Home in Carolina

by Sherryl Woods

  “I thought you’d vowed not to come around here until you were back to a hundred percent,” he said to Ty.

  “I was hoping for a favor,” Ty admitted.

  “Name it,” Cal said at once.

  “How about tossing a few balls with me?” He nodded toward the two boys who were gathering the equipment and sending surreptitious glances in their direction. “Once they’re gone, that is. I don’t want any spectators around.”

  Cal frowned at the request. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

  Ty shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  Cal gestured toward the bleachers. Side by side, they crossed the field. Cal took a seat next to Ty. “I know how impatient you are,” he said. “But do you really want to risk a setback?”

  Ty gave him a bleak look. “I need to know.”

  “But you’re not going to know anything, really. You’ll be throwing hurt.” He gave Ty a commiserating look. “Look, you know I’ve been exactly where you are. I had the same fears.”

  “And what? You played by the book? Did every step of rehab exactly the way they told you to? How’d that turn out?” Ty demanded, already aware of the answer. Cal had never played in a major league game again. Ty needed to know if that was his fate, as well. If his playing days were over, it was going to require a huge adjustment, not just financially, but in the way he thought about himself and what he wanted.

  “It wouldn’t have changed anything if I’d rushed things,” Cal said.

  “You’d have known that much sooner,” Ty corrected.

  “No,” Cal told him. “I’d have known that the pain was making it impossible for me to get a decent fastball over homeplate. I wouldn’t have known if I could do it once my shoulder had healed.”

  Ty sighed, his frustration mounting. “I hate this. All of it. The waiting around to see if I still have a career. Dealing with Dee-Dee. Being scared spitless that I could lose my son.”

  “You’re not going to lose Trevor,” Cal said forcefully. “You might have to share custody, but that’s the worst that’s going to happen. Frankly, I don’t think it will even go that far.”

  “I don’t want to think so, either, but I need to face facts. If Dee-Dee marries some nice, respectable guy and can provide Trevor with everything I can, who’s the judge going to choose?”

  “The man who’s been in that little boy’s life practically from day one, raising Trevor on his own,” Cal said without hesitation. He glanced sideways at Ty. “You’re not going to let me cheer you up, are you?”

  Ty shook his head. “I don’t know why it started getting to me so bad today. It could have been seeing Dee-Dee with Trevor this morning at Wharton’s. He was giggling and crawling into her lap as if they’d never been apart. And then there was Annie, the woman who should have been the mother of my kids, a couple of booths away, looking miserable.” His lips curved slightly. “Of course, some of that was due to overindulgence in margaritas last night, but still, I feel this huge rush of guilt every time I see her.”

  Cal gave him a knowing look. “How badly do you want Annie back?” he asked.

  “As much as I want to keep my son with me,” Ty admitted.

  “Then fight for her, Ty. Don’t sit around giving her space or waiting for her forgiveness. Be in her face every chance you get, prove to her that she’s the only woman who matters to you, and don’t stop trying until she believes you.”

  “I don’t know…” Ty began, but Cal interrupted.

  “Ty, now’s not the time to hesitate. Once Dee-Dee starts hanging around more, or if she does, it’ll be a constant reminder to Annie of what happened. When that day comes, make sure Annie already knows with absolute certainty that it will not happen again. Not with Dee-Dee, not with anyone else.”

  “Annie can’t be rushed,” Ty argued. “She likes to do things at her own pace.”

  “Every woman likes to be courted, Ty. If I’d sat back and given your mom too much time to think, too many chances to talk herself out of marrying me, where do you think we’d be today?”

  Ty considered Cal’s advice and realized he was right, at least when it had come to his courtship of Ty’s mom. Maddie’d had plenty of excuses for turning her back on the relationship, including the fact that initially Ty had freaked over the thought of his mom dating his much-younger baseball coach.

  Of course, Cal hadn’t come into Maddie’s life with the baggage Ty had with Annie. That was a huge hurdle to overcome. Maybe, though, it was time he dedicated himself to really trying and stopped being put off by Annie’s protests.

