Fair Catch

by Anderson, Cindy Roland

  Then he had changed, and had become increasingly unhappy, mainly with Ellie. From the way she did her hair to her homemaking skills, nothing she did pleased him. Finally, he had stopped going to church with her, and frequently wouldn’t come home at nights, claiming he had work to do. Little did she know, Thomas had started living a double life.

  The question that haunted her the most was wondering if she could have done something to prevent it. No matter how many times people tried to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault and that Thomas had made his own choices, she wondered how she could keep from blaming herself? When Nick had asked how old Cade had been, it had brought back all those insecure and devastating feelings she thought she had dealt with.

  She just wanted to forget the whole thing and hoped Nick would too. Betsy said he’d gone to California for business, but part of her wondered if she had scared him off. Reviewing her past week, she wasn’t happy about the fact that she’d embarrassed herself on several occasions. Oh well, that meant it could only go up from here, right?

  “Mommy, I’m hungry.” Cade tapped the back of her seat with his foot. They’d spent the afternoon at the park where she had indulged in reading while Cade played nonstop. She believed her son didn’t sleep at night—it was more like he recharged his batteries. Suffice it to say, he had boundless energy.

  It was tempting to buy a couple of cheeseburger meals from a drive-through, but Betsy had invited them to dinner and Ellie promised to be there. “We’re almost home, honey. Then we can go next door to the Stewarts’ for dinner.”

  “Can I play football with Nick again?”

  Hearing the man’s name made her stomach flutter with emotion. “I don’t know.”

  The next question made her stomach roll. “Does Daddy know how to play football?”

  “I think so.” She knew Thomas had played in high school and was obsessed with the sport, but she couldn’t see him having the patience to play catch with a four-year-old.

  Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel at the thought of her ex. She needed a diversion. If Cade started asking questions about his dad, then his next question would be about his trip. She still hadn’t been able to tell him that his father wasn’t coming.

  Thomas had actually followed through and mailed both passes to Ellie. She had been surprised he hadn’t tried selling them on the Internet. Still, gas, hotel and food would be her responsibility. She would have to dip into her savings in order to pay for everything.

  “Hey, when we get home, I’ll race you to Betsy’s house.”

  The diversion worked. Cade squealed with excitement. “Okay, but I’m really fast.”

  She glanced in the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of her little boy, babbling with excitement about how fast his shoes made him run. They were the cheap Transformer shoes from Payless, but Cade loved them.

  She grimaced at her reflection. Yikes! She needed to do a little repair work to her hair and face. Once at the house, Cade nearly jumped out of the moving car, eager to win the race.

  If she had to see Nick again, she wanted to look a little better. “Cade, Mommy can’t race just yet. I need to…” Her voice trailed off. The white SUV pulled into Nick’s driveway. Why hadn’t she replaced the battery for the garage door opener so she could park inside?

  Smoothing down her hair, she cut a sideways glance across the street. The driver’s side door opened. A long leg, clad in a pair of khaki dress pants, appeared. Adrenaline kicked in and she grabbed Cade’s hand. “Let’s run inside for just a second and then we can race.”

  She didn’t give her son time to answer and practically dragged him toward the house. When he started to protest, she resorted to bribery. “You know, you’ve been so good today I think you can choose a prize from the Surprise Basket.”

  The Surprise Basket contained little things she’d picked up at the dollar store. Sometimes a four-year-old needed an extra incentive to obey his mother. So it wasn’t really bribing her child—it was more like motivation. Sort of the same concept as a bag of chocolate Kisses for a single mother.

  That did the trick. Cade burst forward, excited to claim his prize. They were inside the house before she heard the car door across the street close. Seeing Nick Coulter face to face again was inevitable. Still, there was nothing wrong with prolonging the meeting.

  The basket was kept in Ellie’s room, high up in the closet. The clock radio read fifteen minutes ‘til six. If she didn’t wash her hair, she could take a quick shower and still have a few minutes left to dress in something fresh, repair her makeup and style her hair.

  She pulled the basket down and spoke to Cade, who bounced up and down in anticipation. “You can have one right now and if you let mommy take a very fast shower, I’ll let you choose another prize.”

