Behind in the Count: A Portland Pioneers Novel

by Micah K. Chaplin

  “I’ll try to let you know by then,” she said. “But this is a huge decision, so no guarantees.”

  “OK,” he said, nodding. “I’ll go get Brynn for you. Her stuff is by the door.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll load it up while you get her.”

  Conversation between them was strange. Very business-like. It was hard to imagine they’d once been married. There was little sense of familiarity and certainly no affection. They were virtual strangers. Who had a kid together. It was bizarre.

  Derek gave his mother a shrug as he entered the kitchen. It was clear Linda had overheard the conversation.

  “You did good,” she said softly to him. “Your request is reasonable. She’ll see that.”

  Derek nodded and reached for Brynn, who went to him easily. He hugged her close, kissing her cheek. He walked slowly into the living room and held her, watching Keely make a few trips out to her vehicle with the bags and implements that accompanied Brynn’s visits. He wasn’t ready to turn her over to Keely yet, but he knew he didn’t have a choice. Especially not once Brynn caught sight of her mother; the toddler immediately began reaching out and calling to “mama.” When Keely finished and returned for the last thing – Brynn – Derek gave the little girl another hug and kiss.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “I’ll see you again soon.”

  The toddler showed no indication she heard or understood the words as she eagerly went into the arms of her mother.

  “Say ‘goodbye’ to Daddy,” Keely said to Brynn, turning her to face him.

  Brynn looked back at Derek and raised her hand in a little wave.

  “Bye bye,” she said.

  “Bye bye,” he repeated.

  He walked to the door behind Keely, standing on the porch while she secured Brynn in her car seat. He watched until Keely’s taillights disappeared around a corner at the end of the street.

  He tried to enjoy the rest of his visit, but Derek found it difficult when he was waiting for Keely’s call. Every time his phone chimed or lit up, he reached for it. And every time it was a text from Reid or Carson or an email from an advertiser or his agent, he discarded the notification with a rough swipe of frustration. He eventually answered the things that were important, but he was only concerned about one call.

  The call finally came on Sunday as he was packing to leave. He saw Keely’s name and number light up the display of his phone, so he reached for it and sat down before answering. There was some uncomfortable small talk to start the call but it didn’t last long. They got right to the issue at hand.

  “I can’t agree to the schedule you proposed. I talked it over with Brent, and we just feel like that’s too much travel for her,” Keely said. “We would be fine with every other month.”

  “Brent shouldn’t even be in this discussion,” Derek said angrily. “This is between you and me. He gets no say in this.”

  “He’s my husband and Brynn’s step-father, so his opinion is valid,” Keely said.

  “Like hell it is,” Derek said. His anger was starting to boil over.

  “Derek, please … be rational,” she said. “Every other month is a good compromise.”

  “That’s not a compromise at all. That’s your way,” Derek said. “I’ve been very reasonable and patient with all of this. But I want to see my daughter more than every other month. That’s only six times a year!”

  “If you didn’t live so far away and travel so much, maybe you could,” Keely said.

  “My career shouldn’t be an issue here,” Derek said.

  “But it is,” Keely said. “You’ve made your choice, Derek.”

  “And so have you, clearly,” Derek said. “I hoped we could handle this like adults and work out an agreement.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do,” she said.

  “It doesn’t feel like it. It feels like you’re trying to control this whole situation,” he said.

  “Well, I’m her mother. I need to look out for her well-being,” she said.

  “I hardly think traveling once a month to see her father is going to hurt Brynn,” he said.

  “I don’t think you’re the best judge of what’s good for her,” she said.

  Derek sat up a little straighter, feeling as though he’d been punched in the gut.

  “Well, then maybe we’ll have to get an actual judge involved,” he said. “I don’t have anything more to say to you, but you’ll be hearing from my attorney.”

  He didn’t let Keely respond as he hit the “end call” button with so much force he was surprised the phone didn’t have an indentation.

  He leaned over and put his head in his hands, running his fingers through his hair.

  “Damn it,” he muttered.

  And he wasn’t sure in that moment if he was cussing out Keely or himself.

  Chapter Five

  As much as she enjoyed her visit with her parents, Zella was glad to be back in Portland and back at work the following week. Beyond the relief of escaping the leftover tension from the discussion with her parents, she thrived on routine, and she’d developed a good one so far in her new job. She worked out in the morning, retrieved coffee for herself and Ms. Marks, and settled in for a pile of work that never seemed to end. Sometimes in the evening, she would teach a class or she’d go home to relax. Kate had advised her to savor her free evenings while they lasted because the new season was just six weeks away.

  Knowing Derek was in Arizona had helped her stop looking for him, but she still thought about him from time to time. There wasn’t any rhyme or reasons for the moments when he came to mind or for why she was thinking about him at all. The end of their last conversation should have all but cemented how he felt about her. He stated, without any hesitation, that they were not friends. And that unsettled her more than she wanted to admit. Logically, she knew it was the truth. She had only just met him. But she’d hoped, after their lunch together they might be on their way to being friends. His words had cut through her and chased that hope.