  He glanced at Cal. “You sure we can’t toss the ball around for a while?”

  “Go find Annie,” Cal advised.

  “I’m seeing her later at the spa.”

  “Any reason you can’t surprise her now? Maybe take her some flowers. Nothing too elaborate. Maybe daisies, since you said she liked them.” Cal grinned. “Your mom says that’s a sweet gesture. I’m here to tell you it works like a damn charm.”

  Ty looked skeptical. “Daisies?”

  “Pick ’em yourself, if you can find some in bloom. That’s always a nice touch.”

  Ty recalled the frequent bouquets of flowers popping up at home and in Maddie’s office. Cal obviously followed his own advice. “Did you pass along all this touchy-feely stuff when you were playing ball?” Ty asked. “If so, maybe that’s why your career ended up down the tubes. Your sensitive side was freaking out your macho teammates.”

  Cal didn’t looked particularly embarrassed by the suggestion. “I wound up with your mom, didn’t I? The advice can’t be all bad.”

  “Good point,” Ty conceded, then grinned. “And I know exactly where to find some daisies.”

  Fifteen minutes later Ty was at his grandma Paula’s house. His mom’s mother, Paula Vreeland, was a renowned artist whose botanical prints were hung in galleries all over the country, but were especially popular in Charleston and the surrounding area. These days arthritis had taken a toll on her hands, so she was painting less, but she continued to garden. Her backyard was a colorful masterpiece in its own right.

  When she opened the door to Ty, surprise and delight lit her eyes. “It’s about time you came to see me, young man. Where’s Trevor?”

  “He’s at home. I had an impulse while I was out and came straight over here.”

  “Uh-oh,” she said. “Don’t tell me you’re here for some of my lemonade and cookies. I haven’t baked in weeks.”

  Ty put an arm around her shoulders and noticed that the once tall, vibrant force of nature that she had been seemed to have shrunk since the last time he’d seen her. “How about the lemonade?” he teased. “Have any of that?”

  “I think I could find a pitcher in the fridge,” she said. “Now, tell me why you’re really here.”

  “I was thinking about your garden earlier.”

  She studied him. “Oh? Why the sudden interest? You always hated it when I made you go out and weed for me.”

  “Still would,” he admitted without hesitation. “But I was hoping maybe your daisies are in bloom and you wouldn’t mind if I stole a few.”

  An immediate twinkle lit her eyes. “You’ve been talking to Cal,” she guessed. “I swear, there are times I can’t keep that man out of my garden. Your mother said one thing about liking daisies and he was over here all the time.” Her expression turned dreamy. “Women love a man with a romantic streak.”

  “Was Grandpa like that?” Ty asked. His memories of the man were dim. All he recalled were long, dry discussions and constant admonitions about making too much noise. He’d seemed an odd contrast to his grandmother’s free spirit.

  “Heavens no,” she said at once. “I’m not even sure he knew we had a garden. I was lucky if he poked his head out of the library long enough to have dinner with me. That’s what I get for marrying a stuffy professor.”

  “Mom says you all would take off on a whim all the time,” Ty recalled. “That must have been romantic.
”

  “I suppose it was,” she said. “We certainly saw the world over the years. I doubt there’s a major art museum anywhere we didn’t visit at one time or another.”

  She poured two glasses of lemonade as she talked, then led the way into the garden, which was filled with so many colors and fragrances it took a minute to absorb the beauty of it. She grabbed a pair of clippers from a workbench and handed them to Ty, then pointed across the path to a huge display of white daisies.

  “Don’t destroy the plant,” she instructed. “Leave some blooms for me to enjoy.”

  Ty recalled how many times he’d gotten in trouble for not doing things exactly as she’d told him to. “Maybe you should cut them,” he said.

  “Do you want to tell Annie that I put her bouquet together, instead of you? It is for Annie, isn’t it?”

