“Did you like it?”
“At the time, I was fixated on getting into major-league management. In hindsight, it was the best job I ever had.”
“Why?”
“No multimillion-dollar prima donnas. No corporate pressure to make money. Fans and families who loved baseball and could afford the tickets, not hotshots entertaining clients.”
“Exactly!” There had been a minor-league team within an hour of Comeback that Dad took her to see when she was little. When she was older, she’d dragged Kevin there. But he liked the big stadiums and bright lights of the majors better.
“Minor-league baseball was just…fun.” The word sounded lame. But it was the only way she could describe it.
Sam seemed to understand what she meant. “The game loses something when more money is at stake.”
She nodded and playfully walked her fingers across his chest.
“I wish I hadn’t brought you out to the stadium tonight,” he said. “This isn’t going to get any better now.”
It was true. It was also nice to be with someone who shared her disappointment. The regret in his eyes when he’d entered the owner’s box and the way he’d managed to make it look like he was only coincidentally in her vicinity through every inning of the ball game was endearing. The way his jaw had tightened when Zoom invited her to the gala told her Sam was just as surprised as she was at the invitation.
As if he had read her mind, he said, “Maisy, you don’t have to go anywhere tomorrow night. I’ll tell Zoom you are sick or had to go home for a family emergency.”
The Indiana Summer Gala was a new event that hadn’t existed when she and Kevin were together. She had seen the pictures in the newspaper in the last few years, though. Kevin and Alexa, surrounded by their admirers, had looked like they were having a good time. One particular photo showed Kevin’s hand on her butt. Kevin’s face had been red like it always was when he drank too much.
“Zoom is still donating to my school?”
Sam’s face was hidden in the shadows. “Yeah, but don’t count on—”
“I can’t let them down. And how am I supposed to respond? If I don’t go, everyone will think I’m not over Kevin.”
“Are you serious?”
Maisy grabbed the bottle and took another sip. It burned a pleasant path down her throat. “I feel like it’s healthy for me to get Kevin out of my system — and be seen doing it.”
He stroked the sensitive area on the back of her neck where the fine hair ended. “It won’t bother you to see them together?”
He meant Kevin and Alexa, of course.
“No.”
It was both the truth and a safe excuse. Better to avoid mentioning the other part of the reason she was willing to go to the gala. Being with Sam.
“I’m thinking it would be good for me,” she said.
“So is kale, but I wouldn’t force you to eat it.”
“If the Turbos want to give more money to my school, I’ll be happy to oblige them.”
He grabbed the bottle out of her hand and set it down. Then he pulled her on top of him. The sheet was loose across her breasts. He grinned at the view. She arched her back and lowered herself, letting her nipples graze across his chest. It was so much fun to let her inhibitions go. She didn’t have to worry about anyone’s game energy or muscle strain. Sam wasn’t even complaining about his foot.
“I should get some ice…for your toe, of course,” she teased.
He growled and caught her by the shoulders, serious now. “I want you to be sure that this is what you want, Maisy. You can walk away from the Turbos and the city now and I won’t bother you ag—”
She put a finger on his lip. “It isn’t exactly what we wanted, but isn’t it okay for now? I get to wave a magic wand across the stadium and you get to enjoy a winning team and a happy city?”
“Magic and a happy city. That’s a lot of power for one woman.”
“And more kids get school supplies.” She lowered her head, her hair shrouding them both from the world outside.
Chapter Thirteen
Maisy woke up to a daisy on the pillow next to her. Underneath it was a note. She wrapped herself in one of the sheets they had worn last night and moved into the living room, sinking into the couch.
Conference call and a player meeting. I’ll call you later about tonight.
Sam
She frowned. Where was the part about last night? The passionate connection? Even the hot sex? Either Sam was unimaginative with morning-after notes or she might have just received the ultimate blowoff. Or maybe he just had cold feet.
She tossed the note on the couch beside her, feeling a bit deflated. Like she’d just been paid off.
