See Chapter One for disclaimers.
CHAPTER TWO
"That Jennie is something else, isn't she?" asked Garret, having dispersed the crowd, and taking a seat next to Cody, who just shrugged after giving him The Look for the story he'd chosen to tell to a group of strangers.
"Yeah, I guess," she said, hiding any further response by taking a long drink of her soda, swallowing nearly half of the glass.
"Quite a looker, too," he added, nudging Cody, who rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess," she shrugged, again.
"Is that all you can say?" demanded the man, and Cody smirked.
"Yeah, I guess." That earned her a punch in the arm. The right arm, to be precise, and she winced.
"Oh, sorry, kid. Are you all right?" Garret asked, seeing that Cody's pain was genuine, not feigned as he had first suspected.
"Yeah, just pulled a muscle on that home run, I think," she admitted, rubbing the joint and rotating it slowly in an attempt to make it feel a little better. "It's nothing serious." Garret knew better, but didn't say anything, because he also knew Cody wouldn't go to the doctor unless she was too injured to fight off the people who would drag her to the physician.
"So, what's the game plan for the next few weeks?" he asked, and Cody sighed.
"Joe says we've got a few days off before we head to Phoenix, where it sounds like we'll play a game or two against them, and after that, I'm not sure. I haven't been paying much attention to the schedule, to tell you the truth," she said, and Garret nodded.
"That's okay. What have you been up to lately, Cody? I've missed our talks," he said, and Cody agreed.
"Me, too," she said, sadly. "But, you know me, Garret. I'm not one for conversation."
"All right, Cody Madison, what's bothering you?"
Cody's eyes widened. "Huh? What do you mean?" she asked, playing innocent.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," said Garret. "You only turn down our talks, which usually turn out to be just a contest to see who can tell the dirtiest joke, anyway, when there's something wrong that you really don't want to talk about. So, talk," he finished, and Cody sighed, again.
"Garret, you know I love you, but…" she began, but the man cut her off, his brown eyes firm.
"No buts young lady," he said, and Cody turned back to her drink, which was now empty. "I want to know what's going on in that head of yours, and why you're upset."
Cody scowled. "Barry called me last night," she admitted, and Garret was shocked.
"Barry? As in, your brother that you haven't talked to in God knows how long? That Barry?" he asked, and Cody nodded. "Wow. What'd he have to say?"
"Not much," she shrugged. "He was just calling because he wanted money. Said since his little sister's rich, that surely she can spare some dough for her brother. He said he needed it because his daughter needed braces or some shit like that," she scoffed.
"And? What'd you tell him?" asked Garret, already knowing it would be bad.
"I told him to fuck off," she said, simply.
"Cody, he's your brother," began the man, gently, but Cody shook her head.
"No, he's not. He disowned me, remember? About twelve years ago, just after Dad died," Cody reminded him. "But now that I've got money, I'm suddenly back in the family? Hell no."
Garret sighed. He knew it wouldn't do any good to try to convince Cody to get back on better terms with Barry, because the woman could hold a grudge longer than anyone he knew, and while she had every right to be angry for the cruel things Barry had said, they were still family. But the baseball player didn't care.
"So that's what's bothering you?" clarified Garret, and Cody shrugged.
"Yeah, basically," she responded.
"Basically? It can't just be your brother, Cody, and your game's been great, so it's not that. What is it?" asked Garret, softly. Cody shifted lower in her seat, and looked away. "You're lonely," the man said, suddenly, as if it had just been revealed to him.
Cody's face held an expression of surprise and annoyance. "What? No! I'm not lonely. I like everything just fine the way it is, Garret," she sighed.
Except that I'm lonely, she thought, sadly. How long has it been since I've had a real relationship with someone? Three, four… five years? I can't even remember. Shit, Cody. No wonder you're so withdrawn. "People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges," isn't that right, Mr. Joeseph F. Newton?
"Fuck," she muttered, chewing on a piece of ice. "I hate self-analysis."
"What was that?" asked Garret, not understanding what she had mumbled.
