Making a Comeback

by Kristina Mathews

  “Tell you what…” Sanders had picked up a pen shaped like a miniature baseball bat and was tapping it on his thigh. “If you’re not on a spring training roster, then plan on a trial run as one of my pitching coaches. We run three clinics a week during the season. We have six camps over the summer. Three week-long sessions, two two-week sessions, and an intensive month-long camp for the elite players who actually have a shot.”

  “All right.” Cooper extended his hand to shake on it. “If I don’t have any offers by the last official reporting day, I’ll be here.”

  “Good.” Sanders stood. “I hope you can join us. But I hope you have to put it off another year or two or even more.”

  “Me too.”

  Chapter 16

  Even though she’d invited him for dinner and he’d agreed, Annabelle was surprised to see Cooper at her front door. He was dressed in dark designer jeans that fit him like nobody’s business. His tailored shirt was a silvery green, the color of eucalyptus leaves. Longing stirred inside her. For the man, yes, but she also longed for home.

  She leaned in and gave him a quick hug.

  “Your cologne smells like eucalyptus. It reminds me of San Francisco.”

  “It’s the lotion.” He smiled. “Are you still using the stuff I gave you?”

  “The one made by the little old lady from Mendocino?” She’d been using it religiously. And it really did help with the stiffness. “Are you hurting? Is your shoulder okay?”

  “The shoulder’s fine. I still use it out of habit, I guess.” He reached up and rubbed his shoulder. Also out of habit? “Plus, it smells good.”

  “It does.” She stepped aside to let him in. “How long did you live in San Francisco?”

  “Nearly six seasons.” He held a bottle of wine in his left hand.

  “Do you miss it?”

  “Sometimes. It’s a great city.” He transferred the wine to his other hand. “I always kept my place down here, though. I guess I knew I wouldn’t stay in San Francisco forever.”

  “You don’t want to be here, do you?” Annabelle noticed he stood stiffly, like a kid forced to wear a starched suit. “Is it me or my friends?”

  “Annabelle.” He still sung her name. “I do want to be here. With you.”

  To prove it, he set the wine down on the hall table and kissed her, his whiskers tickling her lips. He’d trimmed his beard, and she liked the way it looked. She really liked the way it felt. Her body sang with his touch.

  “Good. I worried that maybe since we…” She took a deep breath.

  “You thought that since we slept together, I’d, what? Lose interest?” He shook his head. “I don’t know what kind of guys you’ve been with before, but…”

  “You’ve met my ex-husband.” She didn’t want to talk about the other guys she’d been with. Especially not that disaster that happened in New Zealand. And she didn’t think he wanted to hear about her relationship with the guy he’d been traded for. “But that doesn’t matter. I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

  “I don’t want things to be weird between us, either.” He reached down and brushed her hair off her forehead. Then he placed a gentle kiss on her scar. The tenderness moved her in a deep way.

  “But you don’t want to have dinner with my friends, do you?”

  “It’s not that.” He let out a sigh. “They’re part of the baseball world. I disgraced the game, and I don’t know if I’ll be a part of that world anymore.”

  “Maybe it’s time you find out.” She led him back to the kitchen.

  * * * *

  Cooper set the wine on the counter. He reached into the drawer where Annabelle kept her wine opener, but then he thought maybe he was making himself too much at home.

  “Do you want me to open this now or save it for dinner?”

  “I’ll have a glass.” Annabelle smiled at him hopefully. “Hunter?”

  “Sure. Then we’ll get started on the salad.” Hunter headed for the sink to wash up.

  “I was going to have a beer.” Marco acknowledged Cooper with a slight nod. “You want to join me? We can get the grill going.”

  Cooper took a deep breath. This was important to Annabelle. She wanted him to fit in with her friends. “Sure. Grab me a cold one.”

  He’d given up drinking, women, and baseball. He’d basically given up on living, too. Time to step back into life.

