Making a Comeback (30 page)

Annabelle and Hunter chatted for a few more minutes before Annabelle hung up the phone. She could call Marvin Dempsey. The worst he could do would be to turn her down. And then she’d be in the same place she was now. Preparing to say goodbye to the love of her life.

If he said yes, then she’d at least have him in the same state. They’d still have to have a long-distance relationship, but San Francisco was a hell of a lot closer than Nishinomiya, Japan.

It took her fifteen minutes to gather up the courage to make the phone call.

“Well, hello, Annabelle. I had a funny feeling I’d be hearing from you.” Marvin Dempsey sounded almost jolly. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, I was thinking...” Now that she’d actually dialed, she was about to lose her nerve. “I know you’re always looking for new talent. I mean, after having won the World Series, you probably need to have even more, um, scouts. You know, to help you find players who might otherwise be overlooked, or get snatched up by other teams.”

“Well, I did lose my number one scout.” He chuckled, as if he found her stammering amusing. “We’re going to miss having Hunter Collins, or I guess I should say Hunter Collins-Santiago as our head of, well, everything.”

“I’d like to offer my services as a scout.” Annabelle stood tall in her kitchen. “I have a player who I think can make an impact. No. I know he will be an asset to the Goliaths.”

“Oh really? Our roster’s pretty much set.” Was he just humoring her?

“But you can always use another lefty out of the bullpen.”

“That’s true. But all the good ones have been snatched up already.”

“Not all of them. This player is coming off an injury. And some trouble off the field.” She had to stay strong. To be convincing. “But he’s one hundred percent healthy. And I can personally guarantee that his prior indiscretions will not be repeated.”

“You can personally guarantee it?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“And you know he’s healthy?”

“His shoulder is stronger than ever.”

“I don’t know, shoulder injuries have a way of coming back.”

“Cooper is in terrific shape. Believe me.”

“Cooper? Nathan Cooper?”

“Yes. I know he let you down before, but believe me, he won’t let it happen again.”

“You’re sure of this?”

“Yes. Please Mr. Dempsey, you have to at least give him a chance. He knows what he did was wrong, and he bears that burden of guilt every day. He’s a good man. Deep down, he’s a very good man.”

“You trust him?”

“Completely. I trust him with my life. With my children.”

“And with your heart?”

“Yes. Yes. I do.”

After a short pause that felt like an eternity, he sighed. “I can’t guarantee a spot on the forty man roster. But I can get him an invite to camp. If he’s as healthy and strong as you say he is, he’ll have a chance to earn a spot with the club.”

“That’s all I can ask for.”

“He’s a lucky man,” Marvin Dempsey said. “He’s a very lucky man.”

* * * *

Cooper stared at the PDF copy of the contract with the Nishinomiya Hanshin Tigers. He couldn’t turn down the only offer he’d received, yet he couldn’t bring himself to print it out and sign it.

How could he spend a year away from Annabelle? And that far away? The money was decent, but not enough to justify buying three first-class tickets to see him when the girls got out of school for the summer.

Would they be able to maintain a long-distance relationship? They’d have nothing but emails, texts, and Skype to keep them connected. With a sixteen hour time difference, even the video chats would be a challenge.

Still, a man had to have something to give.

Maybe he could manage more properties. After several years of decline, the market was improving. He could expand from his three rental properties and maybe become a real estate tycoon.

Was he really ready to trade his uniform for a suit and tie? To put down his glove and pick up a cell phone?

Maybe a part of him wanted Annabelle to ask him to stay. To try to convince him that she’d rather live a more modest lifestyle than be apart. Or even tell him they could live off her alimony while he continued the life of a beach bum.

But the fact that she understood his need to earn his living made him love her even more.

He closed the document. He still had a few more days. And he didn’t want anything to ruin Annabelle’s big night. She had kissed him this morning and gone off to get her hair and makeup done. He was more than happy to pick up the twins from the bus. He would miss that daily ritual most of all. Well, it would be one of the million little things he’d miss about being a part of Annabelle’s life.

