The Changeup (Men of the Show)

by Shaw, Rhonda

  “Maddie,” she muttered in admonishment. “Get a grip on yourself and stop trying to impress him.”

  Taking a deep, steadying breath, she reached into a drawer and pulled on a bra before selecting a navy crew neck T-shirt and some cropped jeans. She stepped into her flip-flops as she walked out of the closet and into her bathroom. After quickly applying some color to her face, she assessed her hair and decided it was a hopeless cause. She pulled it into a ponytail and grabbed her only baseball cap from the hook next to her towel rack. It proudly displayed a block S for her alma mater, Michigan State University.

  When she was done, she gave herself a quick assessment in the floor-length mirror behind her bathroom door and nodded in approval. She’d managed to look somewhat presentable in a very short amount of time.

  She locked the front door behind her and headed down the sidewalk to the park. It was another beautiful day and she caught herself humming with a stupid smile on her face. She couldn’t understand why heading out to the park on a nice summer day made her act like a young schoolgirl in love.

  Realization hit her like a brick to the back of the head and a jab to the gut, making her slow her step. She had a crush on her niece’s boyfriend. Not a “he’s really cute” crush, but an “I really, really like him” crush. No, no, it couldn’t be that. She was just so incredibly thrilled at the joy she saw on her daughter’s face whenever he was around. Bree had always been a happy child, but she seemed to glow with pure delight when she was with him. The hard part was going to be when the season was over and he went back to wherever it was he went or if he got traded and no longer played for the Detroit Rockets. What would happen then?

  And where was Sandy exactly? Why whenever he had any time did he seem to be spending it with Bree? When did they ever see each other? She was going to have to ask him about it.

  She walked through the park, scanning around until she found them in the back corner, seated across from each other on the ground, gently tossing the ball back and forth. Each time the ball landed in her bright pink mitt, Bree giggled and Chase smiled back at her with encouragement. There was a twinkle of love in her daughter’s eye every time she looked at Chase, and rather than running away from the crush of a young girl, he seemed to embrace it. He was definitely not the usual twentysomething that Maddie was used to and he was definitely different than she’d been when she was his age.

  Away at college, she and Karen had always been on the lookout for the next big party, turning their back on responsibility and obligations, only wanting to have fun. Chase, on the other hand, seemed to be looking for exactly the opposite. She had never seen such class and maturity in such a young man and she admired him for it. She wished more men could be like him, even some older than him by many years.

  He gave one more toss to Bree and when she caught it again in her glove, he said something to her. Maddie couldn’t hear what he said, but whatever it was the look on her daughter’s face stopped her midstride. She watched as Bree stood up, beaming as she rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck. He didn’t shy away from the physical contact instead putting his arms around her to give her a little squeeze. It tore at Maddie’s heart knowing she would never witness an exchange like this between Kyle and Bree. He simply wasn’t able to show any affection toward his daughter. Bree somehow knew this and therefore didn’t ask for any. It was heartbreaking.

  Nevertheless, she was going to have a chat with her daughter about her expectations from Chase. He was in no way in a position to become some sort of father figure for her and it was unfair for Bree to try to get that from him.

  Bree and Chase separated by a few feet and continued tossing the ball back and forth into each other’s glove as they had done when seated on the ground. One of Bree’s tosses had a little too much oomph behind it and it hit the ground at his feet, making him jump out of the way. When he turned around to retrieve the ball, he spotted Maddie standing a few yards behind them, watching, and trotted over to her.

  “I was wondering what happened to you,” he said, stepping up beside her.

  She gave a weak smile. “I’ve been watching a bit.”

  Hearing the strain in her voice, he gently touched her arm. “Is there something wrong?”

  “Chase!” Bree shouted impatiently.

  “One second,” he yelled over his shoulder. He lightly squeezed Maddie’s arm again. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  Her eyes closed at his touch and she cursed herself for thinking that it felt good. She shouldn’t want his hands on her or wonder what it would feel like to be in his strong arms. She tried to step away as if his touch pained her, but he held her firmly in place. “I’m fine. It’s no big deal,” she said and tried to convince him with a bigger smile.

  Chase wasn’t going to let her off the hook that easily. “Then what’s upset you?”

  “Chase, let it go,” she said quietly, irritation creeping into her voice.

  He tightened his grip on her arm and held her in place when she tried to walk around him. The lines of his face hardened, but he still managed to appear calm. She could hear a new edge in his voice, though it never deviated from its usual softness. “No.”

  “Who said it had anything to do with you?” Maddie demanded.

  “I don’t care who it has to do with.”

  “Chase!” Bree complained again.

  “You’re just going to have to wait a minute, Bree,” he warned. There was no mistaking his tone and she immediately quieted down.

  Maddie looked at him with pleading eyes. “I don’t understand why you care so much. Why Bree is all of a sudden important to you.”

  He smirked. “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.”

  She huffed. “You’re really annoying, you know that?”

  “I know,” he agreed with a crooked smile.

  “Fine,” she said as she straightened up. “It was touching to see my daughter with you. I wished she could be the same way with her father and it’s sad to me that she can’t. Is that good enough?”