  Cooper uncorked the wine, poured two glasses for the ladies, and followed Marco out onto the deck. He accepted an IPA and debated whether he should allow the other man to take charge of the barbecue or if he should be the one to act as man of the house.

  Marco must have been wondering the same thing. They both stood there, beers in hand, staring at the stainless steel gas barbecue. After what felt like several awkward moments, Marco raised his bottle and gave a nod before taking a long swallow.

  Cooper repeated the motion. Sometimes he appreciated not having to say anything.

  “You use this grill before?” Marco asked.

  “No. But I’m sure I could get it started.” Cooper approached the grill. He flipped the knob and the gas lit.

  They both stood there, staring at the blue flame. Avoiding conversation like only a couple of guys could do. Cooper imagined the girls were inside chatting away, probably talking about the two of them.

  “So, I hear you got a pretty good contract with the Goliaths.” Cooper decided to get the conversation started.

  “Yeah. I know Hunter is behind the deal, but don’t tell anyone.” A proud grin lit Marco’s face. “She’s under the delusion that she’s out of the game.”

  “What do you mean, ‘out of the game’?”

  “She sold her share of the Goliaths immediately after we won the World Series.” Marco’s grin widened. “So technically, she had nothing to do with my re-signing.”

  “So, is Barry still a part of things?” As in, Annabelle’s ex.

  “No. He sold out before the whole FITNatural story broke.”

  “I guess I’ve been out of the loop.” Hiding out, in other words.

  “How’s the shoulder?”

  “Feels good. I’ve been building strength.” But he hadn’t tested it.

  “Great. That’s good news.”

  Before they could get any further into the discussion, Annabelle came out with the marinated steaks. She looked amazing. Her jeans hugged her body as if they had been invented just for her. She wore a white tank top under a pale blue sweater that wrapped around her waist, hugged her shoulders, and did amazing things for her breasts.

  Unable to help himself, he brushed a kiss across her left cheek. He tucked her hair behind her ear. “There, now I can see your pretty face.”

  She tried to shake her hair loose, to cover the scars.

  “You’re beautiful.” He shouldn’t have to remind her.

  “Thanks.” She gave him an insecure smile that killed him. “I’d better get back and help Hunter with the salad. I bought a big bunch of kale, so I need to trim the thick stems.”

  She turned away from him, and swept her hair over her scars before going back inside.

  Cooper grabbed the grill brush and started scraping with a little more force than needed.

  “Need any help with that?” Marco asked.

  “I’m good.” Cooper had almost forgotten the other man was there.

  Marco leaned against the deck railing, taking a long drink of beer. He eyed Cooper carefully, almost suspiciously.

  Santiago was the kind of hitter who would stare down a pitcher, daring him to throw his best pitch. It felt as if he was daring Cooper to make a mistake. But instead of challenging him on the field, he was challenging him over Annabelle.

  “Look, you don’t have to tell me how special Annabelle is.” Cooper couldn’t help but be a little defensive.

  “No, I don’t.” Marco gave a slight shake of his head.

  Cooper started throwing the steaks on the gr
ill. He felt like he was on trial here. It was almost like when he’d given his testimony to the league during the preliminary hearings in the FITNatural investigation. He’d given his answers as honestly and completely as possible and it still felt like they didn’t believe him.

  “I certainly don’t want her to get hurt.” It was too soon to turn the steaks, but Cooper felt like he should be doing something. Anything to take the pressure off.

  “You care about her,” Marco acknowledged.

  “Yes. And her daughters, too.” Cooper smiled, thinking of how special Sophie and Olivia were. How attached he’d become in such a short time.

  “They’re sweet.” Marco took a step towards him. “But can you tell them apart?”

  “Yeah. Actually I can.” Cooper turned to face the other man. “First of all, Olivia is usually in pink. She’s a little more girly. And Sophie is more… Outgoing. Confident. She’s like Annabelle in some ways.”

  “Yeah?”

