Fair Catch

by Anderson, Cindy Roland

  A small sigh passed through her lips as she pulled back and softly closed the door.

  * * *

  Early the next morning, Thomas showed up. As Ellie pulled open the door, she saw Nick’s Denali parked in the driveway. She quickly invited Thomas in. “Cade is in the kitchen eating breakfast.”

  Thomas sauntered past her, his trademark cologne hanging on the air. The scent made Ellie’s stomach revolt. It was hard to believe she had once found this man attractive. He looked back over his shoulder. “Mind if I watch the news?”

  “Go ahead.” Ellie was relieved she could clean up the dishes without Thomas hovering nearby.

  She took her time getting to the kitchen, listening as Thomas greeted Cade. He sounded so normal and like a perfectly decent father, admonishing Cade to finish his breakfast and drink all his milk. She wondered if Cade would resent his father one day. How could he not when Ellie harbored so much animosity for the man?

  Just as she stepped into the kitchen, Thomas hooted with laughter. “Would you look at that. Hey, El, your new neighbor’s on TV.”

  Ellie’s hand fluttered to her stomach as she walked into the family room to see Nick on the television screen. He was dressed in a yellow polo and sat next to the current Miss Colorado. The camera captured the couple talking and laughing in the intimate setting. The caption below named an exclusive restaurant in Winter Park.

  Had Nick been on a date with Miss Colorado? He never mentioned that his meeting was with a gorgeous brunette. Here she thought he’d only been golfing. Was Miss Colorado the reason Nick stayed in Winter Park an extra day?

  “Man, I can’t believe how lucky that guy is. He’s older than me, and look at the women he gets to date.” Thomas’s voice dripped with envy. “I have got to meet this guy. Maybe he can hook me up with her runner-up.”

  Ellie couldn’t reply, unable to tear her eyes away from the television. What a fool she had been. Why would Nick want her when he could have the perfect beauty pageant winner?

  When the story ended, Thomas stood up. “Well, since you’re not going to introduce me. I’m going to do it myself.” He looked down at their son. “Cade, do you want to come with me to see Nick?”

  Cade jumped up and down. “Yeah, I like Nick.”

  Thomas quirked an eyebrow. “Sure you don’t want to come with us?”

  She shook her head. “No, go ahead.”

  After they closed the door, she rushed to the window and watched Cade and Thomas cross the street. She let out the breath she had been holding and closed her eyes with relief. The Denali was no longer parked in the driveway.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Adjusting the navy blue ball cap on his head, Nick waited in line at the Subway drive-through after ordering a breakfast sandwich. There were a few cars ahead of him, leaving him time to call Ellie.

  Yesterday, he had left her alone, figuring she had enough to deal with. Plus, he had had meetings in Denver. But today, he didn’t care if her ex was at her house. He was calling her.

  He knew how Ellie felt about her ex-husband, but when Nick woke up this morning and saw the stupid red sports car sitting in Ellie’s driveway, irrational thoughts of jealousy crowded out his reasoning. What if having her ex-husband around made Ellie want Thomas back in her life?

  Nick took the hat off and slapped it back on his head. He wasn’t going to let that happen. His car inched forward as he pulled out his phone and dialed Ellie’s number.

  She answered after a few rings, her voice sounded strained.

  His fingers tightened around the phone. “Hey, do you have a minute to talk?”

  He could hear Cade laughing in the background. “Yeah,” Ellie said in a quiet voice. “Hang on a second.”

  After a moment of silence, he heard her clear her throat. “Uh, what did you need?”

  Huh? “I just wanted to see how you were holding up.” The way she spoke made him feel like they were back at the first quarter.

  “Fine. I’m doing fine. How are you?”

  The car in front of him moved ahead a space and Nick let his foot off the brake. She sounded anything but fine. “I’m okay. I just miss you and wanted to see you.”

  He heard a gasp. “You want to come over to my house?”

  “Or we could go out, especially if Cade is with his dad.”

  She let out a big breath. “Uh, Thomas…well, he won’t like it.”