"Nothing, just thinking," she responded, before getting to her feet. "Listen, it's been great seeing you again, and I'll probably be back tomorrow night, but I'm gonna catch a cab and head home. I'll see you around, Garret," she said, giving the man a strong hug before she left, placing a $20 bill on the table as she walked out the door.
A half hour long cab ride later, and she was home. Without bothering to heck her messages, or fix herself something to eat, the baseball star sank tiredly into bed, falling asleep with her shoes on.
Jennie smiled as she tucked her son into bed, and kissed him goodnight, after reading him his favorite bedtime story. They'd kneeled beside his bed as he said his prayers, as they did every night, and then they'd brushed their teeth, and he climbed into bed for the nightly ritualistic reading of Dr. Suess. The author that had been one of her favorites was now a first choice for her son.
The visit with her parents had been nice, and they really enjoyed spending a few hours with their grandson, spoiling him rotten as grandparents did, getting him all wound up and then sending him home. Jennie had managed to deftly slide out of two dates that her mother had lined her up with; more rich pretty boys, she assumed. How did she tell her mother that all she could think about all night long was a tall, dark, and incredibly beautiful woman?
"I can just see it," she muttered to herself, as she climbed into bed and pulled up the covers. "'No, mom, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't go out with John and Jim, because they're just not my type. Oh, what is my type? It runs along the lines of six-feet tall, jet black hair, gorgeous blue eyes, with a voice and a body to die for. Have I met him? Well, in a sense… You see, mom, he is a she.' Oh, yeah," she sighed. "That'd go over like a lead balloon."
While Jennie had not been able to get up the courage to tell her parents about her lifestyle yet, she was glad that Jeffrey was too young to remember the last time she had a girlfriend, which had been about three years before.
So, she didn't have to worry about him accidentally saying something to Grandma or Grandpa.
Jennie chuckled to herself as she drifted off to sleep, and a sudden phrase popped into her head. "Hey, Grandma! I saw Mommy kissing Mrs. Santa Claus!" Closing her eyes, the blonde succumbed to sleep.
The next day, Jennie didn't even have time to think about Cody Madison; she had a crisis on her hands. Two of the people who were supposed to help her take care of the kids at the daycare where she worked called in sick, so it was just her and "Uncle Mac" the entire day.
Mac Donaldson, or "Uncle Mac" to the kids, was an elderly looking gentleman, and he would have made a terrific Grandfather, except for one minor detail - he hated kids. Rather than assist Jennie in her duties, he sat in the back office, smoking a cigar and falling asleep in the big chair at his desk. The only reason he held the job at all was because he owned the place, and knew a lot of money could be raked in, in the business, if you played your cards right. Most of the parents had never met the Mac in "Uncle Mac's Daycare", and Jennie was glad - they'd pull their kids in an instant, if they thought he came anywhere near the children, which he didn't.
That Saturday had started out like any other; not many kids, thankfully, because not many of the parents worked on weekends. One of the kids fell in the small playground, so Jennie nursed a scraped knee and a wounded spirit.
While she was placing a bandage on the child's knee, and assuring her that the pain would go away when she said the magic words, a cry came from the other room. Quickly waving her hands across the injury, Jennie said, "Folly kazoo!", kissed the girl's forehead, and set her on the floor to play, which she did, happily bouncing around as if she hadn't a care in the world.
"Okay, now what's this all about?" she asked, upon seeing that the daycare's bully, James Riley, was pushing Jeffrey to the ground.
Separating the boys, Jennie repeated her question, to which James replied, "He started it! He took my crayons!"
Jennie kneeled down to be eye-level with the two. Facing her son, she asked, "Jeffrey, did you take his crayons? Tell the truth."
"No! I only used the red one 'cause he was all done with it!" the boy protested, and Jennie nodded, holding up a hand to silence James' shouts.
"It doesn't matter who took what, there are enough crayons for everyone to share, okay?" The boys nodded. "Now, is fighting how we solve things?" A shake of their heads. "What did I do to solve the problem?"
The kids thought for a moment. Then, Jeffrey said, quietly, "You talked to us about it."
Jennie nodded. "That's right. It's better to use words than fists, remember that. Now, go play," she said, shooing the boys off, and she was glad to see James ask Jeffrey if he could borrow the red crayon, to which Jeffrey nodded, and handed it over. Her grin grew when she realized the two boys were now coloring a picture together.
