Making a Comeback

by Kristina Mathews

  She’d been plagued by guilt for making the girls change schools in the middle of the year, but they had all needed a fresh start. At least they loved their new teacher. Both girls were absolutely smitten with Miss Ramirez. They’d come home from their first day engaged in a heated debate over whether she looked more like Jasmine or Pocahontas from their favorite princess movies.

  Her daughters didn’t seem to mind the move from the big city of San Francisco to the small coastal town of Aurelia Beach. They liked living half a block from the ocean. Being able to build sandcastles practically in their backyard was a definite plus.

  Heading downstairs, she heard her daughters’ voices coming from the kitchen.

  “Is that your guitar?” It sounded like Sophie. “Will you play for us?”

  “Sure.” Cooper was still there, apparently about to perform a breakfast concert.

  “Do you know ‘Let It Go’?” Olivia loved that song. Maybe a little too much, she sang it over and over and over.

  “I know ‘Let It Be.’ I’ll play that for you.” Cooper strummed his guitar and sang The Beatles’ classic.

  Annabelle closed her eyes and leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. He had an incredible voice. Soulful. Sensuous. And downright sexy.

  She needed to steady herself before facing him in the light of day. She tried to brush her hair back off her forehead, but it caught in the antibiotic ointment. Man, she was a mess. At least she looked better than she had last night. And even without the pain pills the doctor gave her, she felt better, too.

  “Good morning.” Annabelle tried to put on her most sunshiny face. “I’ll get breakfast going for you here in just a jiffy.”

  “We already ate.” Cooper looked up from his guitar. “They helped me find the cereal. And I made coffee. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No. That’s great.” She was a little thrown by how he’d just made himself right at home. Or maybe it was because Clayton had never made breakfast for his daughters. Not once. Not even when she’d had the flu and could barely get out of bed.

  “Can I get you anything?” Cooper stood, setting his guitar on the kitchen table. “Cereal? Coffee?”

  “No. I’ll get it.” She wasn’t sure she could eat just yet. Her stomach was a little queasy. Maybe some coffee though, to clear her head.

  As if coffee would do the trick.

  She poured herself a cup and sat down.

  “So, I’ll hang around until you’ve had your shower, then I’ll head on home.” Cooper picked up the empty cereal bowls and carried them to the sink. “I figure you could use a little time to yourself. Unless you need me to stay.”

  “No. I’ll be fine. You’ve done enough already.” Annabelle didn’t want to be a burden. “Surely you have better things to do.”

  “Nothing that can’t wait.” He rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. “But I don’t want to get in the way.”

  “I’ll try not to drop the shampoo.” She took a sip of her coffee, torn between wanting him to go away and just wanting him. “That way you won’t have to come running.”

  “I’ll try not to overreact.” He slid into the chair next to her. “But I do take my responsibilities seriously.”

  “I’m not your responsibility.” The last thing she wanted was to be taken care of.

  “Until you’re back on your feet, I feel like I should at least be close by.”

  She stood up, nearly knocking the chair over. “See, I can stand just fine. I can walk, and shower all by myself. I can even take care of my daughters.”

  He glanced at the girls, who were sitting there, eyes wide. They’d never heard their mother raise her voice before. Annabelle had spent too much of her life putting on a happy face, pretending that life was perfect.

  “I’d like to think you’d be able to take better care of your daughters if you take care of yourself first.” He looked at her with genuine concern, and there was something in his tone of voice that made her think he wasn’t being condescending. “I’ll feel better if I know you’ll rest and ask for help when you need it.”

  She wasn’t sure what bothered her more—that he was right or that he’d discovered one of her biggest weaknesses. She’d never been very good at asking for things. Sure, she seemed to have it all, but not because she asked. A lot of what she’d been given was more because she had a hard time saying no when someone offered.

  Until now. Why was she so resistant to having Cooper’s help? Was it because she was trying to start a new life? Or was she worried she’d fall for him, and like she’d done in her previous relationships, give up her identity?

  “Well, I know where to find you.” She took her coffee and headed for the shower. Cooper’s voice carried upstairs over the sound of his guitar. He was doing a good job of keeping the girls entertained. She tried to be grateful for that, but they didn’t need to get too attached to him either.

  She showered quickly and without dropping so much as a sliver of soap. Dressed in comfortable clothes, with hair up in a plastic clip, she was a far cry from the heavily made-up and styled look she’d had at the photo shoot.

  Warily, she tried to recall more details of her job yesterday. It was still fuzzy, like faded photographs. A snapshot here of a silky blouse being draped over her shoulders. Flashes of sound, the whirr of the camera, the photographer’s voice.

  No, it wasn’t the photographer’s voice she recalled, it was Cooper’s. Had she spoken to him that morning? Just how close were they?

  She tried really hard to remember more of the man who lived next door.

  Annabelle remembered being six years old and desperately trying to get her father’s attention. She’d put on fashion shows, dance routines, and acrobatics. Daddy had barely looked up from his business reports.

