But she hadn’t even really paid attention to Hunter until Marco joined the team. What an odd way to start a friendship.
“Here.” Hunter reached across the table and picked up a second copy of the magazine. “It’s not like either of us can not read it.”
Annabelle took a deep breath, and opened the cover. She scanned the table of contents and found the page where Nathan Cooper’s early suspension was detailed. Seeing him in uniform sent a jolt of pride through her, mixed with sorrow for what he’d had and lost. He looked amazing in the Goliaths’ uniform. So handsome and strong. With an intimidating gaze coming from under his cap. So this was Nathan Cooper the baseball player. A left-handed pitcher who had once been one of the top relievers before injury had driven him to seek the aid of banned substances. The author of the article had made it clear that he was especially disappointed in Cooper since he’d been one of the “so-called good guys.” He gave to charity, signed autographs with a smile, and always had a quote for the media.
Annabelle had only known Cooper, the man. The guitar-playing, lullaby-singing, pancake-making neighbor who had stolen her heart and the hearts of her daughters.
“Annabelle Jones.” The nurse called her name and Annabelle tossed the magazine on the table before standing and following her back to the exam room.
They took her blood pressure and weight, although she wasn’t sure what either of those two things had to do with her ability to drive.
The nurse left and the doctor administering the test returned.
“I see you’ve taken this exam once before.” She made it sound like it was no big deal to be deemed unfit to drive a car in California. “And it looks like you passed all but one part. So you’ll only have to re-take the section you didn’t pass.”
“That’s good.” She hoped she could pass so she wouldn’t have to submit to the humiliation again.
The doctor went over the testing procedure again and Annabelle tried to be patient. She couldn’t rush through the test, but she also couldn’t go too slow. She had to concentrate and focus. Two things that were difficult in her current state of distress. She’d pushed a good man away. She’d hurt him with her indecision, her insecurity, and her inability to stand up for what she really wanted.
She wanted Nathan Cooper. She wanted to be strong enough to fight for him. To fight with him in his return to baseball.
The first test question popped onto the screen.
* * * *
Cooper stood on the mound, the protective screen in front of him, a bucket of balls at his feet. Sixty feet, six inches away stood Marco Santiago. The worthy opponent. If he could face this batter, he could face anyone. All he had to do was come set, windup, and throw. If he could do this, then maybe he could return to baseball.
But if he returned to baseball, he could lose Annabelle.
He stepped off the rubber. Picked up the rosin bag, and shook his head. Hell, he’d already lost Annabelle. Baseball was all he had left. If he even had that.
Stepping back onto the mound, he brought his hands together, looked in for the sign, even though the catcher was only there to provide a target, not work with him on the strategy of getting hitters out.
Deep breath. Shoulders relaxed. Eye on the target.
He threw a fastball right down the middle. Santiago stroked it just past his right shoulder. If they had been on a real field it would have easily been a double. Instead, it hit the net and dropped to the artificial turf.
The next pitch was also over the plate, and it, too, was crushed. Several more pitches were hit hard. Either Santiago was really dialed in, or Cooper had lost his touch.
Screw that. Cooper reached back, and threw a cutter. The pitch had a little more movement, and even though Santiago made hard contact, he fouled it straight back. It was a definite improvement and it did wonders for Cooper’s confidence. He wasn’t ready to throw his slider yet. That would be foolish. He hadn’t thrown it in almost six months. And although it was a pitch that put more stress on the elbow than the shoulder, he wasn’t ready to risk it. Not yet.
He settled in and started challenging the hitter. Little changes in location, dropping the arm slot, and taking a little off the fastball made a difference. Santiago was still getting contact on the ball, but he was fouling off just as many pitches as he hit straight.
It was a good sign. A very good sign. For the first time in a long time, he felt that itch. To get on the mound. In a game. With the crowd all around him, the real battle was man to man. Pitcher against batter. His arm against the best bats in the world.
He missed the game. Missed it more than he wanted to admit. Finally, he was ready to get back to what he was meant to do. To get back to baseball.
“Hey, thanks man.” Cooper dropped the ball he was holding into the bucket. He didn’t have to prove anything more. “I needed that. I needed that in the worst way.”
“No problem.” Marco shouldered his bat and gave a nod. “I needed it, too.”
“You’re going to have a great year.”
“Hope so. I’ve got a lot to prove.”
“Don’t we all?”
They cleaned up and Cooper waited for the pain in his shoulder. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d thrown that many pitches without the fire that invariably came afterward.
He rolled his shoulders. Nothing. No shooting pain. Not even tightness. Just that feeling of having worked hard and pushed himself.
He’d know more after a couple of hours. Would the pain return after his muscles cooled down? Would he be stiff in the morning? For the first time in a long time, he looked forward to finding out how his body would respond after a throwing session.
He started running pitch sequences through his mind. Thinking about location. Speed. Movement. He’d thrown all fastballs this first time out. Played it safe. But at least he knew he could still get the ball over the plate. Worst case scenario, he’d be able to hire himself out to throw batting practice. Or maybe Santiago was just that good.
“So how long are you and Hunter planning on staying?”
