Stealing Home (5 page)

“Neither did I,” Dana Sue admitted. “Not till Helen brought up the idea. Then it just seemed to fit with where we all are right now.”

“Just give me some time to catch up,” Maddie pleaded. “I’m afraid if I agree to it now, when everything else is so overwhelming, I’ll just freak out and ruin it.”

“I’ve seen you in a crisis, Maddie. You don’t freak out. You dig in and get the job done. Remember prom when the money we’d been counting on suddenly vanished? You charged out and got donations from every business in town and managed to pull off the best senior prom our school had ever had.”

“That was a long time ago,” Maddie reminded her.

“But you still have that same drive and ingenuity,” Dana Sue insisted. “You just need a new challenge that’s more interesting than the annual hospital ball to kick ’em back into gear.”

Maddie listened to the conviction in her friend’s voice. She wanted desperately to believe her, but after the day she’d had, she didn’t have the energy to do much more than eat shrimp and finish the glass of wine Dana Sue had poured for her. When she’d swallowed the last bite and taken the last sip, she stood up and gave Dana Sue a fierce hug.

“Thanks for being here for me.”

“Anytime. You were there for me when my marriage broke up. This is the least I can do for you.” She studied Maddie worriedly. “You’re not going home to sulk and undo whatever good I’ve done here today, are you?”

Maddie laughed. “No.”

“What, then?”

“I’m going to go home and crunch some numbers and see if all three of us have lost our minds.”

A grin spread across Dana Sue’s face. “Well, hallelujah!”

“I haven’t said yes yet,” Maddie warned.

“But you’re on the verge of it. I’m calling Helen.”

“Don’t. She’ll just come over and pester me. It’ll ruin my concentration.”

“Okay, okay. I won’t call her tonight, but I’m telling her first thing in the morning. Then you’re all coming here after church to celebrate. I’ll bring Annie and you bring your kids and your mom. We’ll turn it into a party.”

“Let’s hold off on any celebrating. It might turn out to be a wake, if I decide the numbers don’t make sense.”

“We can wait but you won’t,” Dana Sue said confidently. “You seem to have forgotten how you helped me to squeeze every last penny till it squealed when I was opening this place. I’m sure you’ll be just as creative with Helen’s capital and my contribution.”

Maddie shuddered. “
Creative
is not a word I like to hear associated with bookkeeping.”

“Whatever,” Dana Sue responded with a dismissive wave of her hand. “We’re going to open a health club. How wild is that?”

“Pretty wild,” Maddie confirmed.

Maybe flat-out insane.

Cal knew Maddie Townsend the same way he knew all the parents of the kids on the team, which was to say better than most teachers knew the parents of their students but far from well. Maddie had always impressed him by never missing a game and being one of those rare adults who didn’t torment their kids with unrealistic expectations or him with irrational harassment when their sons were on the field. Her husband was the same way.

Today for the first time when she arrived in his office for their scheduled appointment he noticed deep shadows under Maddie’s eyes and a nervous tic in her cheek. Despite the care she’d taken with her appearance, which would have passed inspection at some fancy Junior League function, she seemed uneasy about meeting with him.

“Should we wait for Dr. Townsend?” he asked.

“He’s not able to be here,” she said tightly.

Cal heard a faint note of bitterness in her voice. “Oh? I’ve never known him to miss a game or a meeting.”

“Actually, I didn’t tell him about this one. Tyler asked me not to.”

“I see,” Cal said, though he wasn’t sure he did. “Is there some sort of problem between Ty and his father?”

She regarded him with misery and embarrassment in her eyes. “You may as well know that Dr. Townsend and I are getting a divorce.”

Cal knew his mouth must have gaped at that, because she gave him a wry look.

“I know,” she said. “I was shocked, too, and I lived with him.”

“I’m sorry.” The words seemed inadequate, but what else was there to say?

“Not your problem. Could we just focus on Ty, please?”

