See Chapter One for disclaimers.
CHAPTER FOURCody smiled as she sat down on the couch next to Jennie, after putting an exhausted young Jeffrey to bed. The two had spent more than two hours playing catch, as well as hide-and-seek, and other games that Cody hadn't played in many years, after finishing off the pizza that Cody brought.
"I still can't believe we finished that entire pizza," the star said, pouring soda from a 2-liter bottle into two glasses, handing one to Jennie, and taking one for herself.
Jennie laughed. "I told you, I always eat a lot," she said.
"Could have fooled me," complimented Cody, smiling to herself when Jennie blushed, realizing she liked being able to please the woman so easily.
"Cheers," she grinned, tipping her glass towards the still rose-colored blonde, who returned the gesture.
"To the beginning of a beautiful relationship," said Jennie, quietly, hoping she wasn't being too presumptuous.
"Here, here," smiled Cody, kissing the top of the woman's head, as she discreetly scooted a little closer. "Boy, Jeff is just a bundle of energy! I didn't know who'd wear out first - me or him!"
Jennie grinned. "Yeah, he's got more energy than I do, most days," she agreed. "But, he's a big help at the daycare."
"How many other people do you work with?" Cody asked, not wanting the blonde to stay quiet for too long, because she found she liked hearing the gentle woman's soothing voice.
"Two, right now," she said, and then sighed, heavily. "I think they're both thinking of quitting, though. They want better pay."
"And you stay because of the kids," Cody stated, and Jennie nodded.
"Yes," she said. "I love children, and I need the job. Plus, I couldn't leave them with Mac," she added, sadly.
"Speaking of the daycare, I've got everything ready to go, and we can be there first thing in the morning." She grinned when her blue eyes met happy green ones.
"You're really going to do this, aren't you?" she asked, and Cody got the distinct feeling that she was afraid of disappointment.
Someone probably let her down, she assumed. How could anyone possibly hurt the beautiful woman I see in front of me? She's much too gentle to warrant any kind of pain.
"Of course," smiled Cody, leaning down for a quick kiss, which ended up deepening. Trying hard to keep her hands on respectable body parts, since Cody knew she had no chance of keeping them to herself, she placed her left hand against the side of Jennie's cheek, still holding her drink in her right.
"Keep that up, and I'll agree to anything," said Cody, as Jennie smiled, and reached up to take Cody's hand in her own, interlacing their fingers as she leaned against the tall woman, happily.
"Oh, Cody, look!" said Jennie, and Cody followed her gaze, to meet the red-orange sunset that Jennie was pointing out. "Isn't it gorgeous?"
"Absolutely," said Cody, as she rested her head against the blonde's for a moment, before setting down her now empty glass, and bringing her right hand around and placing it over her other one, totally encasing Jennie's small hand in her two larger ones.
"It's strange," the tall woman commented, after a short period of silence. "I just got to thinking about how different things are, from the 20th century, but it's not as profound as people were expecting. Sure, computers and electronics have advanced to voice commands, cars run on electricity instead of gasoline, and we have clothes that keep our body at a certain temperature regardless of the outside weather.
"But, there hasn't been the total burst of technology breakthroughs that were anticipated," she said. "My mother seemed to think we'd be living on the moon by now, or something."
Jennie grinned. "Well, most of the changes have been in medicine, I think, rather than the general public's everyday lives," she said, and Cody agreed. "Breakthroughs aside, I'm glad we haven't found a way to change the sunset. I don't think we'll ever invent anything as breathtaking as this," she added.
It was on the tip of Cody's tongue to say that something had already been invented that rivaled the beauty of the sunset, and it was sitting right in front of her, but she caught herself, and merely said, still without realizing it, "Where we cannot invent, at least we may improve."
The blonde glanced up at her, a small smile on her face. "Where'd you hear that?" she asked, softly.
Cody shrugged, and suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "Charles Caleb Colton said it," she muttered. "My mom was big on quotes, so I'm always spouting them out, about one thing or another." Jennie just grinned, and snuggled closer to the woman, who gladly held the blonde close.