  Chase took her hand in his, surprising her, and idly toyed with her fingers. Her mind told her to yank her hand away, but she couldn’t, frozen in place by his warm touch.

  “Yeah, it’s good enough.” He tugged gently on her fingers and looked intently at her. “I mean, I know I’m not her father, but I would like to be there...” He stopped with a hesitant shrug.

  “Why?” She hated how her voice broke.

  He shrugged again, but he continued to hold her hand. “I don’t know. I don’t have to have a specific reason, do I?”

  She watched her hand in his. “I just don’t understand,” she said quietly.

  Chase waited to speak until she looked up, and Maddie couldn’t deny the heat that passed between them. “Maybe you don’t always have to understand everything. Maybe some things can’t be explained. You just have to go with it, you know, with what feels right.”

  This time she knew there was additional meaning behind his words, but she didn’t even want to contemplate it. She couldn’t.

  Nodding but needing separation, she gently removed her hand from his. “You should probably get back to Bree before she has a conniption,” she said with a glance in Bree’s direction. “She’s a good kid, but she’s still only nine years old.”

  Maddie watched them for a couple of minutes more, standing off to the side, before eventually wandering over to the nearest bench to sit down, her mind a whirling windstorm. She couldn’t get one thought to stay still long enough for her to mull it over before another one jumped in, telling her that she wasn’t ready to even consider what seemed to be transpiring between her and Chase or admit that it wasn’t one-sided like she had thought.

  She was alone for a few minutes more before becoming aware of a presence behind her. Turning her head, she spotted a young man standing a
couple of feet away. He was tall like Chase, a bit bulkier, with a ruggedly handsome face. He wore black sunglasses and a white cap, but he was smiling as he watched the scene before him. As if he felt her eyes on him, he turned toward her.

  “That must be Bree,” he said, breaking into a wider grin when Bree tossed the ball at Chase’s feet again, making him hop out of the way.

  Maddie frowned. She was sure she’d never seen this man before. “And you would be?” When he looked back at her, she smiled sweetly. “I’m sorry, but you’re a stranger who somehow knows my daughter’s name.”

  He stepped forward with his hand outstretched in front of him. “Sorry, about that. Jerry Smutton. I’m Chase’s roommate. You must be Maddie.”

  “I am. Nice to meet you.” So, this was the infamous “Smutty” Karen had told her about, she thought with an internal snicker. Karen would have a fit to learn that she’d met him and that he was Chase’s roommate, so close all this time without her even knowing it.

  Even though she couldn’t see past the dark lenses of his glasses, she could feel him appraise her. It made her wonder what Chase had told him about her and Bree.

  Jerry walked around and sat down on the bench next to her. The next time Chase missed one of Bree’s errant throws, he heckled him. “Come on, Patty, that’s pathetic.”

  At the sound of his teammate’s voice, Chase looked over at the bench and shook his head. “There are women present or else I would teach you a new gesture.”

  Jerry gave a hoot of laughter as he settled back on the bench, waiting to be further entertained. He and Maddie watched some more in silence before she broke it. “Are you a pitcher as well?”

  “Sure am.” He gave her a smug look. “Teaching the kid everything I know.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Oh yeah. He’d be lost without me.”

  She looked back at Chase. “I don’t know. He seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders.”

  “That’s what he wants you to think.” At her balk, he lightly nudged her shoulder. “I’m just kidding. No, you’re right. He has a great head on his shoulders. I tell him he’s like a forty-year-old man all the time.”

  “He is very unique for his age.” Maddie hesitated, but she had to know. “How old is he?”

  “Twenty-two.” Jerry turned a little on the bench to face her. “But I tell ya, I know guys a lot older than him that are way less mature, myself included. That’s why he’s so successful. He’s way beyond his years, man.”

  She pondered this. “He’s doing a good job? As a starting pitcher, I mean.”

  Jerry looked at her with his eyebrows raised inquisitively over his sunglasses, and then shook his head. “He hasn’t told you anything, has he?”

  “I guess not. I don’t know what you mean.”

  He took off his sunglasses to set them on the bill of his cap, revealing big brown eyes framed by thick black lashes. “You know this is his first year in the pros, right?” When she nodded, he continued. “Well, I don’t know how much you know about baseball...”

  “Basically nothing,” she admitted.

  “Okay, well, most of the time when a guy gets out of high school he either goes to college and plays or he gets drafted and then is most likely sent down to the minors to work on things, pitchers especially. It’s very hard to break out into the pros early on as a pitcher. You need to learn control, master different pitches, figure out how to read hitters—all that stuff.” He pointed to Chase. “Now that kid, he’s a phenom. Right out of high school, he’s drafted by the Rockets and signed to a huge contract, probably the biggest ever for someone that age, and then he has a few years down in the minors, you know, class-A baseball and then triple-A and now he’s here.”

  Her mind felt muddled. She had so many questions, but she didn’t know where to start. “Class-A?” she said lamely.

  “Yeah, there’s class-A, then it goes double-A and triple-A. That’s the highest a lot of player usually get, but if you’re lucky, you make it to the Show. The pros,” he amended for clarification. “Chase only did class-A one year and then two in triple-A. Totally skipped double-A.”

