himself from some of his longtime buddies.
A hand wrapped around my biceps and pulled me back. Speak of the devil. “What in the hell did you do, Nathan?”
Crap. Zach almost never used my full name. When he did, it meant I’d really screwed up, which wasn’t often. Although I was younger, I was typically the one having to remind him that we were adults, and he was under scrutiny most people weren’t, meaning he had to grow up in a hurry. I scrubbed a hand over the back of my neck and let out a weak chuckle. “Well, there’s a story about that.”
I motioned for him to follow me to the side of the room. I’d already stepped into the shit, no point spreading it around by having PJ hear me tell my brother I’d been trying to rescue him when he didn’t actually need my help.
He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and leaned against the wall. “Talk.”
“Okay, well you know how much you weren’t wanting to do this auction because it feels like you’re perpetuating a lie?” I asked, tossing his own words back at him.
Zach liked to come across as the typical dumb jock, but he wasn’t. He was impulsive and didn’t always make the best decisions, but he was a freaking genius. Where I excelled at math and science, he loved languages. Zach nodded and waved his hand impatiently, wanting me to get to the point of my story.
“So, that guy, PJ…he had the same look on his face you did earlier. He wasn’t thrilled about being up there, but he was trying to put on a brave face.”
“Why do I get the feeling this story is going to end with you being the dude everyone’s dying to meet?” Zach interrupted.
“Huh?”
“Nate, you do realize the man you just paid for is practically baseball royalty, right?” Actually, I didn’t know that. If the emcee hadn’t given everyone a brief biography, I wouldn’t have known his last name, much less what he did for a living. It’s not my fault I wasn’t on the receiving end of the sports geek genes in our family. “You really had no clue, did you? Oh man, Dad’s going to love this when he finds out.”
“And, of course, you won’t be able to resist telling him, will you?” At least Zach wasn’t freaking about the money I’d spent roping myself a night with a baseball royalty, as my brother put it. I almost wished he would, because I didn’t want to think about my dad sitting at the kitchen table, shaking his head because I’m so clueless.
“Bro, I hate to tell you, but I’d be willing to bet he’ll catch wind of it before either of us walk out of here tonight,” he responded. There was a glint in his eye warning me he’d make sure of it. I loved him as much as I hated him. “It serves you right. You’re the one who’s always been a sucker for wounded animals.”
“What in the hell does that mean?”
“It means you have a heart of gold,” he told me. “When you see someone you think is hurting, your instinct is to solve their problems. The problem is, sometimes you fail to understand that not everyone needs your assistance. And this time, I have a feeling you bit off more than you bargained for.”
I followed his gaze as he stared across the room to PJ, who seemed more confused than anything now. Yeah, he definitely knew I was the winner of his prize pack. This sucked.
“Well, get over there.” Zach laughed as my shoulders slumped. I wanted him to be the big brother and protect me the way he had through high school. He’d save me from PJ if he punched me for making a fool out of him rather than shake my hand for trying to help him. “Don’t have too much fun!”
Every step I took toward PJ felt heavier than the one before. Dad always said I was book smart and people stupid. Now, I knew what he meant. I worked up the courage to meet PJ’s disapproving gaze once I was a few feet away from him. “Um, hi.”
“Yeah, hi,” he responded curtly. PJ’s previously plump, dark lips were drawn into a thin line, but my gaze was more attracted to the way his tightly crossed arms pulled the fabric of his tux jacket taut over his shoulders and biceps. “So, rumor has it you’re the guy so desperate to