Most people gave Cody strange looks, or laughed at her, when she started reciting quotes, so she didn't do it if she could help it. More often than not, she couldn't, so she was glad that Jennie hadn't made fun of her knowledge.
She even seemed impressed, Cody thought to herself, for once not minding the silence, as she wrapped her arms around the young blonde.
It was almost 10 o'clock before Cody glanced up at the clock, and realized she'd been holding the woman in her arms for an hour.
"Jennie," Cody whispered, tilting her head to the side as she spoke, only to find that the blonde was fast asleep. Smiling to herself, Cody picked her up with ease, and carried her into her bedroom. Taking off her shoes, Cody gently tucked the woman under the covers, kissed her goodnight, and then let herself out the door.
Jennie awoke the next morning at 6 o'clock, when her alarm went off, and was surprised to find herself in her own bed. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in Cody's arms.
The blonde smiled to herself - that was a nice memory. She'd felt safe, warm, and protected, all at the same time, and she'd fallen asleep listening to the beat of the tall woman's heart. It had been a while since she'd been in a relationship, but being with Cody just felt so right, she found herself feeling as though she'd known the woman for more than just one day… more like a lifetime.
Shaking her head, she realized she needed to get up and get ready for work. Running through a quick shower, she was glad to see that Jeffrey was awake by the time she finished dressing.
"Come on, honey," she called, "time to get dressed." The boy groaned a response, but got to his feet, closing the door to his room as he searched for clean clothes. Jennie raised an eyebrow, knocked on the door, and then opened it.
"Sweetie, what are you doing?"
"Getting dressed," was the response, as the boy picked out a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt.
"You want me to help you?" asked the blonde, helpfully, but the boy shook his head.
"No, I can do it."
"Okay," sighed the woman. "I'll be in my room if you need me. Breakfast is in ten minutes." The child nodded, and Jennie walked out the door, as her son closed it behind her. Jennie took a deep breath as she retrieved a pair of socks from her dresser.
"My little boy's growing up," she muttered, sadly. "I didn't think he'd be so independent so soon."
Come on, Jennie, she told herself. It has to happen sometime.
Deciding not to dwell on the memories of her baby boy just yet, when she didn't have the time, the woman called her son for breakfast, feeling pride as well as sorrow when he sat down at the table, appropriately dressed. His hair was even brushed.
"My, don't you look nice. You're getting to be a big boy, aren't you?" she asked, and he grinned up at her, his eyes sparkling.
"Am I still your Big Stuff?"
"Oh, Jeff," said Jennie, kneeling, drawing her son into a tight hug. "You'll always be my Big Stuff. Don't you worry about that, okay? No matter how old you get, you'll always be my little boy," she assured him, and he smiled.
"Okay," he agreed, happily, giving his mother a hug, before sitting down in his chair as he poured his cereal, managing to keep most of it in the bowl, but let her cut up his banana. He sensed that his mother was a little sad, and wanted to do things for him, so rather than tell her that he was sure he could handle the knife without cutting himself, he said nothing, and let her help.
"Thanks." The two ate breakfast in silence, Jennie deciding not to mention Cody's impending visit; she wanted it to be a surprise, and didn't want to get the boy's hopes up, in case something came up, and the woman couldn't make it.
"Cody says I'm getting real good at baseball," he commented, as Jennie drove to the daycare.
"She does, does she?" The child nodded, and Jennie smiled. "Well, then you must be doing very well. Do you have fun with her?"
Jeff smiled. "Yeah," he said. "I like her. She's cool. Hey, mom," he said, as they pulled into the parking lot, "I don't see Uncle Mac's car. He's the first one here a lot of the days."
Jennie shrugged. "Maybe he took the day off, Jeff," she said. "I've got the keys, so it's okay. Do you want to open up for me?"
"Yeah!" the towhead exclaimed, taking the keys from his mother, and rushing to the door. He grinned as he unlocked the door and swung it open. "I like it when it's all dark and quiet in here," he said.
