The door opened, and Phil immediately went back to his work as a reporter entered the room. Chris Smith gave Jessica a friendly smile and sat down next to her desk, indicating the files with a nod of his head.

“I hear you’re taking care of the new guy, Gavin.” It was a statement more than a question.

Jessica glanced at Phil, who did an eye roll and then returned to his office, leaving her alone.

With the wolves, she thought.

“How can I help you?” She didn’t particularly like the media representatives, but she understood they were a necessary evil.

“Just wanted to ask a few questions about the kid. Do you think he’s going to be okay? Is he working out? When do you think he’ll be back in the game?”

Her eyes met his with all the warmth of New Jersey in January. “I’m sure you know that due to HIPAA regulations, I am not allowed to discuss the health of a client even if I were so inclined.”

“Oh, I know all that.” He waved a hand dismissingly, and then gave her his most charming smile as his eyes took a walk all over her. “Why don’t you and I grab a beer, maybe something to eat? I imagine you have been working all day and can use a bite. I promise not to ask anything that will make you uncomfortable.”

“I am not the right person for you to talk to,” Jessica said firmly. “If you go into the administrative offices, we have a PR staff that will be more than happy to assist you. Now if you don’t mind, I want to finish cleaning up, and then I have some paperwork to do.”

She turned to walk away when, to her astonishment, she saw him reach for the MRI. “This is his, right?” He gave her a naughty little-boy grin.

But she snatched the file out of his hands along with the surgeon’s report and made a point of locking them securely in a metal filing cabinet. When she looked back to the reporter, her expression was anything but amused.

“You need to go. Now.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, sighing in resignation. But as he got up and left, he gave her one last pleading glance that she ignored.

Once he had departed, Phil returned, looking around as if sensing the tension in the room.

“Everything all right?”

“Everything’s just fine,” Jessica said meaningfully. “That reporter was asking questions about Gavin. This could be a problem,” she said, and then looked pensively at the filing cabinet. “I locked his records, but one of the assistants may inadvertently say something. We have to make sure they understand the legal ramifications of divulging any information about his condition.”

“I agree.” He glanced at a young woman putting sheets into the washer. “I’ll set up a meeting in the morning and make sure the staff is on board. But I think it might be a good idea for you to work with Gavin outside regular hours as much as possible. Maybe do some walking in the morning, using the pool late afternoon. You can have the place to yourself.”

She nodded, firmly deleting the image of Gavin wearing swim trunks, his muscular body wet and dripping. “That works. Pete wants him on the bench anyway, to get to know the guys and to understand their strategy. Whether he makes a full recovery or not, he is entitled to his privacy.”

“It’s going to be a challenge. Everyone today is walking around with a cellphone and can take pictures, videos, and access social media immediately. In the meantime, anything we do to keep him out of the limelight can only help.”

He returned to his work as Jessica picked up the clipboard with the program she was designing for Gavin. She could see why the reporter was interested in him: not only was he extremely talented, but he was smart and handsome, with a body to die for.

Her pulse quickened at the thought. And now she was going to be working with him for several hours every day, day after day.

Alone.

Dammit.

Chapter 5

Gavin was surprised to see Jessica the following morning when he arrived, well before batting practice. Part of the reason he had gotten there early was for his own protection; he knew it would bug the hell out of him to watch the other guys getting ready for the game while he sat on the sidelines.

Like that guy in a wheelchair…

Forcing the image from his mind, he decided to double the workouts. Maybe then he would get better faster.

It was foolish, he knew that; the competitive side of him urged him to show them all that he was healthy. But when he walked into the physical therapy room and saw the redhead at her desk with a huge coffee cup beside her, he knew that plan was trashed.

“Morning,” she yawned, stretching like a cat. She didn’t have the baseball hat on yet today, but her hair was knotted into a wiry bun. Little corkscrew curls sprung out of it, and Gavin was reminded irresistibly of a copper scrubby his mother used to use on the dishes.

But way prettier.

“So what brought you in so early? Or can I guess?”

He smiled deeply for the first time in days. “Busted. I thought I’d try and speed things up.”

“And miss all this?” Jessica grinned, and then gestured toward the coffeepot. “You know you can’t. After all, I’ve spent the last twenty-four hours putting the perfect program together for you. Don’t blow it for me.”

He poured himself a cup of the coffee she’d indicated, surprised at the aromatic scent that wafted from the pot. “You make this?”

“Yep. I bring in my own organic blend. I even have a grinder in the back, so it’s always fresh.” When his brow lifted, she explained, “I’m not about to drink the sludge they have here.”

“I’m impressed,” he said sincerely.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” she said with a cocky grin, getting briskly to her feet and coming to stand before him. Up close, he could see the bottle green of her eyes, the dusting of freckles on her ivory skin, the cut of another yoga top, this one hunter green. The color complemented her skin and hair, and made her eyes an even deeper shade of emerald as she displayed her clipboard like a proud schoolgirl.

“It’s actually convenient that you came in early. Phil and I discussed this just last night—we decided to work with you during off hours. Pete can’t seem to help himself; he’s popping in here every couple of minutes like an expectant father. And a reporter showed up last night, nosing around.”

“What?” He hadn’t thought of this, but he should have. In California, the media had tried everything to get information about his condition. And here in the Northeast, where the reporters were more aggressive? It could only be worse.

Jessica nodded. “Don’t worry, I locked your files away. And Phil is going to talk to the team this morning about federal regulations around privacy. But we just want to play it safe, keep you out of the limelight.” She sighed. “Like that will happen.”

“Meaning?”

“You are newsworthy.” She shrugged. “It’s an exciting story: the fallen hero who returns stronger than ever. They know your reputation, know what you can do. It’s irresistible.” She cocked her head as if seeing him for the first time. “And you’re kind of easy on the eyes. The cameras would love you.”

So she thought he was good-looking? Before he could make anything of that, she indicated his workout, tapping her pen on the sheet of paper. “We are going to start with a walk as a warm-up. Then we’ll do some of the exercises I showed you yesterday, plus a few more. When you come back after the game, we’ll start to incorporate the swimming. Think you can handle that?”

“Easily,” he said.

“It sounds that way now, but don’t be surprised if you’re tired tonight, and a little sore. You’ve been through quite a bit with the surgery, the move, and the stress. We can tweak the program going forward if you feel you want to do more, and your body cooperates.”