The Changeup (Men of the Show)

by Shaw, Rhonda

  The Changeup

  By Rhonda Shaw

  Playing for keeps

  After nine years of striking out in the dating department, Maddie Hamlin is throwing in the towel. But just as this mom resolves to remain single, she meets sweet and sexy pitching phenom Chase Patton at a family dinner. He’s perfect for her—aside from the fact he’s only twenty-two.

  Chase knows he should be focusing on his rookie year with the Detroit Rockets, but he can’t stop thinking about Maddie. He doesn’t care that the beautiful school counselor is twelve years older, and he’s already lost his heart to her adorable daughter. When an incredible date leads to an incredible night of passion, he knows he never wants to let her go.

  But dating in the media spotlight is a whole new ball game. Maddie quickly discovers that not everyone accepts their unconventional relationship—and that finding love may mean losing everything else...

  82,000 words

  Dear Reader,

  Happy 2014! You know, I love futuristic romance, and I swear it wasn’t that long ago that I was reading books in the genre that used years like 2014 and 2015 to indicate a time that seemed really far out. Of course, I suppose I’ll be saying something similar twenty years from now, when it’s 2035. (And isn’t that a weird thought?) As it happens, in the lineup this month we have both a futuristic romance and a hero who travels from the future, and both give a unique look into a future that’s actually a little further out.

  I love the premise of Libby Drew’s time-travel male/male romance, Paradox Lost, in which a time-travel guide who takes clients to “whenever” must travel back to 2020 and enlist the aid of a PI to find a missing client. And in PJ Schnyder’s Fighting Kat, Kat and Rygard go deep undercover, posing as gladiators. In the interstellar arena, it’s all about who’s the strongest predator...

  I mentioned futuristic romance, but how about a trip to the past in Jeannie Ruesch’s historical romantic suspense, Cloaked in Danger. Aria Whitney’s life has taken her from the sands of Egypt to the ballrooms of London, but when her father goes missing, can the handsome earl with a dark secret help her find him, or will a dangerous scandal threaten both their lives?

  In Mistress by Magick, Laura Navarre concludes her fallen angel Magick Trilogy, a riveting historical fantasy romance trilogy set in Tudor times. Also wrapping up a trilogy this month is Fiona Lowe. In Runaway Groom, the third book in the Wedding Fever trilogy, can a Harley-riding Aussie guy on the road trip of his life allow an uptight and disgraced lawyer to steal his heart? The first two books, Saved by the Bride and Picture Perfect Wedding, are now available, as well.

  Debut author Anna Richland delivers First to Burn, the first book in her Immortal Vikings series with a hero straight from the time of Beowulf. Wulf Wardsen is an elite soldier whose very existence breaks all the rules—and he’s deep in the military zone of Afghanistan with an army doctor determined to do everything by the book. Meanwhile, Cindy Spencer Pape brings back her very popular steampunk romance series, The Gaslight Chronicles, with the latest installment, Ashes & Alchemy.

  This January, Heather Long delivers the start of a new series of contemporary romances. If you like your romance a little on the crazy, cracktastic side, this book is sure to please. Cinderella had her fairy godmother and Princess Mia had her grandmother, but Alyx—she gets a software magnate who knows that in his world, Some Like It Royal. And speaking of cracktastic, Kelsey Browning has another installment in her steamy Texas Nights series. Roxanne Eberly wants nothing more than to make her lingerie store a success. Enter up-and-coming attorney Jamie Wright, who’s all tangled up in Roxanne’s life...and her lingerie...in Running the Red Light. If you want to start from the beginning, pick up Personal Assets!

  Mystery fans will be glad to welcome another installment from Jean Harrington in her Murders by Design series. In Rooms to Die For, when interior designer Deva Dunne finds a body hanging from a balcony in the gorgeous Naples Design Mall, she soon learns she’s caught up in a mall drug bust gone viral.

  We’re thrilled to offer a large lineup of debut authors this month, in addition to Anna Richland. Joining us with books in the new-adult, erotic romance and contemporary genres are a new group of incredibly talented authors we’re proud to welcome to Carina Press. Elia Winters debuts with erotic romance Purely Professional. When a journalist explores the submissive side of her sexuality with her Dominant neighbor, she must confront what these encounters mean for her own sexual identity, her career and her budding relationship.

  Three debut authors bring new-adult offerings to Carina Press. Danube Adele proves the new-adult genre is more than just contemporary romance in Quicksilver Dreams. One moment Taylor was just a regular girl working two jobs to pay her bills, and the next, she was reading minds, dreamwalking and being saved from bad guys by her sexy neighbor, Ryder Langston. In Tell Me When by Stina Lindenblatt, college freshman Amber Scott begrudgingly lets Marcus Reid into her life, but she didn’t expect the king of hookups would share his painful past. And Kristine Wyllys brings us the first of two steamy, dark-edged stories full of action, vivid storytelling and emotional intensity. Don’t miss Wild Ones.