"Me, too," agreed Jennie. "Come on. You wanna help me set up the chairs?" With her son's help, the daycare was open by 7:30, just as parents started arriving with their children. Stealing away for a moment, when there was a slight break, Jennie asked Jeff to keep an eye on his two friends, the only ones there as of yet, and she silently crept into Mac's office.
Knowing she probably shouldn't be in the room without the man's permission, she used the copier quickly, making numerous copies of the various pictures she had drawn for the children the night before, and then hurried out to the main playroom. By that time, more people were arriving, and the phone was ringing, so Jennie rushed to take care of it all.
As it turned out, the first two phone calls were from Theresa and Diane, the two other women who worked with Jennie, or used to - they called to leave a message for Mac, telling him they were quitting. They'd found a place with a nicer manager and better pay, and jumped at it. Jennie held back an exasperated sigh, and went back to work, knowing she'd probably be alone on the job for quite a while.
It didn't calm down until almost 9 o'clock, when Timothy, the last child of the day, was dropped off. Then, Jennie got down to work, handing out pictures for them to color, taking a moment to sit out and enjoy the peace and quiet.
"Now, you guys have to watch your language around the kids," said Cody, as she parked her bike, and waited patiently for Matt and James to join her, taking a few minutes to brief them before going inside.
"Us? What about you?" asked James, and Cody smirked.
"Yeah, I know. I have to, too," she agreed. "We'll check out the inside first, see if we can bring the stuff through, or if we have to go around. And, I want you guys to meet Jennie. She basically runs this place, even though she's not the owner," she added. "So, everybody ready?"
Matt grinned. "Cody, you're having us skip practice to hang out with a bunch of kids," he said. "If I knew it would do any good, I'd kiss you."
Cody raised an eyebrow at him. "Not a chance, my friend," she laughed, and motioned them to follow her inside. All three wore jeans and white shirts, and Cody had her sunglasses on again, as she almost always did. James and Matt could have been brothers, save James' green eyes, dark Italian skin - not to mention slight accent, and the fact that he was about three inches taller than the other man.
And Cody towered over both of them.
The tall star was struck by the silence that enveloped her when she walked in the building - she was expecting to see a bunch of wild kids, running and screaming, but instead found two or three dozen youngsters sitting quietly at a few tables, coloring happily.
Seeing Jennie, the woman smiled, and walked over to where she was sitting. "Hey," she said. "Hope we're not disturbing anything."
Jennie returned the smile. "No," she said, "just coloring a few new pictures."
"I see," she said. "Jen, these are my friends, Matt and James. Guys, this is Jennie Donavon."
James and Matt shook her hand in turn, Matt gripping it gently, bringing it up and kissing the back softly, lingering until Cody smacked the back of his head.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, releasing the laughing woman's hand to rub the back of his head.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Cody, sweetly. "Did that hurt?" The man glared at her, but then all four of them grinned. "I've got everything we need. What do you think, guys? Will it fit through the hallway?"
The three workers scouted the area, and decided it would work just fine bringing the materials through the front, so James, Matt, and Cody went out to James' pickup truck to unload. Carrying boxes, lumber, and various tools in a dozen trips, they finally had everything they needed outside.
And, they had an audience. The entire daycare was standing outside, watching them, curiously.
"Hi," said Cody, smiling at the nearest little girl. "I'm Cody. What's your name?"
"Nicole," said the youngster, shyly.
Cody shook her hand. "These are my friends, James and Matt. Do you guys want to watch us work?" she asked the kids, and everyone nodded. "Okay. Why don't you all sit down on the porch, and you can watch, just stay back there, all right? Don't want anyone getting hurt," she added, and they all scampered to the concrete.
The tall woman met Jennie's eyes, and the blonde nodded that it was okay, so Cody joined James and Matt, who were already beginning to disassemble the old playground. That took just a few minutes, and soon they were putting together the new pieces, much to the delight of the children, once they realized what was being built.
"We're gonna get a new playground?" Jeff asked Jennie, and she nodded.
