by Gina Drayer
“Well, she’s not exactly an off-season fling kind of girl.”
“Maybe that’s it. Maybe that’s what’s changed.”
I’m not sure I’d go that far, but Emily was definitely responsible for my current mood. I was in a slump last season, and now I felt like I could conquer the world. But this wasn’t a sorority slumber party, and I wasn’t going to stand here all afternoon talking to Kevin about my feeling. Coach yelled for me to get back to the plate. I shrugged and knocked the dirt off my cleats with the bat. “I think it’s just my time.”
I spent the next hour running drills. It was nice to get out on the field and forget about contracts and press. I felt like part of the team again.
Coach Bradley sent Hernandez to the showers. Coach may have been approaching his sixties, but he was still intimidating. He was one of those guys that just exuded authority. In his prime, he was one of the top-ranked pitchers. And even after all these years, he still had a mean curveball.
“What can I do for you Coach?”
“Looks like you’ve found your stride, Coop.”
“Thanks. I’m feeling really good.”
“Listen, I know about your contract troubles,” he said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t condone your off-field fuck-ups, but you’re a good player. I’d hate to see you waste your talents.”
Coming from him, that was high praise. The man didn’t believe in compliments. He was all stick and no carrot.
“I’m glad you’re not partying as much. It screws with your game. I suspect that new woman of yours has something to do with that.”
“She does keep me busy, Coach.”
“Yeah, funny how a woman can do that,” he said with a chuckle. “If I thought it would help, I’d ask the team to assign all you knuckleheads girlfriends to keep you in line. But I’ve seen relationships hurt as much as help. I hope she’s not going to be an issue for you.”
“No, sir. Not at all. Emily understands that baseball in my priority,” I said, slightly uncomfortable with the shift in the conversation. I felt like I couldn’t win. They didn’t want me partying, but they didn’t want me settling down either. What the fuck did they want?
“Either way, I’m glad you’re getting your shit straightened out. You’re a hell of a hitter and a decent third baseman. But what I’d like to see you do is step up—become a leader.”
“Anything for the team. Just tell me what you need.”
He nodded to Lyle, the newest member of our team. He got called up at the end of the season to replace out center fielder after an injury. He was a good kid, but still really green.
“Lyle is shifting his weight when he’s at bat. He needs to bring his average up before the season starts or we’ll be sending him back to the farm.”
I glanced over to the outfield where Lyle was catching fly balls. He was tall, with a nice build, and fast. Coach Bradley was right, the kid had potential. He could be a great player given a chance.
“He could really use a mentor. After practice today, I’d like you to take the rest of the afternoon and work with Lyle. Roll through the last few games. See if you can improve his numbers.”
That wasn’t how I’d planned to spend my afternoon. I’d promised Mica I’d be at the shelter right after school today. I was on the verge of telling Coach I couldn’t stay, but his next words stopped me.
“I’m going to put in a good word for you with management. It would be nice if I could tell them your priorities are here with the team.”
He was right—this is where my focus needed to be. I could toss the ball around with those kids anytime. This was an opportunity. One I’d be stupid to miss.
“You can count on me.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Coach Bradley slapped my shoulder and walked back out to the pitcher’s mound where our relief pitcher was waiting.
I’d make it up to Mica. Maybe I’d bring him and a group of his friends down to the stadium and let them run the bases. I could take them in a limo, and we could have hot dogs and popcorn for lunch. That was a whole hell of a lot better than hitting a few balls in the park. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before.
One of my other teammates took over at bat, and I jogged back to the dugout. Before I changed my mind, I pulled my cell from my warmup bag and fired a text to Emily. I started typing a long apology but deleted it. It would probably be better if I said I was sorry in person. But really, I shouldn’t have to apologize. This was my job.
Cooper: Can’t make it this afternoon. Practice extended.
Cooper: Tell Mica I have a surprise for him. He’s going to love it.
31
Emily
Twenty words.
I stared at my phone, rereading the text for the tenth time. He hadn’t even bothered to apologize. I was so pissed I could hardly breathe. Blinking back tears, I dialed his number.
The phone rang and went straight to voicemail. I hung up before I word-vomited my rage all over his voicemail and chucked my phone across the table.
“Everything okay?” Tony asked from the door of my office.
“I’m fine.” I shook my head, furiously wiping away my stupid tears. “Did you need something?”
“Mica brought a few friends over. He’s asking for you. He said something about Cooper stopping by to give them some pointers.”
I was hoping to get a moment to compose myself before having to disappoint Mica, but I needed to deal with this now.
“Cooper’s not coming. He just canceled.”
“Oh, that sucks. Mica will—”
“Will be devastated. I know. And he canceled by text.” I sniffed back a new wave of tears. “He didn’t even say he was sorry.”
“Emily. I’m sorry you’re upset, but I’m sure Cooper had a good reason. Mica will understand.”
“You’re supposed to be on my side.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at my friend. I never took Tony for being one of those guys who stuck to the Man Code.
