The Setup and the Substitute by Jiffy Kate

Chapter 4

Owen

“How was the game today?”Emily asks once she gets the phone back from the kids. Molly was so happy I had her butterfly drawing with me. Ryan wasn’t happy that I didn’t take one of his, so I had to console him and assure him I’d bring his stuffed dinosaur on the next road series.

This will obviously turn into a thing and before I know it, I’ll have an entire suitcase full of drawings and stuffed animals.

I wish I could just bring the kids with me, but unfortunately, I can’t do that.

“We won,” I tell her, but can’t help the small smile on my face. We didn’t just win, we shut them out and I had a hand in that.

It felt good.

No… it felt fucking great.

“I know that,” Emily says. She follows all of my games, even when they’re not televised. My entire family has every app and alert set up to get the latest news and stats on Owen Thatcher. “But it was blacked out here and I didn’t get to watch you pitch. Sounds like you had a couple good innings.”

Exhaling, I run a hand through my hair. “Probably the best I’ve pitched since Spring Training.”

“Proud of you.”

“Thanks.”

She calls out goodnight to the kids and then I hear her descend the stairs before continuing our conversation. “So, Molly was telling me tonight that someone by the name of Miss Callahan should be their new nanny. Know anything about that?”

“She’s her teacher,” I say, trying not to let the visual of Miss Callahan enter my mind, but I can’t help it. Every time I even think about her, she takes over my brain… her eyes, her laugh, the way she is with my kids. It’s getting to the point where I’m kind of pissed off about it to be honest. No one has held my attention like that in a really long time and I don’t have time for that kind of distraction.

“But not anymore?” Emily asks, trying to piece together the puzzle. “Molly said she was her teacher but now she’s not?”

“She was her substitute teacher while Mrs. Smith was out. We met after school one day and then ran into her again at the ice cream shop. Molly mentioned it then and has been pretty relentless about it.”

Emily is quiet for a moment, probably multitasking like only women know how to do. “Maybe she’s onto something? I bet you could pay her a lot more than what she’s making. If I had to guess, she’s subbing until a job opens up. But even when one does, she’ll be at an entry level position and you pay much better than the state pays their teachers. I mean, teachers are the most underpaid profession out there.”

“And I doubt she went through four years of college to be a nanny,” I counter.

“It makes her very qualified,” Emily volleys.

Groaning, I pull at my hair in frustration. “I don’t think it would be a good fit.”

“Why?”

Because she’s gorgeous and she stole my breath with a smile. Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her for the past week. Because there’s no way I can have Sophie Callahan living under my roof, even though it would mostly be when I’m gone out of town.

That would lead to thoughts of her in various stages of undress.

And she would be my nanny.

Which is wrong on so many levels.

“Just because.”

Emily laughs. “Well, you’re getting down to the bottom of the barrel, and this Miss Callahan sounds like a very viable candidate. Molly loves her and she’s obviously good with kids. That’s better than the last two nannies. She’s also a certified teacher, which means she’s trained in basic childcare and CPR. She also sounds like she’s single, so the schedule wouldn’t be an issue for her—”

“I’ll think about it,” I finally say, cutting her off. I know my sister and once she gets an idea in her head, especially one that she thinks will help a situation, she doesn’t stop.

“Oh,” she says, sounding a bit distracted. “I see why you don’t want to hire her.”

“What?” I ask, confused.

“She’s pretty,” Emily continues. “Like, not just a little pretty… she’s the kind of pretty that stops people in their tracks and makes them look twice… I mean, whoa.”

Sitting up, fully alert, I ask, “How did you find her?”

“Molly said her first name is Sophie, so I just looked her up.”

“How do you know it’s her?” I ask, wondering why I hadn’t thought of doing that.

I’m not really a social media guy, but I do have an Instagram account. Putting Emily on speaker, I open the app and type in Sophie Callahan. Sure enough, the second account from the top is her.

“Teacher by day, dreamer by night,” Emily says, quoting what’s on Sophie’s profile, along with her location, New Orleans.

“See why she’s a bad idea?” I ask as I begin to scroll.

My sister lets out a noncommittal hum. “I don’t know. She seems kind of perfect.”

“Not to be my nanny.”

That conjures up new mental images that are so inappropriate I don’t even know what’s come over me. I’ve hired half a dozen nannies over the years and never once have I ever had this reaction. So, it’s not like a fetish or anything.

It’s just her.

“Think about it,” Emily encourages. “And if you don’t want to hire her, maybe you should at least ask her out.”

“No,” I retort.