A few hours later, after the kids had eaten their lunches outside, Cody was connecting the tire to the chain, when she felt a hand tug on her jeans.
Glancing down, she smiled at the young child.
"Hi," she said, and the boy grinned.
"My name's James," the small boy said, his dark blue eyes meeting the older woman's. "My dad watches baseball, and you look like the lady on the TV."
Cody smirked. "Well, I am," she said, ruffling his blonde hair. "My name's Cody Madison. Nice to meet you, James. See him?" she asked, pointing out Corbel. The boy nodded. "His name is James, too." The child smiled as James waved at him, grinning.
"How many others know me?" she called, and a few hands went up. "Tell you what. Why don't you all finish coloring those pictures you were working on when we came in, and when you get done, you can come see the new playground, and I'll sign everyone's picture. Is that okay with you?" she asked, and in response, 35 little bodies ran back into the daycare, with Jennie not far behind to supervise.
Matt caught James' eye, and they both made a snapping motion with their wrists, followed by the sound of a cracking whip. Cody shoved them, and them said, "Come on, boys. Let's get back to work."
By the time the children were finished with their drawings, Cody and the others were taking a break, having finally finished. It was hard work, and the woman had worked just as hard as - if not harder than - the men.
Jennie had to admit to herself that she couldn't help but enjoy as she watched the play of muscles in the woman's strong arms and back as she worked, lifting the heaviest pieces of timber and the large bags of sand with ease.
"Wow!" exclaimed the children, rushing outside to examine the new toys. Laughter floated on the breeze, as they played on the tire swing, and the sandbox, and the numerous other additions they found.
Cody grinned as she stepped back to stand beside Jennie, as the blonde offered all three workers a glass of water, which they gratefully accepted.
"The best way to make children good is to make them happy," the tall woman said, as she took a sip of her water. "Oscar Wilde," she said, in answer to Jennie's questioning look. The blonde smiled, and then joined the kids to check out the new equipment, thrilled when everything was found to be sturdy, durable, and most of all, safe.
"This is great," said the woman, smiling at the only other adults in the daycare. "Thank you all, I really appreciate it. The kids appreciate it," she added, and James nodded.
"No problem," he said, smiling. "My little boy has an area similar to this, at home. I think they'll enjoy it just as much as he does," he added, and Matt agreed.
"Yeah," said the man. "I was wondering why Cody was skipping out on practice, but I don't blame her. Thanks, C-girl. This was fun," he grinned, but found Cody was shooting him a fierce look.
Jennie paused. "Skipping out on practice?" she asked, and Matt looked away.
Cody shrugged. "It's no big deal," she insisted. "My coach knows a few days won't hurt, and I keep up with the exercises, so it's all right."
The blonde nodded, and frowned when she heard the front door open. Peeking inside, she groaned. "Oh, no," she said. "Mac's here."
"Is that a problem?" asked James.
"It could be," the blonde muttered, and noticed that Cody had raised an eyebrow at her, urging her to continue.
"Mac's the owner," she explained. "I don't know why he's here at two in the afternoon, but I certainly didn't expect him to be in today. Can you stay with the kids for just a minute?" They nodded, so the blonde went inside to speak with her boss.
"Jennifer!" he called, and she approached him, slowly.
"Yes, Mr. Donaldson?" she responded.
"Where are the brats? It is Monday, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir," she said. "The children are out back, on the playground."
"All of them?" he demanded, and Jennie nodded.
Jeffrey slipped inside, watching with interest. He knew his mother didn't like Uncle Mac, and neither did he, but the man seemed particularly mean today, he noticed.
"Shouldn't you be out there watching them?" he shouted.
"Yes, sir," she replied, and turned to leave, feeling relieved. The man was obviously drunk, probably drinking out a hangover from the night before, so Jennie was glad he seemed to be content with spending the day in his office, which was where he was headed.
"Jennifer!" he bellowed, suddenly. "Get in here, now!" Her green eyes widening slightly, Jennie hurried down the hallway, while Jeffrey quietly followed not far behind.
"What is it?" she asked, softly.
