Making a Comeback (18 page)

She hurried upstairs, blinking back the tears that stung her eyes. She was going to lose Cooper. He’d tried to warn her. Only her stupid heart had ignored him. She’d gone and fallen in love with him anyway.

Love. How was it possible? She’d only really known the man a week. Sure, she’d listened to him play his guitar every night after she put the girls to bed. She’d kept her bedroom window open, unless it was raining, and she couldn’t help but overhear his soulful voice, the loneliness that resonated with her. She’d recognized the longing in his music.

So they may not have spent that much time together but they had connected. On a much deeper level than she’d connected with anyone. And that was even before she’d let him act out his fantasies with her in the red bikini.

* * * *

After Annabelle left, Cooper took a quick shower, downed a high-protein smoothie, and took off for a run down the beach. He had a lot on his mind and there were only two ways he knew of to get out of his own head, through physical activity or through music.

He needed to run. A few chords on his guitar weren’t nearly enough to unravel his thoughts. Annabelle was at the forefront of his mind. She was something. No, she was everything he’d ever dreamed of. Her beauty was just the beginning. She was sexy and sweet. Nurturing and needy. No, not needy, she just had certain needs. The kind that he had been more than willing and able to fulfill.

Holy shit. He’d made love to Annabelle Jones. Yeah, he’d
made love
to her. He didn’t bang her, nail her, or screw her. No, this was something else entirely. Sex on a whole other level.

Yeah, right. He was officially losing it. He just hadn’t had sex in so long that he’d gone overboard. He’d built it up in his head so that it seemed better than it actually was. Just like he’d built Annabelle up in his head.

No. In his wildest dreams, Annabelle hadn’t been nearly as incredible as she was in real life.

Real life. For the past several months, that’s exactly what he’d been avoiding. He’d screwed up. Then he’d gotten hurt. For the first time in his life, things hadn’t come easy for him.

So what’d he do? He’d given up. Buried his feelings deep in the back of his closet along with his glove. He hadn’t faced the music at all. He’d taken his suspension, but he hadn’t taken responsibility for his actions. He hid behind his shame and his scars.

But his scars were nothing compared to Annabelle’s. Yet she still put on a brave face. She was so brave and so strong. She wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted.

She wanted him. Even after she found out who he was and what he’d done. Maybe it was just sex, but he didn’t think so.

The question was, what was he going to do about it?

He reached the end of his run, downed a bottle of water, and stretched. Then he pulled out his phone and made a call he’d put off for too long.

When his agent didn’t pick up, Cooper left a message explaining how he was ready to get back to work. He was one hundred percent healthy and would give even more than that to any team willing to give him the chance. He added that he’d prefer a West Coast team before hanging up.

Yeah. Like he had any say in the matter. But he didn’t like the thought of leaving Annabelle behind. The only thing worse would be to have nothing to offer her.

He had two options. Getting back in the game or giving back to the game.

He returned home, grabbed his gear, and headed over to Sanders Baseball Academy. They weren’t open to the public until after school hours, but he knew Sanders would be in his office. Cooper was ready to test his arm. To see if he really had what it took. And if he didn’t, he’d decided to find out more about what Plan B would entail.

“Hey, Coop. What brings you here this fine morning?” Sanders ushered him into his office. “It’s a little early for a throwing session.”

“Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that.” He dropped his bag on the extra chair. “But while I’m here I thought I’d find out a little more about what kind of program you’ve got here.”

“I know you don’t have any boys to enroll, so does that mean you’re interested in joining the coaching staff?”

“Maybe.” Cooper sat across from his friend, his thighs twitching with nervous energy. “I need to know what my options are. Can a guy actually make a living coaching kids?”

“It depends on what you mean by ‘make a living.’ If you want to make the kind of money you’re used to, the answer is not even close.”

“I mean the kind of money that can support a family.” And yeah, the image of Annabelle and her daughters stood forefront in his mind.

“Does this have anything to do with the car seats in the back of your Escalade?” Sanders leveled his gaze at him. “With Annabelle Jones?”

“Yeah, like I’m going to get Annabelle Jones to marry me.” Until he said it, he hadn’t realized that’s exactly where his fantasies were headed. “Shit.”

