It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars #1)(107)

They’d reached a bend in the hallway. As much as Phoebe didn’t want to watch the action, neither did she want to be too far away, and she turned so they could retract their steps. “My sister Molly baby-sits for a set of twins who live next door. Sometimes she brings them over to our house when they’ve gotten cranky and she’s having trouble controlling them. They’re little stinkers, but I love playing with them.”

Sharon regarded her curiously. “You don’t look like the type of—” Breaking off, she dropped her eyes in embarrassment.

“I don’t look like the type of woman who enjoys children?”

“I’m sorry. That sounds like an insult, and I didn’t intend it that way. You’re just so glamorous.”

“Thank you, but you’re not the first person to think that about me. Not even people with good imaginations seem to be able to see me as a mother.” She bit her lip as all of her anxieties about her future with Dan crept back.

“Is something wrong?”

A collective groan echoed from the nearby skyboxes, all of them held by Star fans, and Phoebe picked up the pace. “Children are very important to the man I’m sort of involved with. They are to me, too, but he hasn’t discovered that yet.” She smiled ruefully. “I’m afraid it’s easier for him to picture me popping out of a cake at a bachelor party than as his children’s mother. Since he hasn’t actually stated his intentions, it’s tough figuring out how to let him know I feel the same way he does about having a family.”

“Believe me, I understand from personal experience.”

“Are you involved with someone?”

“Yes.” She suddenly looked shy, and Phoebe gave her an encouraging smile. Sharon sighed. “It’s a strange relationship. All my life I’ve attracted ordinary guys—brothers of my girlfriends, quiet, sweet men, not too exciting, but steady. And then this Greek god pops into my life out of nowhere, the kind of man who always passes up ordinary women like me for glamorous women like you. He’s been subtly feeling me out about marriage and children for weeks, and I’m fairly certain he’s going to get around to proposing any day now, but I still can’t figure out what he sees in me.”

“Maybe the same thing I do—a very nice woman who’d make a wonderful wife.”

“Thanks, Phoebe. I wish I could believe that. He’s making me crazy. In this day and age— I mean, if you were ready to propose marriage to somebody, wouldn’t you expect—” Sharon turned red and blurted out, “He treats me like the Virgin Mary!”

“You’re not sleeping together?”

Sharon tugged on her hair and looked embarrassed. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. I haven’t even told my sister about this, and I tell her everything.”

“We’re meeting under a crisis situation. Like two strangers sitting next to each other on a doomed airplane.” Another chorus of groans erupted from the nearby skyboxes, and Phoebe flinched. “Your secret’s safe with me. To tell you the truth, I’m a little envious. At least you’ll never have to be afraid that he only wants you for sex.”

“I suppose you’re right. And to be honest, I haven’t encouraged him at all. He’s the most exciting man I’ve ever known, but I can’t seem to relax with him. It’s complicated.”

Phoebe recalled Ron’s saying that Sharon had been in the next skybox, the one the Stars used as an overflow for visiting VIPs. Sharon’s suitor was obviously someone with a high profile, and she couldn’t resist a gentle probe. “I haven’t heard any unusual gossip, so you and your Greek god must be keeping this quiet.”

“The local press had a field day with his divorce, so we’ve been careful about appearing together in public. This is the first game I’ve attended. As a matter of fact, there have been more rumors about the two of you than about us. Your friendship seems to mean a lot to him.”

Phoebe looked at her quizzically, and then everything inside her went still. Wild cheering broke out in the skyboxes, but she didn’t hear it. She didn’t hear anything except the clamoring of her own heart.

Sharon failed to notice that anything was wrong. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Dan never mentioned me to you.”

“No. No, he didn’t.” Her voice seemed to be coming from a great distance.

“He’s a private person in a lot of ways. I’m not putting myself down when I say this—really, I’m not. But I just can’t figure out what he sees in me.”

Phoebe could figure it out. Sharon Anderson was the sweet, down-to-earth girl a man fell in love with and married. Phoebe was the sexy bimbo a man f*cked and forgot.

Another round of cheering broke out. She didn’t know how they got back into the skybox or how she managed to stumble through her halftime interview. Luckily, the wild cheering during the third and fourth quarters made conversation for the remainder of the game impossible. By the time it was over, she was barely able to register the Stars’ decisive 24-10 victory over the Bills.

On the two televisions suspended from the ceiling, the commentator explained how it had happened. “The Bills began to lose their momentum during the second quarter, and they never regained it. You can’t make that many critical mistakes against a team as talented and well coached as the Stars. This team has improved so much over the season. No doubt about it. The Stars are this season’s Cinderella team.”