Wait a minute. That couldn’t be right. She had been the one to attack Sam last night. She was the one in charge. Wasn’t that a good transformation? She was stronger now. Not like before, when another one-page note had devastated her.
The first year Kevin was on the Turbos, he’d taken his mother to the All-Star Game. Maisy couldn’t imagine Sarah Halderman enjoying all the parties and ceremonial activities. But she’d come back with all sorts of stories of famous people she’d met. The second year that Kevin was named to the All-Star team, Maisy had been crazy with excitement because it was her turn to accompany him.
But in the weeks prior to the All-Star break, Maisy had been overextended. Mom had a bad episode that spring and was having trouble getting around. Maisy had done her best to divide her time between Indianapolis and Comeback. But it was hard. She was finishing up her master’s degree in elementary education. And like she always did, she’d attended every home game Kevin played. The long hours between the ballpark, school, and home had finally caught up with her. She’d gotten sick.
Afraid he might catch her bad cold before the All-Star Game, Kevin had stayed with a buddy in Indianapolis instead of the apartment they shared. When the cold had lingered, Kevin asked her not to come to the All-Star Game with him. He’d told her it would be boring.
Maisy hadn’t had the energy to argue. Kevin had gone solo.
He’d come home distracted. Even though she was feeling better and she’d missed him, he hadn’t been interested in sex. He hadn’t talked about the week or the parties or the inning the National League had scored two runs on him. She should have known something was going on.
All-Star parties were notoriously lively. It didn’t excuse the way Kevin’s arm was around Alexa Ventura in a picture inside Sports Illustrated. The two stars were wrapped around each other well into the early hours, the article said. It went on to blame Kevin’s poor All-Star performance on his extracurricular activities.
Even then, Maisy hadn’t wanted to confront Kevin. Somewhere in her weak and pitiful mind, she’d thought he would have a good explanation.
That was when he’d left her a one-page note. “Dear Maisy, I met some body…”
She had been so angry that she pulled out a pencil and corrected his poor spelling and grammar before throwing it in his face. Then she’d picked up her suitcase and moved home. The summer had turned to fall and she’d stayed in Comeback. She’d started teaching at Joy Elementary that September and slowly healed.
Since then she hadn’t thought about being with another man. Well, hardly.
It stunk that Sam was connected with baseball!
Last night in the limousine, she had turned her ringer off. She hadn’t felt like talking to the family and friends who had called her after the game. Now, she returned her mother’s call and reassured her that all was fine. Mom didn’t sound convinced. Especially when Maisy told her she was staying another night.
When Maisy called Heather, she heard Heather’s husband yelling at the kids in the background. “Is Lamar okay?” Heather and Lamar were on vacation in Northern Michigan.
“Oh, yeah. We’re on the dock
and the kids are trying to catch fish for breakfast. Only they aren’t quite getting the hang of it. Jacy just put a worm in Drake’s orange juice.”
Maisy loved Jacy and Drake. They reminded her of herself and Chad. “Give them a big hug for me.”
“Not until the worms are back in the refrigerator if you don’t mind.” Heather made a screeching sound and it took a few moments until she came back to the phone. “Sorry, Maisy. I’m off the dock. Lamar can take care of the kids. You and I need to talk.”
“I know.”
“Why the hell did you go back?” she asked.
“It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Charlie Zumaeta gave us ten thousand dollars for back-to-school supplies.”
That earned a thoughtful pause. “I’m not sure you need to prostitute yourself like that.”
Great minds thought alike. It was why she loved Heather so much. She didn’t think in terms of winning a game or being the best. She thought in terms of what was right for each person. That’s what made her a great teacher.
“It was more. Sam Hunter came out to the farm. He wanted me to come back to the stadium for a game and then Faygo stepped on his foot and broke his toe. After I drove him back to Indianapolis—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out. Who’s Sam Hunter?”
“Remember the guy on the barstool at Plato’s?”
