Baby Daddy (3 page)

“Take care of that pitching arm.”

“I will.”  It wasn’t my arm I was worried about.  My stomach rolled, and I realized it was time for my morning barf, so I waved and hurried into the locker room which was, blessedly, deserted.  A few minutes later after I had rinsed my mouth and secured my duffel inside my locker, I waved again to Coach as I left.

M
y bank was across from the campus and I headed there next.  I hadn’t actually been inside my bank but a few times since I opened the account two years ago.  I had a debit card and paid my bills on-line, so I didn’t often need to be here.  I had deposited my scholarship stipends and a couple grant checks, but nothing like the one I had in my hand.  I realized my legs were shaking as I walked up to the first teller.

“Hello,” she said with a polite smile
.  “What can I do for you today?”

“Hi.  I need to deposit this cashier’s check
, pay my credit card bill in full, and I’d like a hundred dollars in cash.”  It felt good to say that.

“No problem.  P
lease fill out your credit card information and this deposit slip and we’ll get this taken care of for you.”  The teller walked away and took my check with her. In a minute she was back, and I pushed the completed paperwork across the counter to her.

“
Could you please sign for the cash on the bottom of the slip?” she said as she passed it back to me.

I felt silly that I had forgotten to sign it, but I didn’t do this often enough to have experience.  I signed and returned it to her.

She ran it, the payment receipt and the check through her little printer machine, then counted out the hundred dollars in twenties and tens.  “Twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, ninety and one hundred.  Anything else today?”

“Yeah
…I wanted to double check and make sure that no one else has access to my account.”

“Let me check
.”  She clicked a few keys and studied her computer screen.  “No, just you.  Did you have a problem?”

“Oh no, I just wanted to be s
ure.  Bad break up, you know.”  Then realizing I was talking too much, I muttered, “Thanks,” grabbed my receipts and the cash and shoved it in my purse.

“Have a nice day Miss
Ames,” she said.

I nodded and smiled before hurrying out of the bank. 
It had worked!  The check had been good!  I felt positively rich.

Off
to Harry’s.  It was only ten a.m. and already over ninety-five degrees.  The heat was the worst thing about Arizona. I had only a couple of blocks, so I didn’t bother with the bus.  I walked in the front door about a half hour before opening and found Jerry writing the daily specials on the blackboard.

“Whoa
…you look amazing!” he exclaimed.  “Not appropriate, but hot.”

“You’re sweet
, Jerry.  Hey I’ve got some bad news.  I’m going to have to quit,” I said as I took off my backpack and pulled out the plastic bag-protected uniforms.

Jerry’s usual smile disappeared.  “Wh
at?”

“Last night I
heard I had a death in my family and they need me there right away.”

“Oh
…I’m sorry.  Who died?”

I could have guessed that question
would come up, but I hadn’t planned an answer.   I realized I had no clue, although I didn’t want to admit that to Jerry.  It made it sound like a lame excuse.  “An uncle I think.  I never actually met him, just a friend of the family wants me to help sort things out.”

“Hmmm,
I can’t hold your job open, but come see me when you get back, and I’ll see what I can do.  Okay?”

“Sure,
I’d like that,” I lied.  “Well, I need to run home and get packed. I’ll see you.”  I smiled at Jerry and actually felt bad for leaving him with such short notice.  He was, like me, working his way through college, except that he was going for his Master’s.  Hopefully, in something that will get him into a career outside of managing a third-rate restaurant.

“Bye
, Killeen.”

“Bye, Jerry.  Thanks for giving me the job.”

He nodded and looked sad as I turned to leave the restaurant.

As soon as I breathed in a lungful of fresh air, I cleared Harry’s and Jerry out of my mind as I
headed to my next appointment.  The spa.  I was so looking forward to that.  The school had a masseur in the athletic department, but a sports massage was a totally different beast than a relaxing hot stone massage.  I tried to ignore the heat as I walked briskly down the six blocks to the spa.

