Free Pass Interference by Natalie Brock Page A

Her freshly-shaved legs were bare, and she was wearing her most comfortable pair of sandals. She wanted to look feminine. She wanted him to notice she was a girl, but didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard. She wanted to appear casual, rather than looking like she spent two hours getting ready this morning. She rarely wore makeup unless she had a date, and then only mineral powder foundation and mascara. Today she added a touch of blush and tinted lip balm.
    Oh God, he probably did notice her extra efforts and thought she was making a fool of herself. And she was. Her insecurities made her wonder if she was being used. Was he only being nice because he needed her right now? Pushing that thought aside, she changed the subject. “Um. Did you say your family lives on an orange grove?”
    “No, they don’t live on one,” he said, chuckling. “We own a huge one. It’s about five hundred acres. We own a general store that’s adjacent to the grove and we sell and ship fresh citrus fruit all over the world.” She could hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he promoted his family’s business like he was recording a commercial. “And we also carry orange candy and orange soft-serve and orange jelly and citrus soaps, perfumes, and lotions. Oh, you’d love this,” he said, touching her shoulder this time. “There’s a nature trail. The place is kind of a tourist attraction. You can look it up on Trip Advisor. Naples Orange Groves.”
    Sara just loved listening to him. His voice was so masculine and sexy and smooth, and his tone was so upbeat when he spoke about the family farm. She could easily listen to Philip Mason all day, every day. “So you grew up on a farm. I didn’t know you were a country boy.”
    “Yeah, that’s me.”
    “So, do you love or hate citrus fruit?” she wondered.
    “Love. Hey, I have to love it,” he said, laughing. “Oranges and a scholarship put me through school.”
    Sara laughed, too. Regardless of whether or not he was using her, she was already having a great time on this little trip.
    “What about you?” he asked. “Like oranges?”
    “Oh, I love oranges.” Her enthusiasm was sincere and natural.
    “Good,” he replied, turning to face forward. “I’ll take you to the grove.”
    Sara turned her head to look at Philip, and her nerves took over. “Oh. I can’t stay,” she said. “I’m just dropping you off.”
    “Why? Why can’t you stay? What else have you got to do?”
    Sara looked out the windshield, trying to come up with excuses. She began to nervously play with her neck chain. “Oh. Well. Plenty. I have books to read, and papers to grade and lesson plans…”
    “Hold on.” He cut her off and turned slightly to look at her. “We’re on holiday break, remember? So what have you got to do that doesn’t involve school and homework?”
    Sara got quiet for a few moments—maybe a few moments too many. She didn’t really have anything to do.
    “I’ll take you to see our grove,” he reiterated. “It’s pretty cool.”
    A small smile crossed Sara’s lips. Despite her nerves, she liked the idea of Philip showing her around his family’s business. Her fear about having nothing to say for the entire ride had long since vanished, and she felt herself starting to relax. It turned out Philip was easy to talk to and easy to listen to. Even the prolonged silences here and there didn’t seem awkward. They were merely natural breaks in the conversation.
    ∙•∙
    Philip had told his parents he’d be arriving at their house by around four o’clock, and he figured his estimate was pretty accurate. Traffic was lighter than expected, considering it was a couple days before Christmas, and they were making decent progress.
    They were about two and a half hours into the three-and-a-half-hour drive, and Philip was really enjoying it. He’d been feeling pretty cooped up for weeks and this was a welcome change of scenery. Even though it was December, this was