  His blue eyes widened in delight. “Okay!”

  Before she showered, she made sure Cade knew not to leave. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of what she had labeled “the towel incident.” Plus, she reminded him about the second prize.

  Five minutes later, she picked out one of her new shirts from the mall. Yes, she had gone shopping to update her wardrobe. She had some birthday money from her parents that she had promised to spend on herself. The light green shirt looked good on her, hugging her curves, but not too tight. Some of the styles these days were either very tight or looked like maternity clothes. The stuff she’d found fell somewhere in between.

  Cade didn’t forget the promise to race next door. Betsy told her to come to the backyard so they made a beeline to the back of the Stewarts’ house. They charged into the yard, both laughing and Cade doing a little victory dance, pumping his arms up above his head. “I won. I won.”

  Ellie suddenly became aware of their audience that consisted of one person: Nick Coulter. He was manning the grill. Alone. Did Betsy have some kind of radar? She and Owen must have just gone back inside the house.

  Nick’s mouth lifted in a half grin. “Hi.” His blue eyes remained focused solely on her.

  “Hi.” Her voice squeaked and she felt breathless—and it wasn’t because of the race she’d just run. Her heart rate increased even more as Nick slid his eyes over her with approval. A thin bead of perspiration formed above her lip and her face felt hot. Where in the heck were the Stewarts?

  Cade didn’t seem to care and ran toward Nick with enthusiasm, hugging the man’s legs. “Can you play football with me again?”

  Nick didn’t hesitate. “Sure. Let me turn over the chicken first, okay?” His eyes flickered up to meet her gaze again, like he sought permission.

  She felt her mouth tilt up at the corners and his mouth did the same. Owen came outside, holding a large salad bowl. “Hey, there you two are.” Ellie noticed a smirk on the pastor’s face as his eyes moved from Nick back to her.

  She squeaked again. “Hi, does Betsy need help?” Not waiting for a reply, she sprinted for the sliding doors. Once inside, she closed her eyes and took several slow, cleansing breaths. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes to find Betsy staring at her. “What?”

  “Are you okay?” Betsy’s lips twitched at the corners.

  Not really—the way Nick had just looked at her, she almost believed the man was attracted to her. “I’m fine. Cade and I raced over here and I just needed to catch my breath.” It was time to move the conversation in a different direction. “Do you want me to put butter on these rolls?”

  Again, Betsy’s lips twitched. Then she flat out grinned. “Sure.” She handed Ellie a stick of butter. “I take it you’ve already seen Nick here. You seem nervous.”

  Ellie froze. “Do I?” She cleared her throat. “Maybe I am.” Who wouldn’t be? Every time she came within a few feet of the celebrity athlete, she acted like a nitwit. She leaned in and whispered, “I don’t like how edgy he makes me feel and after what happened last time…”

  Betsy laughed. “He’s not going to bite, Ellie. Just pretend this is the first time you’re meeting him.”

  She ga
ve Betsy an incredulous look. “You do realize that I’ve managed to act like an idiot every time I’ve come anywhere near him?”

  “It hasn’t been that bad.”

  Ellie narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

  “Just remember he’s just like any other man—”

  Ellie snorted, interrupting her. “He is not like any other man!”

  “Who’s not?” Nick asked, sticking his head in the kitchen.

  Ellie’s hand flew to cover her mouth. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. Between her fingers she asked, “How much of that conversation did you hear?”

  Nick’s eyes crinkled and she could see him trying to suppress a laugh. “Probably not enough. Care to share?”

  Absolutely not. “No thanks.”

  Betsy hooted with laughter and grabbed the rolls off the table. “Come on, kids. Let’s eat.” She disappeared out the door.

  How could Betsy leave her here all by herself? Ellie shot a quick glance Nick’s way. A wry grin tipped his mouth, and his blue eyes sparkled with mirth. Honestly, she was so inept when it came to this man. It might be a good idea just to cut the evening short and go home right now. She heard Cade laughing and knew she couldn’t do that to him.

