Making a Comeback (28 page)

He nursed his beer, keeping time with the music, and trying not to sing along. When the band took its first break, Bryan, the lead singer, gave him a nod and made his way over to him.

“Hey man, what are you doing down here? We’re a little bit out of your neighborhood. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for spring training?” Bryan sat down next to him and flagged the waitress.

“I just felt the need for some good tunes. And you guys are the best.” He patted his friend on the shoulder. “Besides, I don’t have a team. Not yet, anyway.”

“Oh man, that stinks. But hey, glad you’re here. You wanna come jam with us?” Bryan asked.

“I don’t have my guitar.” No, he wasn’t going to start worrying about whether he’d see his guitar again. Or Annabelle.

“No way, man. I’ve never seen you without your guitar.” Bryan shook his head in disbelief. “It’d be like you not having your left arm.”

“Well, there’s this woman,” Cooper started to explain.

“Enough said.” Bryan punched him in the right arm. “You’re coming up on stage. You can play mine. It’s not as sweet as yours, but you can make it hum like no one I know.”

“You’re so full of shit.” Cooper laughed.

“Come on. We’ll play one of those sappy love songs, make all the ladies in the house quiver.”

“I’ll sing a few songs, but not to get the ladies.” He finished his beer and followed his friend up on the stage.

They played another set, Cooper had another beer, and he declined several offers from the ladies for drinks, dances, or whatever he wanted. He switched to water but it didn’t help the headache pounding behind his eyes. The club was too loud. Too crowded. Had he once enjoyed that kind of life?

The music still appealed to him, and he was grateful for that. But the rest of it? The late nights, the strobe lights, the women? No thanks.

Tequila shots with a couple of hot brunettes held no appeal compared to tea parties with two sweet blondes. He’d rather do the Cinderella waltz with a pair of six-year-olds in princess costumes than get out on the dance floor with scantily dressed twenty-somethings.

And Annabelle?

His chest tightened just thinking about how right she’d felt in his arms. How right she’d felt in his life. Part of him wanted to march over there, bang on the door, and demand that she let him in.

But she’d had a life before him. One that included her husband. The father of her children. The man who could give her anything she ever wanted. Cooper didn’t have a job, and the only prospect he had was on the other side of the Pacific.

Maybe he’d been kidding himself. He’d never had the stuff to be a starting pitcher. Oh, sure, when he’d first been drafted he’d had visions of Cy Young Awards, twenty win seasons. He’d dreamed of being a left-handed Johnny Scottsdale.

But he’d been sent to the bullpen. They’d made him a specialist. He’d felt he was good enough to go against both right-handers and lefties, but he hadn’t been given the chance. One batter, at the most two was all he’d faced in recent years. Sometimes it seemed he’d throw one pitch, and walk off the mound with two outs. He was that good. Bring him in when the team was in a jam, and he’d get out of it.

Maybe that’s the way it was with Annabelle. He’d been a fill-in. Come in when she was at her lowest, build her confidence, and then step aside while she got back to her real life.

If that was the case, he’d be happy for her. He’d hate it, but he’d be happy if she was happy. He’d been infatuated with Annabelle Jones for ten years. Infatuated with the way she looked, the way she smiled, even the way she’d gone into seclusion after her last magazine shoot so her love life wasn’t splashed all over the tabloids.

Now, he loved her. As a woman, a friend, and a lover. He wanted nothing but to see her smile, for real, not because she was being paid to do it. He’d made her smile, made her laugh, and he’d made her bury her face in his chest so she wouldn’t scream and wake the children.

By the time he arrived home from Oceanside, Cooper noticed all the lights in Annabelle’s house were off. The Ferrari was still in the driveway and it killed him to think of another man in her house. He couldn’t let his mind wander in the direction of her bed. Was she alone? Missing him? Or was she… Nope. Couldn’t do it. Couldn’t picture her with another man. Even if that man was her husband.

“I talked to my attorney.” Annabelle had gone to her lawyer’s office after taking the girls to the bus stop and she felt a little empty not having Cooper by her side. She hadn’t seen him since Clayton had shown up unannounced on her doorstep. “He told me that in order to restructure the settlement, it would delay the divorce proceedings. So, I’m just going to write you a check.” Or she could transfer the money electronically. “You’re sure you can hold off your creditors for a couple more months?”