“Actually, I’m beginning to see what’s going on with him,” Cal replied. “He’s been having a lot of trouble with school lately. I’m sure his other teachers have been in touch with you about that.”

She shook her head. “I had no idea. He’d mentioned something about a couple of bad baseball practices, but that’s it.”

“Well, I’m sure they’ll contact you before things reach a crisis stage—or perhaps you should take the initiative, just in case…”

“Just in case what?”

“Kids have been known not to take home notes they don’t want their parents to see.”

“Surely Tyler wouldn’t,” she began, then shook her head. “Of course he would. I’ll call the other teachers as soon as I get home.”

Cal gave her an encouraging smile. She looked as if she could use some moral support. “Hey, he’s a good student. A few bad grades don’t mean the end of the world. He’ll catch up. More troubling to me is his complete lack of interest in his game. He excelled in his classes because he’s smart, but he excelled in baseball not just because of talent, but because of his passion for the game. He seems to have lost that.”

She sighed. “I thought as much, based on some of his comments to me, but to be honest, I have no idea what to do about it. Baseball was always something he and his dad shared. Bill’s not particularly athletic, but he loved the game. He started taking Ty to Atlanta Braves games when he was a toddler. Then he coached him in Little League. I tagged along, but I didn’t absorb much about the finer points of the game.”

Cal gave some thought to the implications of that. “So, now
that his dad’s moved out,” he suggested slowly, “Ty’s rejecting baseball—either deliberately or subconsciously—the way he thinks his father’s rejected him?”

She regarded him with surprise. “Why, yes. I think that’s it exactly.” She leaned toward him as if he might have other answers to life’s mysteries. “What do we do about it?”

Cal hated to admit it with her looking at him so hopefully, but he was as much at a loss as she was. Identifying the problem was a snap compared to solving it, but at least he now knew what he was dealing with. “Let me think about that and get back to you, okay?”

She nodded. “Anything you can suggest will be greatly appreciated. I wish I’d come to you sooner, but the divorce isn’t something I’ve wanted to talk about.”

Cal regarded her with sympathy. “No one does, which is probably why kids internalize their feelings.”

“You’re right again. Believe me, I want to see that old spark back in Ty’s eyes when he walks onto a ball field. He needs baseball right now.” She studied Cal worriedly. “He mentioned you might pull him from the starting rotation.”

“I’ll have to if he doesn’t get his concentration back, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Now that I understand what’s going on, hopefully I can come up with some way to get him back on track. Maybe this is none of my business, but is the divorce final?”

“The paperwork’s done, but we don’t have the decree yet.”

“Are things settling down some at home, though?”

“Some,” she said in a tone that conveyed the opposite.

“They will,” he said, feeling a sudden need to reassure her. It was almost as powerful as his desire to get Tyler back in his pitching groove. “I’ll be in touch soon, Mrs. Townsend.”

“Call me Maddie, please. I’d just as soon not be reminded of anything Townsend right now,” she said, giving him a wry smile. “Besides, it makes me feel ancient.”

Cal laughed at that. “You’re hardly ancient. If I didn’t know you have a sixteen-year-old son, I’d swear you were my age.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “Flattery won’t get you much more than an extra batch of chocolate-chip cookies next time it’s my turn to bake for the team.”

“I’ll take the cookies, but it wasn’t flattery,” he told her.

In fact, for the first time since his own divorce from a woman who’d married a baseball celebrity, not a has-been, he was actually feeling a stir of real interest in a woman, and age was the very last thing on his mind. Of course, given the multitude of complications involved, he’d have to be out of his ever-loving mind to do anything about it.

T
he meeting with Cal Maddox had shaken Maddie more than she wanted to admit. Until now, Ty had been a near-perfect kid. He’d never given them any trouble. He’d made good grades and excelled at baseball. Now all of that was at risk. It made her see that building some sort of bridge between Tyler and Bill was more important than ever, but how could she possibly do that without further alienating her son, who claimed to be dead set against his father being in his life?