  She remembered being a teenager. When boys and men had started to notice her, to appreciate her looks, her figure. Maybe there was something worthy about her after all. She’d started competing in pageants and had made third runner up for Miss Texas. And she certainly remembered the thrill of being approached by a real agent. Had she ever considered modeling?

  At least her father had taken time out of his busy schedule to look over the contract and make sure it was legitimate. No daughter of his would be exploited or paid less than she was worth. But once the contract had been signed he’d dismissed her, just like always.

  How could she remember everything she’d tried to forget, but she couldn’t remember Cooper? The doctor had told her it wasn’t uncommon for long term memory to come back quicker than more recent events. Still, she should recall more details about her hunky next-door neighbor.

  She could picture him running up the beach, sitting on his porch, and playing his guitar. She even recalled peering through his window and seeing him lifting weights. But she had absolutely no recollection of interacting with him.

  * * * *

  Annabelle had sent Cooper home not long after her shower. It was Saturday, so she didn’t have to worry about getting the girls ready for school. That was one less thing to think about. She was now grateful the girls took the bus to school. She hadn’t planned on it, but when she’d gone in to register them, the school secretary had mentioned the bus forms and Sophie had been so excited about the idea of riding the bus, she’d decided to fill out the forms, figuring once the novelty had worn off, they’d go back to the usual routine of having her drive them.

  One of the things she’d hoped for with this move was to let her daughters live as close to a normal life as possible. That included public school, especially since the local elementary was one of the best in the state. She wanted to give them chores and an allowance. Maybe someday get a puppy, so they could learn responsibility.

  They spent the morning picking up where their neighbor had left off, trying to take care of her. They made her toast after Cooper left, with peanut butter and honey. Why not? It wasn’t like she had to worry about every calorie she con
sumed anymore.

  The doctor had warned her to get plenty of rest. No more than two hours of any type of cognitive activity until she was headache-free for twenty-four hours. That included reading, watching TV, or using the computer. She could gradually increase her time by small increments after each twenty-four hour period with no symptoms.

  She’d been given similar guidelines for physical activity. She could take short walks on the beach, gradually working her way up to her normal workout routine. Annabelle wondered if she’d ever feel normal again.

  Although she usually enjoyed listening to her daughters’ constant chatter, today the sound caused pressure to build behind her eyes.

  “Why don’t you put on your favorite princess movie?” She hated to plop them in front of the TV on such a beautiful sunny day. “Mommy needs to rest a bit.”

  They argued over which movie to watch, but when she told them they could watch both, it solved the problem quickly.

  She was just going to close her eyes for a few minutes.

  * * * *

  A quick run on the beach was just long enough to get Cooper’s heart rate up, but not long enough to let go of the troubling image of Annabelle’s injuries. Her beautiful face. It looked like someone had used her face to record a strikeout, a backward K, meaning the batter froze and struck out looking as strike three crossed over the plate.

  Damn. He should be thinking about baseball, the game that he’d played since he was nine. The game he thought he’d do anything to keep playing. He rubbed his shoulder. The pain was only in his head now. Man, he’d been an idiot, thinking he could outsmart his body, outsmart the league. They weren’t supposed to test him until after he reported to spring training.

  Too bad his number had been called for the random off-season test. His mistake had cost him fifty games. It had cost him his confidence. Instead of the healing powers of science, all he’d gotten from FITNatural was a weakened shoulder that he’d injured in his first appearance after being traded to St. Louis.

  A simple arthroscopic surgery had fixed his shoulder. A slight tear of the rotator cuff. Physically, he felt stronger than ever. But he couldn’t pick up a baseball. The thing that had brought him such satisfaction, millions of dollars, and more women than he knew what to do with now taunted him. Every time he touched a ball, he felt his throat close up, as if he’d swallowed the damn thing. He couldn’t breathe. It made him sick. No, he made himself sick.

  He would have preferred to do his workout at the gym, but he didn’t want to be that far away from Annabelle, in case she needed him. His home gym had the basics. He could get a good workout without leaving the house. He hit the weights sitting in his spare room, lifting a little more weight than he’d been doing. Just to test the shoulder.

  Cooper hated that there was a small part of him that hoped he’d feel a sharp pain, a sign that his shoulder was shot. Then he wouldn’t have a choice but to turn down the remaining offers that came his way. If he hadn’t already dropped the ball.

  * * * *

  Cooper took a chance and picked up Thai food for dinner. He chose a variety of dishes, ranging from mild for the kids to moderately spicy for his tastes. He figured if the girls wouldn’t eat any of it, there was always peanut butter.

  He knocked on the back door. For some reason, he was more comfortable using the kitchen entrance rather than going to the front door.

  Olivia greeted him with a pink bow in her hair and a sweet smile on her face. “Shhh. Mommy’s sleeping.”

  He stepped into the kitchen, closing the door quietly behind him. “How long has she been asleep?”

  “We watched two princess movies.” Olivia didn’t seem to realize that might be a little too long. “But we were really good and didn’t wake her up to ask if we could watch another one.”

  “Maybe I should check on her.” He put the takeout containers on the counter. “Why don’t you and your sister set the table for me? We’ll need plates, forks, and cups.”