“I guess it depends on how Annabelle’s test goes today,” Marco replied. “If she’s not cleared to drive, we’ll stick around a few more days. But I have to say, I’m ready to go home. Be alone with my wife until I have to get back on the road.”
“She went back to the doctor?”
“Yeah, Hunter took her.”
“I hope she gets some good news.” He was a little hurt she hadn’t told him. But he wasn’t surprised. She’d told him to hit the showers. He never did like being pulled out of a game early. If he came in to pitch an inning, he wanted to finish it. He knew his role. He wasn’t the closer, so he was okay with not pitching the last inning. But he wasn’t okay with getting knocked out before he had a chance to finish the job.
He wasn’t real happy about not getting to finish things with Annabelle, either. And it wasn’t because it was the first time he’d been dumped since high school. No, he wasn’t finished with her. Not by a long shot.
He was ready to take another shot at baseball. Maybe he could figure out a way to take another shot with Annabelle.
* * * *
“You passed.” The doctor smiled when she delivered the good news to Annabelle. “A big improvement.”
“That’s a huge relief.” Annabelle felt her shoulders relax. “I hate having to rely on my friends for the simplest things, like picking up a gallon of milk.”
“Actually, I’m surprised you came back in.” The doctor turned to face her. “Most people wait until they feel like they’re back to normal and just start driving again. Your license wasn’t revoked at the scene.”
“I have two young children. I wouldn’t even consider getting behind the wheel if…” Her throat got tight at the thought of putting her children in danger. “I know there is always a risk, but I’m not about to take an unnecessary one.”
“Well, I’m glad you came in.” A warm sm
ile spread over the doctor’s face. “There’s a lot of attention on concussions and sports these days, but there isn’t as much research on how a head injury affects non-athletes.”
“So, I’m like a guinea pig?”
“No, but having the data does help.” The doctor became a little more animated. “In fact, if you would be interested in completing a questionnaire, it would be extremely helpful. There’s a lot more data on brain injury among athletes and soldiers returning from combat.”
“But not so much on brain injuries in supermodels.” Annabelle could laugh at herself, even if it was only to keep from crying.
“That’s where I know you from. You’re a swimsuit model.”
“I was.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “But, now I’m just a mom.”
Was it her imagination or did the scars on her face start to throb? It must be her imagination. The nerve endings were damaged. She couldn’t possibly feel anything. It was like the phantom pains amputees felt in missing limbs.
“And you’ll be back in the carpool, now.”
“Yeah. Carpool. Except my car is totaled.” Annabelle pasted on a smile. “So, yeah, I’ll have time for a questionnaire.”
“Great.” The doctor turned her attention to the computer. She printed out a single piece of paper. “Here is the website for the survey. A username and password has been created for you. Just login and answer the questions as truthfully and specifically as you can.”
“Sure.” Annabelle looked forward to feeling useful, even if it was only in taking a survey. “And thank you.”
“Good luck to you.” The doctor stood, signaling the exam was over and she needed to attend to other patients.
Annabelle rose to her feet, ready to get on with her life. She was cleared to drive. She was even going to contribute to the medical community with her survey answers. So why did she feel like such an idiot?
Two words.
Nathan Cooper.
Chapter 19
Did Annabelle have more company? When he pulled up in front of his house, Cooper noticed a Mercedes SUV parked in Annabelle’s driveway. Right behind it stood a sleek, black classic Mustang.
“Looks like the girls are back.” Marco gave a nod toward the house. “I still can’t believe I found a woman who could handle my Mustang.”
“The car’s what, fifteen years older than you are?”
“It was once my most precious possession,” Marco said with a kind of reverence in his voice. “The first car I ever bought. Fixed her up myself.”
Cooper looked down at his leased Escalade. He would have traded it in at the end of the season, like he usually did, but this year nothing had gone as planned.
“Had that beauty since I was twenty-one.”
“Yeah?” The only thing Cooper had had since he was twenty-one was his crush on Annabelle.
“But the beauty driving it? She’s a keeper.” Marco let out a breath. “Yeah, I know, I sound like a damn fool.”
“No.” A damn fool was one who’d been halfway in love with a woman for ten years only to let her walk away.
“Hey, thanks for helping me start gearing up for the season.” Marco changed the subject, and Cooper was grateful.
“You keep hitting like that, you’ll be MVP.” Cooper knew he hadn’t challenged him much, but the guy was dialed in. Especially for a guy who’d been on his honeymoon for a couple of months.
“You went easy on me today.” Marco played the humility card very well. “How’s the arm?”
“Feels good. Real good.” And he wasn’t even bullshitting.
“Glad to hear it.” Marco turned to him and smiled. “You know, I’ll be reporting the details to my wife. Word could get out.”
“What, that I’m available to throw batting practice?”
“No. That you’re healthy.” Marco gave him a serious look. “You’ll get a call before spring training.”
“Hope so.” An awkward silence fell between the two men. Neither wanted to talk about the suspension. It was one thing to come back from injury. But he had the stigma of being a cheater to get past as well.
