“I’m the parent of the child your little heathen pushed in the mud.” She waved her hand at the other field, where the large, blond-haired kid Shawn had talked to earlier stood. The kid smirked in their direction and bumped fists with his friend. Of course, he was covered from head to toe in mud, but he seemed more interested in getting Shawn in trouble than he was about being filthy.
Katie bit her tongue and looked down at Shawn. There was a defiant glint in his eye. “He was mean to Tony, and I couldn’t let him say those things about his mom.” Shawn crossed his arms over his chest and stood his ground.
She noticed Tony standing next to Gina, whispering in her ear. Gina rubbed his back and soothed him before she shot a nasty glare at the woman standing before Katie.
The bird-woman said, “Cody would never say anything bad about anyone’s mother. I taught my son respect, unlike you.”
Katie had never wanted to punch someone more than she did at that moment. Even Victor, in all his stupid moments, hadn’t pushed her to this point. Then again, Victor never would have called Shawn a heathen. She knew she needed to get Shawn away from the situation before he witnessed his mother coming to blows with the vile woman. Katie always hated parents who couldn’t see when their precious angels might be at fault. Shawn was a troublemaker, but he also had a strong sense of fairness, honesty, and right and wrong.
“Shawn, why don’t you go get an ice cream?” Katie pulled out a twenty and thrust it toward her son, her eyes never leaving the evil bird-woman. The woman let out an exasperated huff and waved her hand in Shawn’s direction as if she’d proven her point.
Shawn hesitantly took the money. “Can Tony get one, too?”
Katie gave him a curt nod, and he and Tony raced over to the concession stand. Once they were out of hearing range, Katie turned back to the woman, but Gina was faster.
“Tammy, I think you need to teach your son about compassion,” she snapped with a fierceness that was frightening.
Compassion? How about teaching the mom some good old-fashioned manners? No wonder her kid was a bully.
“Tony confirmed Shawn’s story,” Gina said. “What Cody said was hurtful and appalling.”
“Of course he would lie for his friend.”
In an instant, Gina was in front of her, glaring down at the unpleasant woman. Her features turned hard, and although Tammy flinched, she didn’t move from her position.
“Tony wouldn’t lie about this. I don’t think you want everyone in the league to be aware of the arrangement you and Mitch have, so I suggest you take off before you give me a reason to broadcast his indiscretions.”
Katie was surprised at the ferocity behind Gina’s words, along with being a little disappointed that she hadn’t gotten her chance to chew Tammy out. Tammy looked at Katie and back at Gina, before she turned on her heel and stomped off.
“Wow, remind me never to get on your bad side.” Katie chuckled. “What was that about?”
Gina glared at Tammy’s retreating form, then turned to Katie with a sly smile. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long. Her son wasn’t on our team last season, but she would always find her way to our field when her son played on the other side of the complex. She’s a shameless flirt and has propositioned Chase and my fiancé one too many times. Not only that, but also Tammy’s husband has made it clear to a couple of the moms in the league, including me, that he and his wife have an open relationship. I would almost feel sorry for her if she weren’t such a bitch.”
Katie shouldn’t have been surprised, but the idea of a person willingly living with infidelity was something she couldn’t understand.
Shawn put his arm around Tony’s shoulder while they walked back, ice cream cones in hand. Their heads were together, and they were talking in conspiratorial whispers. Katie started to worry about whatever plans Shawn had in mind for revenge.
“Shawn.”
He looked up, and his smile vanished when he sulked over to his mother.
“We’ve had this talk before about not getting physical.”
He nodded and looked at the ground. “I know, Mom. He just said some really mean stuff that hurt Tony’s feelings, and I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen.” Shawn looked up at Katie with a sparkle in his eye. “He didn’t say nothing else when he had to spit mud out of his big, fat mouth.”
Katie stifled a laugh. She didn’t want to encourage his bad behavior, although she couldn’t be mad at him. Moments earlier, she had felt the same desire to knock Tammy around.