  Maddie nodded as if she understood even though her mind was still trying to process it all. It did sound like Chase had achieved great things in a short amount of time. She wondered how he didn’t have an ego.

  “So, he shows up here and we all expect him to act like this big ass...” Jerry stopped short and caught himself, giving her a quick smirk, “...hotshot since he’s so friggin’ young and all this is just coming so easy for him. Left and right, he’s striking out hitters who have been around for years, or making them fan or ground out. It’s crazy. But, we couldn’t have been more wrong. He’s, like, crazy calm all the time, like he has ice water in his veins or something, and he’s just so low-key. That’s why he’s so awesome at what he does. He doesn’t ever get riled up and he always learns from his mistakes. He doesn’t have an ego and his pride doesn’t get in the way.” He shook his head. “He’s a competitive son of a bitch and stubborn, but that’s just what makes him one of the best.” Jerry looked at her intently, his always-present smile dropped for the time being. “He’ll be one of the best pitchers ever in the league. I have no doubt about that.”

  She was amazed. She’d had no idea about the depth of Chase’s talent. Sure, she knew he was a pitcher for the Rockets, but one of the best pitchers? Ever? No, she never would have guessed that. He never gave any indication of his status or his abilities. Granted, they hadn’t had much opportunity to discuss things, but he never even hinted at it. She definitely never would have known that he was one of the youngest pitchers to have so much success so early in his career. It seemed there was a lot she didn’t know and she was suddenly very curious to find out.

  “What lies are you telling about me, Smutty?” Chase and Bree walked over to them.

  Jerry gave him a toothy grin as he put his glasses back on. “Nothing but the truth, bro. It seems your modesty is getting the best of you again.”

  Chase frowned as he looked down at Maddie, but didn’t push it as he put his hand on Bree’s back. “Bree, this is Jerry Smutton. He’s on the Rockets with me. Jerry, this is Bree.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Bree. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Jerry said as he knelt down and held out his hand.

  Her eyes widened as she shook his hand. “You have?”

  “Oh, yeah. Patty’s been bragging about how he’s teaching you to be the next pro. He said you’re going to take my place on the team if I’m not careful.”

  She giggled as Jerry stood upright. “I’ve heard about you too,” Bree piped up with a sly look.

  He cocked one brow. “Oh yeah? What exactly did you hear?”

  “My Aunt Karen tells me all the time how you’re the best pitcher on the Rockets and how hot you are and how much—”

  “Okay, I think that’s enough, Bree.” Maddie interrupted by placing her hand over Bree’s mouth. “I’m sure Aunt Karen told you some of that in confidence.” She gave them an uncomfortable smile.

  “Sounds like I should hear more about Aunt Karen,” Jerry said, bobbing his eyebrows before turning to Chase. “Anyway, I just came down to tell you I was heading out. Make sure you didn’t change your mind.”

  “No, I’m good. You guys tear it up tonight.”

  “All right, if you say so.” Jerry turned back to Maddie. “It was nice meeting you.”

  “You too. Thanks for the lesson.”

  “Anytime. See you guys.”

  The three of them watched Jerry trot back toward the condominiums. “What did he educate you about?” Chase finally asked.

  She gave him a sly glance and started to walk slowly back home. “Oh, he was just filling me in on some of your history.”

  His brow shot up as he fell into step with her. “M
y history?”

  “Yeah. It seems you’re much more accomplished than you let on.”

  Chase was silent as he watched Bree walk ahead of them. “Well, hopefully whatever he told you wasn’t exaggerated. He has a tendency to do that.”

  Maddie glanced sideways at him. “Like you understate?”

  “What I have understated?”

  “No, you’re right. Not understated, but more like not saying anything at all.”

  “It’s not like I’m just going to rattle my stats off to you,” he said as he grinned down at her. “What do you want to know? I’ll answer anything you want to know.”

  “Well, I have to admit that I don’t know what to ask, really.” She stopped and turned to him. “But it’s okay to toot your own horn every once in a while. It sounds like you’re extremely talented and successful, and you should be proud of that.”

  “I’m proud of it,” Chase said with a shrug. “But I don’t feel like I have to tell everyone about it. If they come out to the park, see me, and like what they see, then yeah, it feels good, but I don’t want them to take my word on it. Of course I’m going to think I’m awesome,” he teased.

  “Straight out of high school? Not that much time in the minors? An awesome rookie season? I don’t know, that sounds pretty amazing to me.”

  He squinted as he looked up at the bright blue sky. “Jerry told you all that, huh?”

  “Did he lie about any of it? Exaggerate anything?”

  He fought a smile in embarrassment. “No. No, he didn’t.”

  “Anything you want to add, then?”

  He shrugged and she thought he looked self-conscious and uncomfortable. “I don’t know about awesome rookie season...” He trailed off and she laughed; it was so obvious he didn’t like being the center of attention. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I said I’d answer any question you have.”

  “Okay. I’ll have to start thinking of some.” Maddie looked down at the ground as they walked in silence. “You didn’t want to go out with the guys tonight?”