“Yes. I’m sure.” The once proud man didn’t bat an eye at being bought off like that. She’d pay off his debts in exchange for an unimpeded divorce. When the decree was finalized, he’d receive an additional sum, if he needed it, to get started in his next, hopefully completely legitimate, endeavor.

“Thank you.” She’d also spent the morning shopping for a gown to wear for the anniversary party. She needed the dress, but more than that, she’d needed a few hours away from her ex. She couldn’t wait for this visit to come to an end. It had been a trying couple of days. “I hope we’ll be able to remain cordial to each other. For Sophie and Olivia’s sake. And, well, for all of our sakes.”

“You hope we can remain friends?” He was loading his suitcase into his car.

“No. I know that’s too much to ask.” Annabelle felt the last, freeing heartstrings come loose. “I know we’ll never be one of those couples who can act like the best of friends for the sake of the children, but I’m glad we’re able to rise above being so busy trying to hurt each other that we don’t notice the damage we cause to everyone around us.”

“I never wanted to hurt you, Annabelle.”

“I know. And I never wanted to hurt you.” She leaned over and gave him a hug. Right there in the driveway. As she pulled away, she noticed movement in the window of Cooper’s house. Well, in a few more hours, she’d be able to talk to him, and let him know that her divorce was still on track and they wouldn’t have to worry about Clayton making things difficult.

“So you don’t mind if I wait until the girls get home from school before I take off?”

“They need to say goodbye to their father.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “They’ll always need their father.”

“So about the custody arrangements…” He shoved his hands in his suit pockets. “I don’t know where I’m going to be living, and I really don’t know how you do what you do.”

“We’ll keep it simple, like we agreed on. A week during Christmas break. Two weeks in the summer, and visitations when both parties can agree. That part of it won’t be set in stone. As circumstances change, so will the arrangements. We’ll be flexible, right?”

“What if you remarry?”

“You’re their father. You will always have a place in their lives.”

“Wow.” He smiled and reached out to touch her shoulder. “When did you become so steady? So strong?”

“When I almost died.” She brushed his hand away. “I guess I realized what’s really important in life. And how quickly it could be taken from me.”

She shuddered to think of what would have happened to her girls if she hadn’t survived. Or if Cooper hadn’t been there for them.

A smile crept across her face. She’d missed him. Missed him terribly, but tonight he would be back in her arms. Back in her bed. She just had to get through the next two hours with Clayton in her house.

“You don’t mind if I take care of a few things? I’ve got some laundry to catch up on.” She’d planned on washing her sheets, putting on some makeup, and showing Cooper just how much she’d missed him these last few days.

Clayton parked himself on her couch, while she cleaned the house, put the clothes away, and did her yoga. He’d spent a lot of that time on the phone, calling or e-mailing what she hoped were business contacts.

She wasn’t that worried about Clayton. He’d bounce back. Guys like him always did. He wouldn’t survive living anything less than the high life. He wasn’t going to trade his Ferrari for a Ford. He wouldn’t be satisfied in a modest two-bedroom bungalow; he needed the penthouse. Yes, Clayton Barry would find his way back.

Just like she’d found her way back. She’d had a long conversation with her agent. He loved,
loved
the idea of her taking the stage and making a plea against texting and driving. He’d suggested she find a knockout dress, one that demanded attention.

Between Cooper’s unwavering support and Victor’s unbridled enthusiasm, she was convinced that she could actually do this. She could show her face, scars and all, and use her misfortune to help others. And if she could do that, she could do anything. College? Why not? Or maybe she could find work for a charitable organization. Even if she had to start out as a volunteer, she would like to do something that gave back.

“Did you want to come with me to meet the girls at the bus stop?” Annabelle asked after she’d changed the sheets on not just her bed, but the guest room and the twins’ beds too. The house was spotless, fresh flowers brightened the kitchen, and she’d placed scented candles by her bedside. She just needed Clayton to say good bye to Sophie and Olivia and hit the road.

