward. “Cole, I swear, this is a total coincidence. I had no idea you were coming today, and…wait, aren’t you a Yankees fan?”

“I am, but—”

“I’m a Mets fan,” Bobby said proudly.

Penelope nodded at this, taking a bite of her neglected hot dog. “A split family. I love that kind of drama.”

“You should come down here and sit by us!” Bobby said.

“Oh, I’m—”

“Yes, do,” Cole said. “It’s not safe for you back there. I hear it’s cloudy, with a chance of popcorn showers.”

Bobby laughed and Cole winked at her.

“Well, I guess—”

Cole reached around, grabbing her beer from the cup holder and moving it down to his row.

Why not?

It beat watching the game alone.

Plus, now she knew that Cole wasn’t with another woman and she was feeling a bit giddy.

There were two free seats. One on the other side of Bobby, one on the other side of Cole.

She chose the one next to Bobby, who seemed absolutely delighted to have someone to regale with his rather impressive knowledge of Mets history.

Penelope was a little worried she’d have a hard time not sneaking glances at Cole, but as the innings ticked by, her concern evaporated. Bobby was really, truly charming.

He had a youthful energy that made one happy to be alive. He also shared his remaining popcorn. Couldn’t beat that.

“Do you have a crush on my brother?” Bobby asked, after Cole had bought them all ice creams.

Penelope leaned over and snuck a bite of Bobby’s chocolate ice cream, which was better than her vanilla.

“I do. A little bit,” she said.

Cole glanced up at her in surprise and she shrugged.

“Are you going to get married?” Bobby asked. “Then we can be best friends and you can be my sister!”

“Bob,” Cole said in a warning voice.

Bobby looked at him in confusion. “What?”

“Penelope and I are just friends,” Cole explained.

Penelope swallowed, telling herself that it didn’t sting.

Of course they were just friends. Heck, she was the one who’d set the rules. Multiple times. And even if they were more than friends, she could understand why he wouldn’t want his brother to get the wrong idea.

It wasn’t like the three of them were going to start making a routine out of ball games together.

That last thought caused a little stab of regret, and Penelope frowned down at her ice cream. What was wrong with her? One baseball game and she was all ready to insert herself into Cole’s family?

She wondered if it was always just the two of them, or if parents sometimes tagged along. Did Cole’s parents live in New York? Were they alive?

It was something a girlfriend would know. Heck, it was something a friend would know.

Her frown deepened as she realized just how little she knew the man she was sometimes sleeping with.

After singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at the seventh-inning stretch, Bobby headed to the restrooms with firm instructions that he did not want Cole to come with him.

Penelope and Cole stayed standing, watching in awkward silence as the crew cleaned up the field. She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, and Cole turned toward her suddenly.

“Thank you.”

She glanced up at him. “For?”

He lifted a shoulder. “For not making it weird. For being…understanding.”

It was on the tip of Penelope’s tongue to protest that it was no big thing—or at least that it shouldn’t be. But something on Cole’s face had her holding back. As though he’d been through this sort of interaction before, and not had it end well.

She touched her fingers just lightly to his elbow. “I’m having a really good time.”

He swallowed and glanced at her before his eyes darted back to the field.

This was a different side of Cole. One she was suddenly desperate to get to know. But it wasn’t the time. Or the place. And then Bobby was back, and the game wound down into what turned out to be a pretty impressive victory for the Mets.

The three of them filed out of their row and joined the slow, crowded procession toward the main level. Bobby chatted happily the whole time about some big party they were having at the Big House later, and how he was going to wear his new purple shirt.

They were a few feet from the exit when Cole interrupted his brother. “Hold on, Bobby, there’s something we need to do before we can leave.”

Both Penelope and Bobby looked at him.

“Look at Penelope here,” Cole said. “Does she seem like she’s missing something?”

Bobby studied her with careful precision before holding up a finger. “A hat!”

“Damn straight,” Cole said. “She’s lacking a Mets cap.”

“Says the guy wearing the Yankees hat,” Penelope said.

She meant to match his playfulness, but inside her heart was doing weird, skippy things.

How had he known? Not just that she wanted a hat but that she didn’t want to buy it for herself—by herself.

“You pick it out,” she told Bobby, once they were inside the crowded shop. “You know the Mets better than anyone.”