The Changeup (Men of the Show) (2 page)

“Really? And now they’re dating?”

“Uh-huh. He tries to see her when he can, but with traveling and all his games—their schedule is ridiculous, if you ask me—he doesn’t have much time. But that will change.”

“So, how many times have they been out?” Maddie asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. A few, I guess.” Lenore’s answer was nonchalant but Maddie had to guess she knew exactly how many dates they’d been on and exactly where they’d gone.

Maddie caught Tom’s eye and smiled when he rolled his. “Lenore, that’s hardly enough time to say they’re serious.”

“What do you mean? How can you say that?” she exclaimed. “You’re not on the dates with them, you haven’t seen them together. You don’t know. Besides, my daughter wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Believe what you want, you always do,” Tom said as he stood up with a loud huff. “I’m going to start the barbecue.” He let the door slam shut behind him.

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” she said, eyeing her husband’s back.

Maddie shrugged and took another sip of wine. She thought he sounded as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Watch how he is with her tonight and then you’ll see you’re both wrong,” Lenore scolded as she stood and headed toward the kitchen. “I need to get dinner started.”

After stepping into the bathroom to try and make herself presentable so she wouldn’t scare away Sandy’s friend, Maddie strolled into Lenore’s Tuscan-style kitchen to offer a helping hand. She could never get used to the sheer size of her sister’s kitchen; it was bigger than her own kitchen and living room put together. Light tan granite countertops shone brightly under the recessed lighting and seemed to line every wall. The center island, topped with the same heavy, expensive stone, was the size of a compact car. Stainless steel appliances glistened and the floor was so glossy the tile looked wet.

“So, had any dates lately?” Lenore asked before Maddie could even cross the threshold.

She took a moment before answering to prepare for the ambush that was coming. “I was on one last night as a matter of fact.”

Lenore leaned forward expectantly. “And?”

“And it was just like the last one. Boring and dull.”

“Oh well,” she said in obvious disappointment. “Another one will come along soon.”

“I don’t think so. I’ve decided to take break for a while.”

Lenore frowned. “What? That’s ridiculous. How come?”

“Because I’m tired of dating losers. I just need a break from it, from the disappointment for a while. It’s no biggie. I’m not going to become a nun or anything.”

“I really think you need to keep going out, put yourself out there. You’ll find someone interesting. Someone who can take care of you and Bree and help you out of this situation you’ve put yourself in.”

Maddie stopped slicing a tomato and slowly put down the knife. “Do we really need to go through this every time, Lenore?”

“I just hate thinking about you all alone over there.”

“I’m not alone. I have Bree,” she explained tersely, trying to remain calm.

Lenore huffed. “You know what I mean. Don’t be difficult.”

“Difficult!” she exclaimed finally reaching her limit. “I’m not the one who continuously says I’ve put myself in a ‘situation’ when it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

“Maddie, I want to understand. But I don’t get how someone can go on so many dates over the years and claim that not a single man is good enough.”

“No, you
refuse
to understand. I’ve explained it over and over again.”

“Well, that hardly seems like a reason to me,” Lenore said dismissively as she moved over to the stove to stir the baked beans. “I mean, the divorce was nine years ago. You’ve had plenty of time to move on. You’re thirty-four years old. You’re not getting any younger, you know.”

Maddie gave a heavy sigh. “Thank you for reminding me of my age, but this has nothing to do with me not getting over my divorce. I’m over it. It has everything to do with me only being able to pick the losers out of the bunch.”

“I’m sure if you looked hard enough there’s one or two perfectly fine men out there that would love to have you and Bree. She’s an angel, who wouldn’t love her?”

“I’m sure there are, but the dating scene is just too hard. Apparently being a middle school counselor with a preteen daughter doesn’t have them lining up outside my door. Whatever the reason, I’ve tried enough. Two strikes and I’m out.”

“Actually it’s three. Three strikes and you’re out,” Lenore corrected.

Maddie rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

“You know my opinion about your decision to leave Kyle and I suppose you had your reasons, but,” she continued on ignoring Maddie’s huff, “you can’t compare them all to him, whatever his faults may be.”

Maddie picked up the knife, slicing the tomato again and reminding herself that Lenore was only trying to help in her patronizing way. “I know.”

“Do you?” Lenore asked quietly before sighing, realizing the conversation was over. “I have to take the patties out to Tom.”

