Playing the Field: A Diamonds and Dugouts Novel (28 page)

But because she couldn’t help it, Sonny scanned the parking spaces for a red Tacoma as they made their way to the correct ball field. Though there were quite a few trucks, JP’s wasn’t one of them. Bitterness welled within her.

It figured.

“Did you notice that I brought his glove? I bet it brings me extra good luck ’cause it was his and everything.” His slim shoulders were barely wide enough to hold on to the strap of his duffel bag. The poor kid had to keep jostling it back on and his shoulder notched higher and higher until he was comically offset. “I bet I make tons of outs today.”

Listening to her baby go on and on about JP was hard. The kid had so much invested in him. He was going to be devastated when he found out that JP wasn’t going to be around anymore. He already should know the truth, but she hadn’t had the heart to tell him. And yeah, she knew she was being a sissy. But breaking her boy’s heart wasn’t something she was just rushing to do.

Damn it. That’s why she had stayed away from getting involved. It had kept her boy from being hurt. How was she going to be able to let him down like that?

Sonny dug the heels of her hands into her eyes and rubbed as she waited for Charlie to catch up.
Ugh.
They would have been so much better off if she’d never met JP.

Sometimes she could be so stupid.

“Sam and his mom are supposed to meet us by the field and I was wondering if it would be all right if we had a sleepover tonight?”

Why not? It’s not like she had something more pressing going on. “That will probably be okay, but let’s see how everyone feels after the game.”

Charlie nodded and adjusted his duffel again. “Cool.” The kid looked back over his shoulder. “You don’t think JP will have any trouble finding us, do you?”

Not if he actually showed up. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, honey. But you shouldn’t be worrying about him. Your mind should be on your game, Charlie.”

The blond-haired boy ducked his head, busted. “I know, Mom. It’s just I’m so excited.”

If he said that one more time her heart was going to break. Wanting to guard him against potential heartache, Sonny warned, “Something may have come up for him.” Like they were no longer speaking. “You shouldn’t get your hopes up so much, honey. I’d hate to see you get hurt.”

The minute the words were out of her mouth she had an intense feeling of foreboding. If JP hurt her son she would never forgive him. Hurting her was one thing.

“I’ll be okay, Mom. JP would never let me down.”

Famous last words, Sonny thought cynically. Not that long ago she’d said the very same thing. Look where it had landed her. “Hmmm,” was her only response. Time would tell.

Charlie saw his team up ahead and dashed off, leaving Sonny to bring up the rear. Which was fine by her because she was moving slowly from lack of sleep. By the time she’d found a spot and set up temporary camp, the game was starting and Charlie was too busy playing to obsess over the ballplayer.

But he hadn’t forgotten about him altogether. Every so often she could see him peruse the crowd looking for JP. Though it pained her to admit it, she did the same thing because deep down in her heart she really hoped that he wouldn’t do that to her baby boy. But by the time the last inning had come to a close and he was nowhere in sight, Sonny had to admit the truth: JP had stood up her boy.

Glancing back over to Charlie, she could tell he knew it too. Her boy yanked off the glove he’d adored mere hours before and threw it in the dirt, his face tight and angry. Her heart ached for him.

Waiting for Charlie was horrible. It was plain as day that her baby felt terrible. The ballplayer that he idolized and who he’d thought of as a friend had broken a promise to him and his little heart was bleeding. Guilt rose in her when she thought that it shouldn’t have been that way.

Today was just one more example of why she was the reigning queen of bad decisions. Because of her, her son had become emotionally involved with a guy who’d just ended up hurting him. Exactly like she’d feared he would do.

It seemed like forever before her boy walked over to where she was waiting. He’d taken a few good slides into bases and his jersey was covered in dirt and he had a scrape on one of his elbows. His hat was pulled down low over sad, sullen eyes.

Sonny tried for cheerful. They both needed it. “Great game! You did a fantastic job at shortstop. I was super impressed by how you covered second and got that kid out on a relay.”

“Thanks.” He was so bummed out, poor kid.