"Somebody's been in my office!" he cried, and Jennie didn't know how he could possibly tell - nothing was disturbed, as far as she knew. "Who the fuck was in here?" Hearing the man curse, Jeff took off down the hallway and out the door, intent on finding the tall woman he trusted, and knew would protect his mom.
"I was," admitted Jennie.
"Without my permission? You went into my office without my permission?" he charged. "Just what the hell were you doing in here?"
"I was just using the copier," she said, quietly. "I made pictures last night, and needed to make copies so there would be enough for everyone to color."
"Why didn't you just copy them by hand, instead of barging in my office and using my goddamn property?" he demanded. "You had no fucking right! If I ever catch you in here again, you're fired, do you understand me?"
Jennie nodded, and the man made a move to grab her chin, so she would look into his eyes and tell him the truth - he knew he could, because she needed the job desperately and wouldn't quit for anything - but something stopped him. A crushing force around his hand, more specifically.
"She was only helping the children," said a voice, smoothly. "Now, apologize."
"I ain't apologizing to no one," he spat, pushing back from Cody with his free hand, managing to strike Jennie's shoulder in the process. Before he knew what was happening, he was being shoved up against the wall, as icy blue globes seemed to bore into his own alcohol-hazed stare.
"You ever touch her again and I will give you a vasectomy with my bare hands so fast it will make your head spin," she growled. "You got me?" The man tried to squirm out of her grasp, but she only tightened her grip, lifting the man's feet off the floor as she slammed him into the wall of his office again.
"I asked you a question. Do you understand me?" she demanded, and he nodded, slumping to the floor as she released her hold on his shirt. "Men are respectable only as they respect," she added, as she walked away, carefully leading Jennie out the door.
"Are you all right?" she asked, and the blonde nodded.
"Yeah," she said, "thanks."
"Don't thank me," said Cody, "thank your son. He came and got me when he heard Mac swear, and got worried about your safety." Jennie smiled, and beckoned the boy to her. Jeff walked over to her, from where he had been hiding behind Cody, and gave his mother a strong hug.
"Uncle Mac scared me," he admitted, and Jennie squeezed him, tightly.
"I know, Jeff," she said, "but it's okay now. Thank you for getting help when you thought I was in trouble. What do you say I put you guys down for a quick nap, hm?"
Jeffrey protested, "But, Cody has to sign our pictures!"
The star grinned. "Tell you what, little man. I'll sign everybody's picture before they lay down, and then slip out while you guys sleep. Is that okay with you?" she asked, and he nodded.
"You gonna come play ball tonight?" he asked, hopefully, as James walked in.
"We leave tomorrow at eight in the morning, Cody," he reminded her. "Early flight to Phoenix."
Cody just shot him a glance when the boy's face fell, and said, "Sure, I'll be there, Jeff. You make sure to take care of your glove, okay? I've got to go away for a few days, but you can practice on your own until I get back," she added, and he looked a little sad as he nodded.
"Hey, why the long face?" she asked, tapping his chin with her finger. "I'll be back in just a few days, all right?" Jeff nodded, and went to get his picture so Cody could sign it, without another word. Cody sighed, and shoved James - she'd meant to tell the boy on her own, and in her own time.
Blows that idea all to Hell, she thought, grimly.
After signing all the kids' pictures, they laid down, and curled up on the floor with their blankets, clutching the autographs in their little hands as they slept. James and Matt took that opportunity to bid Jennie goodbye, and sneak out the front door, telling Cody they'd meet her outside.
"That Mac guy is drunk," said Cody, gently. "If he gives you anymore trouble, let me know, all right?"
Jennie nodded. "Thanks," she said, and spared the woman a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight."
Cody agreed. "I'll talk to Jeff later, if that's all right," she offered. "I meant to tell him tonight, but James…" she ended her sentence in a growl.
Jennie smiled, and Cody's anger dissipated at once. "That's okay," she said. "Be careful, and see you soon." The star nodded, gave the small blonde a slight wink, and walked out the door, joining her patient friends.
The woman immediately slapped James in the back of the head.
