Free For Everly by Raine Thomas

Everly. The more people who knew, the more likely the press would find out.
    “I’ll pay you for the full day,” he said at last.
    “Thank you, Mr. Cole.” She smiled and went back to unpacking groceries, but he saw her give him a considering look as he ventured out to the family room.
    He took a seat on his reclining sofa and flipped the television to SportsCenter . Then he grabbed his iPad so he could get caught up on some of the things he’d ignored over the past few days.
    After scanning stocks and e-mailing his investor with a few questions and requests, he browsed through his personal e-mail. His mom had sent him a message containing an update on the household renovations she and his dad were undertaking. He had no doubt that she’d call him in the next day or two and rehash the entire message, but he dutifully read through it.
    He wrote back, “Y’all need to get hobbies that keep you from watching HGTV. Keep Dad away from the power tools. I don’t want to spend any more time in the hospital, thank you very much. I’m sure the house looks great. I’ll come out and see it soon. Love you, Cole.” He paused, then added, “P.S. Don’t plant anything J.J. will dig up. Let the poor guy live to see his tenth birthday.”
    J.J. was Joe Jackson, the family mutt. Cole loved that dog. His father wouldn’t give him up, though. Cole had been thinking of getting a dog himself, but he hadn’t gotten around to it.
    The next message was from his agent, Wayne Shelton. It contained a list of upcoming PR obligations Cole was expected to fulfill. Some were just phone or e-mail interviews, but a few involved attending meetings, photo shoots, or social functions. He made sure that everything was plugged into his calendar, then wrote Wayne back to confirm.
    He reviewed the list of remaining messages. He had to clear out some junk mail before determining what he had left to address. Then he frowned.
    Three new messages from Rebecca.
    Damn.
    He’d met Rebecca Peterman, a good friend of his teammate’s wife, Abigail, in January at a party. Rebecca had started up a conversation with him and they connected. He dated her for about four months before she decided it wasn’t working for her. She said she hadn’t realized how demanding his schedule was going to be during the season. She wanted someone who could spend time with her…whose focus was on her, not his career. And she wanted to be invited into his home, meet his family.
    He’d considered trying to make things work with her. She was smart, funny, attractive, and imaginative in the bedroom. Although she wasn’t a sports fiend, she knew enough to have an intelligible conversation about current happenings in the sports world. He really liked her.
    But in the end, he’d decided that the split was for the best. Twenty-three at the time of their break-up, he was three years her junior. He knew she was in a different place in her life. She was thinking of marriage and kids and settling down. He was still riding the high of being one of the most successful pitchers in Major League Baseball. While she enjoyed the prestige that came of dating a famous athlete, she wasn’t prepared to deal with his grueling schedule.
    The biggest issue in his mind had been her constant questioning. He left for spring training in Orlando a month after they met. Because she worked full-time as a clerk in the county court, she hadn’t been able to travel with him. At first, she was satisfied with his daily calls and reports about how the day went. Then her questioning grew more intense.
    Why was he calling later than usual? Why was he going out to clubs with his friends when he already had a girlfriend? Who was he talking to on his cell phone when he said, “I love you?”
    That last question made the difference in his decision about whether or not he should try to salvage their relationship. He’d been talking to his mother during that particular phone call and Abigail had overheard the end of