The Changeup (Men of the Show)

by Shaw, Rhonda

  “Ah, okay. That’s helpful,” she teased.

  “But if when we get there you don’t like it or want to go somewhere else, that’s totally fine.”

  She nodded, but when he pulled up to the curb next to the restaurant a few seconds later, her jaw dropped. “Chase, we can’t go here.”

  “Why? You don’t like it?”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s just so...expensive.”

  “Why don’t you let me worry about that?” he said, not bother trying to hide the slight edge that had crept into his voice.

  That wasn’t how she had meant it, but before she could offer an apology, her door opened and she looked into the bright smile of a young valet. She accepted his hand and he helped her down from the car before handing Chase the claim ticket.

  “Are you sure?” she asked him, deciding to ignore his earlier tone.

  He took her hand in his and pulled her to the door. “Stop it. You’re hurting my pride,” he teased.

  Maddie swallowed hard at his touch. She still couldn’t get used to the ease with which he touched her. He seemed so comfortable, while each simple touch seemed to send sizzling prickles rippling up and down her skin.

  As he checked in at the host stand, Maddie looked around. She’d never been inside Chantál Steakhouse, her budget wouldn’t allow it, but she’d heard a lot about it. Pricey and trendy, with black-and-white art deco decor and a low glow of candlelight from each table, the mood was a quiet mix of romance and chic. It spoke quietly of money and casualness at the same time, luxury in a laid-back atmosphere. The contrast reminded her of Chase—seasoned but young.

  “Right this way,” the perky hostess said to Chase with a flirty smile. It didn’t escape Maddie the way the girl looked appreciatively at him and then speculatively at her, probably wondering if he was her son or younger brother.

  The first sharp pangs of doubt that she could make it through the night struck. Maybe her gray was more noticeable than she’d thought. She wouldn’t doubt it, the way her eyesight was going. It was going to be a long night if people were constantly going to be curious about the age difference between them.

  The hostess led them to a quiet table in the back corner of the restaurant, away from most of the activity, allowing them some privacy. Chase dropped the white-and-black checked napkin in his lap as he looked around. “Is this okay?”

  “Yeah, perfect,” she said, forcing a lift into her voice. She was going to have to work on not letting speculative glances from others ruin the night since he seemed to be oblivious to it. “It’s perfect.”

  He sat back in the black leather chair. “They have an awesome filet here. I highly recommend it.”

  “Filet, huh?” She picked up the menu and started looking it over, trying to ignore the prices. She knew if she studied them, she would make her decision based on the lowest priced item and she couldn’t figure out a way to justify ordering a small side salad or a bowl of soup at a steakhouse, no matter how she tried to defend it. When she finally gave into her curiosity and peeked, she was shocked to find they hadn’t even listed the prices.

  After the waiter ran through the nightly specials, Chase ordered drinks for both of them. “She’ll have a glass of the Château Nenin and I’ll have whatever light beer you have on draft.” He raised his brow questioningly after the waiter had left to fulfill their orders. “I hope that’s okay, what I ordered for you. I’ve noticed that Merlot seems to be your wine of choice.”

  “It is. Thank you.” She was flattered he even noticed, let alone remembered. In her limited experience, most guys were oblivious to that sort of thing. “I’m impressed that you noticed.”

  He paused as the waiter set their drinks on the table in front of them before leaning forward with a cocky grin. “I’m a quick study,” he said throwing her words from the park back at her.

  “Is that so?”

  “I need to learn all I can about my opponent so I know exactly how I need to approach him...or her,” he added.

  “Is that what I am? Your opponent?”

  He shrugged as he took a sip of his beer. “Well, I wouldn’t say my opponent, but you’re definitely a challenge.”

  She studied him over the rim of her glass as she took a sip. She swallowed her excellent wine and set the glass down on the table before sitting back with her arms crossed. “Okay, how am I a challenge?”

  Chase cleared his throat and took note of her guarded expression before answering. “Well, let’s just say I know I’m going to have my work cut out for me trying to get you to go on another date with me.”

  “How do you even know that you’ll want another date with me? The night is still young.”

  “True, true, but I know...no, I promise you that I’ll want to go out with you again. But you,” he said as he pointed at her, “on the other hand, will need some convincing.”

  Maddie tilted her head in consideration. “And why’s that? Are you planning on doing something or saying something deplorable tonight?”

  “No, nothing deplorable,” he said as he shook his head. “I know that even if you have a good time tonight and even if you admit that you like me a little bit, you won’t give it a chance.”

  As hard as that was to hear, his expression really made her pause. He’d steeled his jaw, but the look in his eyes said something much deeper, much more intense. It scared the hell out of her.

  She dropped her gaze and squirmed in her chair as she cleared her throat. “Chase...” she started, but then fell short. She didn’t know what to say.

  “Hey,” he said as he reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “I know what I’m getting myself into and I’m not going to give up easily. Hey, look at me.” He tugged gently on her hand until she looked up at him. “I know this scares you and, to be honest, it scares me too. Lucky for you or maybe you’ll see it as unlucky,” he said with a chuckle, “I can be a real stubborn ass when I get my mind set on something.”