  Ty nodded.

  “About time,” Paula said. “You’ve been dragging your feet too long, instead of making things right with her. Cal was certainly on the money to give you a push.”

  Ty stared at her. “Do the two of you sit around over here and discuss matchmaking strategies?”

  “You’d be surprised what Cal and I have discussed over the years,” his grandmother said. “It’s a wise man who knows to listen to the advice of someone older. Besides, I owe him a little free advice for helping to bridge the gap between your mother and me. For too many years I neglected her, and we both knew I disapproved of her marriage to your father. It wasn’t until Bill was out of her life and Cal was hanging around that we began to see eye to eye about anything.”

  She gestured toward the daisies. “Get over there and start snipping. You’ll want a large bouquet if you’re going to get Annie’s attention. And it’s too hot for me to be sitting around out here all afternoon supervising.”

  Ty cut the flowers under her watchful eye until he had more than enough. His grandmother found some blue-and-yellow plaid ribbon in the house and showed him how to tie a bow around the stems. She insisted he do that himself, as well. It was a little lopsided, but the effect, he supposed, was charming. Despite his earlier doubts, he could imagine Annie’s delighted reaction.

  “Thanks, Grandma Paula.”

  “Anytime. Now, bring that great-grandson of mine over here the next time you come or don’t bother showing up.”

  “I’ll do that,” he promised.

  “And don’t wait too much longer, either. I’m not getting any younger.”

  “You’ll always be young,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Thanks for the flowers.”

  “No problem,” she said. “And, Ty, don’t fret too much about Trevor’s mom. Something tells me that’s all going to work out.”

  He opened his mouth to ask how she knew about Dee-Dee, but closed it again. This was, after all, Serenity, where news—good and bad—traveled at warp speed.

  16

  Every single client Annie had worked with today had been difficult, including Sarah. Or maybe it was simply that she still felt lousy, so she took every comment about her tough regimens to heart. When Sarah moaned that Annie was torturing her, Annie lost it.

  “Do you want to get this weight off and get healthy or not?” she asked. “It’s not going to disappear just by wishing it away.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened at her sharp tone and insensitivity. But rather than snapping back, she asked, “Are you okay?”

  The genuine concern in Sarah’s voice fueled Annie’s guilt over her thoughtless words. “I’m sorry, Sarah, and no, I am not okay. Not only do I have a raging headache and look awful, but who do I see first thing this morning but Ty, with Trevor’s mom, the beauty queen.”

  Sarah blinked. “Was she really a beauty queen?”

  “I have no idea,” Annie said, still unable to keep her impatience in check. “I just meant she looked a thousand times better than I did.”

  Obviously battling her own hangover—and without the benefit of Ronnie’s special cure—Sarah struggled to keep up. “You’re jealous of a woman Ty has absolutely zero interest in?” she asked incredulously.

  “Of course not,” Annie retorted, then sighed. “Okay, probably. She is Trevor’s mother. That gives them a connection Ty and I will never have.”

  “Unless you get married and have kids of your own,” Sarah suggested.

  “Not going to happen,” Annie said with certainty.

  “Because he’s not interested or because you’re too scared?”

  Sometimes it sucked having a friend who knew how easy it was to cave in to your own fears. Annie scowled at her. “Yes, I’m scared. Can you blame me? Just when I’m starting to admit to myself that I still have feelings for Ty, along comes this Dee-Dee person to remind me of why we broke up.”

  “Forget about Dee-Dee,” Sarah advised. “I really don’t think she’s an issue. Ty loves you.”

  Annie wanted to believe her, but how could she? The existence of Trevor was a day-in, day-out reminder of Ty’s betrayal. To have Dee-Dee in the picture as well was almost unbearable, especially this new, apparently improved, classy Dee-Dee.

  “Could you honestly say you’d be perfectly calm and rational if some ex of Walter’s showed up?” Annie asked her friend.

