by Jamie Pope
“I understand,” she said after a moment, but he wasn’t so sure she did. “When are you leaving for Miami?”
“I want you to come with me.” He’d lied. It was more than a want. It was a need. He needed her there with him. He hadn’t been back since his surgery. He hadn’t seen any of his old friends, his teammates, the swarms of fans he used to encounter every day. It was like going back in time, like going back to another life, and he wanted her there beside him so he didn’t forget this life that he had. The life he had really come to love as much as playing baseball.
“Of course I’ll go with you. When do we leave?”
* * *
“Hey, Carlos! You coming back? We miss you, dude!” a man screamed at them from across the street. Virginia mentally shook her head. It wasn’t them he was screaming at, it was Carlos. Everywhere they had gone somebody was yelling at them, coming up to them.
And it started the moment they’d stepped off the plane. Most of the people who came up to him were adoring and in awe that they were in the presence of their hero. Some of them peppered him with questions and pushed things in his face to sign. She had to give it to Carlos, he had been kind and gracious to everyone, thanking them for their support, treating each of them as though they were important.
He wasn’t the man she was used to being with; it was as if he had on some kind of armor. His smile served as his uniform when they were out in public. He must be exhausted. She didn’t know if she could be him. She didn’t know if she could keep up her good nature all day long. She hadn’t understood why the world loved him so much. She knew he was a baseball player and a good one. But he was a good man. And in Miami he was like everyone’s brother, son or friend.
She slipped her hand into his, locked their fingers. He looked down at her, pausing a moment to kiss her forehead. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“For what?”
“For this. It’s taken us an hour to get down the street.”
“It has, but I guess this is all part of being you, isn’t it?”
“It’s not always this bad. It’s just because I’ve been gone for so long. It’s usually only like this when the Hammerheads are heading into the playoffs or the World Series.”
“There’s all this buzz around you. I’m afraid Miami is going explode with happiness when they find out you’re going back. There might even be a parade.”
He smiled softly. “I doubt it. And we don’t know if I’m going back yet.”
“I know you’re going back. Why don’t you?”
“Because I have wanted to go back for so long that if something happens and I can’t, I don’t want to be knocked on my ass by it, like I was last time.”
“You don’t want to be disappointed. I understand that.”
“Let’s not talk about it,” he said as they walked up to the restaurant they were heading to. “Let’s talk about the seafood paella we are about to have.”
“Mr. Bradley!” The hostess’s face lit up when she saw him. “Welcome back. We’re so glad to see you again.” She looked up at him with a flirtatious smile on her face. “A few of our girls have quit since you stopped coming around. They said the view had gotten dull.”
Carlos laughed good-naturedly. “Sorry to hear that. You know I couldn’t be in town without coming to my favorite place. I’ve been telling my girlfriend all about the food here.”
When the hostess’s eye went to Virginia, it was as if the woman was seeing her for the first time. That was something Virginia was going to have to get used to. Since she had been back in Miami with Carlos it was as though she was invisible. She had lived here for over a year, worked in the homes here, spent time in this neighborhood, and yet she felt like a stranger in her own town.
“Well.” The hostess’s smile turned more professional and a little less flirty. “Welcome to Costado’s. We hope you have a good time tonight.”
“Thank you,” Virginia said as the woman turned to show them to their table. The restaurant was nice but by no means fancy. The decor was simple, the lighting dim and the view from the window was of a regular neighborhood street instead of the flashy downtown area she had expected when he’d told her he wanted to go out for dinner.
It made her feel kind of silly that she’d gone into her design for his house with single-minded focus. She had decided on the design before she’d got to know him. He was a humble man, a no-flash, no-frills kind of guy. It was probably why everyone loved him so much.
The waiter came, taking their order and chatting them up about the Hammerheads’ past season. She hadn’t seen Carlos watch one game, but he was up on his team’s record.
When the waiter left, they were alone again. They hadn’t been alone all day. He had been in business meetings for hours. And there had been fans coming up to him. They had barely spoken since that morning. She had taken for granted that she could see him anytime she wanted to when they were back on the island. Now she was in competition for his attention. She was beginning to feel as though that was a competition she couldn’t win.
She didn’t blame him. It wasn’t his fault; this was his life. She couldn’t say she hadn’t expected it. She’d known. She had always known. She’d just pushed it into the back of her mind, because she’d never thought she would be here with him.
“How was your day?” she asked, curious about what he had done all day.
“Let’s talk about your day first. How does it feel to be back?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Yo, Carlos!” A man walked up to them, grinning from ear to ear. Carlos grinned back. Not one of those smiles he gave fans, but a genuine happy smile. She figured he must know the man. “I heard you were back.” He slapped him hard on the back. “The locker room’s not the same without you, boy. When are you bringing your old ass back? We’ve missed you.”
“Just waiting on the doctor to clear me.”