Sanders threw his head back and laughed. “Man, you’re in deep. Real deep. Annabelle freaking Jones.”

“Hey, that’s my…my neighbor you’re talking about.”

“You really want to coach or do you want to look like a good guy to try and impress the lady?”

“Somehow, I’ve already impressed her.” He should stop talking. He didn’t need to hash out the details of his night with Annabelle. It was private, something between the two of them. “Look, money isn’t really an issue. At least it won’t be for the next five, maybe ten years. But a man’s got to have some pride. A man’s got to have a job.”

“You are serious.” Sanders nodded. He got it. “Good. We’d love to have you on board.”

Cooper wiped his hands on his athletic shorts. Damn, he was sweating like a kid on his first date.

“Wait a minute.” Sanders leaned back in his office chair. “You’re not giving up on playing are you?”

“No. I just want to have a backup plan.”

“So, I’m a last resort? Like that time you were the emergency catcher?”

“No. That’s not it. I just want to cover my bases.”

“Don’t give me that cliché crap.” Sanders always could smell bullshit a mile away. Or at least sixty feet, six inches away. “What do you really want?”

“Until this morning, I didn’t have a fucking clue.”

“What happened this morning?”

“None of your damn business.” Cooper leaned forward. “But let’s just say I had a moment of clarity. It’s not just about me. Not anymore.”

“You still want to play?”

“Yes.”

“And do you think you still have it in you?”

He stretched, reaching his arms back over his shoulders. When he didn’t hear a pop, didn’t feel a twinge, he nodded.

“I think I need to try.” He leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes. He tried to visualize himself on the mound, with the grass so green and the sky so blue and the crowd buzzing in the background. He could see the target, the smooth, round leather of the catcher’s mitt. He could picture himself winding up, letting go, and firing one in. Right on target. Except instead of Roberto Luis’s ugly mug behind the plate, he pictured Annabelle standing up and tossing the mask, smiling as she threw the ball back to him.

“Tell you what…” Sanders had picked up a pen shaped like a miniature baseball bat and was tapping it on his thigh. “If you’re not on a spring training roster, then plan on a trial run as one of my pitching coaches. We run three clinics a week during the season. We have six camps over the summer. Three week-long sessions, two two-week sessions, and an intensive month-long camp for the elite players who actually have a shot.”

“All right.” Cooper extended his hand to shake on it. “If I don’t have any offers by the last official reporting day, I’ll be here.”

“Good.” Sanders stood. “I hope you can join us. But I hope you have to put it off another year or two or even more.”

“Me too.”

Even though she’d invited him for dinner and he’d agreed, Annabelle was surprised to see Cooper at her front door. He was dressed in dark designer jeans that fit him like nobody’s business. His tailored shirt was a silvery green, the color of eucalyptus leaves. Longing stirred inside her. For the man, yes, but she also longed for home.

She leaned in and gave him a quick hug.

“Your cologne smells like eucalyptus. It reminds me of San Francisco.”

“It’s the lotion.” He smiled. “Are you still using the stuff I gave you?”

“The one made by the little old lady from Mendocino?” She’d been using it religiously. And it really did help with the stiffness. “Are you hurting? Is your shoulder okay?”

“The shoulder’s fine. I still use it out of habit, I guess.” He reached up and rubbed his shoulder. Also out of habit? “Plus, it smells good.”

“It does.” She stepped aside to let him in. “How long did you live in San Francisco?”

“Nearly six seasons.” He held a bottle of wine in his left hand.

“Do you miss it?”

“Sometimes. It’s a great city.” He transferred the wine to his other hand. “I always kept my place down here, though. I guess I knew I wouldn’t stay in San Francisco forever.”

“You don’t want to be here, do you?” Annabelle noticed he stood stiffly, like a kid forced to wear a starched suit. “Is it me or my friends?”

“Annabelle.” He still sung her name. “I do want to be here. With you.”

To prove it, he set the wine down on the hall table and kissed her, his whiskers tickling her lips. He’d trimmed his beard, and she liked the way it looked. She really liked the way it felt. Her body sang with his touch.