Maybe she was going to have to swallow her pride and go to Bill and plead with him to take the initiative and make more of an effort to understand his son’s point of view. Perhaps if he realized what was at stake, he would keep Noreen out of the picture, at least when he was spending time with Tyler. Right now Bill seemed stubbornly determined to unite them into one big happy family, no matter how his children—especially Ty—resisted the idea. Maybe she could make Bill see how desperately Ty needed some one-on-one time with his dad.

Determined to fix things for her son’s sake, she headed for Bill’s medical office in a small brick complex he and a business partner had built several years ago. Its professional suites
also housed a dentist and an orthopedic surgeon, as well as an outpatient rehab facility for the surgeon’s patients.

She used her key and slipped in through the back door. It was the only way to avoid the waiting room and all the curious glances she was bound to receive there. Instead, however, she ran smack into Noreen, who was coming out of Bill’s office with her lipstick smudged and her uniform mussed. Maddie had to wonder how the patients would feel if they’d witnessed the same thing.

“Maddie!” Noreen said, looking dismayed as she smoothed the wrinkles in her uniform. “What are you doing here? I had no idea you still had a key.”

Maddie bit back an angry retort. The truth was that Noreen had more of a right to be here than she did and that grated.

“I need to see my husband. I gather he’s in his office,” she said and brushed right past Noreen without further comment.

When she firmly closed the door behind her, Bill looked up from the files on his desk and regarded her with uncertainty. “Maddie, I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Obviously,” she said, noting the fact that his tie was askew and his thick blond hair was messed up. “You know, if you keep this up, your reputation in this town is going to suffer.” She leveled a look into his eyes. “But then, Helen has already pointed that out, hasn’t she? I’d recommend a few minutes in front of a mirror before you start seeing patients.”

His cheeks colored, a sure indication of his embarrassment. “Why are you here?” he asked stiffly. “Just to pass judgment on me?”

“Not my job,” she said briskly, fighting the urge to say a
whole lot more. She couldn’t afford to stir his temper, not when she was on a very specific mission.

“Did you come to apologize about Saturday?” he inquired. “If so, Noreen’s the one you really should be talking to.”

“Don’t push me,” she warned. “I’m here about Tyler. I just had a very distressing meeting with Coach Maddox.”

Bill flashed her a startled look. “Why wasn’t I told about a meeting?” he demanded.

“Because Tyler didn’t want you there,” she said bluntly. “And that’s the heart of the problem. You asked me the other day to help you mend fences with Tyler. I can’t do much more than tell him repeatedly that you’re still his father and that you love him. Obviously he doesn’t believe me. You’re going to have to prove to him that your feelings for him haven’t changed before he ruins his grades and his chances to become the pro ball player he’s dreamed of being.”

“What are you talking about?” Bill asked. “Ty’s always had excellent grades.”

“I haven’t spoken to his teachers yet, but Coach Maddox has. Ty’s having trouble in everything. I can only do so much. You’re going to have to help me fix this.”

To her surprise, Bill looked uncertain. “I don’t know how,” he admitted with rare candor.

“For starters, you could show up to pick up the kids when they’re expecting you,” she said. “Noreen is not an acceptable replacement, especially not to Tyler.”

“He’ll just have to get used to—”

Maddie cut him off. “You wanted to know what you can do, right? Then I suggest you listen to me. I’m trying to help before our oldest son spins completely out of control.”

He exhaled an exasperated huff. “Fine. Whatever.”

“Baseball brought you and Tyler together once,” she reminded him. “I think that’s the connection that can reunite you now. He’s struggling, Bill. The coach says his pitching is off and his place in the starting rotation is at risk.”

“That’s absurd!” Bill snapped. “He’s the best pitcher they have.”

“Not right now, he isn’t,” she told him. “I think you need to come by the house—
alone
—and give him some pointers the way you used to.”

“He’ll never agree to that,” Bill said. “He’s not listening to me these days, much less spending time with me. If I show up, he’ll just hide in his room.”

