Called Out

by Jen Doyle

  “He was right,” she breathed.

  “Yep,” Aaron said, nodding. “He was.”

  It was yet another thing that brought tears to her eyes. She’d planned on spending a lot of time looking out over those fields, hoping she’d be doing so with Jack. But she’d save her regret for when she was old and gray and the boys had gone on to their own lives. Odds were that if Jack hadn’t come to find her before leaving for Spring Training, then there was no chance he’d come back at all. She knew that. She’d prepared for it all along. So, well...

  No regrets.

  Aaron coughed, reminding Lola she wasn’t alone and making her wonder if she’d worn her thoughts a little too obviously on her face.

  “Second floor?” he asked.

  She nodded briskly. “Sure.”

  The footprint of the house was bigger than it seemed from the road, and they’d been able to get three decent-sized bedrooms up here, along with a master that wasn’t quite as big as the one she had now, but with more than enough space. Plus, with the walls up and the flooring down, it was all so different than what it had looked like the night Jack had brought her up here that she could almost pretend it had happened somewhere else.

  “So,” Aaron said. “What do you think so far?”

  She turned to him. “This is amazing. It all is. The living room itself...” Her voice trailed off. She wished Dave could have seen the vision she’d had for this—she still couldn’t quite believe Jack had. “It’s more than I dreamed it could be,” she finally managed.

  “Great,” Aaron answered, breaking out into a smile. “That’s really great. I don’t suppose you’d like to celebrate over dinner sometime?”

  She couldn’t help the speed with which she turned to him. She didn’t mean to throw him off, but it clearly made him uncomfortable.

  He ran his hand through his hair. “I mean, word on the street is that you might be free?”

  “There’s word on the street about me?” Of course there was. She tried not to sigh.

  “There is,” Aaron said, smiling in a whole new way, and for the first time she realized how good-looking he was. How was it she’d never noticed that before?

  “Well, that’s, um, nice. I suppose,” she said instead. “And I am really flattered you asked.” Because she was, actually.

  He leaned against the wall, his eyes going a little soft and sad. “You’re not interested.”

  She hesitated. Maybe it would be good for her to put herself out there again after all. So far she was two for two in terms of finding good men. Not so great at keeping them, however. Maybe the third time would be a charm.

  Except, well, she wasn’t interested. Not even a little. “I’m really sorry,” she said. “But, no.”

  “Yeah. I knew it was a long shot,” Aaron said, jamming his hands in his pockets, “but I had to get the ask in now.”

  She cocked her head. “Why is that?” She didn’t think anyone else was joining them. She could already hear his guys getting to work on the first floor, so it wasn’t like he’d been waiting for them to be alone.

  He pushed off the wall and gave her an odd smile. “Because if that’s your answer now, then I won’t have a shot in hell after this.”

  “After what?” Yes, they still had one floor to go, but she couldn’t imagine what converting the attic into a playroom would have to do with anything.

  He held open the door to the stairs that led up. “You’ll see.”

  The attic was a huge space, almost an entire open floor. Although the ceiling slanted down along the roofline, most of it was high enough to be walkable even for a tall man like Aaron. It was perfect for a playroom, with a lot of room left for storage. Since it was intended to be almost completely open, she wasn’t sure why the side of the room over the porch was closed off. She looked at Aaron questioningly. He just nodded toward it and said, “He worked on it the whole week before he left. Said to tell you if you hated it, he’d take care of the expense of tearing it down.”

  “Jack?” she asked, even though she knew there was no other “he” in question. She just couldn’t imagine what it could be.

  Aaron nodded. “I have to head out and check on another job. Just text me or give me a call if there’s anything else you need.” And then he gave her a hug, a little bit tighter than his usual quick embrace, and it made her wonder what exactly she was going to see on the other side of that wall.

  She waited until he’d gone all the way down the stairs and the door to the hallway had closed before walking across the attic and opening up this new door. And she was glad she did. Because the second she saw what Jack had left for her, she found she needed to lean against the wall. It was like a dream hideaway, and she’d never seen anything so beautiful. At the far end of the room was a daybed, completely made up and covered with fluffy pillows. The bed sat under a window Lola didn’t remember being there before, looking out at the same view as the porch, but from this vantage point made it seem like she was at the very top of the world. And lining the side walls were floor-to-ceiling bookcases, strung with tiny lights and with a few of the shelves already full.

  There was a note on one of the shelves, written in Jack’s handwriting: Chosen by Dorie. I figured she’d be a better judge. I’d ask you to send me a picture of you here, but I already have one in my head. Spoiler alert: you’re naked.

  She laughed despite the sobs that were lodged in her throat.

  Was this his final goodbye or could it be a sign of hope?

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Buddy,” Jack said, crouching down to Four’s level. “Remember, I’ll only be gone for a few hours, and I put all your favorite toys in your crate. We’ll go for a nice long run when I get back, okay? So please don’t keep barking and bug the neighbors. They don’t like me very much to begin with, but I’d rather not have to find a new place for us to live.”