With my fingers and toes a soft shell pink (I felt weird with bright colors
and had quickly tired of my rebellious red, plus I could go longer without the polish looking chipped), my face glowing and my body almost too relaxed to stand upright, I stopped at Red Lobster on the way home and splurged on an Ultimate Feast and a piece of Key Lime Pie.  By the time I got home I was almost too stuffed to pack. 
Almost.

I turned on the TV to
a
Big Bang Theory
repeat and opened both suitcases and my backpack on the bed.  Item by item, I packed all my possessions.  Last, but not least, I put Brandon’s laptop in my backpack.  Small price to pay for being a total jerk.

After a restless night, I woke up to my cell phone alarm at 6 a.m
. I dressed in a pair of white capris, a royal blue scoop-necked fitted t-shirt and my favorite flip-flops and packed the rest of my personal items in one of the suitcases.  At 7:30, I walked out the door to a waiting taxi.  On the table, next to the party debris, I left my key…and no forwarding address.

CHAPTER FOUR

I walked off the plane and down the jet way at Gate 9, then walked down the long semicircular concourse to the baggage claim exit.  Once past the guard at the gate there were several people with signs held high.  I looked around and finally spotted a handsome dark-haired college-aged dude in a black suit holding a sign with
Ms. Ames
printed on it.  I worked my way across the surge of travelers and waved to catch his attention.

“Ms. Ames?”

“Killeen,” I corrected.  “You are?”

“Anthony
.  I’m your driver today.  Pleasant flight, I trust?”

“
Not bad.  You work for Harlan?”

“Not full time
.  He calls my company whenever he has an important client to drive around.”  Anthony gave me a big smile.  “Today y
ou
are that important person.”

And I felt special as I followed him to the baggage claim.

“You just stand
aside and tell me which bags to pull off.  I’ll do the rest,” he told me.  The empty conveyor belt sat motionless and no luggage had started coming out yet, so we had a little time to kill. “I hear you’re in college at ASU.”

“Yeah…I play softball
.  You?”

“UT.  I play nothing
, actually.  Work, school, more work.  No scholarship, I’m afraid.”

“I was lucky.  I couldn’t have afforded it without a scholarship.”

He laughed.  “But you have talent.  All I have is determination.”

“I’m beginning to think that determination is better in the long run.  My talent can take me only so fa
r.  And any little injury…or unexpected physical issue can knock me off the team and out in the cold.”

The
buzzer went off and the light started flashing as the first suitcase tumbled out onto the belt.  I picked my backpack up off the floor and swung it over one shoulder.  “I’ve got two matching suitcases…ASU colors.  Gifts from the university when they signed me.”

“Sorry, everything around here is orange and white.  What are ASU’s colors
?”

“Gold and maroon
…like my backpack here,” I turned around so he could see it.

“Got it…
gold and maroon.”  Anthony smiled and walked over to an opening in the carousel and waited for my bags to drop down.  They were pretty easy to spot among all the predominantly black bags.  He quickly returned with my two suitcases in tow.  “Let me have your backpack and follow me.”

I felt bad, but he insisted, so I handed him my backpack and meekly walked beside him
outside the terminal.  The hot dry Austin air hit me as we left the air conditioning. “This feels like Phoenix, only a little cooler.”

“Cooler…
right.  Back in 2011 we had ninety days over one hundred degrees.”

“Yeah, I grew up in
Ft. Worth, so I know summers are brutal here,” I agreed.

Anthony lined
my luggage up on the edge of the driveway and balanced the backpack on top.  “If you‘ll wait here, I’ll be back in a couple of minutes with your chariot.”  Anthony waited for my nod, then sprinted across the streets to the parking area.

A black Lincoln Town Car pulled up to the curb and Anthony
jumped out.  He opened the rear passenger side door and waited for me to enter.  He had left the motor running and the air conditioning felt wonderful as I sat on the plush leather seat while Anthony loaded the bags, closed the trunk and hopped back into the car.

“Do you
know what this is all about?” I couldn’t resist asking.  “Have you picked up anyone else…I mean, someone you took to the same place as you’re taking me?”