“Good. I worried that maybe since we…” She took a deep breath.

“You thought that since we slept together, I’d, what? Lose interest?” He shook his head. “I don’t know what kind of guys you’ve been with before, but…”

“You’ve met my ex-husband.” She didn’t want to talk about the other guys she’d been with. Especially not that disaster that happened in New Zealand. And she didn’t think he wanted to hear about her relationship with the guy he’d been traded for. “But that doesn’t matter. I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

“I don’t want things to be weird between us, either.” He reached down and brushed her hair off her forehead. Then he placed a gentle kiss on her scar. The tenderness moved her in a deep way.

“But you don’t want to have dinner with my friends, do you?”

“It’s not that.” He let out a sigh. “They’re part of the baseball world. I disgraced the game, and I don’t know if I’ll be a part of that world anymore.”

“Maybe it’s time you find out.” She led him back to the kitchen.

* * * *

Cooper set the wine on the counter. He reached into the drawer where Annabelle kept her wine opener, but then he thought maybe he was making himself too much at home.

“Do you want me to open this now or save it for dinner?”

“I’ll have a glass.” Annabelle smiled at him hopefully. “Hunter?”

“Sure. Then we’ll get started on the salad.” Hunter headed for the sink to wash up.

“I was going to have a beer.” Marco acknowledged Cooper with a slight nod. “You want to join me? We can get the grill going.”

Cooper took a deep breath. This was important to Annabelle. She wanted him to fit in with her friends. “Sure. Grab me a cold one.”

He’d given up drinking, women, and baseball. He’d basically given up on living, too. Time to step back into life.

Cooper uncorked the wine, poured two glasses for the ladies, and followed Marco out onto the deck. He accepted an IPA and debated whether he should allow the other man to take charge of the barbecue or if he should be the one to act as man of the house.

Marco must have been wondering the same thing. They both stood there, beers in hand, staring at the stainless steel gas barbecue. After what felt like several awkward moments, Marco raised his bottle and gave a nod before taking a long swallow.

Cooper repeated the motion. Sometimes he appreciated not having to say anything.

“You use this grill before?” Marco asked.

“No. But I’m sure I could get it started.” Cooper approached the grill. He flipped the knob and the gas lit.

They both stood there, staring at the blue flame. Avoiding conversation like only a couple of guys could do. Cooper imagined the girls were inside chatting away, probably talking about the two of them.

“So, I hear you got a pretty good contract with the Goliaths.” Cooper decided to get the conversation started.

“Yeah. I know Hunter is behind the deal, but don’t tell anyone.” A proud grin lit Marco’s face. “She’s under the delusion that she’s out of the game.”

“What do you mean, ‘out of the game’?”

“She sold her share of the Goliaths immediately after we won the World Series.” Marco’s grin widened. “So technically, she had nothing to do with my re-signing.”

“So, is Barry still a part of things?” As in, Annabelle’s ex.

“No. He sold out before the whole FITNatural story broke.”

“I guess I’ve been out of the loop.” Hiding out, in other words.

“How’s the shoulder?”

“Feels good. I’ve been building strength.” But he hadn’t tested it.

“Great. That’s good news.”

Before they could get any further into the discussion, Annabelle came out with the marinated steaks. She looked amazing. Her jeans hugged her body as if they had been invented just for her. She wore a white tank top under a pale blue sweater that wrapped around her waist, hugged her shoulders, and did amazing things for her breasts.

Unable to help himself, he brushed a kiss across her left cheek. He tucked her hair behind her ear. “There, now I can see your pretty face.”

She tried to shake her hair loose, to cover the scars.

“You’re beautiful.” He shouldn’t have to remind her.

“Thanks.” She gave him an insecure smile that killed him. “I’d better get back and help Hunter with the salad. I bought a big bunch of kale, so I need to trim the thick stems.”

She turned away from him, and swept her hair over her scars before going back inside.

Cooper grabbed the grill brush and started scraping with a little more force than needed.

“Need any help with that?” Marco asked.

“I’m good.” Cooper had almost forgotten the other man was there.

Marco leaned against the deck railing, taking a long drink of beer. He eyed Cooper carefully, almost suspiciously.