  Four looked up with his big puppy eyes and yelped. Jack sighed as he stood up and closed the door on the crate. They’d been working at learning some basic commands, and they’d even made some progress. Not enough, however. Jack had no doubts whatsoever he was going to be kicked out of his condo soon.

  After throwing his bag over his shoulder, he closed the door behind him and booked it to his car before any of his neighbors could catch him. As he drove out of the lot and along the city streets to the ballpark, though, he took a slight detour into the more suburban neighborhood nearby. Maybe he should think about buying a house. Leasing one for the rest of Spring Training, at least. Things had been going well so far, and Sam was making some encouraging noises for sure. Today was the day the rest of the team reported, though, and Jack had been warned these next few days would be the test. The next few weeks, officially, but Jack knew the first few days would make or break it. Enough guys had been around since pitchers and catchers had reported for Jack to know they were still holding back their judgment. Nate had made it clear he was willing and able to work with Jack, but there was a whole team to contend with.

  When Jack got to the stadium and parked his car it was impossible not to notice the lot was pretty full considering he’d gotten there an hour early. The memory of this same day the year before came back to him—the day the position players had reported for Spring Training after Nate had left and Jack had blown up everything. He’d had a decent first few days, but he’d walked into the locker room that day everyone else reported and known it would not be a good season. Even now, as he walked through the halls, he could tell he wasn’t just imagining it. He got a few head nods here and there from the stadium staff, but mostly eyes stayed down. Since they usually had a read on the mood of the team, Jack wasn’t taking it as a great sign.

  Here goes. He opened the door to the locker room.

  Sure enough, it was full. Also sure enough, every head turned as he walked in. Nate, although he w
as the captain and usually set the tone, just gave a vague smile and nodded his head as he pulled a jersey over his head. He’d done what he could to help; it was all up to Jack now.

  Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be a problem. Jack had been on enough teams to know how to earn his way. But this was an entirely different situation, and he wished he could be like Nate with some rah-rah statement ready to go; something to put everyone at ease and let them know he was here to work and all the crap from the year before was just noise. But he’d never been good in a crowd like this, and although he could usually crack a joke when required, if getting signed depended on him being able to do so cold, he was screwed. He gave a quick nod and headed over to his locker.

  At least what he thought was his locker. It was now totally obscured by streams of toilet paper hanging over it. He pushed the paper aside to see his locker full of what had to be at least a cooler’s worth of ice.

  He smiled. Hazing was good. But Lola was better. He pulled out the box of matches she’d given him. Whereas he had the chain she’d given him stashed in his bag, taking it out only when he was alone, he’d taken to carrying the box around with him for reasons he couldn’t even begin to name. Kind of like a tin of chewing tobacco, just...not. He turned to see every set of eyes on him, and resisted the temptation to actually light one because it would probably catch the toilet paper on fire and then he’d be screwed for sure.

  “Not this year, guys,” he said. Then he held the box up and shook it a little. “This year we’re going to burn it down.”

  He couldn’t deny the relief he felt, when, after turning back to the locker, and pushing the ice aside, he heard whoops and hollers. Within moments, players were coming up to him and introducing themselves, guy hugs and all.

  Which was why it was the oddest thing that, a few days later, and after playing at a level even he had never expected, he got the summons from Sam and could only feel dread.

  “You okay?” Nate said after the call came down.

  They were in the dugout, one last practice before the team announced the roster for the first Spring Training game.

  “You know he’s gonna sign you, right?” Nate asked.

  “Yeah,” Jack said. “I guess I do.”

  It was exactly what he wanted. What he hadn’t allowed himself to count on but had pinned all his hopes to nevertheless. So why wasn’t he even the least bit happy about it?

  He mostly just existed to play. To do his job, which he’d been pretty damn good at until now, but this last week and a half had been spectacular. His focus was unbelievable, while at the same time he felt loose and free in a way he couldn’t ever remember feeling—not on the field, at least. Only when he was with Lola.

  The guys must’ve heard about Sam’s call, because there were even more backslaps than usual as they all headed into the locker room. The mood was like late October, when the ring was in sight. But just like October, no one said a word, because you didn’t tempt fate like that. So it was mostly quiet when Jack left to go up to the office.

  “You know why you’re here.” Sam opened his desk drawer and took out a couple of cigars, handing one over to Jack. “I know you need some time to look at the contract, but I’ll tell you right now I want to sign you for three years, with a no-trade clause and an option to extend for two years beyond that.”

  Jack looked up sharply. Not that he didn’t think he was good for it, but he was on the wrong side of thirty by a few years, and those were terms beyond even what he’d dreamed about only a few months back.

  “Let’s face it,” Sam continued, “with Nate leaving at the end of this year, I want a superstar. And having you back and playing with Nate means you’re one of our best shots.” He held out his hand. “What do you say?”