Marco opened the passenger door. “I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah.” Cooper slid out from behind the wheel.
“So what about you and Annabelle?” Marco held his glove loosely in his throwing hand. “You haven’t been around.”
“She wanted some space. I gave it to her.” Cooper missed her. Terribly. “But I’m not going anywhere.”
Marco tightened his grip on his glove. He eyed Cooper carefully, sizing him up, and finally nodded his approval.
“Well, I’m going to hit the shower.” Cooper dismissed Marco with a lift of his chin.
He was surprised Marco hadn’t left him with one last warning about not hurting Annabelle. Maybe it just didn’t need to be spoken.
Dropping his equipment bag at the bottom of the stairs, Cooper felt the relief of no longer needing to hide it in the back of his closet. Annabelle was a big reason for that. Even if things didn’t work out between them, he would be forever grateful she’d given him a reason to get back into the game.
Cooper stood under the shower, letting the water run off him. Rolling his shoulders, the muscles in his back and neck began to relax. He felt good. Really good. The tiny scar on his left shoulder was barely even visible anymore.
Would Annabelle’s scars fade, too? She was still beautiful, but it killed him to see how self-conscious she was about them.
As he was toweling off, the doorbell rang. He threw on a pair of shorts and headed downstairs.
Hunter stood on his doorstep. “Marco told me about your practice session this morning.”
“Yeah?” He’d been hoping for Annabelle.
“We’re planning on leaving tomorrow.” She gave him an assessing look. “But I wondered if I could get some film before we head north.”
“Film?”
“I’m not with the Goliaths anymore, but I still know a few people in the game.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “If you’ve got the kind of stuff Marco says you’ve got, they’ll want to know about it.”
“You dropped me like I was a disease.” Cooper wasn’t sure why she wanted to scout him now.
“I wanted Marco.” She narrowed her gaze. Intimidating. He almost felt sorry for anyone who crossed her. “I did what it took to get him.”
Then she smiled. “It was just a business decision. And it worked out pretty well for the Goliaths.”
“Yeah. Congratulations.” He couldn’t be jealous about not being a part of it. Not when it had been his own damn fault he wasn’t.
“You’re healthy now?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “One hundred percent?”
“Yeah. I feel better than I’ve felt in a long time.”
“How long?”
“Too long.” He hated to admit that he could have saved them both a lot of trouble if he’d just been honest from the beginning.
“How did you keep it from the trainers?”
“It’s not like the old days, when they were the ones injecting the stuff.” Damn, he didn’t want to have this conversation.
“Not the steroids.” Hunter shook her head in disgust. “The injury. Why didn’t you say something? We’ve got the best staff in the league. If you’d gone to them at the beginning of your injury…”
They both knew why he hadn’t. A combination of pride, denial, and not wanting to upset the clubhouse during a difficult time. His shoulder pain started getting to the point of concern about the same time news of her father’s cancer became public. Everyone had felt an added pressure to make every inning count.
“I screwed up.” He might as well have the words tattooed on his forehead.
“Yeah. You did.” Her disappointment was displayed clearly on her face. “I still want to see what you’ve got.”
“I’ll set something up. Tomorrow morning?” He was going to have to sta
rt paying Sanders for rental of his facility.
“Sounds good.” Hunter gave a quick nod. He couldn’t quite figure her out. She’d made it clear that she no longer worked for the Goliaths, yet here she was in essence setting up a scouting session. She still had baseball in her blood.
Did he?
* * * *
Hunter was waiting for him right on time. She seemed almost giddy at the prospect of watching him pitch.
“Where’s Marco?” he asked as he grabbed his once again well-used gear bag. “Isn’t he coming?”
“No he’s helping Annabelle with some caulk.”
“Excuse me?”
“Replacing the caulk…” she enunciated the last word carefully. “In her bathroom.”
“Oh. I guess I didn’t hear you right.” The fact that his mind drifted to a completely different place disturbed him. “You know they used to date.”
“Yeah. I know.” She chuckled and shook her head.
“It doesn’t bother you that they’re together? Alone?” He unlocked the door of his Escalade.
“No.” She let him hold the door open for her and climbed in. “I do have to admit I was a little jealous at first. When Marco and I were still getting a feel for each other.”
He nodded before heading around to the driver’s side.
“I trust them both.” Hunter clicked her seatbelt into place. “Marco is an honorable man. And Annabelle doesn’t have a deceitful bone in her body.”
“Yet she’s committed adultery.” He tried to keep that comment to himself but it slipped out.
“And that bothers you.” Hunter not only heard his statement, she read the underlying feelings.
“Yeah. A little. Technically, she’s still married.” Not that he wanted to jet off to Vegas and tie the knot anytime soon. But maybe he’d like to have the option. “Believe it or not, I’m not the kind of guy who likes to break the rules.”
“Not unless you’re desperate?” Hunter guessed. “I think I understand why you violated the league’s drug use policy. I wish you hadn’t, but I do understand it.”
“It was stupid and selfish.” His gut churned even now. “I wish I had done things differently. I wish I had just gone to the trainer like I should have.”
Making a Comeback Page 17