Tossing her arm over his shoulders, Sonny gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Hey, I’m sorry JP didn’t come.”

Anger distorted his face. “He lied to me!”

It was like a knife in the heart. “I know, baby.” Why she felt the need to defend the giant jerk she didn’t know. But it came rolling off her tongue before she could stop it. “Maybe something came up. Something really important that he couldn’t avoid.”

Charlie scowled off into the distance. “Or maybe he just didn’t care.”

She knew the feeling. “I’m sure he cares. But he’s a professional ballplayer and it’s the middle of the season. Things come up that get in the way of even the best of intentions.” Whether or not that was really true Sonny didn’t care. She was trying to mend a boy’s bruised and battered heart. Charlie felt rejected and she couldn’t stand it. “Hey, are you still wanting that sleepover with Sam?”

Her baby snuggled into her side and shook his head. “I’d rather go home.”

Damn you, JP.

Something caught her attention as they made their way back to the parking lot, and Sonny whipped her head around, her heart skipping a beat. For a split second she thought she caught sight of a figure before it disappeared behind some cars.

What the hell? Sonny shook her head and looked again.

There was nothing.

Great. Just frigging terrific.

She was so mad that everyone looked like JP.

Chapter Twenty-Five

F
OR THE NEXT
week JP brooded over Sonny. Then he spent some time being real honest with himself over a lot of things. Old things that he should have had a handle on a long time ago. And by the time the week was done he’d come to a conclusion.

He needed advice.

And there was only one place in town where he could go and get what he needed. Only one place where someone had messed up as bad as he and still managed to make it right.

JP needed Mark Cutter.

So, on a sunny and quiet morning when he couldn’t stand being away from Sonny for one more minute he found himself knocking on the catcher’s condo door with a tray full of coffee. Mark’s fiancée was a notorious coffee fiend. The cups were his way of apologizing for barging in on them at eight in the morning.

A big part of him couldn’t believe that he was standing there either. Him. Jason Patrick Trudeau. The natural born winner at just about everything had lost the only woman he’d ever loved due to stupidity. The guy who never asked for advice because he was so damn sure of himself was asking for advice.

It was humbling.

JP sighed. Life, meet irony.

The door opened and Mark appeared in the doorway, a gleam in his eye and his hair kind of messy. “Sorry to keep you waiting, brother. Lorelei needed help with something. Come on in.”

By the look of him JP could figure the kind of help she’d needed.

“No worries.” He held out the tray of to-go cups. “I brought coffee.”

The catcher’s eyes lit with humor before he threw a look over his shoulder. “The fiancée is going to love you for this. We just ran out.”

Anything to help out a friend. “Glad I could help.”

Mark led the way into the living room, his bare feet muffled on the thick rug. “Lorelei will be out in a minute.” He put the coffee on an end table and took a seat. “What’s on your mind, man?”

It was weird sitting there asking for an opinion. JP figured he ought to know himself well enough to have a sound idea of what was going on, but the truth was he didn’t. This thing with Sonny had him in way over his head. Sure people had been angry at him before. But not like this.

This was serious.

He wanted Sonny back. He wanted Charlie back too. It had been days without them and he had never been more miserable. Nothing felt right. Even playing baseball, which he lived for, didn’t hold the same appeal that it had just a few short weeks ago.

They were meant to be together. After she’d walked out on him the other day and left him staring at empty space he had stood there steaming and indignant. Hell, he’d been there to apologize to her and what had she done? Kicked him out.

And when he’d refused to leave she’d stomped out on him, giving him no opportunity to change her mind. For long minutes he had debated whether or not to follow her into the house. Finally he’d convinced himself to leave well enough alone for the time being and he’d left without saying another word to her.

It had been the better part of two weeks since that day and with the time and space his emotions had settled out. Enough time had passed that he wasn’t angry at her anymore. No, now he just wanted her back. The time apart had given him ample opportunity to see just how empty his life was without her and Charlie.

The only thing he had waiting for him when he got home was the damn neighbor cat.

JP wanted more.