  The whole exchange played out in her head at least once a day. She still didn’t understand why he’d reacted to her so harshly, but she was trying not to let it get to her to the point that she regretted reaching out to him. She was worried about him, and she wouldn’t apologize for that no matter how rude his response had been.

  She stepped into Ms. Marks’ office to go over notes and a schedule for the day. There was a lot on the agenda. The GM was leaving for Arizona in a few days and wouldn’t return until the season started. There would be daily phone calls and countless emails, but other than that, Zella would be on her own during that time. She was a little nervous, but she was also excited for the opportunity to take on more responsibility and prove to Ms. Marks (and anyone else paying attention) that she deserved the job and wanted to be there.

  Zella had always been highly motivated, but since her brother’s death, she had worked even harder to make her parents proud. She supposed it was a complex common among children who lost their only sibling. She wanted to be successful, but she knew there was also part of her that wanted to try and make up for what her parents had lost. Impossible as it was, she wanted to try.

  The first two weeks without Kate around were a breeze. Zella looked forward to daily updates from her boss. Some of them included Derek, which was a bonus. He was starting to throw full speed, and there was a lot of gushing about how well he was performing. Or at least what Zella would call gushing. Maybe Ms. Marks called it something else. Apparently, he already looked much-improved from the previous season. Zella wondered how that was possible after the season he’d turned in. He hadn’t become a starter until May, and somehow he’d managed to notch 12 wins down the stretch, with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.441 WHIP. His production had been more than respectable. Certainly, there was room for improvement – getting his walks down – but she was having a hard time imagining noticeable progress this early in the season.

  But the Pioneers saw it. And they weren’t
the only ones.

  His contract would be up after this season. Other teams were already starting to zero in on him and approach Kate about trade proposals. Ms. Marks asked Zella to run a few reports on prospects they could get in return and email them to her. Zella hated running those. The thought of Derek not being a Pioneer made her sad. She knew baseball was a business, but that didn’t make her forget the players were humans. Truth be told, Kate was having her run trade proposal reports for a few different players, but the ones that involved Derek were the only ones that bothered her. Still, she did her job as asked and decided to rest on the hope that Ms. Marks was only casually considering trading Derek.

  At the end of another long day, Zella headed out to meet Ashley, another fitness instructor from the gym where she worked part-time. The two had connected the moment they crossed paths, so they occasionally had dinner or drinks together. Tonight, they were going to some kind of mixer event hosted by an online dating service Ashley had joined. Zella was going along just as moral support. She’d always been a decent wing woman for her friends, so she intended to extend those services to Ashley, who seemed to need a little help in social settings.

  She’d been surprised to see the difference in Ashley’s public and private personas. Ashley, who had long wavy blonde and aquamarine eyes, taught Zumba and had a ton of energy. Zella had tried one of her classes and could barely keep up. In front of a class, she was outgoing and bubbly. One-on-one she turned into a different person. She was soft-spoken and shy. It was almost as though she lost confidence in smaller settings, which made no sense to Zella.

  Ashley’s strong desire to meet a guy and settle down also felt like a foreign concept to Zella. She wasn’t opposed to dating or relationships, but if she wanted to advance her career in baseball, she’d likely be moving – probably a few times – in the next several years. She preferred to find solid footing professionally before committing to another person long-term. And since she was only 26, she figured she had plenty of time before she needed to worry about love. Apparently Ashley didn’t feel like she had that luxury even though she was only two years Zella’s senior. So she’d started exploring the online dating world.

  She’d had moderate success – several first dates and a few second and third dates – but none had gone much further than that. One guy had been too similar to her, and she felt life with him would get boring very quickly. Another guy was originally from Canada and repeatedly mentioned his intentions to move back in the next few years. Ashley lived an hour from her parents and couldn’t imagine venturing further away from them than that. Another gentleman had no sense of personal space and had become too affectionate with Ashley too fast for her liking. Those were the tame examples. There’d also been a guy who spent the whole first date talking about his ex, the guy who presented an honest-to-God resume for why Ashley should want to date him, and another who showed up thirty minutes late and then didn’t have his wallet, forcing Ashley to pay for both of them.

  Ashley’s adventures provided entertainment for Zella – and fuel for staying out of the dating world. She assumed tonight would be more of the same as she pulled up to the bar where the event was happening. She was about five minutes early, but she knew Ashley was already there. Even without the text notification, she would have assumed as much. Ashley was at least fifteen minutes early for everything. Zella spotted her friend easily when she entered the establishment and made her way to the back bar, where a sign advertised the event. As she approached, she was glad to see Ashley had taken her advice on wearing red. Not only did it look great with Ashley’s coloring, but it would also help her stand out and give her an aura of confidence.

  “Hey there, gorgeous,” Zella said, taking the chair next to Ashley’s at a high-top table.

  Ashley looked up from her phone and smiled brightly. “Hi! How’s work? I’ve missed you at the gym.”

  “Yeah, with the season ramping up, I’ve had to cut back on my classes there. I’ll probably just be teaching Sunday mornings until next winter,” Zella said. “But work’s going great. My boss is out of town, so I have a lot to do, but I love it.”