“When do you go?”
“In a couple of days.”
“They’ve got to clear you.” He looked over to Virginia. “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to interrupt. We’re old friends.”
“This is my girlfriend, Virginia. Virginia, this is Vito Martinez, best damn pitcher we’ve ever had.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Vito.” She reached out her hand to shake his.
“So this is your girl.” Vito grinned at her and then looked back to Carlos. “My girl was telling me that she read you were seen with somebody, but I thought it was because you’re always seen with somebody. But you’ve got the real thing here. You’ve got a woman. I’m impressed.”
“Why don’t you pull up a seat and join us, Vito?” she asked, knowing that the men wanted to catch up.
“You sure, Gin?” Carlos asked.
“Of course. Please join us.”
“I’ve got Drew here with me. He’s the third baseman,” he said for Virginia’s benefit.
“Drew’s here?” Carlos looked around and she could tell he was happy to know that another friend was there. “Tell him to bring his ass over here.”
A few moments later two more chairs arrived, along with another very good-looking baseball player. Virginia spent the rest of her evening listening to men talk about sports.
* * *
“Extend your foot for me,” the team’s doctor said to him as he studied Carlos’s heel. He bent Carlos’s toe back gently. “How does that feel?”
“Fine. No pain.” It was so unlike the months he had spent before.
“Good.” The doctor bent it back again. “Good. Stand up for me. We’re going to do a soleus heel drop. Remember how to do that?”
“Yes, sir.” He had done ninety of them a day since he had gotten hurt. He stood on a step and raised and lowered his leg at a forty-five degree angle, stretching his leg.
&nbs
p; “No pain, no pull, no twinge?”
“No. I feel great.”
“You look great, too. I looked at your MRI and X-rays. Your body is in better shape than before you left. You were falling apart. You worked your body too hard. I guess you needed the break.”
He looked over at Virginia, who was sitting silently in the corner watching. Her face was neutral and he wondered what she was thinking. She had been so sure all along that he was going to go back, and it looked as though he was finally about to receive his confirmation.
Why the hell wasn’t he happier about it?
“The team will be extremely happy to hear you’re coming back.”
“So it’s official?”
“It’s official. You’re cleared. I’ll notify the front office right now.”
“Congratulations, baby!” Virginia stood up and hugged him tightly. He knew she was happy for him. He could never accuse her of being unsupportive, but she wasn’t really happy. They had been there for a week now and he had been incredibly busy as he’d stepped back into his old life.
She was there with him, but he felt as if he hadn’t seen her, as if she had taken a backseat to the rest of his life. His agent had lined up endorsement deals, appearances, commercials. He was going to be the guest of honor at a charity ball. All in preparation for his comeback.
He was told he couldn’t come back quietly the way he wanted to. His fans had been waiting. His fans expected more. They had been heartbroken when he had gotten hurt. He was told he owed it to them to make his comeback special, an event.
In a way he felt beholden to them. They had supported him. They had loved him and he could tell that this city had missed him just by the warm welcome he had received when he returned. He didn’t want to let them down. Baseball had been his only career. He had owed it to them and to his father to finish up on top.
But he felt as if he owed Virginia something, too. She had been coming in second all week, and that wasn’t fair to her, especially when she had done so much for him.
“Thank you for being here for me.”
“Of course.”
“I want to take you out to celebrate.”
“Oh?”
“You don’t want to go out?”
“I’d rather we stay in and celebrate. I can cook for you. We can try out that big hot tub in your condo. We can spend the day in bed tomorrow.”
He had an early meeting, but he chose not to tell her about it. It could be canceled. She deserved his time. His undivided attention, even if it was just for the day. Every time they left his condo they were assaulted with kindness and questions and well wishes. People interrupted their dinners, stopped them as they walked down the street. Sometimes it was annoying, but he could never be rude to them. They made his career.
* * *
Carlos Bradley’s New Girl?
That was the headline of Miami’s biggest paper the two mornings later. Nothing about his return. It hadn’t been announced yet, but it would be later that day at a press conference, followed by a party in his honor.
She hadn’t been looking forward to it, but she would have gone for him. Because it was important to him. And he was important to her. But she still couldn’t muster up any excitement, because it felt as though the end was coming. The real end of them.
Last night at dinner a woman had sat down in his lap, wrapped her arms around him and kissed the side of his neck, and she had done it right in front of Virginia. She had recognized the woman, a singer from some girl group. One of those flawlessly made-up women with a perfect body. She had seen Virginia there, looked her in the eye and still sat on his lap, as if she didn’t care, as if Virginia didn’t matter.
Carlos had been good about it. He’d removed the woman from his lap. “That’s my girlfriend across the table, and right now you are disrespecting yourself and her. Go back to where you were.”
“You think you’re special, honey?” the girl had asked Virginia. “You’re just like the rest of us.”
