Change Up

by Ann, Natalie

  “I’ll be back,” the kid shouted. He was probably one of the younger ones. “I only live a block over.” He took off in a sprint that had Harris chuckling.

  “You need to spread your middle and ring finger a bit more on that slider,” Harris said to the boy who’d been pitching. “Tone the speed back. Can I see your curveball? You were throwing your slider as fast as your fastball. Big mistake. I’ve been there and done that.”

  There were jaws open all around him. He suspected they didn’t know what to make of what was going on, but he was here so why not talk?

  “You wouldn’t mind helping me?”

  “I wouldn’t have dished out the advice if I minded. I’ve got nothing but time on my hands and Nicks needs a bit of a break.” The puppy was sitting on the ground just watching the show and loving all the attention he was getting from two of the players.

  “We’ll watch your dog if you want to work with Coy.”

  “Coy,” Harris said, extending his hand out. “Nice to meet you. What do you think? Want a bit of advice?”

  “Shit yeah,” Coy said, shaking his hand.

  Harris handed Nicks’s leash off to the girl who was rubbing the puppy’s belly. “Can you keep him over here? He likes to chase balls, but I don’t want him running toward the pitches.”

  “We’ve got him.”

  “Thanks.” He followed Coy to the mound. “What’s your catcher’s name? He doesn’t talk much, does he?”

  “Brandon normally doesn’t shut the hell up,” Coy said. “I think he’s a little starstruck. I am too so if my pitches fly, it’s just nerves.”

  “Relax. Pretend I’m just your father or your coach.”

  “That makes him antsy even more,” Brandon shouted, finally finding his voice.

  “What makes you relax?” Harris asked.

  “Brittany Smith does,” Brandon shouted out then started to laugh.

  “Asshole,” Coy said back.

  “Then think of Brittany,” Harris said with a smile, remembering the busting that he and his friends did at this age. “Or just warm up and I won’t judge them. Start throwing and we’ll go from there.”

  Twenty minutes went by while he instructed Coy on his pitches, explained to Brandon how he needs to help his pitcher out, not surprised to learn the two played together on the local high school team.

  By the time he was done, he looked around and noticed at least twenty kids standing around and many more on their phones taking pictures. Looked like the cat was out of the bag, but he’d have to deal with it.

  “Time to take a break,” Harris said. “Don’t overdo it. You’ve got some serious talent. How old are you?”

  “Fifteen,” Coy said. “I’ll be sixteen in another month. It’s my junior year.”

  “Keep working. I’m assuming you two are on some traveling leagues?” When Harris was their age his parents had him running everywhere on the weekends and he loved every minute of it.

  “We are. Scott is on the team too. Shortstop. I live here, but they come and we play together. Sometimes Brandon and I just practice, but more kids show up and want a game.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t lose the fun in it. Then you won’t want to do it anymore.”

  “Is that what happened to you?” Brandon asked, having walked forward. “It wasn’t fun anymore?”

  He had to think for a minute. “I think the fun just turned into a job, but it was a job I loved, so don’t mistake that. I’d be doing it every minute of every day if I could. But you need to know when it’s not going to be the same.”

  Coy looked down at his arm. “We were sorry to see your retirement.”

  He smiled. They were good kids, he could see right away. “Probably not as sorry as me, but it’s time to move on now.”

  “Will you come back and help me some more?” Coy asked.

  “You know what…its Tuesday afternoon. If you can get some more of your teammates here, I’ll come back on Thursday.”

  “Really?” Coy asked. “I’ll have the whole team here if I can.”

  He laughed knowing he was getting himself into something serious but found he didn’t care. He could walk away if he wanted to. But he didn’t.

  He pulled his phone out, looked at the weather forecast. No reason to get the kids here in the peak heat. “Weather looks decent on Thursday. Why don’t we say two o’clock?” He hoped being in the middle of the day it might stop many since transportation could be an issue with parents working.

  “We’ll be here.”

  “Sounds good. Time to sign some autographs.”

  He walked over to the growing group of kids, made time to sign everything that was put in front of him and then said, “Okay kids. I’m going to head back home now and I’d appreciate if I wasn’t followed. I’ll come back again to help, but I’d like my privacy at my home.”

  There were a lot of videos being taken, questions asked, pictures snapped, and tons of selfies. The one kid who didn’t ask for a selfie was Coy, the kid he was helping. He found that telling. The kid wanted to learn more than he wanted to broadcast.

  The minute Harris and Nicks were home, he climbed on the couch and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

  19

  Not Relevant

  He hadn’t been sleeping long when his doorbell rang.

  Son of a bitch, someone must have found out where he lived. He was going to have to figure this out now. Maybe he’d give Evan a call to get a gated fence in the front yard too that no one could enter.

  Though Kaelyn had told him her family was aware of the relationship, he hadn’t spoken to Evan again after he’d gotten a call on the cost of the land he wanted to purchase. His lawyer and the Butlers’ were working out the details and they should be closing soon enough on it.

