See Chapter One for disclaimers.

CHAPTER THREE

Cody smiled when Jeffrey came to the door, asking, "Who is it?" through the wood.

"Your baseball instructor," she said, and she heard the sound of the door being unlocked, followed by the doorknob being turned. A smiling cherub of a face was revealed, and Jeffrey surprised her by giving her a large hug, which she returned.

"You came! All right! Mom, she's here!" he called, racing back into the house, leaving Cody to stand awkwardly in the doorway, before gathering her wits and deciding she should probably come inside, at least to close the door.

"Come on in and have a seat in the living room, if you'd like," Jennie called, from back in her bedroom. "Make yourself at home."

"Thanks," Cody said, and sat down on the couch, taking a few moments to glance around the house. A TV and DVD player were visible in a small entertainment center, with a boom box for a stereo system, and a small electronic keyboard. Cody noticed that while Jennie seemed to have everything a five-year-old could want, she didn't seem to have many things for herself - no books were visible, or magazines, or anything of the sort. She wondered what the woman did for a living.

Sure, she lived decently, but it didn't go unnoticed by the baseball star that Jennie wasn't living well. Cody assumed she was probably living from paycheck-to-paycheck, a way she recognized all too well, having lived like that for a few years, before her career got going, when she'd gotten into some trouble…

Before she had a chance to reminisce on the bad memories, Jennie came out of her bedroom, busily trying to get a knot undone from a small sneaker. Having no luck, Cody took it from her hands, and untangled it, handing it back to her.

"Thanks," she smiled, and Cody just nodded, not sure she trusted her voice when her heart was pounding so fast.

Yep, it's definitely her smile, she thought.

"So, Cody, do you always sign your name this legibly?" she asked, casually, examining her cap.

Cody replied without even thinking. "Well, not usually, I just… uh-oh," she gulped, audibly.

"Busted," laughed Jennie. "So, you're the Cody that Garret is always talking about," she grinned, and Cody looked chagrined. "Number 23, is it?" Cody nodded. "I'm glad you know what you're doing when you teach my son."

The star smiled, and was going to reply, when she was met with a squeal. "Is that your bike?" asked Jeff, looking out the window to stare wondrously at the light blue motorcycle that was parked in his driveway.

"Yep," said Cody, proudly. Her Honda Gold Wing was her baby. It was a classic that she'd rebuilt herself, the only change needed was the conversion of gas-powered to electric. Everything else was exactly like the 20th century models.

"Come on, I'll show you," she said. As the boy followed her outside, his jaw almost on the ground at the sight of the gorgeous vehicle, Cody reached into the rear compartment and withdrew two baseball gloves and a ball.

"This is for you," she said, giving him the smaller of the two gloves. "It's a little big now, but I'll show you how to take care of it, if you want to really get into it." Jeff nodded, slipping the glove over his hand, only to have it fall off.

Cody laughed. "That's all right, you don't have to use it right now," she said. "Let's go in the yard, and we'll start the lesson, all right?"

"Cool!" exclaimed the child, running to the yard, and standing a few feet away from the tall woman.

"Now," instructed Cody, tossing the ball up in the air and catching it in her mitt as it came back down, "it's really easy. All you have to do is watch the ball. Don't worry about your hands, if you keep looking at the ball, your hands will follow, and catch it. You got that?"

Jeff nodded. "Watch the ball, uh-huh," he repeated.

"Okay. I'm gonna throw it up in the air in an arc, and it'll come down right in front of you. Ready?" The boy nodded, again, and Cody released the ball. Just like she said, in was up in an arc, and, just like she told him, Jeffrey watched it carefully. The sphere fell perfectly and lightly into his two small hands.

"I did it!" he exclaimed, happily, jumping up and down. "Hey, mom!" Jennie was watching from the front step, and clapped, as did Cody.

"Great catch," she said. "Now, you throw it to me, underhand, just like I threw it to you." Biting his lip in concentration, Jeff jumped up in the air with the ball, but let it go, for a beautiful arc nonetheless. Cody caught it easily with her left hand, and couldn't help but chuckle at the young man's form.

"Ready?" The boy nodded, and Cody threw the ball again, smiling when the child moved a little to the left, and caught it successfully. "Good job," she praised. "This time, when you throw it back, just move your arm, all right?"

"I'll try," he said, not sure he knew what she meant.

Cody grinned. "That's all I ask," she said, gently. Putting his arm down at his side, Jeff launched his arm upwards, and released the ball, but did not move any other part of his body. The tall woman merely stuck her glove up in the air, as the sphere went high above her head, and caught it with ease.

"Well, you didn't move your body, that's for sure," she said. "Here we go." The game of catch went on for about an hour, and by the time it was too dark to play, Cody was very pleased with Jeffrey's progress. He was eager to learn, and listened well.

"You did a terrific job out there, little man," she said, and Jeff grinned, surprising her by running into her arms, and wrapping his arms around her neck.

"Thanks!" he said, and she returned the hug, a smile on her face as he pulled back.