  “But even though Olivia is a little more hesitant, she’s very loyal.” Cooper’s heart swelled a little knowing she’d accepted him.

  “Also like her mother.” Marco gave a little nod.

  “How well do you know Annabelle?” Cooper wasn’t crazy about the idea that she’d been with Marco.

  “We dated about eight years ago.” At the height of her career.

  Cooper just gave a nod.

  “She was beautiful and sweet,” Marco said. “But she was pretty insecure, especially for someone who’d been on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But then I guess we were all pretty insecure at twenty.”

  “Yeah. Insecure and cocky at the same time. Not a good combination.” Cooper remembered what he’d been like at that age. No good for anyone.

  “I guess I started thinking she couldn’t handle the lifestyle.” Marco was now the one sounding defensive. Like he had to explain himself to the other man. “Would she need constant reassurance when I was on the road? The last thing you want to think about when you’re trying to get your career off the ground is having to calm your girlfriend down before every road trip.”

  “Guess you don’t have to worry about that with Hunter?”

  “No. She’s got faith in me.” Marco’s face lit in a goofy grin. He was one hundred percent in love with his wife. “It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. To have someone who believes in you even when you don’t believe in yourself. Especially when you don’t believe in yourself.”

  Cooper turned back to the grill. He was starting to feel like he knew what Marco was talking about. Annabelle believed in him even after she learned about his steroid use. She still wanted him. It wasn’t anything like Hunter giving up her team for Marco, but it was something. Something he could build on.

  “Hey, you need another beer?” Marco asked.

  “No. I’m good.” For the first time in a long time, he really was.

  Marco disappeared into the house and returned with another beer for himself. “I think the ladies are talking about us in there. They got real quiet when I went into the kitchen.”

  “I’m sure they are.”

  “I almost get the feeling Annabelle is worried about us out here.” Marco tilted the bottle and took a quick sip. “Maybe she’s just used to the way her ex acted when any other men dared even look at her. The guy was a real jerk.”

  “Yeah. I always got that feeling about him.” Cooper didn’t really want to think about the man Annabelle was technically still married to, let alone talk about him. “But there must have been something appealing about him. She did marry him. He gave her two wonderful children.”

  “The guy doesn’t deserve them.” Marco had a lot of contempt for the man. “When I think of how he could have brought down the Goliaths… He could have ruined Hunter.”

  “Yeah, well he wasn’t the only one who put the Goliaths in a bad position.” The sick feeling returned to Cooper’s stomach. “Your wife was smart to get rid of me.”

  “Yeah. I almost forgot you were involved.”

  “I can never forget.” Cooper downed the last half of his now warm beer. “And I’m sure there are a lot of people that will make sure I don’t ever forget my mistake.”

  Marco made a grunting noise. It wasn’t a comfortable topic of conversation. But Marco wouldn’t have to keep having the conversation for the rest of his life.

  “Are you looking forward to going down to spring training in a few weeks?” Cooper was more than a little envious. “This year’s going to be a lot different coming off a World Series win.”

  “Yeah.” Marco sounded less than enthusiastic. “I mean, I’m ready to get back to work. I have a lot to prove with the new contract. And defending the title is going to be tough. But we’ve got a solid team. We only lost a few guys. I just hope we can replace Scottsdale.”

  “I can’t believe he retired. Man, that guy is a legend.” Cooper just shook his head, wishing he hadn’t screwed up and would have had the chance to go through the season with the man. “But I guess if anyone deserved to go out like he did, it would be The Monk.”

  “He is going out at the top of his game. He’s got nothing left to prove. The man’s got two Cy Young Awards, a perfect game, and as soon as they’re back from the designer, he’ll have his World Series ring.” The conversation was starting to flow, now that they were talking about baseball.

  “You’ll have that ring, too.” Envy gnawed at Cooper. He should have been a part of that team. And it was his own damn fault he hadn’t been.