  “Okay.” She skipped off to find Sophie.

  Cooper approached the couch where Annabelle was sleeping and knelt down next to her. She was breathtaking, even with the ugly gash across her face. He was tempted to wake her with a light kiss on the forehead, on the right side, where her skin was still flawless.

  Heaving a sigh, he gently touched her shoulder instead. Just as he’d done during the night.

  “Annabelle.” He spoke softly, not wanting to startle her. “I brought you some dinner.”

  She moaned.

  Oh hell. All the blood rushed straight to his groin.

  Focus. Think of anything other than waking up next to her.

  “Annabelle, honey, you need to wake up.”

  Her eyes fluttered open. A look of confusion was quickly followed by one of embarrassment.

  “I must have fallen asleep while the girls were watching a movie.” She sat up, looking around as if she wasn’t sure where she was.

  “You’ve been out for a while.” He didn’t want to show too much concern, didn’t want her to hear the worry in his voice. He’d already gotten the message loud and clear, she didn’t want to be coddled. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine.” She ran her hands over her face, wincing when she touched the stitches. “I’m just a little tired is all.”

  “I guess that’s to be expected.” He offered his hand and she took it as he slowly lifted her to a standing position. “I hope you like Thai food.”

  * * * *

  “That sounds perfect.” Even if she wasn’t sure how much the girls would eat, she could always make them a sandwich later.

  She was surprised to find the table set with the plastic plates and cups she kept in the bottom drawer for the girls to use for snacks.

  Cooper pointed out which entrees were mild and which ones were more flavorful or even spicy. It all smelled delicious. Her stomach rumbled at the smell of garlic, curry, and basil.

  “Who wants to try some sticky rice and lemongrass chicken?” She hoped her daughters would be polite enough to try one of the milder dishes.

  Surprisingly, they both seemed eager to experience new flavors.

  “Would you like some curry, Annabelle?” Cooper held a serving spoon ready to dish out the spicy combination of meat and vegetables.

  “Yes, please. I’ll have a little of everything.”

  He spooned a serving of each dish on her plate and then heaped double portions for himself.

  “What’s that?” Sophie pointed to one of the spicier dishes.

  “It’s called evil jungle noodle,” Cooper explained. “It has lots of yummy vegetables and rice noodles and red curry sauce.”

  “That’s a funny name.” She laughed. “Could I try some?”

  He nodded and placed a small spoonful on her plate.

  “Is it spicy?” Olivia asked cautiously.

  “A little. But you might like it.” He spooned a few bites onto her plate, too, away from the rest of her food.

  They ended up trying a little of everything. Sophie liked most of it, but Olivia preferred the milder dishes. Just the fact that they’d tried all of it was a testament to how impressed they both were with their neighbor.

  After the meal, Cooper stood and started collecting the plates.

  “You don’t have to clean up,” Annabelle protested. She rose stiffly out of her chair. “You’ve done enough already.”

  “I’ve got it.” He carried the dishes to the sink and rinsed them before loading them into the dishwasher. “I’ll take care of cleaning up in here, if you take care of the cleanup with those two.”

  “Thank you.” Annabelle was impressed by the way he just did what he could to help. He didn’t complain or wait for direction. He just came in, got the job done, and was ready for the next time she needed him.

  As much as she hated to admit it, she did need him.

  She couldn’t drive. She couldn’t shop for groceries. Heck, she couldn’t even s
tay awake through a Disney movie. The only thing she could do was accept help and hope that he didn’t feel like she was taking advantage of him.

  Annabelle followed Olivia and Sophie upstairs. They were already in the bathroom and undressed by the time she made her way up to the second floor. Everything hurt, every muscle, every bone. At least her headache was better. It only hurt when she moved too suddenly.

  She turned on the water in the tub, testing the temperature before letting the girls get in. At least they were old enough that she didn’t have to squat down next to the tub to bathe them. Now she just had to hand them the bottle of shampoo and they could wash their own hair.

  They were probably old enough take their baths without her supervision, but she still liked having this time at the end of the day when they chatted about what went on in their lives. She knew it wouldn’t be long before they would demand privacy. Soon enough, they would share their secrets with each other and keep them from her.

  She’d have to enjoy helping them into their jammies and reminding them to brush their teeth while she still could.

  “Okay girls, crawl in bed while I find a story to read.” She approached the bookshelf, wondering how long this ritual would last. They were already reading simple books they brought home from school. Miss Ramirez had recommended the Biscuit stories about a cute little puppy, and the girls were gobbling them up like candy.

  “Can Cooper sing to us again?” Olivia asked.

  “Yeah. Can he?” Sophie nearly leaped out of bed in excitement.

  “He’s done a lot for us already…” Annabelle hated to ask for more.

  “Please?” both girls begged.

  “I’ll ask him.” She hoped her daughters didn’t get too attached to their neighbor. But she had a feeling it was already too late.

  Cooper was more than willing to sing to her daughters. He’d brought his guitar and her heart swelled as she watched her daughters smile and clap and sing along with Cooper’s songs.