That experience had left her uneasy, but this morning, seeing full-color pictures of herself in the paper was another thing. It seemed that she had been followed wherever she went the past week, even when she wasn’t with Carlos. Pictures of her going into the grocery store, pictures of her having lunch with Mrs. Westerfield, who was back from her trip.
That alone would have made her feel violated, but there was an article about her entire life, her career as a painter and the artist she had dated when she was much younger, a man twenty years her senior whom she had posed nude for. She didn’t know how they’d found that out, she didn’t know why they cared, but the article painted her as some erratic, artistic wannabe. It made it seem as though she was nowhere good enough for the town’s favorite player.
“Virginia!” Carlos was standing right behind her. She hadn’t heard him walk into the kitchen. “What are you reading?”
“Nothing.” She tried to toss the paper aside but he grabbed it from her. She had seen Carlos angry before, but he usually went cold and silent. This time she could see it twisted in his face, feeling the hot anger roll off him.
“This is trashy garbage. They are just trying to sell papers.”
“They dug into my life. They know about my first boyfriend. They printed the picture I posed for.”
“Relax, baby.” Carlos grabbed her hands, and it was then he noticed she was shaking. “You don’t need to worry. Nobody that matters cares about this.”
“I care,” she said slowly as she looked up into his eyes. “I want to be here with you, but I don’t think I can.”
“What?” His body went still.
“I don’t belong here. In your life.” She shook her head. “In this life.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I love you, but I’m not cut out to be a superstar’s girlfriend. I’m not ready to give up everything I have worked for and melt into the background of your life.”
“But you won’t. I—”
“This is a big moment in your life and in your career. It’s your comeback season. Everything you have wanted for the past year is about to happen, and it’s going to be amazing for you, and I feel as though I’m in the way.”
“You’re not in the way.”
“I am. I’ve literally been pushed out of the way so people can get to you. I’m not complaining. I’m not even suggesting that I should come first. Baseball is your first love and I want you to have it back.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m going to go home.” She shook her head. “I’m going to go back to Hideaway Island. I’m going to finish your house and then I’m going to move on. Just like I was supposed to. Just like I had planned. I have given up things for men before. I have quit jobs and moved across country. I have put my happiness aside for theirs, but I’m not sure I can do that again. I love you, but I can’t be in another relationship that I know is stamped with an expiration date. It wouldn’t be fair to you if I did.”
“But, Gin...”
“This is for the best.” She stepped forward, softly kissed his lips before she backed away. “This is your time now. Enjoy it. And always remember how proud of you I am.”
* * *
He was back officially. His team had held a press conference. He had been peppered with question after question from reporters. He couldn’t remember any of them. It had all been a blur except for one question.
Are you happy to be back?
He had said yes, but it was a lie, because Virginia had left him. He didn’t blame her. Three weeks had passed since she’d left, since the announcement had been made, since his life had changed again.
His team had to hire security for him. He had always had people come up to him when he left his house, but now there were more—there were swarms of them—
and reporters and photographers. He didn’t blame Virginia for wanting to escape all this, for preferring a quiet life on that little island where she had become part of the community.
He was mad at her for going. He almost felt abandoned, but he didn’t blame her, because she hadn’t signed on for this. She had come into his life to decorate his place. She hadn’t planned on him falling in love with her.
His phone rang. It never stopped ringing these days. Even though he had an agent and a publicist, people still called him, most of them offering congratulations and well wishes. He ignored most of them, checking the caller ID only to see if it was Virginia calling. This should be the happiest time of his life—he had gotten back the thing he had wanted most this past year—but instead he was holed up in his condo waiting for her to call.
But it wasn’t her. It was his mother this time.
“Hello, Mama.”
“Hello, mijo. I haven’t heard from you since the day you told me you had been cleared to play.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Have you?” she asked in that tone of voice that told him she knew he was lying.
“There’s a lot going on.”
“Virginia is not with you?”
“No.” He nearly choked on the word. “She left me. Some reporters dug into her past and followed her around town. I think this life is too much for her.”
“She’s a talented girl. She sent me pictures of the house. It beautiful. She invited me to come see it.”
“You should come, Mama. I miss you.”
“It’s been hard for me to be there, because everything reminds me of your father. He was the last man I had ever thought I wanted, but he ended up being the only man I ever needed.”
Carlos was quiet. It was hard for him to speak when there was such pain in his mother’s voice.
“She sent me a painting, you know. One of your father on the beach. I cried when I saw it. Sobbed for three hours. She captured him. She never met him and yet she captured who he was with strokes of a paintbrush.”
“I saw it. It’s my favorite.”
“I called her to thank her and ask her how she could do that. How she could make me feel so much with one painting. Do you know what she told me? She told me that what she feels goes into her work and she thought about you the whole time she painted it. That knowing you made her work better.”