“The guy who looked like Ryan Gosling?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, my God.” The whooping and high-pitched yelling on the other end of the line made her forget her earlier insecurity about sleeping with Sam. If her best friend was happy, then maybe it was a good thing.
Lamar’s deep voice in the background asked what was going on. “Maisy’s back in the ball game! That’s what’s going on.”
“What are you talking about?” Maisy asked.
Heather smothered the phone. Maisy could hear her telling one of the kids to mind their own business. Then she was back. “How was it? You haven’t run those bases in a long time.”
Maisy grinned. If only Heather knew how aggressive she had become. But running a victory lap wasn’t the reason Maisy had called. And although they shared everything, she wasn’t ready to talk about it.
“Get your head out of the gutter, Heather.” Maisy crossed her fingers and said, “Nothing happened.”
“Aww, come on.”
Maisy quickly moved on to the point. “The thing is, I’m staying another day. I’m going to this big gala tonight. The Indianapolis Summer Gala.”
“The gala where people wear all those fancy clothes and it looks like the Oscars?”
“That’s the one. It seems that Charlie Zumaeta wants me there tonight. He asked Sam to take me as his date.”
“What are you going to wear?” Heather always knew the question that needed asking.
Maisy wanted reassurance before talking fashion. “But should I do this? I mean, this feels really odd. And Kevin and Alexa are going to be there.”
That seemed to sober Heather. “Oh, geez. I didn’t even think about that. I was so excited about you and Ryan and dressing up. Listen, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You can leave and come back home. Where are you staying, anyway? You can go to my mom’s.”
Maisy hesitated and looked around. “I’m at an apartment overlooking the whole skyline. The team uses it for VIP guests. The bathroom is floor-to-ceiling marble and the tub is as big as my classroom.”
Another screech from Heather. “Sorry, hon. I just had to screw my head back on. Let’s talk about this. Will you be all right if you see Kevin and Alexa together?”
“I kind of think so. I mean, I’ve seen them in the newspapers. I just saw Kevin last night on the mound.”
“And you were okay with it?”
Maisy closed her eyes and reexamined her feelings just to make sure she hadn’t changed her mind since last night. “Yeah, remarkably I am.”
“Then maybe this whole thing is good for you. What’s the worst thing that can happen?”
The worst thing already had happened. She’d been dumped three months before her wedding by her childhood sweetheart. Nothing could compare to that hurt. Hopefully. “I guess the answer is, I might feel like crap all over again. But maybe I’ll feel better, too.”
“Well, the way I see it, the next thing to do is to get yourself shopping and then the beauty salon.”
“Maybe I should just borrow something from someone. Is that old prom dress of yours still in your mom’s closet?”
Heather moaned on the other end. “Oh, my God. It’s purple taffeta! The answer is no! You need to do this up right. Make Kevin Halderman regret the way he dumped you. He really hurt you!”
“I know.”
“Make that Alexa jealous. Make that hot Ryan guy so horny he’ll forget all about baseball.”
The thought of a repeat performance made her heart flip.
Heather shifted into stern teacher voice. She only ever did that when she was pushed to the edge by her most challenging students. “I want you to go out there for every woman who has ever been dumped by a man she dedicated her life to. Show the world you are strong and beautiful. Get out there and make me proud. Do it for yourself. Do it for all of us!...Are you still there, Maisy?”
“Yeah. I think this is that part in the movie where the girl power music comes on and I do that shopping montage where I put on things with red feathers and dramatic shoulder pads while you shake your head.”
“Then you try on that last perfect dress that fits you like a glove and you walk out of the store with your head high and a large shopping bag.”
***
In the end, it wasn’t exactly as Heather imagined. But it was close. As soon as Maisy finished taking a shower (under the three separate showerheads that took her ten minutes to figure out how to work), and dressed, Tristan and Joanie showed up at her door.
“We come carrying gifts from the Turbos.” Tristan held up an envelope. “A gift certificate for the beauty salon downstairs.”