Anthony looked at me in the rearview mirror.  His eyebrows arched as if he wasn’t surprised by my questions
.  “Not exactly, and yes…earlier today actually.  But that’s all I can say.”

Great, there was at least another possible relative that I didn’t know.  I leaned back and tried to relax. 
“Okay, let’s get going.”

“O
n the console in front of you are your AC controls and your personal radio controls.  I’ll raise the window so…”

“Please don’t.  I’d rather talk with you
, if that’s all right.”

Anthony
’s eyes met mine in the mirror and he gave me a flirty wink.  “Sure…you’re the boss for the next hour.  We’re going to hit some rush hour traffic on the way out of the downtown area.  If you need to stop for anything, just say the word.”

I
glanced out the window as we moved north on route 183 toward Lake Travis.  “Are you from this area?”

“
Yes, I am.  I still live with my parents to save on dorm fees.  And yeah, I’ve heard all the jokes, but it’s worth it because when I graduate, I’ll be debt free.”

I
smiled.  “That’s smart.  What are you taking in school?”

“Pre-law. 
I’m a senior.  The real grind starts next year.  Mr. Gooding has been very supportive.”

“He seems like a good man
, although I’ve only met him once.”

“Oh yeah
…I heard.”

“You heard about me?”

“Not specifically . . .”

“
Fine…I’ll let him know you were rude and had nothing to say.”  I teased, trying to goad him into telling me more.  He kept his focus on the road and refused to make eye contact with me.

“
I hear you’re good at softball,” he commented, obviously changing the subject.

“
Real
good.  Why?”

“Pi
tcher, huh?”

“How’d you guess?”

This time, he did look back at me, and I could see the appreciation in his gaze.  “You just have that look.”

I didn’t want to encourage him, so I jumped on his earlier cue.  “My ERA w
as 0.61 last year…top five at ASU in the last forty years.”

“I’m impressed
.  Looking forward to next year already?”

For some reason, that triggered all the fear and worry I’d been trying to ignore for the past few days, and my eyes filled with tears.  I turned my head
and quickly wiped them away before Anthony noticed.

“You okay?”

Too late.  He’d seen me.  “I’m fine.  Allergies or something.”

“Yeah
, they can get bad around here.  It’s so dry and all.”  I saw Anthony look back at the road, and we didn’t talk the rest of the trip.

A
lmost an hour later after turning off the main road and winding through a wooded area, Anthony turned into a driveway and stopped in front of a pair of arched gates between large square stone pillars.

Anthony hit a remote and t
he tire spikes that were embedded in the ground dropped as the iron gates swung open slowly.  When the opening was wide enough for the car, he drove slowly through and continued along a driveway that curled around huge live oak trees, their sprawling limbs almost reaching the ground.  We reached a clearing and I looked with curiosity at a beautiful mansion that was an artistic blend of contemporary and old Texas with lots of glass and natural stone.  A single black Mercedes sedan sat on the flagstone driveway under the portico that stretched out from the front porch across the driveway.

“That’s Mr. Gooding’s vehicle.  I’m sure
he will want to personally welcome you.”  Anthony extended his hand to help me out of the car and escorted me up the steps to the front porch.  “Wait here.”

Anthony
bounded down the steps, retrieved my bags from the trunk and ran back to me. I looked up at the two-story porch roof and the round ornate pillars that were at least two feet in diameter that were on each side of the steps and on each corner of the wide, covered porch.

“Nice house
, huh?”

“Amaz
ing.  Will I be staying here?”

“Wish I could tell you.
  I’m sure you’ll find answers to all your questions soon.  This ends my responsibilities for today, Miss Ames.  Good luck.  I really enjoyed my time with you.”

I started to open my purse to find money for a tip when he grabbed my hand.  “That is
n’t necessary.  I’m very well taken care of.”

“At least call me Killeen,” I insisted.

Anthony smiled.  “I’m sure we’ll see each other again, Killeen.” He pressed the call button next to the door and I heard a long and complex series of chimes ring out in response.  “You’ll like Gerald.  He’s a little formal but a good guy if you have any questions or, more importantly, need anything to eat or drink.”