Maddie kept her gaze down until Lenore left the kitchen. Heaving a deep breath, she threw the knife down and leaned against the counter. She understood not all men were Kyle; that not all men would promise they wanted a family until the moment finally arrived. She could still feel the body-numbing shock at his reaction when she’d turned up pregnant during their third year of marriage. It had been a surprise, but she’d been ecstatic and couldn’t wait to tell him, believing he would share in her joy. What she hadn’t expected was for him to be angry, even resentful. A dam collapsed and the truth had flooded out of him—it had all been a lie. He’d never wanted kids, but he didn’t want to lose Maddie more. It was beyond what he could deal with and he was on the first train out of the marriage. She’d held the door open on his way out without any fight because she knew she would rather do it alone than with someone who didn’t want to be there. Even though they shared custody, he wasn’t active in Bree’s life, only taking her a few days out of each year for the sole purpose of visiting with his family, who did want to see her.

If only Maddie could get Lenore to understand that. She was constantly on her case to go on dates and find someone to marry. She refused to listen to any reason Maddie had and always accused her of being too fussy. Lenore firmly believed that she needed to find a man to settle down with—someone who would take care of her and Bree. Maddie knew it didn’t work like that and it wasn’t that easy. If by some change in fate some man fit perfectly into their lives, then that would be great, but until then, she wasn’t going to hold her breath.

Chapter Two

As everyone sat in the soaring, cathedral glass-enclosed sunroom enjoying hamburgers off the grill, Bree entertained them with tales of how she’d defeated Scooter at one of his racing games.

“Scooter let me pick the red car and even though I crashed into the wall a lot and spun around,” she explained as she gestured wildly with her arms, “I still finished first!”

“Good job, kiddo!” With a knowing smile at her nephew, Maddie gave Bree a high five.

The muffled thud of the front door opening and closing reached them from the other room.

“Well, it’s about time,” Lenore muttered before her expression visibly brightened.

Maddie watched her sister fret. She certainly seemed very excited over her daughter’s date—perhaps too excited. She probably imagined that life with a professional ballplayer was nothing but money and glamour, but Maddie thought it was most likely very different than that. It probably meant dealing with extended separations and lots of uncertainty about where—or if—you would be playing the next year. That was all before having to deal with the constant scrutiny and unwanted attention from the media and the public.

Any relationship dealing with a constant barrage from every angle had to be solidly built on trust and understanding. She wasn’t sure what kind of woman it would take to deal with that, but definitely a strong, confident, independent one.
Independence
was not her niece’s middle name by any stretch of the imagination. Strength and confidence weren’t really in Sandy’s repertoire either.

“Well, there you guys are!” Lenore exclaimed when they came around the corner. She hugged her daughter before reaching up to hug the boy standing behind her. Even though it was difficult to get a clear look at his face as he stood in the shadows, Maddie could see the discomfort in his stance.

Sandy, having spotted her aunt and cousin sitting at the table, bounded into the room, her long blond hair bouncing around her head.

“Aunt Maddie! Bree!” she cried in excitement as she threw her arms around them both. “I’m so happy to see you guys! Chase, come in here and meet my aunt and little cousin,” she gushed, her blue eyes twinkling up at him, as she motioned for him to come farther into the room.

Chase stepped into the door frame and Maddie looked up—and up. He had to be at least six-five, but wasn’t all lanky and gangly as she would have expected. He wore a royal blue T-shirt layered with a gray one that peeked out at the collar, loose blue jeans, and in the quick second she did her assessment, she could understand why her niece and sister were over the moon for this boy. His dark brown hair was short on the sides, but slightly spiky on top and even though his smile was hesitant on his full lips—displaying slightly crooked front teeth—it still reached his dark coffee eyes, making them sparkle.

She stood and held out her hand, watching as his long fingers and wide palm swallowed it up. “It’s nice to meet you, Chase.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Aunt Maddie.” His voice was deep and smooth and tinged with humor.

“Maddie, please,” she corrected as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

He nodded, his dark eyes strong and intent on hers, making her want to squirm.

Realizing he still held her hand, he slowly released his grip while his gaze never left her face. He watched as she looked down at the little girl sitting next to her. She rubbed the top of her head and then turned her attention back to him. “This is my daughter, Bree.”

His eyes held hers for another beat before turning his attention to the young face beaming up at him. He gave a moment’s pause when he saw he was looking at a younger version of Maddie. “Hi, Bree. It’s nice to meet you.” He leaned over and held out his hand, waiting patiently for her to place her small one in it.

She giggled, pulling her hand from his grasp as she hid her face against her mother’s side.

“Bree!” Maddie exclaimed as she tried to pull her daughter’s head upright. “What are you doing? You’re never this shy.”