Joanie flashed a credit card. “There’s a thousand-dollar shopping spree for tonight on this.”
Maisy put her hands to her cheeks. “I can’t believe how generous Mr. Zumaeta is being.”
Tristan and Joanie exchanged looks.
“It’s nothing, really,” Tristan said.
“He means, don’t mention it,” Joanie added. “As in, really. Zoom doesn’t like to talk about this kind of thing. Don’t mention it tonight, okay, Maisy?”
Maisy took the gift card and ran her hand across it to make sure it was real. It caught the morning sun coming from the floor-to-ceiling windows. No harm in having fun at the Turbos’ expense. It was the least they could do. Heather was going to love this.
“We’ve got a car waiting downstairs, and we thought you might like us to take you shopping,” said Joanie with a wink. “I know all the best places and Tristan, believe it or not, has a good eye for quality.”
Maisy narrowed her gaze. Tristan was interesting. Well dressed. But young. Possibly gay — if she was lucky. Every girl wanted a gay man to dress her.
“I need all the help I can get. My hair won’t keep a curl and my feet are on the big side.”
Tristan wagged his finger. “Do you know that only four percent of women think they are beautiful? You ladies need to stop doubting yourselves.”
Maisy gave him a spontaneous hug and his face turned red.
Tristan and Joanie knew the perfect place to go. The little boutiques in Broad Ripple. Maisy spied her dress in a store window immediately. But because Heather had wanted the montage and was forcing her to send her a picture of every dress she tried on, she let Joanie and Tristan lead her all over. For fun she picked the most hideous and bizarre dresses and watched their faces.
When she was tired of trying on clothes, Maisy final
ly went back to the first store and tried on the winner in the window. When she came out of the fitting room, Joanie and Tristan high-fived each other.
Heather went crazy when they video-called her. She ran in circles, almost falling off the dock. In the background Lamar was yelling at her not to get her cell phone wet. Then Heather called her whole family to the phone so they could see Maisy. The oohs and ahhs were worth the wait.
Joanie nodded approvingly. “Not everyone can wear that tone.”
“Bold in a colorless way,” Tristan purred.
Then Lamar popped up over Heather’s shoulder from her phone screen. “Sexy as hell!”
The dress was made of layered chiffon over charmeuse with a satin slip underlay of the same color. It clung to Maisy’s body in a style that hinted of Grecian goddess and high couture. The fabric draped around her neck and crossed her breasts, gathering at the waist and falling in a cascade that made it flow when she walked, as if gravity had been suspended.
It was the color that made Maisy catch her breath when she gazed at herself in the mirror again.
The champagne-nude tone matched her creamy skin exactly. It would have washed out most women. But it didn’t on her. It perfectly highlighted Maisy’s dark hair and dark eyes and made her skin glisten as if it had been designed just for her. It was so invisible-feeling that she had to glance twice to make sure she was wearing a dress.
With an eye on her budget, she bought shoes and, even though it made her blush in front of Tristan, she purchased a bra that would make her girls look almost as sweet as Alexa’s. She added a shawl in soft pink because, well, just because. And as Joanie reminded her, the air conditioning could be strong inside the Ritz Carlton ballroom.
Explaining that Target was one of the greatest stores in the world, Maisy begged Tristan and Joanie to stop there so she could buy large dangly gold and pearl earrings. Let all the fancy people in their expensive dresses think she had shopped at Tiffany’s. She was happy with twelve-dollar earrings and bracelets.
At six thirty that evening, she fidgeted nervously because Sam was late. She couldn’t help stepping back into the bedroom half a dozen times to admire the dress in the full-length mirror. Her hair had been styled in a twisted bun. She pulled a few tendrils loose when she left the salon. The beautician had kept it simple, darkening her eyes with a strong smoky eye pencil and using a nude-color lipstick that made her lips shimmer and highlighted her eyes.
Come Back to the Ballpark, Maisy Gray Page 15