“Well . . . don’t do it again.” She gave him a long glare to get her point across.
Shawn grinned, ignoring her mommy-stare because he knew he was forgiven. “Don’t worry. I promise not to push him in the mud again.”
She was aware she’d left a loophole wide open, but she also knew there was no use in pushing further, so she nodded, closing the subject.
“Are you guys all done?” Gina asked the boys.
“Yep, and Shawn did awesome at pitching, batting, and catching.”
Katie considered Tony’s genuine smile and his positive attitude, and she could only hope some of that politeness would rub off on Shawn.
“Oh my gosh, Mom! Tony can throw the ball so hard. I couldn’t even see it. I want to throw it that fast, too.”
“It takes lots of practice,” Katie said.
His shoulders hunched forward a little, and he sighed. “I wish Dad was here. He could help me like Coach O’Donnell helps Tony.”
Katie’s heart lurched at the longing in Shawn’s voice. She pulled him close. For a moment, she thought he would let her comfort him, but he pushed her away and glared.
“Please, Mom. Not in front of my friend,” he whispered.
She laughed at his mortification before she turned back to Gina. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Gina.”
“Yeah, you, too. I should get your number since the boys want to hang out after school.”
Katie smiled and exchanged phone numbers with Gina, giving her a little wave before she walked back to the car with Shawn. She let out a relieved sigh at the huge load lifted from her shoulders by her new friend.
Things were finally beginning to fall into place.
Chapter 5
“Who’d we get? Did we get Shawn? Did we get anyone from last year?” Tony fired questions in quick succession when he walked in the door after draft picks. Chase held up his hand for Tony to stop and handed him the envelope that held a list of all the players on their team. He tore open the envelope and scanned through the names on the list.
“You picked Shawn first?” he asked in awe. Chase nodded and chuckled at the big smile that came across his son’s face.
“Thanks, Dad!” Tony threw his arms around Chase’s waist and gave him a huge hug.
“No problem, slugger. Because I picked Shawn first, we lost Jeff Dirk this season. We don’t have another strong pitcher, so you’re going to have to help me teach Shawn to pitch.”
Tony started to bounce up and down in excitement. “Oh my gosh, this is so cool! Shawn’s going to be so excited.” He looked back at the list and read off a few names from their team from the previous season before his brow wrinkled and an angry look came into his eyes.
“What’s up?” Chase nudged his shoulder. Tony scowled at the paper and then looked up.
“You picked Cody Arnold.” Throwing the roster on the counter, he stormed out of the kitchen. Chase grabbed the paper and followed when Tony headed toward the living room and plopped down on the couch to look out the window.
“Anthony, what’s wrong?” Chase sat down and wrapped his arm around his son.
Tony blew out a long breath. “Cody said bad things about Mom at tryouts.”
Gina had told Chase what happened on the field when he got home that evening, but he hadn’t realized it was Cody Shawn had pushed in the mud. Chase ran his fingers through his hair and tugged while he tried to figure out a way to fix this.
“I can’t change the draft.” H
e gave his son an apologetic look. “We’re going to have to learn to work together.”
Tony nodded but continued to stare out the window. After a moment, he turned and looked at his father with determination in his eyes.
“It’s fine, but if he says anything bad about Mom again, I’m gonna hurt him.”
Chase was taken aback. Tony was always so reserved, and Chase worried the death of his mother affected him more than he’d let on.
“Fighting isn’t the answer.”
Tony shrugged and looked back out the window. “He said she died because she was a bad mother and hated being my mom.”
Chase gritted his teeth and pushed down the anger he felt toward the boy who couldn’t realize how hurtful his words were. Pulling Tony onto his lap, he tried to comfort him.
“You know your mother loved you, right?”
Tony nodded against his chest, and Chase heard a sniffle muffled by his shirt.
“Don’t let anyone make you doubt that.” He stroked Tony’s hair until his tears began to settle and he relaxed. “You all right?”