Shifting on the couch, he stretched out his legs and reached for a coffee cup. He took a near scalding sip and thought about what he wanted with his life. Playing baseball was all well and good. It was a part of how he expressed himself, who he was. But there was more to life than the sport and those were the things he was missing.

Things like having the love of a good woman. Cuddling down on the couch with her after dark, kissing and watching a movie. Being able to share the details of his day with someone who actually wanted to listen. It might sound lame, but things like that mattered. They mattered a whole hell of a lot.

With Sonny he’d captured a glimpse of the life he had envisioned—life with love, laughter, and friendship. And that’s what he wanted. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about dating gazillions of brainless women. No, what JP wanted was a strong, intelligent woman who could be his best friend and his lover. Someone who would challenge him and never leave him bored.

He’d found all of that in Sonny. And he’d been such an arrogant douche that he’d really screwed it up. So he was at Mark’s about to ask him how to make it up to her. Because he wanted Sonny and all of her baggage. No exceptions.

Lost in his thoughts, JP took another sip of the hot coffee and burned his tongue. “Son of a bitch.”

Mark was all sympathy. “You’re having a tough run, aren’t you?”

He bent his knee and set the cup on it. “That’s an understatement.”

The catcher laced his fingers behind his head and assessed JP. “Woman troubles.”

“Is there any other kind?”

“Not that gets under your skin the same way.”

“True that.”

Mark leveled his pale gray eyes on him. “So, you going to tell me what’s up or do I have to guess?”

JP always appreciated his straight talk. He never minced words. It was nice. “I told Charlie about my relationship with Sonny.”

Mark stilled and nailed him with a stare. “Did you talk to Sonny about it first like I mentioned you might want to do?”

Feeling sheepish like a schoolboy, he braved another sip of coffee and shook his head. “Nope. It just sorta came out by accident. But that’s not the worst of it. We were fighting about it when she came across a tabloid picture of the two of us making out—the one that Lorelei gave me.”

Just then Lorelei walked into the living room and said, “Let me guess, she got pretty irate over that.”

JP nodded. “You could say that.”

Mark asked, “Why?”

Because he was a dumbass. “Because she hates that I’m a celebrity. I didn’t know how much because we hadn’t talked it over,” he saw Lorelei open her mouth to speak and hastily added, “
which
I know is a problem. I’m seeing the value in communication now, trust me.” She smiled and he continued, “She took one look at that stupid gossip magazine and said it was over.”

The curvy brunette settled on her fiancé’s lap, giving his cheek a kiss. “Given the few things she’s said to me, I can see her doing that.”

Frustration made his tone sharper than he had intended. “Why?” Realizing it, he apologized with a softer voice. “Sorry. I’m just up to here”—his hand was at eye level—“with the whole thing. I even went to her after she got mad about it and tried to apologize.”

Mark leaned his head around Lorelei to look at JP. “What happened?”

He got his ass handed to him. “She shut me down, man. Didn’t even give me a chance to explain my side of things.”

Lorelei began playing with Mark’s hair absentmindedly, her fingers tangling in the waves. “I hate to say it, but I can see why.”

JP raised an eyebrow. “You can?”

She nodded. “Well, yeah. Sonny’s a single mom and Charlie is all she’s got, right?” JP agreed and she continued. “You telling her son about an intimate relationship with his mom was like putting a wedge between them. Suddenly it wasn’t just her and her boy anymore. Because you spilled the beans, it became her and Charlie and you. She no longer had the security of being that exclusive little unit anymore. Just you being there changed all that. And then suddenly this major change that she’s making in her life is slapped all over a magazine for everyone to see. I think anyone would freak out.”

JP had never thought of it that way. He frowned into his coffee. “The life change was supposed to be a good thing.”

Lorelei took pity on him. “Honey, it
is
a good thing. It’s also really scary for her too. But she’ll come around.”

He wasn’t so sure of that. “Any advice on how I could go about making that happen?” He missed her. Missed the feel and sound and smell of her. He even missed the way she blew her nose when she was sick with a cold, all delicate and polite-like.

Mark piped up. “You could try skywriting.”

He didn’t follow. “What?”