  Dropping her hands to her side, Ellie straightened her shoulders and followed Betsy outside. She avoided looking at Nick, but as she walked past him, she caught the yummy scent of his spicy cologne. Just like that her heart was off and running again.

  * * *

  Piling his plate with delicious food, Nick considered how to get Ellie to loosen up a bit. It proved to be difficult seeing as she seemed to be ignoring him. Since coming back outside, she had yet to even look at him once.

  He really hadn’t heard that much of the conversation. Just her last words “he is not like any other man.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out she meant him, and for all he knew, it hadn’t been a compliment. People assumed just because he was a celebrity of sorts, he never felt apprehensive or uncertain. He was still a man who had insecurities just like everyone else.

  Nick walked over to the table and took a seat next to the pastor. His plate contained twice the amount of food as Owen’s. “If your wife keeps feeding me like this, I’ll have to contribute to your grocery bill,” Nick teased. “With me around, you’ll never have any leftovers.”

  Owen laughed. “Betsy cooks like this every night whether the fridge is overflowing with leftovers or not.” He winked at his wife. “Cooking is one of her passions.”

  Betsy sat down next to her husband, her eyebrows arching up. “But you’re my first passion, dear.”

  Owen leaned over and pecked his wife on the lips. “Don’t I know it.”

  Nick let out a low chuckle, his gaze drifting over to Ellie. She was smiling now and watched the couple with complete adoration. Her eyes flitted to his, the smile remaining on her face.

  Then her smile faltered, a look of concern crossed her features as Cade darted to the table, claiming the seat next to Nick. “Cade,” she said. “Come over here and let me cut up your chicken.”

  “I can do it.” Nick didn’t wait for her okay and started cutting the chicken into bite-size pieces.

  Her hands were already stretched out toward her son’s plate, but she slowly pulled them back. “Thank you.”

  Dinner progressed with most of the conversation centered on Cade. He reminded Nick of Tigger as he bounced in his seat, unable to sit still. By the time he polished off his dinner, Nick was sure the child had already burned the calories from the meal.

  “Mom, can you push me on the swing?” Cade popped up out of his seat.

  Ellie had hardly touched her plate, but she started to rise. Betsy stopped her. “I can push him. You sit there and finish your meal.”

  Owen scooted away from the table. “I’ll help.” He winked at Ellie. “I know how to do underdogs.”

  * * *

  Apparently the Stewarts weren’t going to leave them alone this time, but were giving them alone time.

  Thanks a lot, Ellie thought grumpily.

  She kept twisting her hands nervously and couldn’t bring herself to look at Nick, but she could feel his eyes on her. Unable to bear the silence a second longer, she looked up. He appeared amused and seemed to enjoy watching her fidget. Just what did he find so funny?

  “Did you have a good weekend?” he asked before she could say something.

  How did she answer that? Since most of her weekend consisted of thinking about him and…thinking about him. “It was okay.” Her face flushed as if he could read her mind. She lowered her head to study her hands again. “Did you have fun on your trip?”

  “No.”

  Her head shot up.

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “It was mostly business.” He winked. “Not very fun.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  His blue eyes held her gaze. “But I got to see my parents and that was nice.”

  “Oh. That is nice.” She sounded like an idiot. Since when had she turned into such a poor conversationalist?

  “Mom,” Cade called, interrupting her stilted dialogue. “Look how high I’m flying. I’m just like Buzz.”

  Ellie was about to tell him to be careful when Cade asked, “Will I get to see Buzz Lightyear when Daddy takes me to Disneyland?”

  Daddy wasn’t going to be taking him and she still hadn’t told Cade the news. “Um, I don’t know, baby. I hope you’ll get to see him.” Why did Thomas put her in this kind of fix?

  “I’m not a baby.” Cade laughed and instructed Owen to push him higher.

  No, her little boy wasn’t a baby, but he was growing up without a father. She watched him laughing, so carefree. One day he’d know what Thomas had done. Would he feel just as betrayed as her? Her eyes burned and she blinked them rapidly, determined not to cry. Her life wasn’t supposed to be like this. She never once imagined being a divorced single mother.

