After they finished eating, they cleared the table and took the dishes into the kitchen. Haven turned on the water and started rinsing them.

Trevor laid his hand over hers. “Hammond will have your ass if you start washing those dishes.”

“I can’t just leave these dirty dishes in the sink.”

“And if you take away his job, you’ll take away his pride.”

Now that, she understood. She turned off the water. “Fine.”

She grabbed a towel to dry her hands.

He led her back to the sunroom. But first, he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. He held one up for her, but she shook her head.

When they settled in, she realized it had gotten dark while they were eating. And cooler outside.

“Cold?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

He reached for the blanket that was lying over one of the chairs and handed it to her.

“Thank you.”

“So, about your new job at the network?” he asked after she’d settled in.

“My job? Nothing much to tell.”

“Are you excited about being a sportscaster?”

“It’s . . . new. So I’m still getting my feet wet.”

“Who have you interviewed?”

Trevor would ask her that. In essence, he was giving her a job interview. And she was about to fail miserably. “Oh, uh. No one big yet. Like I said, this is all new to me.”

He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his beer, then grinned at her. “Yeah, but now you’ve got me.”

“So I do. And why is that?”

“Why is what?”

“Why me? You could have gotten one of the more seasoned sportscasters to do this feature story on your career. You had to know I was just getting started with the network.”

“Because you know me. And because I trust you not to f**k this up.”

She laughed. “Are you sure about that? You heard the part about me saying this was new, right?”

“Yeah. But aren’t you good at your job? Isn’t this what you’ve been training for, putting in time at that Dallas news station, hoping for your big break?” He flashed a grin at her. “Baby, I’m your big break.”

And there was a glimpse of that giant ego he’d carried, even in college. “You’re just full of self-confidence, aren’t you, Trevor?”

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without a healthy ego.”

She couldn’t fault him for that. Self-confidence was key in professional sports. You couldn’t be a shrinking wallflower, thinking you were second rate, and succeed, especially at dual sports. “Good point. And I suppose, what brings me here.”

“True. So what’s on tap for you and me, besides us eating great meals together?”

“I’ll talk about your family history, you coming up as a kid, and then through high school and college. We’ll talk about your life as you lead it today—” She looked around. “People love to know about a player’s lifestyle. Then we’ll get into your professional career and how you manage to juggle playing both baseball and football. We’ll interview your family—”

“No.”

Haven paused. “No? To which part?”

“My family.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want my parents interviewed.”

“Again. Why not?”

“Because I don’t. They’re not part of my career.”

“I disagree. They were a big part of getting you here, of forming the person you are now.”

“No, Haven.”

There was something he wasn’t telling her. She’d never met his parents. She was certain they’d visited him in college, but she’d never been around for that. Maybe he didn’t get along with them. Or maybe they were media shy. She’d have to respect that. Or at least put it aside for later, when she’d push again. “Okay. Parents off-limits. But I’m still going to ask you about your background.”

“You can ask any question you want. It doesn’t mean I’m gonna answer it.”

“Duly noted.” As was typical for Trevor, he presented a challenge. When hadn’t he? Even in college, he hadn’t made it easy for her to do her job.

But that hadn’t stopped her then. And it wouldn’t stop her now.

“How’s your mom?” he asked.

“She’s doing . . . well. I talked to her yesterday, as a matter of fact. I was originally going to—well, never mind.”