There’s a moment of silence as my thumb continues scrolling through the photos of Sophie.

Most of the current posts are from local places I recognize. There’s even one from the ice cream shop last week. She’s holding out an ice cream cone with two scoops of the unicorn ice cream she and Molly like. A few days ago, she posted a shot of beignets covered in powdered sugar.

But when I get further down her page, there are pictures of her on a beach… in Italy.

France.

Greece.

The Bahamas.

This girl is well-traveled.

Which doesn’t quite go with the bohemian, carefree teacher vibe I got from our two brief encounters. It takes money to go to all the places she’s been and I can’t imagine her being able to do that on a substitute teacher’s salary.

That brings me back to my thoughts from last week: Is she married? In a long-term relationship?

“You know it’s okay to date, right?” Emily asks, reeling me back to the present. “Lisa’s been gone over a year. And we both know that relationship was really over a long time ago. You were just too good of a guy to end things.”

“That’s not how it was.”

“Yes, it was,” Emily says, steel in her voice. “And you were scared to end things with her because you didn’t know what she'd do on her own. More than anything, you were her keeper… her safety net.”

“She’s the mother of my children,” I grit out. Rising from the bed, I begin pacing the hotel room.

Emily sighs. “Yes, she is, but that doesn’t mean you owe her anything. You tried to help her… you did help her, but she didn’t want to help herself. And now she’s gone and you need to move on, not just for yourself, but for your kids.”

“Everything I do is for my kids,” I say, lowering my voice to a deadly level. I don’t want whoever is in the room next to me to hear me air my dirty laundry. That’s the last thing I need.

“I know,” Emily says. “I know. I’m just saying you have to think about yourself too. What’s good for you is good for them. It’s kind of like when you’re on an airplane and they tell you to put oxygen on yourself first and then help the people around you.”

I exhale, releasing my balled-up fist and letting my shoulders fall.

“I’m just worried,” she continues. “I don’t want you to wake up one day with two grown kids, retired from baseball, and alone.”

Rolling my eyes, I suppress a groan. “You sound like mom.”

“We just care about you and want what’s best for you,” she says without missing a beat. “Under all that gruff exterior, you’re a good guy and you have a good heart. You deserve someone who’s going to love you and support you.”

Someone not like Lisa.

That’s the part she doesn’t say.

Because Lisa was never really those things. Sure, she loved me, in her own way. And I loved her too. But she wasn’t interested in marriage. Any time I brought it up, she always said she wasn’t ready. Even after Molly and Ryan were born, she wanted to wait until we were more settled.

In the beginning, we had fun. I was playing in the minors and had more free time. When I wasn’t playing ball, we occasionally went on elaborate vacations with her family. I loved her sense of adventure. She was so cool and a bit mysterious, always keeping me on my toes.

But the things that attracted me to her started to fade away.

Slowly enough that I didn’t even notice at first.

Looking back, I can see we were probably doomed from the start.

She was from an extremely wealthy family who gave her everything she wanted.

I was from a family that believed in hard work. And even though I was on a path to eventually make decent money, that was never a guarantee.

I’m a saver. She’s a spender.

I’ve never touched a drug in my life. She’s an addict.

That’s something I didn’t know for a long time. She hid it well. But when I did find out, I tried to help her in every way I could. I supported her—tried to keep her clean. Sometimes it worked and those times were good, we’d fall into a semblance of being in love.

But she was never the supportive partner. She didn’t pick up the slack when I was gone. She was never one to come to my games or sit in the stands. I understood why. The limelight was never her scene. As much as she wanted me to play in the majors, she struggled with being photographed. Other people talking about her was one of her biggest fears—almost a phobia.

Now, I realize how fucked up it all was and that we were probably a wrong fit from the start.

I should’ve ended things a long time ago, but over the years, it became harder and harder to untangle our lives. We had Molly and Ryan to think about.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I tell Emily, needing to end this conversation and train of thought.

After we hang up, I close out of Instagram and then toss my phone on the bed.

I know Emily is right. I did everything I could for Lisa, but she still chose to leave. And we were over a long time before that. So, there’s no obligation or commitment holding me back from pursuing a new relationship.

But until I get my personal life in order, make sure my kids are taken care of, I can’t think about anything else.

The longer I lay here, staring at the ceiling, contemplating all the possibilities, the more I know what I need to do.

The other thing Emily is right about is Sophie being a good fit for the kids. I know it’s a long shot and it will take great restraint on my part, but I think it’s worth a try.

For Molly and Ryan.