  “You okay?” Nick’s voice was soft.

  She forced herself to smile and gave him an answer that wasn’t entirely true. “Yes.” She couldn’t hold his gaze so she shifted her eyes back to Cade. Betsy was watching her with concern. She started over toward her, probably afraid Ellie was going to have another meltdown and run home.

  Taking a seat next to Ellie, she patted her hand. “Honey, are you worried about Thomas not taking Cade to California?”

  Her eyes darted over to find Nick watching her, his brow furrowed with worry. She sighed and answered Betsy. “I am. I haven’t had the courage to tell him. He’ll be so disappointed.”

  “Maybe at first, but once he knows you’re taking him he won’t care.”

  “True.” She shrugged. “I just wish my parents were here. I hate driving in a place I don’t know. If Dad were home he could come with me and do all the driving.”

  “Nick grew up in that area.” Betsy smiled like she’d just come up with a brilliant plan.

  Well, it wasn’t a brilliant plan. Ellie cast a scorching glare at Betsy. “Yes. But he’s not my dad.”

  “Let’s hope not,” Nick mumbled under his breath.

  Ellie turned her narrowed eyes on him. “I’ll be okay. I can do it on my own.” Her ex-husband had forced her to be independent.

  Nick rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortably. Poor guy. She bet he wished he could have a meltdown and run away. “I’m sure you can do it, but I have some pretty good connections. If you wanted I could get you and Cade set up like VIPs.” He looked at her earnestly. “If you’ll let me, I’d like to help.”

  Huh? His offer completely knocked her off balance. Why would he offer to help her? Did he see her as some charity case? Studying his face, she saw genuine compassion. Was he really this nice of a guy? She felt torn between accepting his help and trying to be independent.

  She found herself twisting a finger around her hair. “I…Can I think about it?”

  “Sure,” Nick said. “Just let me know.”

  “I will. Thank you.” The look in his e
yes changed, making her stomach tighten. While she could still see the compassion there, she also saw something else. She stopped twisting her hair and tucked it behind her ear. Nick’s eyes followed the movement and she saw him swallow.

  “Well, good.” Betsy stood up and rubbed her hands together. “Now, who’s in the mood for dessert?”

  Ellie’s gaze involuntarily shifted to Nick’s mouth. Oh my. She was in the mood for something and, believe it or not, it wasn’t dessert. Scary.

  “I think I’ll skip dessert and go for a run.” She jumped up out of her seat. “Betsy, can Cade stay for a minute. I promise not to be long.”

  “Sure, honey.” Betsy eyed her suspiciously. Then her countenance brightened. “Nick, why don’t you go with her?”

  Ellie held back an eye roll. Betsy wasn’t very subtle. “If he wants to.” Her eyes flitted back over to Nick.

  His mouth was tilted up on one side. “You sure you don’t mind me tagging along?”

  Ellie almost laughed out loud. She bet Nick Coulter didn’t say those words very often. Most women would be more than happy to have him “tag along.” But he did sort of look eager, even if Betsy was practically forcing them together.

  “Of course not.” She took a step backward. “I need to change and then I’ll meet you out front.”

  The man shot her another one of his grins. How on earth was she supposed to make a decision with Nick by her side?

  Chapter Seven

  Nick stepped onto his porch and closed his door. Out of habit, he scanned his surroundings to look for lurking photographers. He couldn’t believe he’d been here for nearly a week without so much as one person asking him for an autograph. He’d picked the perfect neighborhood to move in to. They weren’t name droppers and didn’t have the propensity to talk—leaving him free from the media.

  His eyes settled on Ellie’s house as he lunged one foot forward, stretching out his hamstrings. She was as skittish as a rookie football player. He had to find a way to put her at ease, especially if he took her and her son to Disneyland.

  The door opened and she stepped outside. She’d pulled her long hair into a ponytail, with a few curly tendrils framing her face. Her shorts were modest, but showed off enough leg to let him know she was a seasoned runner. Her T-shirt wasn’t anything special. He liked the idea that she didn’t go to any real trouble for him. Most women he knew would be decked out in the latest Nike fashions.