Gavin missed the mild California weather, the easier vibe, the sense that the game was as much about entertainment as winning. There was no picture of him gracing any wall here, no expectation of him as a star, no flood of reporters who would listen breathlessly to his every utterance.

And all it had taken was a little tear in his cartilage.

As he gazed outside at the ballpark, he thought back to that fateful day when he had gotten hurt. He’d hit a breaking ball that didn’t break and nailed it, smoking it into the right-field corner. As he rounded the base, he saw the outfielder scrambling to contain it, so he picked up the pace and slid into second. At the last moment, just as he reached the bag, he heard a pop and felt a searing tear.

He’d asked himself a million times since then what would have happened if he’d stayed at first, or if he’d taken that pitch. Would he still be healthy?

Frowning, he tried to shake off the thoughts, but then remembered the time his father had taken him to a game when he was a kid. There was a man sitting in a wheelchair behind home plate, watching the play intently, taking notes and writing down stats. When he questioned his father, Gavin learned that the spectator had once been a ballplayer who had been paralyzed from an injury.

That would not happen to me, he swore to himself. Yet the memory left him shaken.

At least he still had his girlfriend. He opened his phone and focused on her picture.

Kristin Haier was a swimsuit model he’d met at a party last summer, and was blond, tall, and gorgeous, with breasts that didn’t need any enhancement. She was the kind of woman any guy would be proud to have on his arm. And he had to admit he’d enjoyed that, the envious looks from other men when he walked into a room accompanied by her.

Since she was a model, she spent quite a bit of time in New York, which was a short distance from Trenton. It would be a long-distance relationship, but it would work.

It had to.

Jake reentered the room, and Gavin was surprised when the shortstop went out of his way to approach him.

“How’s your first day?” When Gavin shrugged, Jake nodded. “This must be a big change for you, coming from the Dodgers. But we made it to the series year before last, and we’ll get there again, especially with you on our team.”

“Thanks.” He appreciated the other man’s encouragement. He reached for his bag and was stunned when a thousand peanuts poured out onto the floor, rolling everywhere. They were beneath the benches, in front of his shoes, while a generous portion still remained in the bag along with his clothes.

“What the—”

“Welcome to the Sonics,” Jake said, as suspicious laughter broke out from behind the metal walls around him. “Might as well get used to this. This team’s a little nuts.”

Gavin stared at the peanuts still rolling across the floor.

—

“How did he do today?” the manager asked, indicating the new player. They were seated at the bar, while the Sonics had gathered around a table with a pitcher of beer.

“He’s very motivated,” Jessica replied, munching on a handful of peanuts. For some reason, the bar seemed to have plenty of them today. “I think he’ll do fine once he settles in.” Her eyes shifted to the new guy and from beneath the brim of her baseball cap, she studied him thoughtfully.

He was still brooding. But that wasn’t a big surprise. New Jersey wasn’t sunny California, and the Sonics were not in the same league as the Dodgers. The good news was they were not a team of highly paid athletes who were totally self-focused. Instead, they were hardworking, hard drinking, and boisterous, known for their pranks as much as their work ethic. If nothing else, she realized, Jake and the boys would get him out of his own head.

Whether he liked it or not.

“That’s good.” Pete nodded, gesturing to the bartender to refill the pitcher of beer. “We have high hopes for him. Before he got hurt, he had one of the hottest bats in baseball. Like to see him get that back.”

“So why would the Sonics management trade for a guy on the disabled list?”

Pete shrugged, taking a sip of his beer. “I know it seems odd, but Jeffrey believes in him. He’s young, so his chances of recovering are good. We need a heavy hitter to replace Ryan, and the management team likes what this kid could do. They saw a chance to reel in a talented player for peanuts.” He indicated the shells scattered on the table. “And it doesn’t hurt that the Dodgers are paying a hefty chunk of his contract.”

“Geez,” Jessica exhaled. “That’s cold.”

“That’s baseball.” Pete shrugged, cracking open a peanut. “Now we just need him to do his part.”

“He’s got the right mindset. He seems ready to work, wants to get back into the game.” Her eyes traveled the length of Gavin’s hard-muscled body approvingly. “We took it easy today to see how he moves. He did all of the recommended exercises, the ice and heat. We’ll know in a few weeks how quickly he will recover.” She watched his eyes stare out onto the snow-dusted field. “I’ll bet he’s a little homesick, though.”

Brian turned the jukebox on and as he returned to the group, the air was filled with the Mamas and the Papas singing “California Dreamin’.”

When Gavin glanced up, the Sonics burst out laughing.

Pete looked at Jessica with a grin. “These boys will take care of that. It’s hard to be depressed around the Sonics.”

—

“Man, she is hot,” Roger said when Jessica got up with Pete. “All that red hair, and a temper to match.”

Gavin’s eyes followed her as she left the bar. The physical therapist was very different from the women he’d known. She had a stride like a racehorse, and a frankness about her that was refreshing.

He’d been impressed by her knowledge and her quick assessment of his situation. After studying his films and the report, she’d asked him a succession of pointed questions, and was more thorough in her examination than most of the doctors he’d seen. If he’d had any doubts about her ability, they vanished within minutes of seeing her in action.

She wasn’t the kind of woman he would consider a classic beauty. But as she stepped outside and removed her baseball cap, shaking out her hair, his mouth dropped. It fell far below her shoulders in a torrent of curls that resembled a flickering flame.

It was a stunning surprise. He couldn’t stop looking at her as she grinned, zipped her jacket, and then smacked Pete for some offhand comment. He’d thought she was attractive before, but that hair was a game changer.

“Forget it, pal,” Roger said, guessing his thoughts. “You won’t get anywhere with her. I know; I’ve tried. She should be called Jessica Heartless.”

Gavin drained his beer, wondering if that was the truth. “Not interested,” he replied. “I have a girlfriend.” He pictured the lovely Kristin, a Heidi Klum type with her movie-star looks, blond hair, and curves. Jessica was more like a younger Nicole Kidman.

Then he reminded himself he had no business thinking of Jessica Hart in any way except as his physical therapist.

No matter how gorgeous her hair.

—

He felt incredibly alone as he drove to his newly acquired townhouse in the upscale town of Princeton. Here at least was more of the lifestyle he was accustomed to, with nice restaurants, good bars, and moneyed people. Yet the college town looked very different from the tony development in Los Angeles where everything was relatively new, modern, and soulless.

In Princeton, there was a sense of time, with trees reaching across the road like embracing lovers, dun-colored brick houses covered with ivy, and streets dating back to the 1700s. There was a charm about the shops still adorned with wooden shutters, the cobbled streets, the lanes intersecting the roads. And the college itself with its Gothic buildings, rain-washed walls, and stone fences looked like it had been dropped out of a fairy tale into this graceful setting.