  “Oh, I’ve already got the most important ring there is.” Marco glanced down at his left hand. The he looked at his beer and shook his head. “Oh man, listen to me. You’re gonna have to call the league. Have them come take my man card.”

  “Nah.” It wasn’t just missing out on the World Series that made him jealous of Marco. “But it’s not like the league would listen to me anyway.”

  “You think you’re the first guy to make a mistake?” Marco took a long drink. “And sad to say, but you won’t be the last. If you hadn’t gotten hurt, you’d be counting the days until you have to report.”

  “If I hadn’t gotten hurt…” Cooper let out a frustrated breath. “I wouldn’t have your contract, but I’d be in pretty good shape.”

  “You’re still in your prime.” Marco said. “You’ve got a lot of baseball left in you.”

  “That’s what I thought. I figured I’d be one of those guys they’d have to pry the ball out of my cold, dead hand.”

  “There’s nothing worse than a guy who should’ve quit a long time ago but doesn’t see it.”

  “Yeah. It’s almost painful.”

  “Then there are the guys who quit too soon.” Marco shook his head again. “I mean, is Johnny Scottsdale going to wake up in a few years and wonder if he still had it in him?”

  “Probably.” Cooper had asked himself that same question many times in the last few months.

  “See, that’s the thing.” Marco sat down in one of the patio chairs. “I worry about Hunter. I don’t think walking away from the game is going to be any easier on her than it is for us players.”

  “Yeah, but she can always come back.”

  “True. She doesn’t have to worry about her age catching up with her.” Marco stretched out his legs. “She’ll be back. By the time I’ve got to be dragged out of the game, she’ll be ready to step back in. I just hope…”

  Marco shifted in his chair. He was restless. “I just hope she doesn’t resent me for taking her away from her work. Maybe it would be easier if we had kids.”

  Cooper didn’t know what to say. He barely knew the guy, yet he was sharing some personal stuff. Maybe a little too personal.

  “These steaks are about done.” Cooper removed the steaks one by one, placing them on the clean platter Annabelle had provided for him.

  “Let’s eat.” Marco stood, grabbed his beer bottle and the empties, and followed Cooper into the house.

 
; Chapter 17

  Dinner was going along smoothly when Sophie picked up a green bean, bit it in half, and turned to Cooper. “So are you my mom’s boyfriend?”

  He carefully set his fork down, swallowed, and gave Annabelle a look that was a cross between a plea for help and a question of his own.

  “What makes you ask that, sweetheart?” Annabelle wondered how much her daughters had seen, heard, or imagined about her relationship with Cooper.

  “I don’t know?” She popped the other half of her green bean into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “It just seems like he should be your boyfriend.”

  Annabelle snuck a peek at his face. He was smiling. Maybe he agreed with Sophie’s assessment.

  “He’s your friend. And he’s a boy.” Olivia joined in the conversation. “He should be your boyfriend.”

  “He is my friend.” Annabelle felt her cheeks grow warm. “But we can talk about this later. We have company.”

  “Daddy has a girlfriend,” Sophie informed them. “So I guess you should have a boyfriend. And we like Cooper.”

  “Yeah. We like Cooper,” Olivia confirmed.

  “I like you, too.” Cooper gave each girl a warm smile. “All three of you.”

  He gave Annabelle a different kind of smile. The kind that suggested he would be more than happy to discuss this later. Much later.

  “So tell me about your new school.” Hunter, bless her heart, steered the conversation in a different direction.

  The girls quickly switched gears, filling them in on Miss Ramirez, the hundredth day of school play they were working on, and a list of all the activities going on in Kindergarten.

  Finally, dinner was over.

  “I’ll take care of the dishes,” Cooper offered. “While you get the girls cleaned up.”

  It had become routine, but with the girls’ comments about whether or not he was Annabelle’s boyfriend, she wondered if she shouldn’t tell him he didn’t have to help clean up. But she knew he’d do it anyway.