"What was that for?" he demanded, and swallowed his anger when six-feet of blazing blue fury towered over him.
"For opening your goddamn mouth," she spat, out of earshot of the kids, her cursing back to its normal stream. It had been hard to watch her language, especially around Mac, but she had done it - for Jennie, more than anything else.
"I was gonna tell Jeff in my own time, in my own way," she continued. "He didn't know I was leaving, and not so soon. I was gonna break it to him gentle, you ass."
"Gee, Cody," remarked Matt, "didn't know you cared."
The blue eyes were pinned on him, next. "I do," she responded, seriously. "Now, let's head back. It's been a long day, and I just wanna go home for a bit." The men agreed, silently, and each got in their respective trucks, as they watched the blue Honda motorcycle pull away.
"Computer, messages," she said, as she walked in the door of her spacious, two bedroom, two bathroom, single-story home.
"You have one message," the automated voice replied, as the tall baseball
star glanced in her refrigerator for something to eat. "Good afternoon, Cody."
"Same to you," she replied to the programmed greeting. "Play message."
The message from Joe Henry sounded in her ears as she got the ingredients out for a sandwich.
"Hi, Cody, it's Joe."
"Hello, Joe," responded Cody, as she spread the mayonnaise on two pieces of white bread.
"I was just calling to see if you were home sick, since you weren't at practice today or yesterday," the man's voice said.
"I do have a life, Joe," said the woman, carefully spreading the mayonnaise and mustard on the bread, along with a few slices of tomato, cold bacon, and lettuce.
"Well, give me a call when you get in, will you? I'll be home all night. Later," he finished.
"End of messages."
"Erase," she said, and the machine responded with an affirmative, and the message was deleted. "Can't take a day's vacation," the woman muttered, as she bit into her freshly made BLT sandwich.
"Computer, reminder to buy more mayonnaise," she said, and the computer, which sat on her desk in the living room, made a few beeping noises.
"Stored," came the response. "You have e-mail messages waiting."
Cody sighed. "How many?" she asked.
"Seven."
The star almost choked on her sandwich. "Seven? I knew it was a mistake to let Joe promote my e-mail address. Play e-mail messages," she ordered. They were all from fans, and she sent a quick response, basically saying "Hi, thanks for writing. Take care. Bye," adding an occasional "No, I'm not available," where necessary.
She glanced at her watch as she finished her glass of milk, washing down the remains of her sandwich. It was five minutes past four. "Guess I'd better call Joe before
I head over to Jennie's," she decided.
"Computer, dial 555-7983. Speaker phone," she added, and listened as the last numbers were punched in. It rang four times, and the answering machine picked up.
"Home all night, are we?" she asked, after the tone. "Joe, this is Cody. I'm not sick, I just had some things to finish up. Thought I'd return your message. See you tomorrow." Walking over to her desk, she ended the phone program on her computer, and entered her room, removing her clothes as she went.
Her shirt was left in the living room, on the floor next to the couch, in front of the television. The sofa faced the large TV, and a grand stereo-system was to the left, with speakers covering all areas of the room, the desk with the computer on the right. Plush grayish carpet covered the floor, with a few pictures on the wall, mainly of Cody's parents. In the back of the room, a tall bookcase could be seen, filled with books.
The star's bra was in the start of the hallway, which led to the two bedrooms and one of the baths, the other being adjacent to the main bedroom, and was adorned with various paintings. Her shoes were found at the end, in front of her bedroom door, while the other articles were dropped in front of her large and comfortable bed. Taking her watch off and setting it on the small bedside table, she walked past her dressers and closet, completely nude by the time she entered the bathroom.
Taking a long shower, Cody once again tested her shoulder, finding that the day's labors had done nothing to lessen its soreness. Drying off with a towel when she was finished, the woman dressed in black jeans, a black sleeveless T-shirt, and black tennis shoes. All in all, when she slipped on her sunglasses, she was dressed to either lurk into the shadows as an FBI informant, or play baseball with a five-year-old boy.
Cody was more interested in doing the latter.