  Maddie smiled, but then she sighed. “Chase, I’m flattered, really flattered, but I don’t want to hurt you and that’s just what will end up happening.” Or more likely you’ll hurt me and I can’t handle that, she thought, but kept her mouth shut.

  “I’m a big boy, Maddie. If that’s what happens, then that’s what happens, but I’m not going give up without trying. Something just feels right with this...” He thought for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t know. If I always gave up on everything that was hard, I’d be sitting in a college English course and not playing baseball, and that didn’t feel right, not for me at least.”

  “How did you get to be so old?” she asked.

  “I’ll surprise you from time to time.”

  “I don’t know what more to say right now.”

  “You don’t need to say anything, but let me say one more thing and then we can get away from all this uncomfortable heavy stuff,” he teased before turning solemn again. “Don’t shoot anything down before it has a chance to prove itself.”

  She pulled her hand out from his as she shook her head. “Seriously, how old are you?”

  “Maddie...” he chided.

  She closed her eyes and heaved a deep breath. “I know, I know. I’m just so...clumsy at this now. I haven’t experienced anything like this in so long and I hadn’t honestly believed that I would anytime soon, so I just feel so...out of my element. Then throw the age thing on top of it...I’m a little overwhelmed, I guess.” She looked him straight in the eye. “I’ll try. That’s all I can promise at this point.”

  His lips broke into his crooked smile, the one that was beginning to leave an imprint on her heart. “That’s all I’m asking.”

  Chapter Eight

  “So, tell me what it’s like to live the life of a professional athlete?” Maddie asked over their filets.

  “Really, it isn’t t
hat exciting.” Chase shrugged. “A lot of traveling and nights in hotels in strange cities.”

  “I’d think it would be interesting to see different places.”

  “It can be, but for the most part we don’t have much time for sightseeing or anything. Just get in, usually late at night or early in the morning, however you want to look at it, go to the hotel, go to the park and then back to the hotel. Repeat.”

  She contemplated this as she chewed a bit of her steak. “Huh, well, I guess it isn’t as glamorous as they make it out to be.”

  “No, it definitely isn’t glamorous, but it is pretty cool to play in all the different ballparks. You always dream of that as a kid, so that part’s pretty sweet.”

  “And what about the girls?” she asked with a knowing look.

  “What about them?” he asked with a scowl. “You mean the groupies?”

  “I don’t know.” She wrinkled her nose. “That sounds trashy.”

  “It can get annoying.” Chase looked up from his steak when she scoffed. “Seriously. I mean, sure at first it’s a little flattering, but then it gets old, hearing girls you’ve never met tell you that they love you or want to marry you. The girls who want to have sex with you because you play ball just aren’t worth it.” At her look of disbelief, he sat back. “What?”

  “Oh, come on. You expect me to believe that?”

  “What? It’s true.”

  “Chase, come on. I may be old...older, but I’m not naive. You’re a guy. You’re not going to turn your back on a freebie.”

  “I’m serious. I mean, there are guys that take advantage of it and I’m not going to judge them or anything, but it just isn’t me. It isn’t worth messing up my career for. Who knows what could happen? She could be crazy and put a hole in the condom just to get pregnant or she could have some STD, or you could have a he-said-she-said situation where she accuses you of rape or something to get money and attention. It isn’t worth it to me.”

  “So you’ve never slept with a girl who came on to you because she recognized you?”

  “I’m not saying that,” he said with a twitch of his lips. He had the decency to look a little ashamed. “But I didn’t feel right about it afterward and I told myself I wouldn’t do it again.”

  “Huh.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Maddie shrugged as she took a slow sip of her wine and thought it over. “I’m impressed, I guess.”

  “Impressed? What’s there to be impressed about?” he asked with a frown. “Because I want to take my career and health seriously? Sounds like a no-brainer to me.”

  “Well...yeah, I guess you could put it that way. I mean, it’s just a surprise to me. You’re young and I thought young guys were all about the easy lay.”

  Chase laughed aloud, the sound a low rumble. “I could say that’s an insulting statement, but then I would also have to admit that it’s true. All I’ll say is that for me, personally, it isn’t worth it.”

  “Huh,” she said again.

  “What does that mean now?” he asked baffled.

  “It’s just I could say I think you’re only saying this for my benefit.”

  “Are you calling me a liar?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  She gave him a playful look in return. “No, not a liar. Just not giving me all the details.”

  Chase studied her as he tried to read between the lines. She struggled to keep her face open and expressionless, not letting her warm feelings toward him bubble to the surface. She was enjoying their playful banter. “How about we agree that I’m not a typical young guy and leave it at that? If at some point I prove that I am, then you can say ‘I told you so.’”

  “Okay, that sounds good. I’m still waiting for you to show your true self,” she teased.

  He didn’t laugh with her. Instead, he gave her a somber look. “Is it really that hard for you to trust anyone?” he asked quietly.

  Her amusement vanished. She took a trembling breath and looked away from him. He could see her deep hurt and it made him want to punch her ex-husband in the face. She gave him a sad, shaky nod. “Yes, it is,” she answered truthfully, her voice barely a whisper.

  “I’m sorry for that,” was all he could say.