“Then go to him where he can’t hide,” she suggested. “Stop by practice this afternoon. You used to do that all the time, just to hang out and see how he was doing. I know he loved that.”

Bill’s expression turned thoughtful. “I could,” he said, then shook his head. “It might make things worse.”

“You won’t know till you try.” She stood up. “I don’t think I need to remind you how important this is.”

“No, you don’t,” he agreed. “I’ll make the effort, Maddie. I promise.”

In the past she would never have questioned one of his promises, but these days she didn’t really know this man at all. At least she’d made the overture. Now it was up to him.

“Today?” she said.

He hesitated and her temper stirred, but then he nodded. “Yes, today.”

When she turned to leave, he stopped her.

“Maddie…”

“What?”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, forcing a cheery note into her voice. “Way too busy.”

“Oh?”

His surprise rankled. Did he think she was sitting around pining for him?

“I guess you haven’t heard,” she said. “Helen, Dana Sue and I are going into business together.”

He stared at her. “What kind of business?”

“We’re opening a fitness club for women.” She might not have made a firm decision before, but the incredulous expression on Bill’s face was enough to solidify her resolve. Not that she was ready to tell Helen and Dana Sue just yet. “You’ll have to tell Noreen all about the postpregnancy classes we’re going to be offering. Maybe it will help her get her shape back. I noticed just now that she’s put on a few pounds that pregnancy alone can’t account for. I’m sure she must be aware of your tendency toward a wandering eye.”

Before he could say a word to that sarcastic observation, she walked out, pleased that her announcement had left her husband speechless.

Bill stared after Maddie and wondered what had become of the pleasant, accommodating woman he’d married. He didn’t know this confident, feisty woman at all.

Then, again, she bore an amazing resemblance to the girl he’d fallen in love with back in high school. It was only their early struggles and Maddie’s determination to play the role of supportive wife that had changed her—and the way he’d looked at her—over the years. Her weight had played no part in it, despite what she’d said on her way out the door. He’d
always thought she looked damn good, even with the few extra pounds she’d been unable to shed after her pregnancies.

His office door opened and Noreen came in, her expression uncertain.

“She was here because she wants you back, wasn’t she?” she asked.

“No, she doesn’t want me back,” he told Noreen, knowing it was true and in some ways regretting it. “She needed to talk to me about Tyler. Will you look at my schedule this afternoon and make sure I can get out of here no later than four o’clock? If you have to reschedule a couple of patients, do it, or ask J.C. to cover for me.”

Thank goodness Maddie had advised him last year to take on a new medical partner. His pediatrics practice had grown too much for him to handle and still have any sort of family life. J. C. Fullerton, who’d just completed his residency, had picked up the slack. J.C. was still single, young and energetic enough to relish the challenges of a demanding small-town practice. There were times when he wondered why Noreen hadn’t focused her attention on J.C. rather than him. And truthfully, the fact that she hadn’t had flattered him.

“Where are you going?” Noreen asked.

“I need to spend some time with Tyler.”

“Want me to come along?”

He knew how sensitive she was about his kids, but he shook his head. “Not this time. I’m just going to stop by baseball practice and see how it’s going. You’d be bored.”

She rested a hand on her stomach. “I could learn to like it,” she said. “After all, one of these days our baby might want to play baseball.”

“I think that’s a few years down the road, whether we have
a boy or a girl,” he said. “Now let’s get started. Who’s waiting for me?”

She looked as if she wanted to say more, but then her innate professionalism kicked in. “Mrs. Nelson is in room one with Jennifer. She says Jennifer’s rash still hasn’t cleared up. I’m putting Mrs. Davis and Martin in room two. He cut himself on a nail and she wants to be sure his tetanus shot is up to date.”

Bill nodded. “See about fixing that schedule while I’m with them, okay?”

“Sure,” she said, but she still didn’t look happy about it.

He stopped on his way out the door and kissed her. “We’re going to be okay, Noreen. It’s just going to take some time.”

