But his wait was interrupted when he heard the piercing sound of a police siren. The noise startled him and he spun around to see a patrol car parked right behind him. The policeman rolled down his window and leaned out.

“You wanna tell me what-” He paused. “Hey, you’re Max Morgan, aren’t you?”

Max nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Just standing,” he said. Max pointed to his leg.

“Cramp.”

“Oh, yeah? You eat bananas? I find that if I eat a banana a day, I don’t have trouble with leg cramps. I think it’s the potassium.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Max said.

“No problem.” He nodded. “I’m gonna have to tell you to move along, though. We had a call from one of the neighbors. She’s worried you might be casing her place for a burglary. These older folks get a little nervous when they see strangers on the street.”

“No problem,” Max said.

The policeman nodded. “A lot of burglars pose as runners. If they get caught, they can escape pretty quick.” The guy chuckled. “But, hey, I don’t think you’d need to burgle in order to make money. You’ve got a nice contract down there in Florida, don’t you?”

“Actually, I’m a free agent after this season.”

“Aw, man, you’ve gotta come back and play for the Sox. They could use a hitter like you.” The radio on his shoulder crackled. He pushed a button and listened to the call. “Gotta go. Fender bender on North.

Take care now.”

Max chuckled to himself as he took one last look down the street. After another ten minutes, Angela still hadn’t emerged. Maybe she’d gone back to bed, Max thought. He stretched out his calf muscle, then jogged across the street and headed back toward the lake.

“I’ll see you soon, Angela,” he murmured.

THE MORGANS LIVED IN a beautiful old house near Ingleside Park in Evanston. As Angela searched for a place to park on the street, she drove past a familiar black BMW. “Oh dear. What am I doing here?” She drew a deep breath. She’d been invited. If she didn’t go, she’d never hear the end of it from her mother.

If she did go, then she’d definitely be seeing Max again. Just once more, just enough time to set things straight. Angela was certain she could finally put their relationship in perspective. There were no hard feelings, at least on her part, and she hoped he felt the same way.

After she parked, Angela twisted the rearview mirror toward her and examined her hair and makeup. This would be his last memory of her and she wanted it to be a good one. Not that he’d give her a second thought once he found a new woman to occupy his time. But someday, he might look back on what they shared and realize it had been good-for a little while, at least.

Angela hopped out of her car and hurried down the sidewalk toward the house. The barbecue had started at one, but she’d spent some time driving around her hometown in an attempt to work up her courage. She’d turned the car south more than once, but in the end, she’d decided she wanted to end this with no regrets. She wouldn’t spend another fourteen years thinking about what might have been if she’d only attended the Morgan barbecue.

The front door was open and she recognized the two girls standing behind the screen. Angela smiled and waved at Brit and Beth. “Hello there.”

“Angela!” they shouted as they shoved open the door and stumbled outside. They met her in the middle of the walk, each grabbing a hand and pulling her toward the house. “You’re here,” Brit said. “Why didn’t you come with Uncle Max?”

“Can we play a game?” Beth asked. “Grammy has Chutes and Ladders. Have you ever played Apples to Apples? Grammy has that game, too. Do you want to play that?”

They ushered her into the spacious foyer and then through a beautiful living room. When they reached a great room at the back of the house, she could see the party through the wall of windows that overlooked the backyard. “We brought our dog,” Brittany said.

“We don’t take him to the cabin because he throws up in the car on long trips. His name is Elwood.”

“Girls, take the guests to the backyard, please.

That’s your job.”

Angela held her breath at the sound of his voice and when Max came around the corner from the kitchen, their eyes met. A long silence grew between them and the little girls looked back and forth, their expressions curious.

“It’s Angela,” Beth said. “Say hello to her, Uncle Max.”

“Right,” Max said, forcing a smile. “Hello. I wasn’t sure you’d be coming.”

“Duh,” Brittany said, rolling her eyes. “She’s your girlfriend. Why wouldn’t she come?”

“Maybe she had a tummy ache,” Bethany said. “I had a tummy ache and I couldn’t go to day camp yesterday.”

“Girls, head back to the door. I’ll show Angela out to the backyard.” Max shooed them off, then turned to Angela. His gaze searched her face and Angela felt a flush warm her cheeks. “I’m glad you came,” he murmured.

“I thought we needed to see each other once more,” she said. “Just to…settle things.”

Max glanced over his shoulder at the crowd in the backyard. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her along after him. But instead of going outside, he took her up a rear stairway that led from the kitchen to the second floor. At the end of the hall, they stepped inside a bedroom and he closed the door behind them both.

Angela looked around at the shelves of baseball trophies that lined the walls. This was his room. She walked over to the dresser and studied the items displayed on the top. “This looks a lot different than your condo,” she said. Angela pointed to the trophies. “You should move these down there. They’d impress the girls you bring home.”

“Maybe,” he said. “Would they have impressed you?”

She turned and smiled at him. “Nothing impresses me.”

“That’s right,” he said. “I forgot.”

Angela sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at him. He looked so handsome in a blue oxford shirt and khakis. She’d become so accustomed to seeing him in various states of undress that she’d never appreciated how well he wore clothes. “I wanted to tell you I’m sorry I wasn’t completely honest with you from the start. I guess I never thought we’d even speak to each other, much less spend any time together. And then, things started happening so fast, there never seemed to be the right moment.”