Cooper waited for Annabelle to come downstairs. He felt like a kid going to his first prom, all dressed up in a rented tuxedo. Only this time he didn’t have to make small talk with his date’s parents. He wondered why guys rented tuxedos that looked pretty much the same as any other, while women would spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on a dress they’d wear once.

When Annabelle appeared before him, he understood. That dress was once-in-a-lifetime gorgeous. No one else would dare wear it. And no one else would look as stunning as she did.

It was a red, floor length gown that wrapped around her waist, hugging her breasts and draping over her right shoulder. The skirt had a slit almost to her thigh, but not quite. Just enough to draw his attention to her long legs, but not so much that he had to worry about anyone else seeing anything he didn’t want to share.

Her hair was carefully arranged so that a cascade of curls fell across her left eyebrow, effectively covering the worst of her scars. It framed the right side of her face, showing off her flawless perfection.

It was all he could do to place a gentle kiss on her cheek rather than pull her into his arms and kiss her like he wanted to. He wanted to claim her, to keep her for himself. He didn’t want to share her with the world, but that’s what tonight was all about. Showing her off one more time.

“You look amazing.” He could barely breathe. “Almost as pretty as you did in that hospital room.”

She gave him a puzzled look.

“When you first saw Sophie and Olivia.” He wasn’t sure he could explain, but he would try. “Your face lit up. I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful.”

“Sure, with a bandage covering my face, and my hair all matted with blood.”

“You were radiant. Shining with love.”

“That is the corniest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Maybe. But it’s true. I was halfway in love with you from the first time I saw your picture.” He took her hand, pressing his lips to her palm. “But seeing you in that hospital room, all banged up, but so happy to see your daughters, I fell all the way.”

“That’s why you wouldn’t leave us alone.”

“Yeah.” He laced his fingers through hers. “That and the fact that I’m secretly Prince Charming.”

“Of course you are.” Annabelle squeezed his hand. “Let’s go get this party over with. Sophie and Olivia are spending the night with a friend from school, and I intend to take full advantage of having the house to ourselves.”

“Yes. Let’s make the most of tonight.” His chest tightened at the thought of having to make a decision tomorrow.

He would have to walk away from the game, and always wonder if he still had something left. Or he’d have to leave Annabelle and her daughters. Sure, they’d try to make it work with an ocean between them, but he hated the thought of being so far away with nothing but her picture to keep him company.

Her picture had once been enough. But now that he’d held her in his arms, now that he’d tasted her and touched her and loved her, he didn’t know how he was going to survive without her.

* * * *

The limo pulled up in front of the theater. It was almost like going to the Academy Awards, the red carpet was out, photographers and spectators lined up outside, trying to catch a glimpse of some of the most beautiful women in the world.

He was proud and in awe of the woman on his arm. She hadn’t wanted to come at first. Ashamed of her disfigurement, and worried her past behavior would come back to haunt her. But here she was, not only in attendance, but wearing a standout, knockout red dress.

She was here to make an impact.

“I’m proud of you,” he whispered as they got out of the car. “I just want you to know that.”

“Thanks, but I might not be able to go through with getting onstage.”

“Sure you will.” he assured her. “I’ll be right here for you.”

His cell phone buzzed in his pocket, but he wasn’t going to check it. Tonight was all about Annabelle. Unless… “Did you leave my number as a contact when you left the girls at their sleepover?”

“Tanya has my number, and don’t worry, I checked a few minutes ago.”

“If you’re not worried, then I’m not going to.”

Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her into the ballroom. He felt a flat, hard lump just above her right hip.

“Is that your phone?”

“You’ll see.”

* * * *

Annabelle sat through the host’s welcome speech, the first musical act, and brief montage of the earliest covers. A few more speeches, another musical performance, and a video showing the models spending time together earlier in the week. Finally, Annabelle was called onstage.

“Wish me luck,” she whispered.

“You’ll be amazing,” Cooper told her.