Her blue eyes welled with tears as she looked at him. “I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

“That’s why I know it will all work out,” he said and slipped past her, hopefully before she could tell just how many second thoughts and regrets were whirling around in his head.

Maddie stopped at Wharton’s for a hot-fudge sundae on her way home. Learning that her son was in trouble not only on the ball field but in his classes, then giving her soon-to-be ex-husband a wake-up call had drained her. She needed chocolate. Over the years, she’d discovered that there was very little that couldn’t be made better by thick, warm, gooey chocolate poured over vanilla ice cream, and no place in town offered a better sundae than Wharton’s.

Slipping into a booth by the window, she toed off her high heels and sighed with relief.

“Another job interview?” Grace asked sympathetically.

“Not today,” Maddie said. “Just a couple of meetings.”

“Looks to me as if they didn’t go well,” the older woman said. “A hot-fudge sundae kind of day?”

Maddie gave her a weary smile. “Exactly.”

“Coming right up.”

Maddie closed her eyes as she waited, only to snap them back open when someone slipped into the booth opposite her. She scowled when she saw it was Helen. Normally that would have been a good thing, but right this second she was in no mood for a pep talk.

“You ever think of warning a person instead of sneaking up on them?” she snapped.

“Most smart people are more alert to their surroundings when they’re out in public,” Helen retorted mildly.

“It’s Serenity, for goodness’ sakes,” Maddie said. “There haven’t been a lot of assaults in Wharton’s.”

“Definitely moody,” Helen assessed. “That fits. I was on my way home when I spotted your car. I thought you might want some company.”

Maddie regarded her curiously. “Why would you think that just from seeing my car parked on Main Street?”

“It’s outside of Wharton’s in the middle of the day. That can only mean one thing—a sundae emergency.”

Maddie laughed despite herself. “I’m making a vow right this second and you’re my witness. I am changing my predictable ways.”

“Really? How?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll keep you posted.” She shrugged. “Or maybe I’ll just surprise you.”

Grace returned with two hot-fudge sundaes. “Figured you’d be wanting one, too,” she said as she set one in front of Helen.

“I was just going to taste some of hers,” Helen complained. But she took a huge spoonful, then sighed blissfully.

Grace grinned. “From the looks of her, Maddie’s not eating much these days. She needs every one of those calories.”

“Hardly,” Maddie said. “Since all this mess with Bill started, I’ve been stuffing my face with everything in sight. I weigh more now than I did right after Katie was born. Maybe opening a new gym
is
a good idea.” She savored her first bite of the decadent hot fudge.

“Not a gym, a spa,” Helen corrected.

“What’s the difference?” Grace inquired, pulling a chair up to the end of the table without waiting for an invitation.

“For one thing, ours won’t smell to high heaven like Dexter’s,” Maddie said.

Helen gave her a sour look. “It’s more than that. We’ll pamper women. We’re going to offer facials and massages and a steam room and sauna.”

“Really?” Maddie and Grace said at the same time. Grace sounded intrigued, Maddie skeptical. Saunas and steam rooms were bound to be expensive.

“Was that in the business plan?” Maddie asked.

Helen grinned. “We don’t have a business plan,” she reminded Maddie. “Unless you’ve written it. Have you?”

“I’ve made a few notes,” Maddie admitted.

Helen tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile. “Interesting. Then you’re on board?”

“Even though you were out of town on a case, I’m sure Dana Sue told you I was crunching numbers, so don’t act so shocked,” Maddie told her. “And I’m not on board. I’m exploring the situation.”

“She’s in,” Helen said to Grace.

Grace chuckled. “I’d put money on that, too.”

“Watch it, Helen,” Maddie warned. “I’m not sure I want to go into business with a smug know-it-all. I can still look for another job. The Charleston want ads were fairly extensive in yesterday’s paper.”

“You’d spend every penny you earned on gas for the commute,” Helen countered. “And you’d never have any time for the kids.”

“The sacrifice might be worth it just to make sure you don’t get your own way yet again,” Maddie told her.