Adults could really learn from kids, she thought, as she went out to do a quick patrol of the playground. Seeing that all was well, she turned to go back inside, when one little girl ran up to her, in tears, holding her finger in her mouth.
"What's wrong, Nicole?" she asked the girl, smoothing her thin blonde hair back from her face and behind her ear, lovingly. The girl pulled her finger out of her mouth, and showed it to the woman, her frightened brown eyes imploring for her to do something. Jennie examined the digit carefully, and finally spied the problem - a splinter. And a nice-sized one, too.
Deep.
Well, this one's gonna be fun to get out without a scream or two, Jennie thought, leading the girl inside to find the tweezers.
"Hey, Nicole. Do you know what these are?" she asked the youngster, who nodded.
"Tweezers," she responded, and Jennie nodded.
"That's right. But, these are magical tweezers. They don't hurt," she said. "See the little point right there?" Nicole nodded. "That's where the magic is. When I use that to get rid of the nasty splinter, it won't hurt at all, because the magic will suck up all the pain, okay?" Her eyes wide, and a small expectant grin on her face, Nicole nodded.
"Where did you get the splinter from, Nicole?" she asked, trying to keep the girl talking while she dug for the splinter.
The girl didn't even flinch, convinced the magic was working. "On the slide," she replied, watching Jennie interestedly. "Is the splinter hiding?"
Jennie smiled. "Yes, sweetheart, I think it is. But, I'll bet you the magic tweezers can find it. What do you think?" Nicole nodded, and clapped when Jennie removed the sliver from her finger.
"Do you need a Band-Aid?" she asked, but the girl shook her head.
"Well, let's wash our hands, just to be sure, okay?" Nicole nodded, and Jennie washed her hands as the girl stood on the step-stool to reach the sink, and did the same.
Drying their hands, Jennie said, "You were a very brave girl, Nicole. I'll make sure to tell your mom all about it, okay?" The girl agreed, enthusiastically, and scampered off to play. Doing one last check, and announcing nap-time for a while, Jennie served each child a carton of juice, and put them down on their blankets. When all was silent, she crept out of the main room, and into Mac's office.
The man was sound asleep, his large feet resting on his desk, as a loud snore emitted from underneath a ragged felt poor-excuse for a cowboy hat.
"Mr. Donaldson," she said, quietly. "Mr. Donaldson!"
The man jerked awake, and glared at her as he barely kept his hat from falling to the ground in his surprise. "What do you want? Is it time to go home yet?" he demanded, and Jennie shook her head.
"Not yet, sir. It's barely noon. I wanted to speak with you about the slide again," she said, and winced, knowing what was coming.
"I told you, we're not replacing anything in the playground. The brats can play with what they've got, and if they don't like it, they can stay inside!" he cried.
"They like it just fine, Mr. Donaldson, it's just that it's dangerous. You see, they've been getting hurt on it for the past few months, and it's not safe anymore. Just last week, Timothy fell off when one of the old pieces of timber on the ladder snapped. And today, Nicole came in with a big splinter in her finger," she said. "I really think we need to invest in a new slide, if not a whole new playground set, before one of the children really gets hurt."
"Kids get hurt all the time, Jennifer," he said, and she resisted the urge to tell him her name was Jennie, and it was not short for anything.
"I understand that minor injuries occur often, but I'm talking about real problems here," she insisted, not wanting to raise her voice if she could help it. "I will not stand by and continue working in a place where the children's health is at risk!"
"Then do something about it on your own time, or quit, I don't care. But stop bothering me," he said, gruffly, closing his eyes and falling right back asleep. Jennie sighed, and left the room. If it wasn't for the pay, she'd quit. But, she needed the money, and she loved kids. There was no way around it - she was going to have to find some way to fix the problem herself.
The rest of the day went fairly smoothly, with no major incidents, save another scratched knee. When the parents came, and picked up their children, they were met with a cheerily smiling blonde and a good report.