Annabelle made her way onstage. After her introduction, she thanked the host and then turned to face the audience. Taking a deep breath, she smiled, careful to keep her right side prominent.

“Thank you, thank you so much…” On cue, her phone buzzed. Reaching behind her back, she pulled it out of where she had it tucked in next to the microphone receiver. “Sorry, I’ve got to check this. Single mom, kids with a sitter.”

Glancing at her phone with a concerned look on her face, she hoped she could pull this off. “Oh, nothing to worry about, it’s just a really cute picture of a baby giraffe.”

She held it up as if the audience could see the tiny picture. Then she pretended to retweet it.

“Sorry about that.” She laughed as if she were just having coffee with friends and was distracted by her phone. “Now where was I? Oh, right. How has
Sports Illustrated
changed my life? Well, the swimsuit issue was my first job. I was nineteen years old and pretty naïve. I was sheltered, a little spoiled, and I didn’t really have any big dreams in life. Then I found myself traveling the world, meeting people I never would have met, and making money of my own. It was mine, not my Daddy’s, not my husband’s. Mine.”

She blinked back tears stinging her eyes.

“I was proud of my work, even though to some people, it didn’t seem like work. Just stand there, or lie in the sand, and look pretty. But it was work. Long hours, delays due to weather or lighting or just not ‘feeling it.’ It was good work, though. Satisfying. And I did make friendships. Modeling was my first job. It’s the only job I’ve ever had. I guess you can say I lived much of my life in front of the camera.”

Her voice shook a little as she was coming to the end of her little speech. She pulled her phone out again, and holding it up she said, “I want to remember this night. Now let me take a selfie…”

She flipped her hair back off the left side of her face, and after hearing the gasp from the audience, said, “It just has to be from the right side.”

She snapped a picture.

“I know we’ve all become too attached to our phones. We’re afraid to be out of touch for even an instant. But it only takes an instant to go from this”—she showed the audience the right side of her face—“to this.”

She could feel the heat of the stage lights on her scarred face. “I was struck by a distracted driver. The young man who hit me had received a text message.”

She glanced down at her phone. “According to the police report, it said ‘Hey man, what’s up?’ And his response to this urgent text?”

She swallowed back the tears, and continued. “His response was, ‘not much, I’m dri—’ The good news? His phone wasn’t damaged. So they were able to retrieve the unsent message.”

She put her phone away for the last time that evening.

“Being a part of
Sports Illustrated’s
swimsuit edition changed my life. But a simple text changed it even more.”

Annabelle pulled her hair back, twisting it into a simple knot on the top of her head. With a smile and a nod, she simply said, “Thank you.” And she walked off with her head held high.

She couldn’t see the crowd through the tears, but she could hear the applause. Flashes of light went off around her and she allowed the escort to help her off the stage. When her vision cleared enough for her to make her way back to her seat, she was surprised to find the crowd was giving her a standing ovation.

Her phone buzzed repeatedly, but she wasn’t about to check it. She’d made her point. The last thing she wanted was to trip over her gown because she couldn’t ignore her phone. And since the special ringtone she’d programmed for the babysitter hadn’t sounded, she knew her daughters were fine.

The applause didn’t stop until she reached Cooper and he took her hand to help her sit. Once he sat next to her, the rest of the audience followed suit.

The next musical act was introduced and the show went on. The program ended with an award for the top cover presented to Kathy Ireland for her first cover, the best-selling issue of all time.

More pictures were taken as they made their way to the exit after the final presentation. Cooper kept his hand on her back the whole time. She didn’t know what she would have done without him there. Probably chickened out about going onstage. No, she wouldn’t have even come tonight without his support.

“Ms. Jones.” A reporter caught her just steps from the door. “Can you tell us more about the accident that ended your career? Or should I say, resurrected it?”

“Resurrected? I don’t think so.”

“Oh sure, you could do public service announcements. You could be the new spokesperson for the campaign against texting and driving.”

“Thank you, but that’s not why I said what I said.”