Free Play by Play (A Play Makers Novella) by Kate Donovan

performance anxiety. How about we take them out to dinner? Then drop them at the airport. After that—you and me, big-time.”
    “And then you’ll blog about it?” She flashed a teasing smile. “I’ll have stage fright, wondering what you’re going to say.”
    “Don’t worry. From now on, you’ll screen it before it goes live.”
    She touched his lips with her fingertip. “Do you think your readers have figured out we do more than neck on the couch and watch sci-fi?”
    “They’ll get suspicious once we have a couple of kids running around. But I’ll never tell.” He felt his heart soar in his chest. “Thanks for getting it, Sophie. For getting me .”
    “A guy who loves me more than he loves sports? But who still loves sports? I’m the one who lucked out.” Her blue eyes blazed with the color of a Colts throwback uniform. “Come on, Dublin. Time to meet my family for real.”

Epilogue
     
     
    Jake Dublin: THE OPINIONATED SPORTS GUY
    Sept. 12: All Good Things
     
    Sorry for being so evasive and sports-centric this week, but I had to shore up some facts and get some permissions before revealing the BIG news. Suffice it to say, it’s freaking amazing.
     
    So let’s get right to it:
     
(1) You all know and love Tweetie Burred, right? What you might not know is she’s my ex. As in, ex-wife. Not ex-friend, because I’ll always love her. Anyway, she’s a wife again—and a new mom—so congrats are in order. Trust me, she deserves a ton of happiness after all she’s been through.
     
(2) I finally met my hero—Aaron Spurling—and conned my way into a position on his staff. All joking aside, this is a dream come true for me, as well you know. Apparently he liked my dogs-on-the-couch routine even if EG didn’t. So I’ll be the official court jester for the Rustlers as well as Special Teams Coach. Turns out, their current Offensive Coordinator has been pulling triple duty (OC, SpTeams, Quarterback Coach), so at the very least, he can get home before midnight for a change, starting Monday.
     
(3) You’ve probably guessed this one. I wrote my final newspaper column last night, and I’ll be shuttering THE OPINIONATED SPORTS GUY as well. I’ll miss you guys. It’s been a privilege.
     
I’ll leave the comments open for the next 24 hours, then close them down for good. And I’ll be screening comments before they post, so don’t be surprised if yours doesn’t show up for a few hours or more. After that, my email address is in the sidebar, so keep in touch, okay? I’ll be waiting to hear from you.
     
(4) I’ve saved the best for last. Turns out EG is a real sport—almost literally. She didn’t just forgive me, she practically agreed to marry me. Okay, to go steady date exclusively, but let’s face it, once she doesn’t have anyone to compare me to, I’m golden. Believe it or not, I’m choking up as I write this. What an adventure, right? So wish me luck.
     
Sincerely,
Jake Dublin, a.k.a. the luckiest guy—OPINIONATED or not—in the world.

Keep reading for an excerpt
    from Kate Donovan’s
    new romantic suspense novel,
    Trace Elements
     
     

     
     
    Special Agent Annika Trace is the hottest thing in law enforcement—at least on TV. Her long legs, designer suits, and hunky sidekick have garnered millions of fans, one of whom—a four-year-old kidnap victim named Linzie—is refusing to talk to the real FBI. In desperation, Special Agent Trace—a.k.a. actress Nikki Gower—is called in to help.
     
    Special Agent Josh Saxon became a hero when he brought Linzie back safely. Now he’s out to catch the kidnappers and doesn’t need some Hollywood caricature of a federal agent interfering in his case. But when Nikki establishes a rapport with the child, Josh admits she might just get him enough information to track down the culprits. And even as Josh and Nikki spar over the best way to get the job done, another rapport is being established—on a much more physical and decidedly more