“Fine. He’s a bastard. He’s an insensitive prick who isn’t good enough for you.” He leaned against the doorframe and cocked an eyebrow. “Do you feel better?”
“No,” I said, flatly.
“Exactly. Fueling your anger won’t do any good.”
Tony crossed the room and sat down across from me. He had his fatherly advice face on, and I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t in the mood.
“From what you’ve told me, relationships are new for Cooper, and you’re not exactly well versed in them either. One thing I’ve learned after twenty years of marriage is that my wife isn’t a mind reader.”
“I told him this was a bad idea. Besides, he doesn’t have to read my mind to know that you shouldn’t break your promises.”
Although to be fair, I didn’t exactly tell him he shouldn’t make promises to the kids unless he could keep them. I knew he didn’t understand how important promises were to these kids. Still, that’s not an excuse.
“You both lead busy and complicated lives. Plans are going to fall through and occasionally, promises broken.” His big hands covered mine, and he sent a kind, patient look my way. “I’m only trying to help. This is your first bump. How you handle this will set the tone for your relationship.”
Sometimes I hate it when Tony’s right. Cooper was a Major League baseball player. Things were bound to come up. I couldn’t expect him to always act and behave like a normal boyfriend.
Boyfriend? I’ve been calling him my boyfriend to other people, but this was the first time I thought of him that way. When had that happened?
I sighed and put my other hand over his. “I’m still mad at him.”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t be mad,” he said, being all reasonable.
“He did have a legitimate excuse.”
“I can tell Mica if you want me to.”
“No. This is my problem, and I need to fix it. But you could do me a favor.”
I handed over my credit card and told him
to order twenty pizzas for dinner tonight. It wasn’t the same, but pizza was still a treat. And this way, everyone got something special.
“Is Cooper here? Where is he?” Mica came running up as soon as I reached the rec room. “He promised to help me with my batting. The sun actually came out today so we can play outside just like he said!”
“I’m sorry. He can’t come today,” I said.
“What?” Mica’s shoulder’s dropped, and he looked ready to cry. “But he said he’d be here. I invited my friends.”
“I told you he was lying,” one of the other boys said under his breath.
I put my arm around Mica’s shoulders and walked slowly towards the group of boys in the corner. “Cooper feels bad about not being able to come. His practice is running late. Besides, even with the sun out, it’s still too wet outside to play in the park.”
“He’s going to make it up to you.” I’d make sure Cooper did something special for Mica. He owed me that much at least. “Until then, he ordered pizza for everyone. Your friends can stay if they want.”
“Did he order hot wings, too? I love hot wings.”
“I’m sure he did. I’m going to grab the projector, and we can do a whole movie night tonight. What do you say?”
“I really wanted to play some ball, but pizza and wings sound good.”
Mica looked up and forced a smile. Cooper and I were going to have to have a long talk. But tonight I was going to make sure the kids had a good time. I left the boys in the rec room and went to get the projector. While I was in the closet, I sent Tony a text asking him to add a few dozen hot wings to the order. Tonight was going to take a bite out of my personal budget, but it was worth it.
Pizza night was a big hit. Over half the center was down, enjoying pizza and the movie with their families. We pushed most of the tables to the outside walls and filled the room with blankets and pillows. It was almost like going to a drive-in.
It was a simple thing, but it meant a lot. Above all, I strove to provide normalcy for these families, and this was it. I might have to find a way to fit a regular pizza night into my budget for next year.
The second Harry Potter movie was playing on the pulldown screen when my phone started ringing. Cooper’s number flashed on the screen, and I hurried out to the hall to answer.
“I’m sorry about today, Baby. I hope Mica isn’t too mad.”
“You should be more worried about your girlfriend being mad,” I said and closed my office door behind me.
“Coach wanted me to stay. There’s not much else I could have done.”
“You could have called instead of sending a text. You could have talked to Mica and explained.”
“I said I was sorry,” he grumbled. “I’m just leaving the stadium now. Why don’t I pick us up something for dinner, and we can talk about this.”
“I can’t tonight. There’s an event at the shelter, and I’m needed here.”
“What about later? I can send a car, and you can come over to my house.”
“Not tonight. I’m tired and just want to go home and crawl into bed.” I was being childish, but my feelings were still hurt. I tried to remember what Tony said about communication and added, “Let’s go out tomorrow—when we’re both less tired.”
“Okay,” he said with a sigh. “I’m going to miss seeing you tonight.”
Suddenly, I felt like the one in the wrong. I almost said screw it and asked him to come get me. But I think taking the night to cool down was the best course of action.
“I’m going to miss you, too. Until tomorrow.”
32
Emily
I slept like crap. I felt bad for turning Cooper away and delaying our conversation. I spent most of the night going over everything I wanted to say and imagining how he might respond.
So in effect, I spent the entire night arguing with myself instead of Cooper.
If I would have just met with him and had my say, I could have gotten a good night’s sleep and been prepared for the awful day that waited for me.