"My pleasure," she smiled. "Let's go into the house, and I'll show you how to take care of your glove." The boy took her by the hand, and led her inside, sitting down beside her on the sofa. Cody took her time with the youngster, repeating some things, and making sure he knew what to do.

Half an hour later, the boy was falling asleep where he sat. Jennie had been looking through the paper, when a whispered voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"Psst…" said Cody, quietly. Jennie looked up to see her sleeping son held securely in the woman's arms. "Where do I put him?" The blonde smiled, and led the tall woman to Jeff's bedroom. As gently as she could, without waking him, Cody put the little boy in his bed, and covered him up. Tiptoeing out of the room, the baseball star followed Jennie back out into the living room.

"What are you looking for?" asked Cody, upon seeing that the woman was looking through the classified ads.

"A slide for the kids," she replied. At Cody's puzzled look, she explained, "I work at a daycare, and we have an old playground in the back. The wooden slide is becoming very unstable, and several kids have been injured, so I'm trying to find a replacement I can afford."

"Why doesn't the owner do it?"

Jennie sighed. "Mac doesn't care about the children," she said. "And the other two people I work with wouldn't dare use their own money, so it's up to me. I won't allow the children to be in a dangerous environment," she said, testily.

Cody smiled, and raised her hands, defensively. "Hey, you don't have to convince me," she said, and Jennie looked apologetic. "It's all right. I can tell you care for the children. Is there anyway I can help? Maybe I can get some guys together and we can build another one, or something," she offered.

"Oh, Cody, I couldn't ask you to do that!" exclaimed the woman. Her green eyes sparkled with delight at the proposal, but her heart wouldn't let her accept such an extravagant offer.

"You didn't," smiled Cody, "I offered. Besides, stars always do stuff for kids, right? I'll just talk to some friends of mine, and we can get together one day to put the playground together. Why don't you give me the address, so I can stop by and see what we'll need?"

Jennie agreed, and wrote down the information on a small piece of paper, handing it to Cody, who put it in her pocket. "Great," she said. "I'll probably be over Monday. I have to go to Phoenix for a game or two, I think I leave Tuesday or Wednesday, so I won't be here for a few days, but Jeffrey can practice on his own, and I'll be back at night to help him, if it's okay," she added.

The blonde smiled. "That's fine," she said, gently. "I really appreciate all you're doing for us, Cody. For Jeffrey and I, as well as for the children. I mean, you hardly know us, and here you are, offering your time and money to help us. That really means a lot."

Cody shrugged, embarrassed, not used to such profound compliments and thanks, even as a star. "Don't worry about it," she said. "Glad I can be of service." She smiled a full smile, and Jennie was sure it was the most dazzling sight she'd ever seen, and it warmed her very heart… and a lower region, which she didn't want to admit to herself.

"Well, it's getting late," she said, standing to walk the tall woman to the door. "You're probably tired. Thank you again for coming."

"Like I told Jeff, my pleasure," grinned the star. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen from the table, Cody scribbled a few numbers on it. "Here's my number, if you need anything. I don't think I have to ask you not to give it out to anyone, do I?"

Jennie shook her head, and raised to fingers, imitating "Scout's Honor". "Nope," she said, "it won't leave this house."

"Great," said Cody. "You can call anytime, all right? Don't worry about what time it is, chances are, I'll be up. I'd better get going, though," she said, regretfully. "Thanks for having me over, and letting me work with Jeff. He's a great kid." Jennie smiled at the praise of her son, and stood just inside the doorway as Cody stood a few inches away, outside on the front steps.

"Uh, Jennie," began Cody, awkwardly, shifting her feet and looking at the ground. She was nervous as hell, but couldn't walk away without doing what she'd wanted since laying eyes upon the young woman; not without kicking herself later, anyway.

"What is it?" asked the blonde, kindly.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"This," said Cody, leaning down to place a soft kiss on the woman's cheek, which remained there for a few seconds. When she began to pull back, the tall woman was deeply surprised when Jennie reached for her neck, and brought her head back down until their lips touched, softly.

Cody parted her lips, and pressed her tongue against Jennie's closed lips, softly, asking a gentle question. The blonde accepted her eagerly, taking the woman's tongue into her mouth as she carefully probed Cody's mouth with her own. The tall baseball star wrapped her left arm around Jennie, pulling her closer, while placing the other on the door frame to steady herself. Both women felt the exquisite warmth of the kiss as it traveled to parts that neither of them knew could feel so good.

They pulled back slowly, Jennie's hands on the taller woman's waist, and Cody caressing the blonde's face with her hands.

Jennie caught Cody's eye, and said, "Don't you dare apologize for that!"

Cody laughed, and leaned down so their foreheads touched. "Wouldn't dream of it," she promised, smiling softly as she stared into sparkling green pools.