“Yep. Can we call Shawn now and let him know about the team?” The morose mood from a few moments before was gone, and Tony beamed up at his father. It always amazed Chase how Tony bounced back from difficult situations. Even after his mother had died, he only let Liz’s mourning pull him down.
Chase smiled and lifted Tony high above his head, which set off a round of giggles. Then he leaned forward and dropped Tony behind his back onto the cushions.
He made his way to his office with Tony hot on his heels. Tony scrambled onto the chair while Chase grabbed his phone and dialed Shawn’s number.
“Hello. Is this Ms. Rodriguez?” he asked when a woman’s voice answered.
“Yes, this is she.”
“Hi, this is Coach O’Donnell—Tony’s dad.”
“Hi, Coach. Please call me Katie.”
“I’m calling to let you know that Shawn’s on our team. I don’t think I could’ve faced my son if he weren’t.” Chase laughed and gave Tony a wink.
“Shawn will be excited to hear this.”
“Practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from four to six, starting this Thursday at the same field where tryouts were held. My sister said she didn’t mind bringing Shawn home from school on those days. You can pick him up at the park when you get off work. Is that okay?”
“That would be great. I can bring him this Thursday since I don’t start my new job until Monday.”
He could hear the hint of relief in her voice, and he couldn’t help but think she sounded familiar.
“I also wanted to talk to you about Shawn’s talent,” he said. “He has some natural ability.”
“Um . . . are we talking about the same kid?” She laughed. “Little dark-haired boy who’s best friends with your son?”
“Why do you act so surprised?”
“Because he’s never played sports before. I should warn you that he’s a daredevil. He doesn’t always think before he acts, which has landed him in a cast on several occasions.”
“Well then, it’s a good thing I’m a doctor.”
She laughed and agreed, and Chase relaxed. He could understand why Shawn seemed like such a good kid. “So as I was saying, he’s got one heck of an arm. I think if he’s focused and we can redirect some of that power into accuracy, he’ll be a great pitcher.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say. What would he have to do to pitch?”
“He’d have to practice a few more times a week. Do you know someone who could help him?”
She snorted and then apologized for her response, which made him chuckle again.
“I don’t have anyone who can help. Honestly, it takes all I have just to play catch with him, and I’m not very good at that, either.”
“All right. Well, I’m already working with Tony, so one more kid won’t hurt. I take Tony out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to work out his arm. How about if Shawn comes home with Tony after school until the season’s over?”
She breathed a small sigh of relief. “That sounds great. I looked into several afterschool programs, but I haven’t found one that was . . . within my budget. Are you sure this is okay? You don’t mind?”
Chase could hear the uneasiness, and he understood her hesitation. It wasn’t as if he was hurting when it came to money, but if it weren’t for the emotional and physical support of his family, he wasn’t sure how he could have made it through the last three years as a single parent.
“No, not at all. When he’s in the major leagues, I want some credit, though,” he said, trying to lighten the mood. “Besides, Tony hasn’t stopped bugging me about Shawn coming over, and having him around will get Tony out of his sister’s hair.”
“Or make more trouble.”
“He’ll be fine. Hey, do you think you’d mind being the team mom?” He wanted to smack himself when he jumped the gun and asked before he thought it all the way through. Katie most likely had a lot on going on with moving and a new job.
“What does it entail?” she asked, surprising him.
“Well, uh, it’s not very time consuming.” He thought about ways he could have Gina help. “We need practice, game, and snack schedules typed up and a team roster, too. The team mom is in charge of the end-of-season party and ordering the trophies. But my sister has done the party for the last two seasons, so it’s up to you on how you want to handle it. There are some other little tasks, but for the most part, that’s it.”
“Sure. Sounds like fun.”
“Great. I’ll get the information to you when I see you. Thanks again, Katie.”
“No problem, Coach.”
“Please, call me Chase.”
“Chase, then. I’ll see you Thursday.”