  Sarah grinned. “No, but I am learning to be open to possibilities again with Walter. Don’t you think you should do the same with Ty? I’m amazed at how a little change in attitude can make such a huge difference.”

  “Maybe it’s easier for you because you and Walter are actually married. You made a commitment, for better or worse. You have a family you want to save. What do Ty and I have?”

  “A love that’s lasted for most of your life,” Sarah reminded her. “At least since you were old enough to know the meaning of the word. I swear, I think you fell for him in kindergarten. I know I started hearing Ty said this and Ty said that around that time.”

  Despite her generally foul mood, Annie chuckled. “You can’t remember that far back.”

  “Indeed, I can,” Sarah insisted. “The minute the first-graders would come outside for recess, you always headed straight for Ty—much to his disgust, I might add. My point is that the two of you have something worth fighting for. There’s history there and friendship, to say nothing of love.”

  “Letting go of the anger isn’t that easy,” Annie argued. There were times lately when she’d almost done it, when she’d let herself really feel what was in her heart, but the power of that emotion had scared her right back into her protective shell. “Besides, who says Ty wants to get back together?”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “Please, you can’t seriously have doubts about that. Do you imagine he’s in Serenity for the heck of it?”

  “He’s here because he’s injured.” Okay, she did know better. Even Maddie had told her that Ty was here, at least in part, for her.

  “Don’t you think most ballplayers stick around the team doctors and trainers after an injury?” Sarah scoffed. “No, Ty is here because you are.”

  Even as she spoke, Sarah glanced across the spa and her eyes lit up. A smile spread across her face. “I rest my case,” she said. “Gotta run.”

  Annie stared after her, confused by her abrupt decision to go. “Where are you going? Your workout isn’t over.”

  “Oh, yes, it is,” Sarah said. “Spend the rest of my time with him.”

  “Him who?” Annie said, then finally turned around to see Ty crossing the room in long strides, his gaze on her, an armload of daisies in hand. Her heart climbed into her throat.

  As he walked, heads turned. In a spa restricted to women, other than the two male personal trainers who worked there, all that testosterone was a sight worth ogling. Especially since it was so nicely packaged. Annie couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away, either.

  When Ty stopped in front of her and held out the flowers, she could swear there was a collective sigh around the room.

  “You’re not due here for hours,” she said, because she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “I kno
w. I wanted to see you.”

  She studied him with suspicion. “Why?”

  He grinned as he continued to hold out the bouquet. “To give you these.”

  “Why?”

  He laughed. “So many questions. Why does a man usually bring flowers to a woman?”

  “Because he wants something,” she retorted.

  “Now, there’s a cynical response if ever I heard one. Did you consider for even a second that I just wanted to do something nice for you?”

  Annie hesitated. She supposed it was a possibility. Still, she once again asked, “Why?”

  “Because I love you,” he said with simple sincerity.

  This time there was no mistaking the sigh, though it only came from those close enough to overhear his quietly spoken declaration.

  Annie was so taken aback by the heartfelt reply, she had to sit down. “Oh,” she murmured, burying her flaming cheeks in the flowers. Ty sat next to her.

  She turned to him, feeling a little frantic. “You’re not supposed to be in here during regular hours. Maybe you should go now.”

  His lips twitched. “Just when things are getting interesting? I don’t think so. You heard me. Don’t you have anything you want to say?”

  She stared at him blankly. “Like what?”

  “Oh, like maybe that you’re wildly, passionately in love with me, too?”

  She frowned at his teasing, then met his gaze and realized he was serious. “You want me to say that?” she asked in astonishment. “Really? Here and now, in front of an audience?”

  He nodded. “But only if it’s true.”

  “Well, it’s not,” she blurted.

  He regarded her with skepticism. “Really?”

  “Really,” she said, stubbornness and pride kicking in. It wasn’t going to be this easy for him, dammit! He wasn’t going to waltz in here with his sweet bouquet of flowers and his pretty words and charm her into forgetting everything that had happened or the fact that Dee-Dee was hanging around.