Page 10 of The Do-Over

“What?” Jenna sat up so quickly she nearly sloshed hot chocolate onto her sweater. “How dare they?”

“How dare they?” He blinked at her, taken aback by her fierceness. Jenna always defended her loved ones with warrior-like passion, but he’d left that inner circle three years ago. “They have every right to decide who they want to bring on.”

“I know that, but you’re Billy Cooper! You have the quickest reaction time in the American League.”

“And I’ve been known to party.”

“But it never affected your game. You still had the highest percentage of successful throws to third base with another runner on first in an opposing team’s stadium last season.”

He squinted at her. “That’s a real stat?”

“It’s an obscure one,” she admitted. “But it’s true.”

He made a show of writing a note on his phone. “Gotta remember to tell Pete that one. Maybe he can get a bump up on the contract that I’m going to turn down.”

Jenna settled back in the armchair and picked up her mug. Behind her, a bay window looked out into the backyard, where in daylight could be seen a trampoline, a badminton net, and a jungle gym that Jenna had rescued from the dump. No wonder all the neighborhood kids congregated at their house.

Her house.

He didn’t live here and never had. He’d bought it for them after the divorce. When he was in Lake Bittersweet, he rented a guesthouse on the eastern side of the lake, where all the big summer homes were located. The owners allowed him to use the home gym of the main house for all his off-season workout needs.

“So you’ve decided against it,” Jenna said in a neutral tone that gave him no clue as to her opinion.

“I haven’t decided anything. I’m considering. Discussing. Running it by you. I’m serious, Jenna. I won’t make any move that you’re not down with.”

She nodded and turned the mug around in her hands. Her gray eyes hazed over as she lost herself in thought. Jenna had remarkable eyes. They were a light gray that picked up other colors from whatever she was wearing, or her environment in general. But no matter the color, they were always luminous, like sunlight shining through the early-morning fog that hovered over Lake Bittersweet.

“I can see why you’re considering it,” she finally said. “That new manager obviously isn’t your biggest fan. You’re probably worried about what effect that’s going to have on your status with the Twins. You’re a baseball player, you want to play.”

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t just that, though. Yeah, he loved playing baseball. Loved exercising his talent to its fullest. But he also wanted to leave a mark on the world, give his boys something to be proud of. Lord knew he’d failed them in other ways. He hadn’t been able to keep things together at home, and while it took two people to get divorced, most of the fault lay with him.

“And then there’s the financial aspect. No one knows how long a sports career will last. It makes sense to make as much as you can while you’re healthy.”

That was true too. That was one reason he spent so much energy in the off-season maintaining his fitness and muscle tone, to give himself the best chance of preventing an injury. Shortstop was a tough position. You didn’t want to bulk up too much because you might lose quickness. But strong muscles combined with flexibility were the surest way to keep a player’s joints intact.

“What are you saying?” he asked her cautiously.

She waited a long time before answering, then lifted her eyes to meet his. “I think I’m in favor.”

For some reason, he experienced a pang of…something when she said that. Loss? Hurt? So she was really fine with him moving half a world away? “It’s not that simple. I can’t just say yes. I have to prove I’m not a reputational risk anymore.”

“How would you do that?”

“Well…I, uh…” He cleared his throat. He hadn’t thought things would get this far, so he hadn’t prepared for this moment. “I’d need you.”

Four

Jenna stared in confusion at the long-legged, magnificent man sitting on her couch. Side note—it was okay to objectify your ex-husband, right? Hadn’t she earned that privilege? “Clarify, please.”

He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Pete wants to set me up with a reporter to follow me around. Show the wholesome family man side of the notorious Billy Cooper.” He shot her an embarrassed look. “Hard to do that without the family. And that’s you. And the boys, but I don’t want to show too much of them.”

She still didn’t understand. “Pete knows we’re divorced, right?”

“Of course. That’s part of the point. They’d showcase how good our relationship is, how well we work together raising our kids, that kind of thing. The Redemption of Billy Club. That’s how he’s pitching it. I’ve matured, I’ve grown, I’ve left my past behind me.”

She let out a spurt of laughter. Not because it sounded ridiculous, but because he sounded so disgusted by the whole pitch. “You hate the idea.”

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