Bree giggled again as he smiled and stood back up to his full height, turning his attention back to Maddie. “She’s a cutie. I can see where she gets her looks.”

Maddie tried her hardest not to blush but she felt her face flame up against her will, one of the curses of having porcelain skin. Everyone always commented on how much Bree looked like her, but it sounded so different coming from him. It didn’t sound as innocent as she was sure he meant it to be, but no one else seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. They all stood around, smiling up at him as if he was some sort of deity, so it had to be wishful thinking on her part. “Thanks. I couldn’t deny her parentage if I wanted to.”

“Come on, you guys. Have a seat, eat some dinner.” Lenore pushed them toward two empty chairs.

When Chase took the seat across from Bree, he wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing another fit of flirtatious giggles. Maddie grinned at her niece across the table. “It looks like you’ve got competition.”

Everyone laughed, including Chase. His easygoing nature impressed her. He definitely had an air of maturity about him. Sandy was only twenty years old, so Maddie couldn’t imagine he was much older than that. Then again, unless she was dealing with her middle-schoolers, she generally had no idea how old people were. Nevertheless, there was definitely a discernible difference between him and Sandy. While her niece was the typical flighty, bubbly, free-spirited college co-ed, he seemed more reserved and at ease with himself. He had effortless poise and it definitely showed.

Everyone at the table settled back, trying to be discreet as they observed the new couple until Tom finally broke the silence. “So, how’s the season coming, Chase?”

“Pretty good. We were able to squeak out a win today, so that helps our record.”

“Is that why you were available tonight, dear?” Lenore asked.

“Yeah, we had an afternoon game.”

Bree, listening attentively, tapped her mother on the arm and beckoned her down so she could whisper in her ear.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself? I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to talk about it with you,” Maddie encouraged her unusually shy daughter.

Bree looked up bashfully at Chase, seeing she had his attention. “Um, what do you mean by afternoon game?”

He gave her an encouraging smile. “We had a game during the day today. Most of the time we play at night.”

“Play? What do you play?” He had her full attention now.

“I play baseball. For the Rockets.”

Bree’s eyes lit up with recognition. “The Detroit Rockets?” she asked excitedly, her play at shyness now completely forgotten.

“Yeah, the Detroit Rockets,” he said with a chuckle.

“What do you do?”

“I pitch.”

“Oh,” she breathed, deeply impressed.

“Do you like baseball?” he asked her.

“Yeah,” she answered casually.

“Bree, you’ve never watched a game in your life,” Maddie playfully chided.

“That’s only because you’ve never taken me, Mommy.”

She laughed at her daughter’s scolding look. “I guess I’ve been told! I’m sorry. I never knew you wanted to go.”

Bree gave her a look that said “Duh!” before turning back to Chase. “I’m sure I would love baseball. It sounds like fun.”

“It is fun. I’ll get you guys some tickets and you can check it out for yourself.”

“Oh! Can I?” Thrilled, she turned to her mother. “Mommy, can I?”

“I don’t see why not,” she answered her, before looking back at Chase. “You don’t have to do that. I didn’t realize she even wanted to go to a game.”

“That was before Chase, right, Bree?” Lenore said from the end of the table with a conspiratorial wink.

He shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I can get you tickets.”

“What’s your best pitch?” Scooter asked.

“Uh, probably my changeup. Although, I’ve been working a lot lately on my sinker,” he answered. “Do you play?”

Sandy snorted, causing her brother’s face to flame in embarrassment. “Scooter? Play sports? Right! Unless it’s on some video game, he doesn’t play it.” She and Lenore snickered loudly, causing Tom to scowl at them before answering his cell phone and leaving the room.

“What gaming systems do you have?” Chase asked Scooter, ignoring Sandy.

“Just an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. I want to get a Wii, but I haven’t convinced my mom to buy it for me yet,” he said, throwing a pleading look in Lenore’s direction.

“When you make the money Chase does, then you can buy your own Wii,” she said matter-of-factly.

Maddie noticed Chase turn his attention to his plate as his mouth tightened into a straight line at the mention of money. His discomfort was clear as day to her, but invisible to everyone else. Her sister didn’t understand that others were not always open to discussing their finances. Maddie knew exactly how he felt, having had to remind Lenore more than once that the topic was off-limits.

“So how did you two meet?” she asked, trying to steer the conversation back to safe territory even though she already knew the answer.

“At one of the bars in Royal Oak—Shooters,” Sandy answered with a loving gaze at Chase, who, at that moment, was more interested in his hamburger. “He lives in Royal Oak.”

“Oh, we live in Royal Oak. Where about?”