"See you Monday, Lauren!" she called to the girl, as her mother walked with her out to the car. The girl waved, and the two drove away. Knocking on Mac's door, Jennie told him it was time to go, and then locked up, before climbing in her own vehicle with Jeffrey, and driving home.
"You did good today, Mom," said the boy, and his mother smiled at him.
"Thanks, Big Guy. I appreciate that you shared with James. It looked like you two got along okay afterwards," she hinted, and Jeffrey nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "He said he thinks he has to be mean 'cause that's what his Dad does, but I told him he doesn't have to, he can be nice and still be a big kid."
"That was very nice of you, Jeff," Jennie said, wincing inwardly at the implication that James' father was abusive or controlling. She wished it didn't have to be like that, abuse in the world of a child, but knew there was nothing she could do about it, except give James a good environment at the daycare.
And Jeffrey was helping a lot, whether it was passing out the juices, making sure that if anyone got hurt Jennie was the first to know, or just being a friend to the other kids. Jennie felt lucky to have such a good son.
"Are we going to see Garret again?" he asked, and she nodded.
"I thought we'd stop by and say hello. Do you not want to go?" she asked, careful to phrase the question so it didn't sound like she was pressuring him, but the boy shook his head.
"No, I wanna go, I just hope that lady's there again. She was nice," he said.
Jennie hid a smile. "How do you know that, Jeff? We only talked for a few minutes, and she didn't even say anything to you."
The boy shrugged. "I don't know, I just like her," he said, and Jennie echoed the sentiment in her mind. A few minutes later, spent in comfortable silence, Jennie pulled into the parking lot, and put the car in park.
"Don't forget to lock your door," she said, as Jeffrey climbed out. Obediently pushing the button, he closed the door, and held his mother's hand as they walked into the restaurant.
"Hi, Jennie!" called Garret, upon seeing her enter. "Hi, Jeffrey."
"Hello, Garret," said Jennie, and Jeff waved at the kind man. "It looks like the same table's open. You wanna go sit down?" The boy was off like a shot, wolfing down the bowl of complimentary pretzels that had been placed there, until his mother sat down beside him.
"Careful, Jeff," she warned, "don't eat so fast. You'll get sick." The child slowed his pace, and Jennie smiled at him. "Do you want something to drink?"
"Yeah!" he said, happily. "Can I have one of those churches?"
Jennie paused for a moment, and then laughed. "Garret, Jeff would like a "church", and I'll take the same," she said, and the man laughed.
"Two Shirley Temples, coming up," he said, chuckling at the youngster's name for the drink, which wasn't much more than cherry flavored soda and a few Maraschino cherries on top. "Temple, church, I get it," he muttered, filling the requests.
The drinks came, and shortly after, a dark shadow loomed over the table.
"Mind if I sit down?" asked a voice, and Jennie glanced up to see Cody standing behind a chair.
The blonde smiled. "Not at all," she said, "have a seat." Cody pulled out the chair, and sat down, glancing over at Jeffrey, who was sipping his drink, contentedly.
"Hey, Jeffrey," she said, and the boy's face lit up.
"Hi, Cody!" he replied. "Want a drink of my church?" he asked, and Cody raised an eyebrow at him. With a frown of concentration, he tried to imitate her. It wasn't long before the tall woman burst into laughter, and ruffled his hair.
"Nice try, little man," she said, gently. "Now, what's that you're drinking?"
"A Shirley Temple," said Jennie, and Cody nodded.
"I see. Excellent choice," she said, the boy beamed. "Hey, I brought something for you." An excited look came into his eyes. Cody reached into her bag, and pulled out a cap, sliding it onto his head, chuckling when it fell over his eyes. Taking it back, she adjusted it, and tried a second time, smiling when it stayed atop the child's head, and showed his happy brown eyes.
"Thanks!" he exclaimed, graciously.
"You're welcome."
The woman hadn't been able to think about anything else all day, except for Jennie and her son, even during her extensive workout. She realized she felt something when she was around the blonde that she hadn't felt in a long time, and it felt… nice. And Jeffrey was a cute kid, even if he did seem kind of quiet. All in all, Cody decided she wanted to please both of them.