  Ashley wasn’t really into sports so Zella didn’t expound on her duties. She knew when she got started on the subject her job, she tended to talk a lot, and that would just bore Ashley. She’d listen politely, but it wouldn’t interest her in the slightest. But that’s why Zella liked being friends with her. Ashley gave her life a bit of balance.

  “That’s awesome,” Ashley said. “And you leave for Arizona soon too, right?”

  “Yeah, on Tuesday,” Zella said. “So six days. Not that I’m counting or anything.”

  “Obviously not,” Ashley said, laughing. Even though she didn’t fully understand Zella’s love of baseball, she knew how excited Zella was about her upcoming trip.

  “So what’s new with you? Are you excited for this event?” Zella asked.

  Ashley let out a long breath. “Yeah, I think so. Nervous though.”

  Both girls looked around. There were other people roughly their age in the bar, but Zella couldn’t determine whether they were there just as patrons or if they were there for the event.

  “Are there going to be nametags or anything for this?” Zella asked.

  “No. Apparently this side of the bar is just for the mixer,” Ashley said.

  Zella looked around again, taking in their surroundings through a different filter.

  If what Ashley said was true, with the exception of the wait staff, everyone was there to meet other singles. Well, except for Zella, but she could pretend if it meant helping her friend. There were a few dozen people sipping beers or cocktails, and women made up more than half of that number. The women were almost all sitting in pairs or groups at the tables while then men largely sat alone at the bar. There were still five or six open tables.

  “See anyone you’re interested in?” Zella asked Ashley.

  During her perusal, she’d spotted two guys who seemed to be Ashley’s type, but she decided to see if her friend would follow her usual pattern or branch out.

  Ashley shrugged. “A few. I mean, do I wait for them to come over here, or do I go to them? I don’t know how this works.”

  “I don’t either,” Zella said.

  So far, the genders didn’t seem to be interacting at all. Everyone was keeping to themselves or their own table of friends. The room filled up a little more until nearly every table was occupied.

  As though answering their question, a woman stood up near the far end of the bar and introduced herself as the organizer of the event. She thanked everyone for coming and went over a few dating stats that Zella tuned out. In closing, she encouraged everyone to walk around and meet the other participants.

  “Well, there you go,” Zella said. She picked up her drink and purse and waited for Ashley to do the same. The other girl seemed hesitant and took her time.

  Zella attempted to read Ashley’s body language as they made the rounds. Her shyness appeared to be winning out, which would not help her in this scenario. Zella decided to take the lead when she spotted a guy with sandy brown hair and glasses sitting alone. He was one Zella had previously identified as Ashley’s type, and he had yet to move from his spot at the bar, indicating he might be just as shy as Ashley. To his credit, he had turned in his seat so he was facing the room instead of the bar.

  “I need another drink,” Zella said to Ashley. She didn’t really, but it was a good excuse to get her friend close to the guy.

  Zella walked over and gave the guy a polite smile before signaling for a bartender. Ashley stood awkwardly behind her.

  “Sorry to crowd you,” Zella said, after giving Ashley a few moments to attempt conversation.

  “No problem,” he said, his voice soft but polite.

  “My name is Zella, and this is Ashley.”

  “I’m Wes. Nice to meet you both.”

  Zella glanced between Wes and Ashley, who were both trying to study each other without the other perso
n noticing.

  “I need to run to the restroom. Ashley, will you wait here for my drink?” she asked.

  Ashley nodded and Zella hurried off, hoping the two would start talking in her absence. In the restroom, Zella took her time using the facilities, touching up her makeup, and checking her phone. After what she deemed an appropriate amount of time, she headed back out, moving over in the hallway for another person to pass.

  “That was pretty smooth out there.”

  She looked over and recognized the bartender, and the way he was looking at her indicated his comment was meant for her.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “Leading your friend to that guy at the bar and then leaving them alone.”

  “Oh, well, he seemed like her type, but she’s really shy.”

  “He seems pretty shy too, but he had his eye on your friend from the moment she got here. I knew he wouldn’t approach her, especially with you beside her. But your strategy worked.”

  “It did?” she asked, leaning and hoping to get a glimpse of the bar area.

  “Yeah, I mean, they stood there in silence for a while, so I helped grease the wheel a little to get them going,” he said.

  “What do you mean by that?” she asked.

  “I just made small talk with both of them about what they did for work, and they picked up and started talking without me,” he said.

  Zella smiled. “Good. Thanks.”

  “Pretty good teamwork by both of us,” he said. “I’m Alex, by the way.”

  “I’m Zella,” she said.

  “I know. I overheard you introduce yourself to Wes,” he said. “But it’s nice to meet you first hand.”

  Zella smiled at him and turned to go, but she felt a hand on her arm.

  “I think you should give them a little more time,” Alex said.

  “What about my drink?” she asked.

  “If you really want it, I’ll get it for you,” he said.

  “I don’t, really. It was an excuse to get her close to him,” Zella admitted. “But I don’t want Ashley to think I abandoned her.”