Tony bounced in his seat while Chase ended his call.
“So is he excited?” Tony asked.
“I’m sure he’s going to be thrilled, from what his mom said.” Chase pulled Tony out of the chair and set him down on the floor. “It’s time for bed. Go get ready, and I’ll be up in a minute.” He ruffled Tony’s hair before his son tore out of the office.
“Hey, big brother,” Gina called when she passed his office. “Why’s Tony so excited?”
“He just found out Shawn’s on our team.” Chase was cleaning up the mess on his desk when Gina walked in.
“I hope you don’t mind that I told his mom I’d take him after school on practice days,” Gina said.
“Of course I don’t mind. I hope you don’t mind that I volunteered you to pick him up every day since I’m going to work with him at pitching.”
A big smile lit up Gina’s face, and she shook her head. “Not at all. Shawn’s a good kid.”
Chase agreed. He’d already seen a subtle change in his once-quiet son, and he credited Shawn. “What do you know about his mom?”
Gina sat down in the chair by his desk. “She starts work at the aquarium next week. Why?”
“Really? Huh. Her voice reminds me of someone. I just can’t place it.”
“She moved here last week from New Mexico, and she’s single.” She gave him a sly smile, but he ignored it.
Chase shook his head. If she’d recently moved to the peninsula, then he probably hadn’t met her before.
“Did I mention she’s pretty?” Gina watched his reaction, which annoyed Chase.
“Gina, please.”
“What? She is,” Gina said. “I’ve never seen such lush hair, and she has very expressive green eyes.” Her smile grew wider. Chase rolled his eyes and stood, looking to escape the discussion.
“Good night, Gina.”
~*~
Shawn drove Katie crazy the whole week with his constant baseball chatter. Every time he brought it up, she’d smile and act interested, while secretly she thanked Coach O’Donnell for taking on the role of baseball mentor. Shawn had even tried to call his father to tell him, but Victor still hadn’t returned his calls.
They were running a
little late for the first practice when she pulled into the parking lot at the baseball field. As soon as the car was in park, Shawn was out the door and flying across the grass. When she walked to the crowd of parents, Katie caught the tail end of Daniel’s instructions on the team rules. She slid between two parents and hoped to blend in, but it didn’t work. Daniel gave her a small smile, acknowledging her arrival, before he introduced Coach O’Donnell.
“Now, there are only two of us coaching, so we’d appreciate any help we can get from the parents during practices.”
Katie’s head turned to the dark-haired man speaking, and her mouth dropped open.
“Our team mom is Katie Rodriguez, and she’ll handle the schedules and end-of-season party.”
Chase looked up from his clipboard, and Shawn pointed at his mother. When their eyes met, Chase’s features turned from curiosity to recognition and then surprise.
His head snapped back to Shawn. “Is that your mom?” he asked, pointing in Katie’s direction. Shawn nodded. Chase turned back to her, a small smirk upon his lips. “Sooo, this is Ms. Rodriguez,” he told everyone, but it sounded more like he was confirming it for himself. Katie gave a small wave when some of the parents acknowledged her.
Chase turned the discussion back over to Daniel for any questions. Katie found herself staring at Chase the whole time Daniel spoke, not believing her luck, and he shook his head at her and smiled.
Chase was even better looking than she remembered from the day on the beach. His hair was darker than she’d first thought, but without the ocean breeze, he didn’t look as disheveled. He also looked more relaxed. The wary demeanor he had when she’d met him was gone, to be replaced by an easy smile and comfortable stance. His clothing could have been why he looked more relaxed as well. Instead of the dress slacks and button-down shirt typical of a doctor, he wore a pair of khaki-colored cargo shorts that hung low on his hips. If the rest of him resembled the muscles on his legs, then the Giants T-shirt clung to what she imagined were hard-as-steel abs. By the time her eyes traveled the full gamut, she realized he was watching her. Katie snapped out of her daze and looked away, wondering how long he’d observed her making a fool out of herself.
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