The fifteen foot high double doors opened
wide.  A large middle-aged man dressed in black pants, black vest with a white shirt and black tie stood off to the side.  Front and center was Harlan.  “Welcome Killeen.  This is Gerald.  He pretty much runs the house.  He’s here for anything you may require.”

“Hello
, Ms. Ames.  I will place your luggage in your bedroom.”

“Thank you
, Gerald.”

Gerald walked outside and picked up all three pieces of my luggage and quickly disappeared
up the stairs to the right of the foyer.

I turned around to say goodbye to Anthony
, but he was already about to enter his car.  “Bye Anthony.  Thanks,” I called and he waved in response.

“Nice young man
, isn’t he?”

“He’s very nice.  Not much on information
, however.”

Harlan smiled broadly.  “Good.  It’s hard to find people who will follow my orders. 
Did you have a good trip today?”

“Wonderful. 
It was quite a treat to have someone pick me up at the airport and chauffeur me out here.  I could be spoiled like this.”

“
Good. Are you ready to meet everyone?”

“Everyone?”
  I heard my voice break a little.  I hadn’t expected a crowd.

“Well,
it turned out that my client had a large family…so yes,
everyone
.  I’ll explain it all shortly.  You were the last to arrive.  Follow me please.”

“Lead the way
, sir.”  I followed Harlan between the two wide circular stairways that were on each side of the open foyer.  The floors were shiny white marble and there was a round mosaic of a star made out of red, white and blue stones set in the very middle under an ornate chandelier.  Straight ahead was a very large room complete with a ten foot tall fireplace on the right.

“This is the living room. 
I’m sure it’s seen many parties, but it hasn’t been used much lately.” Harlan motioned with his arm to the left.  “We’re going to meet in the library.”

I stopped when
I saw Lake Travis through the wall of windows across the back.

Harlan noticed
I had stopped.  “Great view, isn’t it?  The lake is down about 40 feet because we’ve been going through a serious drought for the last few years.”  He waited until I had absorbed the sight and started to walk again.

We
moved down a long, wide and well-appointed hallway with western statues of cowboys, horses and long-horned cattle in niches set in the left wall and continuous floor-to-ceiling windows on the right until we reached another wing that jutted out on the far side of the pool.

“Here we are.”  Harlan motioned for me to enter through a tall double oak doorway on the
right.  Inside two of the walls were floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases and the back wall had large windows that looked out to the lake.  There was a seating area with six wing-backed overstuffed chairs, each with its own reading light, arranged so you could either carry on a conversation with the others or retreat into your own world to read.  In the center of the room was a large conference table with eight chairs.  Seated in four of the chairs were two girls and two guys.  They all looked about my age, and they were obviously as uncomfortable and confused as I was.

“Well
folks, here is our final person, Killeen Ames…from Phoenix,” Harlan introduced me to the group.

“Hey y’all,”
I said nervously.

“She sound
s more like Texas than Arizona,” the cute guy with the blond hair pointed out.

“
I was born in Texas.  I’m just in Phoenix because I’m a junior at ASU.”

“Please sit down
, Killeen, and we’ll get started.  Anyone need anything to drink?  Eat?  John, the cook, will be grilling our dinner outside by the pool tonight, so bring your appetites.”

I sat down at the table,
smiled nervously and nodded to the people across from me.

Harlan sat down at the head of the table.  He slowly looked around the room and studied each face.  “First, let me say thank you for taking the time out of your summer to come here.  Be
fore the end of the weekend you’ll appreciate why getting everyone together in one place is superior to dealing with each one of you separately.  Before we go any further, let me share with you my plans for today’s meeting.  First, I want to lay out why you all are here.  Tonight, like I said, you’ll have time at dinner to talk among yourselves.”  He directed his focus toward the other end of the table.  “Reno?  Will you start us off with a brief introduction and then we’ll just go clockwise around the table.”