He sat down beside her. “I may have overreacted,” Max said. “The truth is, until you came along, I didn’t much think about the impression I was leaving with the women I knew. I didn’t really care.”

“And now you do?”

Max took her hand and wove his fingers through hers. “I care about what you think,” he said. “I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

“I don’t,” Angela said.

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her wrist, his warm mouth lingering on her skin. Angela’s heart fluttered and a tiny sigh slipped from her throat. The sensation was so familiar. Her mind flashed back to a time when his lips had traveled all over her naked body.

How difficult would it be to just pull him down on the bed and kiss him? How would he react? Angela didn’t have to guess. The answer was in his touch, in the gentle caress of his fingers on her wrist. He still wanted her as much as she wanted him. “How is your shoulder?” she asked. “Better.”

“So, you’ll be going back to Florida soon?”

He nodded. “Actually, I’m flying back tomorrow.” He paused. “But I don’t have to. I mean, I could fly back-”

“I’m glad,” she said, pasting a bright smile on her face.

“That I’m leaving?”

Angela shook her head. “No, that your shoulder has healed.”

Without warning, Max took her face in his hands and kissed her. Angela drew back, startled, staring up into his gaze without blinking. But then, he tried again and she felt her defenses crumble. Why go on fooling herself? She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to rip off all her clothes and make love to him on his baseball bedspread.

He must have had the same thought because as the kiss spun out, he gently drew her down onto the bed. It amazed her how perfectly they read each other’s desires. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt and when she’d managed to undo three or four, Angela smoothed her hand over his muscled chest.

“I’ve missed you,” he murmured, furrowing his fingers through her hair and pulling her into a deeper kiss.

“You better find a way to stop that,” she said. He frowned, meeting her gaze. “You’re going back to Florida tomorrow.”

“If you ask me to stay, I will.” He kissed her again, his passion rising. “Ask me.”

It was just one word. “Stay.” And her entire life would change. But it wasn’t that simple. He had a job in Florida, a life, and a career. And everything she’d built for herself was here in Chicago. But for a chance at love-at real, forever love-wouldn’t she give it all up?

“I can’t,” she said. “You have to go back.”

“You could come with me?”

Angela shook her head. “We’ve known each other for…well, it hasn’t been two weeks yet.”

“It doesn’t make a difference,” Max said.

“Yes, it does,” Angela said. “We’re in that stage when all our flaws are hidden and we think we’re perfect for each other.”

“You have no flaws,” he said, finding a spot just below her ear to kiss.

Angela gently pushed him away. For once in her life, she wasn’t going to give in to her fantasies. She was going to do the right thing, the practical thing. “You need to go back, Max. And then, when the season is over, we can see how we feel.”

“I already know how I’ll feel,” Max said. “I need you.”

She opened her mouth, then paused before speaking. “Do you need me? Or do you just need a woman? Maybe you need to find out for sure.”

An astonished look crossed his face and he regarded her warily. “That’s a lovely offer, but I don’t think I’ll be taking advantage of that. Now that I’ve decided which woman I want, another one won’t do.” He reached out and cupped her face in his hand. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Angela. There won’t be any other women in my life from now on.”

Angela felt emotion clog her throat. How long had she waited to hear those words? Every dream she’d had about him had always ended in a sweet confession of his feelings for her. But now, she couldn’t quite bring herself to believe him.

Ceci was right. The Web site had changed her. She couldn’t look at love without a healthy dose of cynicism. She wanted to believe it could exist, but Angela needed proof. If he went back to his life and then returned, she’d know for sure. “I think you should go,” she said.

“We’ll both go.”

She shook her head, but Max kissed her again. “I was about to leave anyway. I came to meet this girl and she didn’t show up. Besides, I only have a day left in Chicago. I don’t want to spend it with my parents and their friends. I want to spend it with you.”

They walked to the door. “I should at least go in and say hello to my parents,” Angela said.

He took her hand and led her to the stairs in the front of the house. “If we sneak out, no one will even know where we’ve gone.”

“Where are we going?” Angela asked.

“Somewhere we can be alone.”

The girls were waiting at the front door. Max ruffled their hair. “Go tell Grammy that I really like the girl she found for me and I’m taking her home with me.”

The two girls giggled and ran off as Max pulled Angela out the front door. Every shred of common sense had fled. Angela knew she shouldn’t jump into bed with him, but that’s all she really wanted-to feel his naked body next to hers. To lose herself in the delicious sensations of their lovemaking. She’d survived it all before. One last time couldn’t hurt her.

“I’ll meet you at your place,” she said.

MAX STARED OUT AT THE water of the Gulf, watching a trio of pelicans float lazily on the surface. He ran his hands through his hair, waiting for that sense of calm to settle in. That’s what he loved about his house in Florida. He could just open the door and listen to the waves on the shore, Everything was perfect.

But since he’d returned, that calm had been disrupted by nearly constant thoughts of Angela. They’d spent one last day and night together and then she was gone, sneaking out of his bed in the predawn hours.

In truth, Max had been glad there wouldn’t be any dramatic good-byes. It would be as if she’d just gone to work while he slept late. A day would pass, he’d call her and they’d pretend they weren’t miles apart. The months would pass and the season would end and they’d be together again.

They’d talked on the phone a few times, but once again, they never seemed to have the same connection. She sounded distant and he fumbled for things to talk about. He needed to be able to reach out and touch her, to let his hands and his lips say the things he couldn’t put into words.