  It took a few seconds for that to fully compute. Jack looked at Sam’s hand and then out at the field below. He could end his career here. Hell, he could get his career back.

  “Holy fuck,” he muttered.

  Five years. Five more years in a sport where some already considered him over the hill. Most definitely after a year people considered the death knell of his career. A chance to give his father one final Fuck You, and, at the very least, three more years to contemplate what he would do next.

  It was everything he’d always wanted. The only thing he’d cared about since he was seven years old.

  Up until a few months ago, that was. And now all he could think about was: five years without Lola. Five years of not hearing her laugh or tasting her skin or feeling the brush of her hair against him.

  In five years, Silas would be twelve, and who the hell would be teaching him to pitch?

  The triplets would be nine. Older than Silas was now and Jack would be a distant memory by that point.

  And no woman as vibrant as Lola would wait that long.

  No man worth his salt would allow her to.

  So maybe he hadn’t been the starting pitcher. He hadn’t been there to throw the first pitch. But, yes, they belonged with him, and he sure as hell could take the ball and finish the game.

  Words came out of his mouth that he never expected he’d say. “I wish I could say yes,” he answered, jumping to his feet as he paced back and forth, a nervous kind of energy overtaking him like nothing he’d ever felt before. “I can’t tell you how much I wish that.”

  He started to laugh.

  One year he could manage.

  Maybe.

  “But I can’t quite commit yet.”

  Sam leaned back against the desk, his hands in a steeple as they came to his mouth. “You realize I could blackball you for this.”

  More laughter bubbled up in Jack’s chest. He tried to solemnly answer and yet there was a grin on his face. “Yeah. I do. And you would have every right to.”

  “You’d be finished,” Sam said. “No one would ever let you play again, even if Nate went to bat for you. Pun intended.”

  “I do,” Jack said, the surprise still in his voice. He looked at Sam as if Sam could explain it.

  Well, maybe Aaron would hire him on for some extra work.

  And then Sam smiled. “That whole freaking town will be the death of me.” He stood. “Go. The offer stands for three days, and I’ll tell you up front that I don’t give a shit, I still want you for this year. The rest of the terms are up for negotiation.”

  Jack had hugged a lot of guys in his life. Even kissed a few after a big game. But he wasn’t a particularly demonstrative person, especially off the field. He found himself wrapping his arms around Sam as if he’d just won the biggest game he’d ever played.

  Well, maybe he had.

  “Tell her I said hello,” Sam called as he left the office.

  He should have known Nate would be waiting for him, sitting on the edge of the secretary’s desk and chatting. He stood and smiled as Jack came out. “Yeah?”

  “No,” Jack said, hugging him, too. Hell, why not give the secretary one, as well. “I mean, yeah. But I need your plane.”

  “Now?” Nate asked in surprise.

  “Yes.” Jack headed out into the hallway without even looking back to see if Nate was following. “Right now.”

  “Uh, okay...” Nate said from behind him. “I’ll make the call. You need a ride?”

  Jack nodded his head.

  “Fuck,” Nate said, a grin coming over his face. “I may as well come with you. Dorie will hurt me otherwise.”

  Good, Jack thought. Great. “You think Pete might be willing to look at a contract for me?”

  Nate smiled and clasped Jack on the shoulder. “I sure as hell do.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started making calls.

  Come to think of it, Jack had some calls to make, too. “Mrs. Lansing? Hi, it’s Jack...”

  Chapter Thirty

  This had not bee
n Lola’s best day. There’d been another binky incident this morning and everyone had been in a bad mood to start with. The babysitter had car trouble and hadn’t been able to get the boys to school, which meant everyone had been late. The two-hour block of time Lola had carefully arranged to work up a few new ads had been cut into so severely she’d just scrapped it. She’d instead ended up sitting in her car for twenty minutes drinking coffee and reading a book on her phone, but in the book there’d been something about baseball and she’d ended up crying off and on for the whole day.

  And now, just as they were coming into the dinner rush, she happened to hear on the TV that Jack had been offered a five-year contract with the Watchmen. “Goddamn it!” she shouted as she nearly dropped another tray, instead managing to spill drinks all over her fourth-grade teacher.

  “Language, Lola,” Mrs. Bellevue said.

  “Yes, Mrs. Bellevue. I’m so sorry.”

  After cleaning everything up and getting a new round from Deke, she rested her arms on the bar and deposited her head into them. Deke pulled her into a hug.

  “I’m really happy for him,” she said, her voice muffled by Deke’s chest.

  “I know you are, Lo,” he answered. “I know.”

  “Well, at least Silas is going to get to go to a lot of games,” she mumbled, trying to see the bright side.

  “He’ll be okay. They all will.”

  Since she’d already made a fool of herself in front of everyone who’d shown up for the early bird special, she decided it wasn’t going to hurt any more to let him hold her as she cried. And she didn’t think she’d been crying for more than a few seconds when he stiffened and said, “Uh, Lola...”