"The way I see it, we have three options. One, which I would love to do, we can stay out here all night long, but I think your neighbors might get a little suspicious, more than they probably are already, so I guess that's out. Two, we could go inside, but I don't think either of us are ready for that, seeing as I can't keep my hands off you out here," she grinned, making the blonde blush.

"So, that leaves option number three: I force myself to go home," she concluded. "Much as I might not want to, it is getting late. I'll see you tomorrow night?" The blonde nodded, and Cody kissed her once more, quickly.

"Good night, Jen," she called, as she walked out to her motorcycle.

"'Night," murmured Jennie, as she watched the tall woman drive off.

Hm, she called "Jen", the woman thought, as she walked into her bedroom. I've never let anyone call me anything other than "Jennie"… but I think I like her calling me "Jen". Yeah, that can be her name for me that no one else can use.

I guess that answered my question about her feelings for me, she told herself, climbing under the covers, as she felt the kiss on her lips, the sensation lingering long into the night. I can't believe she was nervous about kissing me! 'Course, not like I have room to talk… I wonder if those butterflies finally left…

Still thinking of the tall baseball star, the blonde fell into a deep sleep.

Cody walked up to Matt the next morning, trying to hide her smile and failing miserably.

"Who'd you kill, Cody?" The woman looked confused. "C-girl, you look like the cat that ate the canary. Hell, you look like the cat that ate the damned parrot!" Matt corrected.

The woman chuckled. "I'm playing hooky from practice for a few days, all right?"

Matt raised an eyebrow, but was wise enough not to say anything. "Okay," he shrugged. Cody, you've never missed a day of practice, and you're most certainly not sick. Hm… he thought, maybe you are sick, C-girl. Lovesick.

"Thanks," she said. "I need a favor," she added, and the man nodded. "Can you, and maybe James, go with me tomorrow? I need to put together a few things, and I could use a few extra pairs of hands."

"I'll talk to James," Matt agreed.

Cody slapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks," she grinned, and walked out of the stadium, humming as she strolled along. Once she was sure she'd have enough help to build the slide, she figured the next step was going over to the daycare to see what kind of repairs needed to be made, and to get an estimate on the amount of work that needed to be done.

Arriving at Mac's Daycare around nine, Cody sauntered around to the back, which was enclosed by a chain-link fence, and peered over the top at the playground, shocked by what she saw.

"A slide with a wooden ladder, a tiny sandbox, and a rusted set of monkey-bars? You've got to be shitting me! That's it?" she said, incredulous. "Not even a fucking tire swing, for God's sake! Every kid has to have a tire swing! Well, I guess this is gonna be more work than I thought…"

The star resigned the rest of the day to searching numerous different stores for various pieces of equipment, racking up quite a bill by the time she was done. Asking everyone to hold the items until the next morning, she signed a few autographs to ensure the safety of her purchases, and left with a smile on her face.

At six, Cody dialed Jennie's number, and smiled to herself when Jeff answered.

"Hey, little man," she greeted, and heard the boy laugh.

"Hi, Cody!" he exclaimed. "Are you gonna come over tonight?" he asked, innocently.

"Jeffrey!" Cody heard Jennie scold from the background, and laughed.

"I'm gonna try, Jeff," she said, and he grinned - she could feel it over the phone line. "Let me talk to your mom for a minute, all right?"

"Here she is," he said, handing his mother the phone, as she took a break from drawing outlined pictures for the children to color.

"Thanks," she told her son, who just nodded, and went back to working with his glove. "Not in the house, honey! Hi," she said, smiling when Jeffrey obediently took his baseball outside.

"Hey," responded Cody, and Jennie felt a tremor go through her body at the low contralto voice. "I just called to see if I could convince you to let me bring dinner over, so we could eat before I started working with Jeff."

Jennie smiled. "Since I know you won't take no for an answer, that'd be great, Cody," she said, and Cody grinned. "Thank you."

"No problem," the star replied. "How does pizza sound? I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook, but I figure I can't ruin anything if I don't step foot in the kitchen."

The blonde laughed. "That sounds terrific," she said. "One thing - Jeffrey's allergic to pineapple."

"Okay. One pizza, sans the pineapple. Gotcha," she said. "And how about if I bring something for us, afterwards?" Cody's heart was in her throat as she made the proposal, and hoped she wasn't moving too fast for the gentle woman, as she subtly asked if she could stay after her lessons with the young boy were over.

"Well, I'd be inclined to agree, but I don't drink," she said.

"Who said I do? I was thinking of something along the lines of a cold soda," said Cody and Jennie agreed. "Great. I'll see you in about an hour, then?"

"Can't wait," said Jennie, before she could stop herself.

Cody smiled. "Me, neither," she replied, and both women hung up, reluctantly. Cody sighed happily as she dialed the number for the local pizza restaurant.

It's been a good day, she thought, as she placed her order for a large pepperoni pizza. I got the materials I need to build the playground, I got the people I need to build the playground, and now I'm ordering dinner for more than just myself. I'm going to eat pizza, play ball, and then drink sodas and talk for a while with a beautiful woman.

A good day, indeed.