  What? Did this guy have some kind of hold over her? “Why? Did he threaten you or something?”

  “No.” She cleared her throat again. “I just don’t want to make any waves.”

  Nick’s hand gripped the steering wheel hard. “It shouldn’t matter what he thinks. He’s not your husband anymore.”

  “I know.” She sounded defensive. “But I don’t want to make him angry, especially if there is nothing more than just a friendship between us.”

  Nick sat back, not sure what she was saying. “What do you mean by that?”

  “We’re not exclusive, Nick. I know that.”

  He couldn’t figure out where she was coming from. “What are you trying to say, Ellie?”

  “I don’t know.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I just feel confused and…I don’t know. Maybe it would be better to wait until after Thomas leaves before we talk again.”

  A horn beeped and Nick pulled forward to close the gap. “So you don’t want me to call you?”

  “No. Yes.” She moaned, and if he didn’t feel so angry, he might have felt sorry for her.

  “If that’s how you feel, Ellie. I won’t call you.”

  He waited for her to disagree with him. “Okay.” Her voice was whisper soft. “Bye.”

  Nick stared at his phone in disbelief when she ended the call. What had just happened? His stomach rolled as he paid for his breakfast sandwich. He threw the sack on the passenger seat, his appetite gone.

  As he drove home, the conversation with Ellie kept repeating in his head. He knew how she felt about Thomas. So why did she sound like she cared so much about what he thought?

  Too bad Betsy was out of town. He could sure use some advice. As he neared home, he knew he couldn’t sit around and watch Ellie get back together with her husband. He made a quick call, arranging to take the next flight to California.

  An hour later, Nick grabbed his duffel bag and hurried down the stairs. Stepping out on his front porch, he heard a child’s laughter. Across the street, Cade and his dad played catch together. Ellie stood on her porch watching the pair, her lips turned up into a soft smile. She looked beautiful.

  Nick lowered his head and walked to his car. He really needed to start parking in the garage. His hopes of leaving undetected were shot when Cade spotted him. “Nick, wanna play catch with my dad and me?”

  Ellie looked up to meet his gaze and bit her lower lip, wrapping her arms around her waist. Her ex-husband held the football, tossing it gently in front of him and then catching it again. He watched Nick, clearly waiting for an answer.

  “No, I don’t want to interrupt your game.”

  Thomas laughed. “Are you kidding? You wouldn’t be interrupting.” He closed the distance and stuck his hand out to Nick. “I understand I have you to thank for teaching Cade how to catch a football.”

  Left with no choice, Nick took his hand. “He’s a natural.”

  Thomas released his hand and whistled. “I can’t believe I’m finally getting to meet you. I’ve followed your career since you left UCLA.”

  Nick usually liked his fans. This guy, not so much. “Thanks.” Lifting his eyes a fraction, he met Ellie’s gaze. “Hello, Ellie.”

  “Hi.” She stayed rooted on the porch stairs, the tension between the two of them bouncing back and forth like a ping-pong ball. Thomas looked at Ellie, then at Nick, his eyes narrowing slightly.

  “Mom,” Cade yelled, jumping up and down. “Can Nick come over and watch Transformers with us?”

  Her eyes widened in alarm. Nick patted Cade on the head. “Sorry, but I can’t right no
w. You have fun watching it with your dad and mom though.” The words felt thick on his tongue. But after all, they were Cade’s parents.

  Cade didn’t seem too disappointed. “Okay.”

  Thomas gripped the football with both hands. “Man, that’s too bad. We’d love to have you over.” He glanced at his former wife. “Isn’t that right, El?”

  Ellie glared at her ex-husband. “I need to go and check on the brownies.” She spared Nick another glance and held his gaze as her eyes softened with longing. “Goodbye, Nick.”

  She had Nick’s head spinning in all directions. One minute telling him not to call her and then the next looking at him like she didn’t want him to leave. “Goodbye.” He wondered if her farewell was permanent.