  Maddie gave him a pitiful attempt at a smile and took a small sip from her wineglass. She looked so vulnerable and sad that it tore at his heart and he vowed to be the one to bring her back out of her shell and allow herself to feel again. She’d shut herself off for so long that she was really just a scared, young girl inside wanting desperately to be break free. He could see the life in her and the passion she kept tamped deep down afraid to let it out, afraid of receiving nothing in return. He was going to change all of that.

  “So, tell me about your job. I know you’re a school counselor. What exactly do you do every day?” Chase asked, changing the subject.

  Maddie’s face lit up. “I work with a bunch of excitable seventh-graders. I try to make their life a bit easier. You remember what it was like at that age. You’re just starting to pay attention to the opposite sex and your main goal of the day is to not call attention to or embarrass yourself in any way. You’re always seeking the approval of your peers. Nobody wants to be the loser.”

  “Ah, yes. The joys of middle school. I remember it all too well.”

  “Yes, well, I love my job and I love trying to help them learn to be happy with who they are. It has its ups and downs, but for every success, there is one child that I don’t manage to reach and that upsets me.”

  Her passion for her kids was palpable. He knew without a doubt that she gave all she had to help each one out and would take any failure personally. “I bet you had to have a lot of schooling for it.”

  “Just an undergrad and masters,” she said with a shrug.

  “Did you like college?”

  “Well, I guess I never thought of it that way. It was a necessity. I mean, I couldn’t get the job I wanted without it.” Maddie grinned as she thought back to her college years. “College was a fun time. I’m not sure how serious I was about the schooling part of it until later on, but I did enjoy the college experience.”

  “I thought about going to college, but I decided against it.”

  “I’m sure that was the right decision for you.”

  Chase eyed her steadily, as if trying to read something in her expression. “I’m sure people think I’m just a dumb jock because of it.”

  Shock hit her, certain she was misreading the self-consciousness in his expression. She couldn’t believe that he would be insecure about anything when he seemed so confident about everything. “What makes you say that? I’m sure that isn’t true.”

  “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I get, I guess, especially when I’m around others who have gone to college and stuff—like they’re looking down at me or something.” He shrugged. “I thought about it. I mean, my parents and I sat down and weighed the pros and cons of everything. Should I go to college and then try to enter the draft or enter the draft now and take my chances? It had to be a life-altering offer from a team and, to be honest, that’s what I got.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “I mean, it’s not like I couldn’t get in. I had a high GPA in high school.”

  Maddie felt a tug at her heart, touched by his insecurity. “Chase, you don’t need to prove anything to me. I don’t think you’re a dumb jock.”

  He chuckled as he looked down in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I guess it’s a touchy spot for me.”

  “What would you want to do if you weren’t in baseball?”

  Chase toyed with his glass and thought it over for a few moments before looking back at her with a shrug. “Honestly, I can’t think of anything besides baseball.”

  “See, it doesn’t matter whether you have a degree
or not. I’m sure when your career as a pitcher is over you’ll be able to find something else in baseball. You’re so amazing at what you do that they’ll be lining up to sign you on as a coach.”

  “I believe I have just been counseled,” he joked.

  “You’re lucky I’m not the kind of counselor who charges a fee.”

  Chase laughed as he signed the credit card receipt. Maddie forced herself to stare at her lap, fighting the urge to peek at the total when he slapped the bill folder closed and reached her hand. “Let’s go.”

  Maddie allowed him to pull her up out of her chair and lead her out of the restaurant, but when he started heading in the opposite direction from the valet stand, she slowed a bit. “Where are we going?”

  He smiled down at her. “There’s a park at the end of the block here.”

  “Uh, okay,” she said, slightly confused. She wasn’t sure what they were going to do at a park, but he must have a reason for wanting to go there. She was going to have to put her foot down if he expected her to clamber around on a jungle gym with him.

  When they reached the end of the street, she looked around in awe. It wasn’t really a park, not as she’d been expecting, but more of a small clearing the city had spruced up by planting bright, colorful flowers along a small creek. Tall, mature trees encircled the entire area, creating a sense of privacy but also forming a wide-open space to enjoy the quiet gurgling of the water as it slowly bubbled and lapped over the rocks. A worn wooden bench sat right beside the creek

  “I didn’t know this was here,” she said in wonder.

  “I stumbled upon it when I went walking one night. I thought it was pretty neat,” Chase said as he walked them over to the bench and sat, pulling her down beside him. Releasing her hand, he casually rested his arm on the top of the bench behind her. “It kind of reminds me of when I go hiking; quiet and peaceful with nothing but nature around you.”

  Maddie felt the light brush of his arm against the back of her neck and resisted the urge to sink into the side of him. Even though everything felt right, like it was the natural thing to do, she couldn’t allow herself to go there. Although her heart was screaming at her that this is what she wanted, that she hadn’t felt this happy in a long time, her brain constantly threw on the brakes, cautioning her and reminding her of what happened last time. She didn’t want to—no, she couldn’t—go through all that pain and hurt again. But this time felt so different and she felt herself wanting to forget all the hurt from her past and focus on this new, fresh and hopeful beginning.