As I near the exit to the employee parking lot, I come across a petite woman with curly black hair and two little girls who look identical to her.
The woman looks up as her little girl spins around in a circle and smiles at me.
“Hi, I’m Breanna!” Her black curls fly everywhere.
My heart warms. “Hi, I’m Frankie.”
“Isn’t Frankie a boy’s name?” The older girl makes a face of disgust only a child can make cute.
“Noelle!” Her mother admonishes her, then flashes me an apologetic look. “Sorry, we’re still working on our manners. Clearly.”
I chuckle good-naturedly. “No worries at all. It is, actually, a boy’s name. But my real name is Francesca. I just go by Frankie for short.”
“Oh, you’re Frankie! Where is my brain? Hi, I’m Hannah, Walker Callahan’s wife. He’s been talking about you and the strength program since spring training.”
She sticks out her hand for me to shake, and I blanch. Walker’s wife. The Walker whose brother is the man I’m having a baby with, though none of them probably know that.
“Oh, hi, it’s so nice to meet you.” I try to keep my voice calm and friendly, even as I’m internally freaking out.
“When are you due? Gosh, sometimes I miss having that belly.” Hannah smiles warmly at my bump.
“January.” My nod is strained as I try to keep my cool.
“A winter baby. That was my Noelle. Born in the middle of a snowstorm here. Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?” This very nice woman is chatting about babies without knowing that the one in my belly is technically related to her.
“A baby boy. I can finally feel him kicking, too. Pregnancy is so strange.”
“So strange!” she agrees. “But beautiful. And scary. And so many other things. It’s your first?”
“Yes.” A complete surprise, though she doesn’t need to know that.
“I wish you such good luck with it, and a healthy baby!” She looks like she might be going, and I’ll be off the hook.
Like I said, I have mac n cheese waiting for me.
“Hannah, Walker, and I were waiting—” Colleen Callahan cuts herself off as she sees me talking to her cousin-in-law. “Oh, Frankie. Hey, good to see you.”
I know she knows, simply in the way she’s looking at me. Colleen Callahan may be a powerful woman who wields her authority over a bunch of rowdy athletes and stubborn coaches, but she has zero poker face.
“Sinclair told you,” I say coolly, because I have no idea what she must think of me.
I’m also not putting up with bullshit any longer, even if this woman is my boss’s boss’s boss. I’ve never been the type to dance around things, and I have even less tolerance for it now that I’m pregnant.
“What about Sinclair?” Hannah looks up, preoccupied with her youngest daughter trying to dance down the hallway while pulling her mother’s hand.
“I’ll be right out, Han.” Colleen is trying to kindly dismiss her.
Hannah seems to take the hint, but she eyes me curiously. “It was nice meeting you. Hope to see you around here some time. Coll, we should have a dinner. Introduce her to the Parmesan fries at Hudson’s.”
“It was nice to meet you,” I tell her because it genuinely was.
After Hannah exits out the double metal doors, going in search of Walker, my general manager resumes the conversation.
“I hear we’re going to be family.” Colleen smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
I can’t imagine what the Callahans think of me. Oh shit, do they think I came here to trap Sinclair? God, I must look like some kind of slut. Some jersey chaser, even though Sinclair doesn’t play. I’m the gold digger in their minds.
“No, not you and me.” It sounds harsh, but I’m just being factual. “This baby, yes.”
The way I’m talking to her could probably get me fired, but I don’t seem to care at this moment. Protectively, I wrap an arm around my belly. This baby, whether I like it or not, will be born with Callahan blood. It will be entitled to something, and I will never stand in the way of my son getting to know his family. As someone who has no one but my own mother, I know how isolating that can be.
Colleen surveys the hallway, trying to ascertain if anyone is listening, then turns back to me.
“Frankie, I don’t mean anything by my words. It’s an awkward situation, I admit that. But I think very highly of you, and if you hear any misgivings in my voice, it’s only because I don’t know how to approach you about this. I’m excited, truth be told. My family loves babies, heck we have enough of them to kiss and smell that newborn smell constantly. And if I am being honest, I’m thrilled for Sinclair. He might be a little messy, but he is a good person. He’ll make a great father.”
I sigh, a little relieved that she isn’t chewing me out about trying to trap him or something. “I know he will.”
He might doubt that fact, but I know how well he’s going to take care of this baby if he wants to be a part of its life permanently.
“And it’s not my place, but I’ll say it anyway, because I feel like I have to take up for him. If there is any chance between you and Sin working things out, give it to him. He has had a tough past, and he’s put in a lot of work. I see the way he looks at you, talks about you. He cares for you, Frankie. Maybe I’m a mush right now, being that I’m in the process of adopting a child of my own. But you both deserve happiness.”
I bristle a bit at her getting involved in my love life, especially to campaign for her flesh and blood. But nothing she said steps over the line or is anything that I haven’t thought to myself in private.
But with all of the obstacles in our way, I’m just not sure romance is in our future. A flicker of hope goes through me that she might have gotten the idea from Sinclair. And then another flicker, this one annoyance at my stupidity, hits me square in the heart. The guy lied to my face for three months. He’s not getting me back that easy, if ever.
“Thanks for not … having a problem with this.” I’m not sure what to say or how to proceed.
Colleen delivers an understanding look. “I know that this is complicated. I want you to know you’ll always have a place in this organization, first and foremost. And you may not want to take me up on this, Sinclair being my cousin and all, but I do genuinely like you, Frankie. If you need a friend here, well, I’m here.”
The gesture is nice, although she’s right; I’m not sure I’ll take her up on it. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now, I’m going to get off my feet. I’ll see you at the game tomorrow?”
She nods. “I don’t miss a single one. I’ll probably come down and stop by the coach’s seats.”
As a strength coach, it’s not essential I go to games, though I have a standing reserved ticket to them all if I want to use it. I’ll be at every one, so long as I feel good this season. I want to see how my approach with each player is working in real time.
Colleen and I bid each other farewell, and then I hightail it to the parking lot before I can run into any more Callahans.
My stomach gurgles as I buckle into the car.