  “You sure you can’t stay and watch the movie with us?” Thomas pulled Nick out of his morose thoughts.

  “Yeah, I’m sure.” He held up his duffel. “I’m on my way to the airport.”

  Cade burst into excited chatter when he heard Nick mention the airport. “I get to fly on an airplane with my daddy. We’re going to Disneyland. Where are you going?”

  Nick tried to answer with something the little boy could relate to. “I’m going to see my mom.”

  Cade looked confused. “You have a mom?”

  Nick couldn’t help laughing. “Yep, just like you do.”

  “Is she as nice as my mom?”

  Nick imagined Ellie’s soft face and blue-green eyes. “Yeah, she’s as nice as yours is.” He heard the wistfulness in his voice as he met Thomas’s gaze. Right now, he didn’t care if Thomas knew how he felt about Ellie.

  Thomas’s mouth curved into a smile that looked closer to a sneer. Setting the football down, he reached in his back pocket and withdrew his wallet. “I wish I could’ve talked to you earlier.” He pulled out a business card and handed it to Nick. “I represent some clients that would be interested in talking to you about some endorsements. I would really appreciate it if you would give me a call so we can discuss business. I could even meet you in L.A.”

  Nick accepted the business card. He had no desire to do business with this guy, and if Thomas planned on conducting business in California, what would Cade be doing? “I’ll have to run it past my agent.”

  Thomas gave him a calculated look. “Okay. Just have him give me a call.”

  Nick met his stare. “I’ll pass on the message.”

  After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Thomas forced a smile and said, “Ellie and our son are excited to have such a famous guy around. Maybe we can have a little get-together when you’re back in town.”

  Nick raised an eyebrow. Was the man going to be here that long? “Sure, just have Ellie let me know when, and I’ll be there.” Yeah, right. Looks like he would be selling his house after all.

  The two men continued to stare, measuring one another. Finally, Nick broke eye contact to load his bag in the back of his car. He looked up and caught Ellie standing in the doorway, watching the two of them. Nick lifted his hand to wave at her. She gave him a small wave as Thomas looked at her over his shoulder and then back to Nick.

  Thomas offered another insincere smile and held out his hand to his little boy. “Come on, Cade. Mommy is ready for us to come and watch the movie with her. Say goodbye, son.”

  Nick recognized that Thomas trying to mark his territory. Would Ellie fall for this? Nick touched Cade on the shoulder. “See ya later, buddy.”

  Before Nick opened the door, he chanced another look at Ellie. Her curly hair hung over her shoulders and her skin looked pale in contrast to the pink shirt she wore. They looked at each other for only seconds, and then he tore his gaze away and climbed into his car.

  How would things be with Ellie when he returned next week? Would she be ready to talk then? Or would it be too late?

  * * *

  Feeling sick to her stomach, Ellie watched Nick drive away. Seeing him again confused her even further. The tender look in his eyes reminded her of their dinner date when he’d confessed being attracted to her. But her insecurities made it hard to erase the image of him sitting close to Miss Colorado.

  Although Thomas had initially been friendly, it hadn’t taken long before he started making derogatory comments toward her. What little self-esteem Nick had boosted, dwindled with each of Thomas’s statements.

  Slowly, Thomas turned around and watched her intently as Cade rushed over to her. “Mommy, can we watch the movie now?”

  Placing one hand over her rolling stomach, she pasted on a smile. “Sure, sweetie. I just need to download the filter first.” When they’d gone to rent the movie, Thomas had purchased a ClearPlay DVD player that filtered out the bad parts of a movie.

  Cade whizzed past her as Thomas ambled forward, keeping his eyes fixated on her. “Nice guy, isn’t he?”

  She swallowed. More than anything, she didn’t want him to know how she felt about Nick. “Yes. He is.”

  Thomas held her gaze, his mouth twisting into a sarcastic grin. “Oh please. Don’t tell me you have a thing for the football player?”

  Ellie didn’t want to go there. She desperately needed to change the subject. “Cade is ready to watch the movie now.”