Chase cleared his throat, throwing an uneasy glance in Sandy’s direction before cutting his attention back to Maddie. “On Thistle.”

“We live on Thistle, don’t we, Mommy?”

“Yep, we sure do.”

Sandy’s mouth dropped open in disbelief before she plastered on a bright smile. “Chase, you live on Thistle? I didn’t know that and I’ve been asking you! Isn’t that so funny that someone Maddie’s age would live in Royal Oak? I mean, it’s totally like a bar scene.” She and Lenore shared another snigger.

He grinned, but not one that said he found it funny. His deep brown eyes had visibly brightened at hearing this information.

“Which unit are you in?” Maddie asked him, her turn to ignore her rude sister and niece.

“The last one on the end—458. I share it with my one of my teammates.”

“Oh man!” Bree complained. “That’s Sarah’s house. I wanted some kids to move in there.”

“Bree!” Maddie scolded. “That’s not very nice to say.”

“It’s okay,” he said with a chuckle. “If I played with you, would that make it better?”

She shrugged in feigned disinterest. “What would we play?”

“Now she plays hard to get,” Maddie muttered.

Chase’s eyes twinkled, lingering on Maddie before he turned his attention back to Bree. He was clearly enjoying himself with her daughter. “Well, we could play catch.”

“Catch? How would we play catch? What would we catch?” Bree inquired.

“What do you mean how?” he asked, clearly confused. “With a ball and glove.”

Maddie laughed. “You’ll have to forgive Bree. The male influence in her life has been a bit lacking.”

A contemplative look crossed his face. He looked like he wanted to ask more about that but then decided against it. “I could teach you,” he told Bree.

“Okay.” She shrugged, clearly uncertain if this was something she even wanted to learn, but apparently willing to give it a shot if it meant spending time with Chase.

“Then it’s a date.”

“Mommy said I can’t date until I’m eighteen,” she replied in all seriousness.

“Ah, well, then, it’s a playdate. Can you have a playdate before you’re eighteen?”

Bree looked at her mother with eyebrows raised.

“Oh, I think that’s okay. Just not dinner and a movie for a while,” Maddie answered, fighting a smile.

“It’s okay then,” Bree told him with assurance.

“Awesome. I can’t wait,” he said, talking to Bree but looking at Maddie.

To her out-of-practice eye, she thought he might possibly be flirting with her, but of course, that wasn’t possible. He was dating her niece and she was obviously too old for him. She shook her head and looked away certain she was confusing a friendly gesture with something else.

After everyone had finished their dinner, Maddie helped to clear the dishes and carried them to the kitchen behind Lenore.

“What do you think?” Lenore asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

“He seems very nice.”

“And
very
cute too,” Lenore added in a low voice.

She made a noncommittal noise, reluctant to agree. Maddie found Chase to be very attractive but felt odd vocalizing it since he was so young. Thankfully, her sister wasn’t really waiting for her agreement.

“Bree seems to adore him, don’t you think?”

Maddie gave a shrug. “I don’t want her getting her hopes up on something that probably won’t pan out.”

“What do you mean?” Lenore asked.

Maddie looked up from loading the dishes into the dishwasher. “You really think he’s going to get her tickets to a game or that he’s going to have a playdate with her? Come on! He’s a twentysomething-year-old professional ballplayer. He isn’t going to want to hang around a little girl.”

“What? He could be different. He really seemed to enjoy her.”

“Right. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Lenore pursed her lips, obviously wanting to say more, but remained quiet for once. Maddie was thankful. She knew that conversation line would go straight back to her issues with men. She didn’t want to get into that again. It was tiring and they never understood her side of things anyway.

* * *

On the drive home, Bree was unusually quiet. Maddie glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the contemplation on her daughter’s face. “What are you thinking about, sweetheart?”

“I was just thinking about Chase.”

“What about him?”

“How nice he was. Did you think he was nice, Mommy?”

“Yes, I thought he was a nice young man,” Maddie answered wondering where her daughter was going with this.

“Do you think he’ll come over to see me?”

Maddie took a deep breath. “I don’t know, sweetie. He’s probably going to be really busy with baseball, so don’t be upset if he doesn’t come by anytime soon.”

She was quiet for a moment before shaking her head. “No, Mommy. He’s going to come over soon. I just know it.”

Maddie sighed, unsure how to prevent Bree from getting her hopes up. Her daughter had already faced so many disappointments from her disinterested father that she didn’t want yet another man to crush her little heart. She would do whatever it took to protect her, even if it meant beaning Chase in the head with one of his baseballs.