Gavin nodded. “Sure.”
He watched her walk away. She looked miserable. “Give me a second, Mick.”
He caught up with Elizabeth. “Hey. I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was in town.”
She lifted her head. There were unshed tears in her eyes, but she masked her unhappiness with a wide smile. “It’s no big deal. You catch up with your brother. I’ll see you later.”
Uncaring whether his brother saw or not, Gavin cupped her cheeks and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I won’t be long.”
Elizabeth grasped his arms. “You take your time and enjoy catching up with Mick. I have some contract stuff to work on anyway.”
He waited while she got into her car and drove off. When he turned around and walked back, Mick had a furious look on his face.
“Want to go get something to eat?” Gavin asked.
“What the f**k is going on?”
“Look. I’m hungry. Let’s eat and then we’ll talk. Follow me.”
It was a chickenshit excuse, but Gavin needed a few minutes alone in his car to get his bearings before facing his big brother. He drove them to a restaurant several miles away from the ballpark where they could grab some burgers and where Gavin could get a beer. Since Mick was an alcoholic, he ordered a soft drink.
Once the waitress took their food orders and brought their drinks, Mick leaned forward.
“What the f**k, Gavin? Elizabeth? Are you out of your mind?”
Gavin’s chin lifted, irritation making him grip the glass tightly in his hand. “What about Elizabeth?”
“You know what she did to Tara and Nathan. Her betrayal of them hurt them. It hurt me.”
“And she knows it. She apologized and she fixed it. And you fired her. What the hell do you want from her, man? Blood? A limb, maybe?”
“I can’t believe you’re seeing her. How long has this been going on?”
Gavin’s lips lifted. “Now you sound like Mom.”
“Not funny. I’m serious here. Or maybe I should ask if you’re serious. Are you just f**king her? Or maybe you’re just f**king with her. Surely you don’t care about her. Do you have any idea how screwed up this is?”
Once again it was all about Mick. How many times in Gavin’s life had the world revolved around his brother? First it was football, then his alcoholism. The family had always rallied around Mick. Gavin supposed being the oldest had its advantages. You got to do everything first. Mick had always been the shining example that Gavin had to follow. And then when Mick had fallen from grace with his battle with alcohol, he’d dragged himself up by his bootstraps and shown everyone what a hero he was and become an NFL star.
Oh, sure, Gavin had his own successes in baseball, but really, after everything Mick had been through, Gavin’s success in the major leagues was pretty much an afterthought.
And now with Elizabeth, she was the agent Mick had fired. So Gavin wasn’t supposed to date Elizabeth because she had screwed over Mick’s fiancée? Even Gavin’s girl wasn’t good enough for Mick?
Fuck that.
The waitress brought their burgers, and the conversation was put on hold temporarily while they dove into their food. Unfortunately, Gavin’s voracious appetite waned as he thought about Mick’s attitude toward Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s reaction to seeing Mick there.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Mick asked, pouncing as soon as Gavin pushed his plate aside.
“I don’t know what you’re fishing for, Mick.”
“You and Liz. What’s the deal?”
“Stay out of my personal life, Mick. Shouldn’t you be concentrating on your own?”
Mick’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t bring her around the family.”
“Mom loves Elizabeth.”
“Not right now, she doesn’t.”
“Has she told you that?”
“She doesn’t have to. She knows everything that went down with Tara and Nathan.”
“And she said . . . what, exactly?”
Mick tossed his napkin on the table. “You know she doesn’t like people who interfere in other people’s lives. And she doesn’t like people who hurt kids.”
Which meant Mom hadn’t directly said anything negative about Elizabeth. “You’re just making this all up as you go along. Look, Mick, I get that you’re defending Tara. If she were my woman, I’d do the same. And I understand you’re still pissed at Liz for the way she manipulated all of you. But my relationship with her isn’t the same, and you can’t judge me . . . or her . . . for it. You need to stay out of it.”
Mick shook his head. “Sorry, but you’re my brother, and you haven’t always made smart decisions where women are concerned.”
“Oh, so now you’re saying I’m stupid.”
“I didn’t say that. But you know Liz. Or at least I thought you did. Can’t you see what she’s doing?”
“She isn’t doing anything. We’re having some fun together and that’s all. It doesn’t have anything to do with you. Leave it alone.”
Mick stared long and hard at him. It reminded Gavin of when they were kids fighting over a toy. But Elizabeth wasn’t a toy. And this time Mick wanted Gavin to throw her away.
“I think you’re making a mistake. She’s only with you because she’s trying to keep you as a client.”
“I’m not that stupid, Mick.”
Mick leaned back and grabbed his glass of soda, finished it and took the bill the waitress presented. He took out cash and handed it to her with a smile. After the waitress left, Mick’s smile died as he turned his attention back to Gavin. “Just clear your head and try not to think with your dick. She’s playing you.”
“Thanks for thinking so highly of me.”
“I care about you, Gavin. I don’t want to see her hurt you the way she hurt me and Tara.”
“I think you need to get over your grudge against her and move on with your life. Plan your wedding to Tara. Forget about what Elizabeth did.”
They walked outside to their cars.
“Thanks for coming down here to see my game.”
Mick finally smiled for the first time. “You’re looking good.”
“Thanks.”
They hugged. “At least think about what I said.”