  He looked out the window and recognized his sister’s car. At least it wasn’t a stranger.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked Sarah. “Why aren’t you at work?” She was in shorts and a T-shirt, no more scrubs.

  “I got out of work two hours ago. It’s five. I was cooking dinner and started to get all sorts of notifications on Facebook. What do I see? But pictures of my big brother with a bunch of kids at a baseball field signing autographs.”

  “I was helping some of them on the field. The crowd just grew.”

  She walked past him into the living room and sat down. “What caused you to go there?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve been walking Nicks longer and longer each day. I made my way over there to just check it out. I watched the game, the pitcher has some serious talent. I made a comment and all heads turned to me and it’s pretty obvious who I am.”

  “I’m so proud of you,” she said, her eyes a little misty.

  “Because I helped a few kids out?”

  “No. Because you’ve got to be done hiding if you did that.”

  He snorted. “I told you I wasn’t hiding.”

  “You know what I mean. You can’t put yourself out any more than being around a bunch of kids with their cell phones. It was a good thing you did. Taking those pictures and signing autographs.”

  “I was really more interested in helping the players out, but I’d never say no to the kids. I stayed until everyone got their pictures. I’m sure it’s going to be worse on Thursday.”

  “You’re going back?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I said I’d help the team out if they got more players there. I guess now I shouldn’t have done that. For a number of reasons.”

  “What reasons are those? That there will be even more people there and maybe the news?”

  “Shit,” he said. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “No clue. Not much you can do about it unless you cancel.”

  And disappoint the kids? “I don’t want to do that. I’ll have to figure it out. Maybe I should get some bodyguards or something. Security is more likely to keep the crowd back. I’ll talk to Kaelyn about it. It’s her family’s grounds.”

&nbs
p; He thought Kaelyn commented on a few law enforcement that lived in the development, maybe he should ask her or Evan and find out. The last thing he wanted was for things to get out of hand. He should have thought of that.

  “Speaking of your girlfriend,” Sarah said. “When do we get to meet her? You couldn’t even tell me about her. I had to hear it from Mom after she found out you snuck her there for fireworks when no one was home like you did when you were a kid.”

  “I didn’t do that as much as you think I did.”

  “Whatever you say,” she said. “So what other reason did you think you shouldn’t have said you’d be back on Thursday? If you didn’t think of the media attention, it must be something else.”

  “The kids’ coaches might not appreciate it. I’ll probably give advice that contradicts theirs.”

  “If they don’t appreciate advice from you then they are idiots.”

  “I don’t think of myself that way anymore.”

  “You should. Plenty do. I get you are trying to just blend back into society, but you are still a big shot.”

  He laughed. “Are you here to feed my ego? I got a lot of that today when the kids wanted my autograph even though I’m not relevant.”

  “Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Harris. I thought you were over that. You’ll always be relevant. Life shouldn’t have been all about baseball. It should never be all about one thing only because, as you know, that one thing can be taken away.”

  “I’m learning that now.”

  * * *

  Kaelyn pulled into Harris’s driveway and noticed another car there. Her phone had been dinging left and right from her parents and brothers on what Harris did this afternoon and she was dying to see how he felt about it all.

  Maybe she should leave since he had company? She was just getting ready to put it in reverse and pull out when the front door opened and a woman walked out with Harris. He lifted his arm up and waved her in.

  She wasn’t sure how she felt about this but figured she might as well. She shouldn’t have been surprised to see such a beautiful woman coming out of his front door and tried to squash the jealousy like an elephant stepping on ants in the woods.

  “We were just talking about you,” Harris said. “Kaelyn, this is Sarah. She wanted to know when she’d get to meet you. Good timing. Or bad, depending on how you think of it.”

  His sister. She had to stop feeling this way. She’d done the same thing when she heard Sarah picked up Nicks for him. Was she ever going to be able to get past all this insecurity with him?

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Kaelyn said, holding her hand out. “I’m sure you’re here for the same reason as me.”

  “Oh, I doubt that,” Sarah said. “At least not completely. That might be kind of icky, but if you are stopping to see if his wrist hurts from holding a sharpie so long, then yeah.”

  She laughed, liking his sister. “That is part of the reason I’m here.”

  “I’m hoping the other part is for this,” Harris said, reaching for her, yanking her into his kiss, and claiming her as his.

  Her body just melted against him and she knew she was in a dangerous situation that was drawing her in rather than pushing her out. She couldn’t or shouldn’t let herself fall prey to him so much. So fast. Or maybe not at all. Maybe her brothers were right—not that she’d ever tell them—maybe she did need someone to keep an eye on her because as much as she’d always said she wasn’t a sucker for a man, she found she really was.

  “That is always part of the reason I want to see you.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “That’s making me gag. I’ll let you two go. Harris, maybe we could do a family dinner sometime? Mom is going to throw a fit to know I just met Kaelyn.”

  “I’ll get back to you,” Harris said. “Bye.”

  Kaelyn followed Harris into the house. “I like your sister. She’s funny.”

  “She thinks she is but what she really is is bossy.”