"Got one for your mom, too," she said, handing one to Jennie, who took it politely.
"Thank you, Cody, but you didn't have to get us anything," she protested, kindly.
Cody grinned. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I wanted to. Besides, I just happen to have a few connections with the Warriors, so it's not a problem." Neither recipient realized that their cap had been autographed by #23.
"Do you play baseball?" asked Jeffrey, sipping his drink through the straw, all the while trying to get used the feeling of the cap on his head.
Cody smiled. "Yeah," she said, "I do. Do you want me to teach you sometime?" Jeffrey nodded, and they both looked at Jennie, who tried to look firm, but finally gave in.
"Oh, all right," she said, and Cody gave the boy a high-five. "Just so long as he doesn't get hurt."
The tall woman looked at Jennie, and, in all seriousness, said, "Him? With an arm like that, I think it's me you've got to worry about!" Jeffrey laughed happily, and so did Jennie, when she saw Cody was being funny for the boy's benefit.
"Hey, Cody, when can you teach me?" he asked, and Jennie was about to tell the boy he needed to have a little patience, because the tall woman surely had other things to do, when Cody spoke first.
"Anytime you're ready, little man," she said, grinning.
God, I haven't been this at ease, or had this much fun in as long as I can remember! Cody thought, contentedly. Jeffrey really is a great kid, and Jennie's a great mom. It's gotta be their smiles…
"Mom, can we go home and play?" asked Jeff, hopefully.
"Sweetheart, we don't have any equipment," Jennie said, gently. "And I'm sure Cody's had a long day. Why don't we wait for a while?"
Cody found she didn't like seeing the boy disappointed, so she said, "Tell you what. Why don't you guys head on home, give me the address, and I can stop by after I pick up a few things? How about it?" she offered.
Jennie looked like she was going to protest, but Cody looked like she was looking forward to it just as much as Jeffrey, so she nodded. "Okay," she said, "that sounds great. Here's the address," she said, writing the details on a napkin. "Do you need directions?" Cody glanced at the information, and shook her head. "I guess we'll see you in a little while, then. Jeffrey, do me a favor and give this to Garret." Handing the boy a five-dollar bill, she shooed him off, and he did as he was told.
"Cody, I know you have better things to do than to teach Jeffrey baseball…" she began, but the woman cut her off.
"Not true," she smiled. "I have other things to do, not better. They can wait. I'll teach him every night, if that's okay. I have to go out of town in a few days, but I'll be back, and he can practice on his own while I'm gone. Is that okay?" she asked, hopeful.
Jennie decided that Cody could look just as cute as her son, and nodded. "That's great. Thank you, Cody. I really appreciate it," she said, and the star just smiled.
"Don't mention it. I'll see you guys in about twenty minutes," she said, as Jennie took her son by the hand and exited the bar. As soon as they were out of sight, Garret approached Cody, an amused look in his eye.
"Do I hear a date, Cody?" he asked, and Cody rolled her eyes.
"Not unless you'd call a five-year-old a date," she said. "I'm getting to that. I hope," she added, and Garret smiled. "I volunteered to teach Jeff baseball, and that'll keep me close to Jennie, too."
"Nice plan," he said. "She still doesn't know you're Cody Madison, Warriors' best player in the professional baseball league, does she?" Cody shook her head. "She's a smart girl, Cody. She'll figure it out soon enough, if you don't tell her."
"I know," sighed Cody. "And I hope she won't treat me any different."
"I'd bet my bar she won't bat an eye," Garret said, seriously. "Now, if I heard correctly, you've got a few stops to make before you can start in on that plan of yours. So, go. And tell me all about later," he added.
Cody grinned. "You eavesdropping son of a gun," she said. "All right, later. Thanks, Garret." Leaving the man a ten-dollar bill, although she had ordered nothing, Cody left the bar, and hopped on her motorcycle. She drove back to the stadium, found her keys, and went to the locker room to retrieve her glove and a ball. Then, running down to the local sports store, she bought a smaller glove for Jeff, and figured he could grow into it if he wanted to keep it.
With butterflies in her stomach, which she couldn't explain, Cody drove the remaining miles to Jennie's house, and knocked on the door.