  His eyes hardened as he leaned in menacingly. “If you think for one second a guy like that is going to want someone like you…” He shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding. You saw what he can have. Why would he want you?”

  The words hit her as if he had slugged her in the stomach. But what if Thomas was right? How foolish to think someone like Nick Coulter would really want her.

  She could feel the hate emanating from Thomas. He swore at her. “The only reason I’m here is because a client of mine wants Nick Coulter endorsing his product. When I saw the news conference…” He shrugged. “I saw a golden opportunity.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. Thomas knew who had bought the house all along. “But what about Cade?” she asked softly.

  “I still love Cade, Ellie. I really didn’t have the time to come out here, but like I said, there was a good chance I could get Coulter’s name for my client.” He looked at her, his lip curling up. “I should’ve known you would mess up the opportunity for me. Do you know how repulsed Nick Coulter must be by having you make the moves on him?”

  She felt like she couldn’t breathe. All the hateful words he’d said to her over the years taunted her, making her feel worthless. How many times had Thomas told her she meant nothing to him—that she was nothing?

  He wasn’t finished and drove his final, lethal blow. “If Coulter showed any interest at all it’s because he was toying with you. He saw a desperate, easy mark.” He laughed. “Take a look at the tabloids the next time you’re in the grocery store—he always has a new, young and gorgeous woman next to him.” He walked past her, shaking his head.

  Her eyes burned with emotion as she sucked in a deep breath and willed herself not to fall apart. She heard the rumble of Thomas’s voice and the playful laughter coming from Cade.

  Thomas said he loved Cade, but he was using him just like he used everybody else. It hurt, thinking her sweet little boy had to spend any time with his selfish father. She didn’t want to let Cade go to California, but what choice did she have?

  Cade yelled for her to come in and watch the movie. Straightening her shoulders, Ellie went to the kitchen and logged onto her ClearPlay account, downloading the filter. With Thomas and Cade watching, she put the movie in and followed the instructions.

  When the movie started, she looked at Cade, sitting close to his dad with a happy smile on his face. Thomas cut her a glance, his eyes hard as steel.

  The next day, Ellie did the most difficult thing she had ever done. She put her little boy in the sports car with Thomas and then watched them drive away.

  * * *

  Ellie turned the page of the book and realized she had no idea what she’d just read. Slamming the book closed, she stood up and went to the living room window, gazing at the empty stone house. Nick still had not r
eturned from California. She blinked back the tears forming in her eyes. Today she had vowed not to cry. By the time church ended tomorrow, she could go to the airport and get her little boy.

  The past week had been the longest in Ellie’s life, and the loneliest. Betsy, Nick and Cade had all been gone. She longed for Cade, missed Betsy, and couldn’t even think about Nick.

  A part of her had hoped Nick would call her anyway, despite how stupid she had acted. She hated how Thomas’s words kept replaying over and over in her head. Nick was a good guy. But his interest in her had probably been more circumstantial than anything. Being attracted to someone didn’t mean love.

  A tear escaped and she wiped it away angrily. She just wanted to get her little boy home and get back to her life. Cade was her life—there couldn’t be anymore. At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

  I am so pathetic. What had her life been like pre-Nick? From what she could remember, she had been relatively happy. How was she supposed to go on living with Nick just across the street?

  Her ringing phone interrupted the morbid thoughts. The name on the screen made her breath catch. What did Thomas want? She prayed that nothing had happened to Cade.

  “Thomas? Is Cade okay?”

  “Of course. I just wanted to give you Cade’s flight number and the time he arrives.”

  She already had it memorized, but didn’t say anything. “Okay.”

  “It’s flight 213 and it arrives at six tonight.”

  Ellie felt her stomach drop. “Tonight? What happened to tomorrow?”

  She heard him take a deep breath. “I needed to get back to Australia and I lucked out and got Cade on a flight this afternoon.”

  “Are you with him?”

  He cleared his throat. “I paid a premium to have him escorted the entire trip. Plus, it’s a non-stop flight so you don’t need to worry.”