  “Arrogance must run in the family,” she said.

  “So you saw on social media how I spent my day?”

  “I didn’t since I was working, but the minute I was done I saw all the messages from my family.”

  “Yeah. About that. I was going to talk to you. I kind of told the kids I’d be back on Thursday to work with them some more. Then I realized I should clear it with your family since it’s their property. Sarah pointed out there might be a big crowd and media. It didn’t even cross my mind. I should see about getting some security there. Something. I wasn’t thinking of anything more than watching the kids today.”

  “I’m sure my parents and aunt and uncle will be fine with it. Even my brothers. Some law enforcement should be there though. It could get out of hand. That’s the only concern some might have.”

  “Did you say there are some that live in Paradise Place?”

  “There are. Not sure their names or who they are, just that I’ve heard comments in the past. Someone in my family could help you with that. Evan has talked to an investigator that moved in over the winter. Not sure why, but he’s said his name a few times. Josh maybe. Oh, his girlfriend sells a lot of the houses in the development. That is how Evan knows them. Ruby Gentile is the realtor. Her, I know.”

  “I’m sure I’m your brother’s least favorite person right now, but I’ll call. I don’t need to cause any problems.”

  “Or we could go see my parents if you are up to it. Evan could meet us there. It’s not that far.” Nothing like throwing it out there and seeing if he bit the sour apple she was sending his way.

  “Why not?” he said. “Might as well get it over with since Sarah just asked to meet you in a family setting.”

  “You’re okay with meeting my parents?” she asked, not really thinking he’d accept. Maybe it was because of what he had planned on Thursday and not for her.

  “I should, don’t you think? I planned on calling someone, but it’s best doing it face to face. Not only that, we’ve been dating for over a month. They know of me, why not meet me and not just believe things about me they see online.”

  “They aren’t that kind of people.” She hoped they weren’t. She really couldn’t tell from the few conversations she’d had about Harris while she tried to defend him. “But they would like to meet you.”

  “Then let them know we are on the way.”

  20

  By His Side

  Harris wasn’t sure why he was doing this. Then he told himself it was because he was making sure those roots he’d had in Colonie started to grow.

  He was hoping it would happen with Kaelyn by his side.

  He climbed into his SUV after he put Nicks in his crate. “I might need a drink after this,” he said even though he hadn’t had much to drink lately. He was craving a beer like no tomorrow and realized that he could eat and drink what he wanted now. It was a mentality he was still trying to adapt to.

  “We won’t be there long,” she said. “Then we can get some dinner. It was actually my plan to order dinner with you if you wanted.”

  “I could eat a horse,” he said. “I was napping when Sarah knocked on my door.”

  “Long day?” she asked.

  “It wasn’t meant to be one. I just wanted to take Nicks for a long walk then the next thing I know I’m snapping selfies with kids.”

  “It was a wonderful thing you did today. What made you do it?”

  “I don’t know. I saw those kids playing, had memories of it myself at that age and knew how much I would have appreciated some pro coming forward and talking to me, let alone handing me some advice.”

  “You probably made that kid’s day. All of theirs, but the young pitcher especially.”

  “It wasn’t done for that. I guess I wanted to see more of the development and where I’m living now. I wasn’t thinking of anything more complicated than that. Sarah is the one who made me realize it might have been a mistake to do what I did.”

  “Giving back is never a mistake. I’m sure my family wi
ll feel the same way. It’s a great thing you did.”

  “I wasn’t even thinking that either. As I said, I saw something of myself out there with those kids and...”

  “And that is what this is all about. Finding yourself again. A new you?”

  He reached his hand over to hers. “It’s amazing to me how well you know me.”

  She smiled at him, a soft one that reached her eyes, showing emotions and he wasn’t sure what they meant. “I never figured I’d know much about you let alone understand you.”

  “I guess a lot of things can change in our lives without much control on our parts.”

  They pulled into a driveway of a blue-sided house. The biggest on the street but not nearly as big as his or the ones being built on the newer end.

  “This was my childhood home. My parents could have moved at any point, but they like where they are. They just make changes as they want them. Upgrades and so on.”

  “I’m sure it’s easy to do when you can do it yourself,” he said.

  “Just as easy as writing a check for someone else to do it,” she said. “That’s probably easier.”

  He laughed. “Point taken.”

  “My family is pretty harmless. Evan isn’t here yet, but I’m sure he’s on his way at some point. He wouldn’t miss this or an opportunity to give his opinion on things.”

  “I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

  They got out of the car and walked around to the back, went up the deck, and through the glass doors. “Mom, Dad, this is Harris Walker, though I’m sure no introduction is needed for you, Dad. You’ve always been a Mets fan. Harris, these are my parents Michael and Judy Butler.”

  He walked forward and shook hands with them both. Michael was about Evan’s height, a little over six foot, Judy on the shorter side, closer to her daughter’s size.

  “Nice to meet you both,” Harris said. “I’m sorry if I might have caused some confusion today around the pavilion. Kaelyn explained about Thursday?”