“Yeah, that would be great.” He pocketed his phone and stood to follow her down the street.

“Daddy!” Sophie bounded off the bus. “Guess what! I lost a tooth. And I got to put my name on the lost tooth chart next to the calendar!”

She grinned to show off the gap on her lower jaw.

“Wow, that’s exciting.” Clayton looked so pleased to be there for at least one of her milestones. “I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah, and I think I have a loose tooth too.” Olivia opened her mouth and put her finger on her bottom tooth. “See?”

“Oh, I think I saw it move.” He bent down and peered into her mouth to inspect the so-called loose tooth. “Yeah, I definitely saw it move.”

“Will you come play with us?” Olivia asked. “We could build sandcastles on the beach.”

“Yeah, okay. I can stay for a little while.”

“Yay!” Both girls raced to the house to drop off their backpacks and grab their sand toys.

They ran down to the beach, laughter ringing out loud and clear.

“You don’t mind if I stay a little longer?” Clayton asked hopefully. “I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to build a sandcastle with my girls.”

“Sure.” She just hoped he’d be gone by bedtime. She needed a lullaby in the worst way.

“Thank you. For everything.”

* * * *

He should have started his run sooner. Or later. Or not at all. But his internal clock had been set to be coming home in time to meet the school bus at three-fifteen. So, without even trying, he came up on Annabelle and Sophie and Olivia. With their father. Just one big happy family.

They were building sandcastles on the beach. The girls looked so happy. Annabelle sat back, radiant, watching them play. She didn’t even see him as he jogged around them. Clayton Barry had his designer suit pants and shirtsleeves rolled up while he frolicked with his children.

His children.
Not Cooper’s.

He picked up the pace and ran down the beach. But he could still hear the girls’ laughter. It was a sound he would carry in his heart for the rest of his life.

When he’d gotten far enough away, he stopped to catch his breath.

So Annabelle had moved on. He needed to do the same.

He pulled out his phone and called his agent.

“Stan, the man. Tell me more about Japan.” Like that would be far enough away to get over her. But since they didn’t need a left-handed reliever on Uranus, it was the best he could do. “I’m interested.”

“The team is in Nishinomiya, the Hanshin Tigers. They want a three year deal, but it’s negotiable.”

“I can’t do three years.” His hopes started to fade. That would put him past his prime. Make it that much harder to return. “I want to get back to the majors. I know I can still pitch, I don’t want to waste my best years overseas. I can do one year. Maybe with some kind of option for the second year, if we both agree.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Stan sounded optimistic. But then, that was his job.

“Keep me posted.” Cooper wasn’t sure if this was the right move. He wasn’t sure of anything except for the fact that he couldn’t just stand by and watch his career go down the drain. And he couldn’t stand in the way of Annabelle’s chance of keeping her family together. He loved them enough to let them go.

“I will.” But Stan paused. “So are you willing to look at similar offers stateside? Or would you only be interested in long-term deals from Major League clubs?”

“At this point, I just want to get some work.” He hoped that statement didn’t make him sound desperate. But he needed something, anything to keep him from giving up on baseball. “Look, I know I missed some chances. I turned down opportunities that were more than I deserved.”

“Hey, I didn’t exactly stress the importance of any of those deals.” His agent tried to put the blame on himself.

“It was one deal. I passed. My fault. I thought I’d have more choices.” And he would have, if he hadn’t been so stupid. “I won’t make the same mistake.”

“But you don’t want to rush into anything either.” How much of a pay cut would he be taking for his agent to start hesitating now?

“When do you need a decision?”

“Take a week. Let me know by next Monday.”

“I’ll be in touch.”

Cooper pocketed his phone and headed toward home. He wondered how much longer he was going to have to look out his window and stare at that damned Ferrari. The longer it sat in Annabelle’s driveway, the more convinced he became that they were working things out.

By the time he got home, he was afraid to look. He just marched past her house and was halfway up his porch when he heard his name.

“Cooper!” He turned to see Sophie bouncing up and down. She was covered in sand and hair was slipping out of its ponytail. “We missed you.”