“Alisha’s not getting any better,” her mother Rhonda said, pacing my office. “She was up all night coughing.”
“What did the doctor say?” I asked.
I drove them to the free clinic on West Seventeenth three days ago. The antibiotics they prescribe should have kicked in by now.
“He said it was just bronchitis and the medicine would make her better. She’s getting worse. I know my baby and something is wrong.”
I followed Rhonda back to her room where Mica sat by his sister’s bed. The little girl was ashy, with sunken eyes, and in clear respiratory distress.
“Go get Tony, you have got to take her to the emergency room. I’ll make sure Mica’s looked after, you just go.”
After they left, one of the upstairs bathrooms flooded and my afternoon daycare volunteer didn’t show. While I was sitting in the playroom, one of the toddlers puked on me. And of course, I didn’t have a change of clothes.
Honest to God, it felt like the universe was punishing me for something.
And to top that off, I got a very mysterious text from Cooper.
Cooper: Thought a lot about yesterday. We should talk.
I had no idea if that was a bad or good thing, but I didn’t have a whole lot of time to think about it. I was trying to get the puke out of my jeans when Tony got back.
“Knock, knock.”
I looked up from the sink and sighed. “Thank God, you’re back. How’s Alisha?”
“They admitted her. Pneumonia. A day or two on I.V. antibiotics and she should be right as rain.”
Two days in the hospital. I’m glad I talked her into taking Alisha to the ER, but I knew two days away from work could be devastating for Rhonda. And just when she was starting to make headway.
“I should call her boss,” I said and tossed the paper towel in the trash.
“I already did. She has some vacation days saved up, so that should help. But I actually came to find you to let you know there’s someone waiting in your office.”
Cooper. I was kind of hoping he’d meet me at my place so I’d have time to clean up. Was he here to have that talk? Was I ready? My stomach flipped, and I suddenly felt nauseated.
“Thanks. Is there any way you can look in on the daycare. One of the college students is watching the kids. She looked a little overwhelmed when I left.”
I ran downstairs while trying to smooth my hair back in a ponytail. I was a hot mess, but still anxious to see him. I stopped outside my closed door and tried one more time to tame the stray curls before entering.
But when I opened the door, it wasn’t him.
Sitting on my sofa, snooping through the proposal the real estate agent had put together, was Ben Lobos.
Crap. I’d completely forgotten about the meeting he’d scheduled—or more accurately, forced upon me. Hopefully, this was going to be a quick meeting. I still had to work on that budget and hopefully, still make it home in time to shower and change out of these gross clothes before Cooper showed up.
“Mr. Lobos. It’s nice to see you again.”
Ben looked up and did a double take as though he hadn’t been expecting me. And maybe he hadn’t. This was the real me, not that beautiful woman in the gold gown he’d met at the charity auction.
After his initial surprise wore off, he stood up, smile firmly in place. “Please call me Ben.”
“So what is it I can do for you?” I asked, slipping behind my desk. I wasn’t sure what exactly he wanted, but I felt better with the physical barrier between us.
“It’s more what I can do for you. My company picks a charitable organization to sponsor every year,” he said, sitting in the chair across from me. “I’d like it to be the Oliver Family Shelter.”
“That’s very generous of you. We’re always looking for new donors. Were you looking to make a single large donation?”
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to make quite the donation that Cooper made, but then a
gain, my donation won’t come with the pleasure of your company. We might still be able to come to some arrangement.”
I stood back up, furious. “I don’t appreciate the insinuation, Mr. Lobos. My relationship with Cooper has nothing to do with his donation. I think you should leave.”
Ben seemed unperturbed by my anger. He sat back in his chair and waited for me to finish before calmly saying, “So you’re not interested in my donation?”
“I don’t know what kind of history you and Cooper have, or what any of that has to do with me. If you still want to make a donation, please talk to my assistant Tony. Or better yet, call Cooper and work out your issues directly with him.”
“I’ll admit, I was curious about you,” he said, still not getting out of my office. “Cooper is one of my oldest friends, and I like to look out for him.”
“And propositioning his girlfriend is how you look out for him? You have a very messed up idea of how friendship works.”
“Our relationship is complicated. Cooper doesn’t have the best judgment when it comes to women or money. You might think I’m callous, but you’d be surprised by how many women have taken me up on the offer. You’re different.” He stood up and pulled out a check from his jacket pocket. “This is seventy-five thousand dollars for the shelter, no strings, and I really would like to help with the Christmas market. I’ll have my people get in touch.”
“What?” I looked down at the check sitting on the table. “You’re still making a donation?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. If you were going to make a donation anyway, why go through all this?”
“I’ve been watching this relationship of yours unfold in the news. It sounded a little too good to be true. I thought you were just another woman after Cooper’s money.”
“And now?”
“And now, I see why he likes you,” he said. Before I knew what he intended, Ben grabbed my hand and kissed the back of my knuckles. “You’re the real thing. He’s very lucky.”