  Our last debut author, Rhonda Shaw, caught me by surprise with her book, The Changeup. People who know my sports tastes know I don’t normally go in for baseball. And those who know my reading tastes know I don’t usually go for an older heroine/younger man set-up. But Rhonda’s story hooked me from the start and I’m pleased to be releasing her first book this month. I hope you enjoy this contemporary sports romance as much as I did, and perhaps find a new book boyfriend in sweet and sexy pitching phenom Chase Patton!

  I’m not one for making New Year’s resolutions, but I will make one—we’ll continue to strive to bring you a variety of fantastic books from authors who deliver stories that you’ll want to talk about. Thank you for joining us for another year of publishing at Carina Press—we’ll do our absolute best to make it an amazing one!

  We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to generalinquiries@carinapress.com. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.

  Happy reading!

  ~Angela James

  Executive Editor, Carina Press

  www.carinapress.com

  www.twitter.com/carinapress

  www.facebook.com/carinapress

  Dedication

  To Ralph and Blossom, my grandparents. Even though you are no longer with us, I know you’re up there celebrating this one with me. I miss you both.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my first readers who I pressured to give me the (sometimes ugly) truth—Mel, Pam and Susan. I couldn’t have done it without the invaluable feedback you all provided.

  Thank you to Bonnie, my own personal cheerleader.

  Thank you to my editor, Kerri Buckley. I know that Maddie and Chase’s story means just as much to you as it does to me. Thank you for your tremendous help and support.

  Last, but not least, thank you to Jim, my husband. Thank you for your patience, understanding and encouragement as I pursue my dreams.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

 
Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Maddie Hamlin tried not to glance at her watch. She knew if she did, she would be disappointed to see that the night was still young—way too young. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get through another hour—hell, another minute—without losing her mind. The night had started out with so much promise and in a short amount of time had taken a nose dive in the opposite direction.

  It took just about everything she had to pull her attention back to the dullness that was her date.

  “...that’s when I realized I was going to need a new lawn mower,” he rambled on.

  “Hmm, is that so?” she murmured, trying to feign interest as she took a healthy gulp of her red wine.

  As he launched into another lengthy narrative about the research he’d done on all the different models, she let her gaze wander. Happy couples surrounded her and as her eyes landed on one after another, she couldn’t help but wonder where she’d gone wrong.

  Every date she’d been on since her divorce nine years earlier had been a joke in one way or another and she’d yet to find anyone who even remotely interested her. Sure, they all sounded great initially, guys she could really like and be attracted to, but once she sat across from them, she couldn’t wait for the night to end so she could return home to her daughter and curl up on the couch in her sweats.

  She’d given up hope for finding a romance like she read about in her books—an everlasting, all-encompassing, hot, sizzling love affair—but she’d still been optimistic that she could at least find someone somewhat appealing and they could build on that. However, as her current date was demonstrating, it was a hopeless cause.

  Every guy seemed to have a “thing” that she couldn’t get past. She was thankful for the date suggestions from her friends since the online thing hadn’t worked, but she wondered if her so-called friends knew her at all. Many would not have worked for one reason or another, but some definitely topped the others, such as the one guy who’d almost bolted when he found out she had a daughter. Another had still lived at home despite being forty years old, and yet another had spent the entire night ensuring his food remained perfectly segregated on his plate. This one clearly had a thing for John Deere.

  Man, her life had reached pathetic status. Maybe Kyle, her ex-husband, had been her one chance and she’d blown it, destined to live out the remainder of her life alone. Utterly depressing, given that Kyle was a complete asshole, she thought as she drained the rest of her wine.

  She didn’t understand why it was so hard for her to find someone. Maybe she was too picky. Maybe she was the one who was the bore. Maybe all these guys were the normal ones and she was the one who had something wrong with her. Whatever it was, she was tired of it and she decided on the spot that she was finished with the dating game for a while. Perhaps if she took a hiatus from it, when she came back she would have a better selection or at least a better frame of mind.

  “Hello? Anybody there?” her date asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Wow. That’s crazy,” Maddie said, praying it would be appropriate.

  “Tell me about it! I never knew there was so much to learn about John Deere.”

  She smiled weakly before signaling the waiter for another glass of wine.

  * * *

  Maddie somehow suffered through the next hour without getting too drunk and was grateful when she was finally home. Shutting the front door behind her, she leaned against the hard wood and closed her eyes with a long-suffering sigh. The night was finally over and she thankfully hadn’t needed to ward off any requests for a second date. She apparently hadn’t shown sufficient enthusiasm for John Deere.

  Hearing the front door open and close, Karen, Maddie’s closest friend and Bree’s babysitter for the night, walked out of the kitchen with Bree right behind her. She eyed the clock on the wall by the door. “Nine o’clock. Wow! That’s a late night for you.”

  Maddie tossed her purse down onto an overstuffed chair before walking to the couch and slouching down with a huff. “It was horrible.”

  “What? Why? Jason seemed like a nice guy when he picked you up. Not my type, but cute in a nerdy way.”

  “Nice, but a bore. I learned more about lawn maintenance tonight than I ever needed or wanted to.”

  “Uh, okay. I won’t ask,” Karen said with a horror-struck look on her face.

  Bree, who was silently watching their exchange, wandered over to her mom and held out her hands, displaying the mess on them. “Aunt Karen and I were making chocolate chip cookies. Why don’t you come help us?”

  As Maddie looked lovingly at her daughter, it struck her how much Bree looked like her—from her jet-black hair, pulled into a French braid courtesy of her Aunt Karen, to her green eyes, which shone brightly against her porcelain skin. Her marriage might have been a sham, but it had been worth it because of Bree.

  “Chocolate chip cookies, huh? My favorite. Let me go change and I’ll be in there in a second.”

  As Bree hopped back into the kitchen, Maddie turned toward her friend. Karen had pulled her long sandy blond hair back into a messy ponytail and her face was free of makeup, but she still looked fresh and impeccable. She’d been there for her through the good and bad and Maddie would always owe her for it. She wouldn’t chide her for starting a batch of cookies at nine o’clock at night with a nine-year-old.

  “Thank you for watching her.”

  “No problem. You know I love spending time with her.”

  “I know, but I also get that you have better things to do with your time than spend it with a kid, but don’t worry, you won’t have babysitting duties for a while again.”

  Karen frowned and her blue eyes narrowed. “And why’s that?”

  “I decided tonight I’m going to give up. I’m done for a while,” she said as she pulled her shirt over her head and headed into her bedroom.

  “What? What kind of stupid talk is that?” Karen asked, right on her heels.

  “It’s not stupid.” She caught Karen’s eye in the mirror over her dresser as she pulled her ebony hair into a messy bun before tugging on a T-shirt. “I’m just tired of going on these dates only to find out within the first five minutes that I have nothing in common with the guy and can’t wait to get home.”

  “Come on! Don’t give up. The right one is out there, I know he is. Maybe you’re looking in the wrong places.”

  “And where are the right places? It’s not like I’m into scouring bars or something. I’m a little old for that.”

  They stretched out on her bed and stared up at the ceiling in silence before Karen broke it. “You just need to get laid.”

  “If only it was that easy,” Maddie said, her laughter shaking the bed.

  “I think you need to find a fine young thing that can last all night and get it on.” Karen gave a hoot of laughter before standing up and holding out her hand. “Come on. Let’s go make some cookies and teach Bree how men are a pain the ass.”

  * * *

  Maddie cursed the gods. She cursed the moon, the stars and all stellar bodies. Those were the only entities powerful enough to have turned up the heat to a sweltering ninety-two degrees with thick humidity only days after the air conditioning on her car decided to break. It didn’t matter how fast she drove with the windows down, no amount of breeze could provide any relief for her and Bree.

  Summers in Michigan were always a guessing game. Michiganders learned early on to roll with the punc
hes, knowing if they only waited five minutes the weather could drastically change—for better or worse. At this point, she would have welcomed an erratic weather mood swing, but no such luck. She glanced over her shoulder at Bree and her guilt level went up a full notch. Bree’s hair was a frizzy mess despite being in braids and her cheeks were glowing pink. Maddie could see the sweat beading on her hairline and cringed, knowing she was going to have to reach into her measly savings and have her AC fixed as soon as possible. This was no way for them to live.

  After suffering in the swampy conditions of her car for the forty-five minute drive from her condo in Royal Oak, she made the turn into her sister’s upscale subdivision and was thankful that cool bliss was only moments away. She needed a big glass of wine along with a large dose of brisk air. She was even contemplating putting her head in Lenore’s Sub-Zero for a few minutes, anything to stop the constant sweating.

  A quick glance in the rearview mirror confirmed there was no hope of returning to a presentable state. Her hair, even pulled back in a ponytail, was a tangled, windblown mess after the drive on the freeway and her makeup had melted off. She was thankful the dinner was only with family because she would’ve surely frightened anyone else away with her resemblance to a disheveled raccoon.

  Maddie opened the front door of her sister’s house without bothering to knock and shuffled in with Bree right behind her. Once inside, they closed their eyes in unison as coolness bathed their skin.

  She smiled at Bree. “Feels good, huh?”

  She nodded enthusiastically in agreement before rushing down the basement stairs. Down in the bowels of the large house, Bree knew she would find her cousin Scooter, a high school junior who owned every gaming console known to man.

  As Bree’s footsteps echoed loudly, Maddie walked toward the voices within the monstrous home.

  “Well, there you are!” Lenore exclaimed, jumping up out of her seat as Maddie walked into the all-season room. “Where’s Bree?”

  “Hi! Sorry we’re late,” she said as her sister claimed her in a hug. “Bree went to the basement in search of Scooter and games.” She waved at Lenore’s husband, Tom, a prominent lawyer in the Detroit area. “Hi, Tom. Good to see you.”