Chapter Twenty-Seven: Slammed

“Don’t you look nice, Madison! Where did you find that sundress? I adore the red poppy pattern. Your aunt’s handiwork, I expect.” Gertrude Thornberry took Maddie’s arm and walked close beside her in a conspiratorial huddle. “Now you take my advice and dress up a little more often. You’re a darling girl, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t have plenty of beaus. There are other fish in the sea besides Carlton Wilde, you know.”

Maddie didn’t want to tell her biggest sponsor that she had borrowed clothes from her intern for tonight’s big occasion—the debut of the newly refurbished Great Lawn.

“Thanks, Ms. Thornberry.”

“Gertrude, please.”

“Sorry. I forgot. The dress is from J. Crew’s summer collection.” That wasn’t a lie. Tillie had ordered it, but decided it would look better on Maddie.

Gertrude nodded approving. “It suits you. Just the right amount of cleavage. I should introduce you to my nephew, James. He’s an up and coming young architect. Lives in the Bay Area. I think you’d get on like a house on fire.”

“I appreciate that, Ms. Thorn—I mean, Gertrude. But now I can’t wait to show you all the work we’ve done on the stadium in preparation for tonight. I’ll give you a quick tour on our way to Thorny’s playground, which you are going to love!”

“I noticed all those food trucks setting up when I came in. You’ve certainly helped a lot of entrepreneurs.”

Maddie guided Gertrude through the new flower basket garden by the front gate and led her to the main concourse. “The food trucks have been a big hit. We want to help the little guy. Esme is always reminding me that local businesses are what keep Sweetgum from becoming a cliché tourist town. She had the idea of adding pop-ups by the concession stands. Ed loves running the one for the Emporium. He writes poems on demand, too.”

“I hear good things at the Chamber about the food vendors who’ve rented space here. That was smart. More kinds of food available at no cost to you.”

“Plehn’s Bakery and Homemade Ice Cream has made a killing! They invented a flavor called ‘Mander Tracks’ the kids can’t get enough of. We’ve got some good stuff for adults, too. There’s always a line for the Sip ‘N’ Suds’ craft beer and pizza.”

“Personally, I don’t see the appeal of a libation brewed in a laundromat. But what do I know? I never would have guessed that the Manders would have a record over .500 after the All-Star break. They haven’t had a winning season in fifteen years.”

Nothing made Maddie happier than the way the team had performed over the past two months. Alonso Garcia was having a renaissance as a power hitter, crushing everything in sight. Alonso told Maddie that she had “enchanted” his torpedo bat with her home run, and he had become an RBI machine ever since.

“The team has been fun to watch,” Maddie agreed. “If we had won a few more games early on, we might be competing for a playoff spot now.” She led the way out of the concourse and into her favorite section behind home plate. “Check out the seats! Don’t they look good?”

Gertrude shielded her eyes from the sun and took a good look around. “Madison! Can I tell you how happy it makes me to see Whimsy’s Bookstore has an ad in the outfield? Aberdeen Whimsy must be doing well. As one of Sweetgum’s first female business owners, this is very encouraging.” Gertrude grasped Maddie’s hand and squeezed it. “Everything’s lovely, my dear. These can’t be brand new seats, but they look fresh as a daisy.”

“Would you believe it was the kids’ club—Manders Minions—who polished the seats? They were so into it! Everything has a fresh coat of paint, too. It makes a huge difference.”
Getrude giggled. “I have to admit, I enjoyed the way you raised money to hire the painters.”

“Really? Well, good for you, Gertrude!”

Gertrude patted Maddie’s arm. “I’m not that old! The Speedo Batting Practice Challenge was pure genius! How did you come up with that?”

“Wasn’t my idea. It was Tillie’s, my intern. She’s so dry and funny and downright brilliant. I was stressed about how badly the paint was peeling and how much it was going to cost to fix. I tried everything to get donations. Nothing worked. Then out of the blue, I got a text from Tillie with a link to a GoFundMe campaign asking people to donate to the paint fund. If we made our goal, the players would take batting practice in Speedos. I can’t believe the guys were willing to do it. I would have been way too embarrassed to ask, but not Tillie.”

“I’m not usually one for following social media, but that night I was glued to my phone.”

“First sold-out batting practice event in minor league history. We raised enough money for professional painters, to get the Pickle Jar looking spiffy again.” Maddie checked her phone. “Oh my gosh, I’ve been talking too much. It’s almost time to let the kids in. Let’s head for the Great Lawn.”

“We can jog, if you like. I still run a couple of miles a day.”

“Speed walking will do. I’m so excited for you to see this! The Sweetgum Junior League’s Garden Committee did an outstanding job. The knockout rose bushes are fabulous!”

When they reached the Great Lawn, just behind the right field wall, the early evening sun turned the whole landscape golden. There were a few dozen picnic tables and flower beds with a wild mix of perennials and annuals in bright, kaleidoscope colors. Next to the picnic area was the playground that Thornberry’s had paid for. An archway over the entrance read “Thorny’s Play Land.”

Maddie stood beneath the arch and opened her arms wide. “Come on in! I feel like Willy Wonka opening the doors to my magical candy factory.”

The playground wasn’t large, but it was imaginative. Gertrude was delighted by the whimsical monkey bars and the slide in the shape of a giant salamander. Maddie took photos of Gertrude on a park bench that looked like Thorny the rally monkey with his arms stretched out.

“It’s perfect for selfies.” Maddie showed the pic on her phone to Gertrude.

“Goodness! It’s not half bad, is it? The park looks even better than I thought it would,” Gertrude mused.

“Yeah, we managed to squeeze in everything that we wanted. Over there you can see the kid-sized batting cage and a miniature baseball diamond where they can run the bases.”

“It’s charming! I wish my grandkids could be here tonight. Oh well, they’ll come next summer.”

“I have one last thing to show you,” Maddie said. “With all due respect to Thorny, this is the star of the show.”

Maddie took Gertrude to the old merry-go-round on the other side of the lawn, and they climbed aboard to get a closer look. Maddie was especially fond of the carousel since Carlton had covertly been in charge of the repairs. He and the crew from Earl’s Alignment had gotten it working smoothly again.

“The artistic restoration was overseen by Esme,” Maddie explained. “She recruited the new Folk Artists Collective and the Plein Aire Posse. They’ve been working like crazy to sand and then repaint the whole thing. The artists were amused by the ‘Under the Sea’ theme. Unusual for Sweetgum’s mountain location.”

“I don’t know how you did all of this so quickly!” Gertrude said.

“I had the best volunteers. Tonight’s game is also a party for them. But your sponsorship was the key, Gertrude. We owe you so much. What’s your verdict?”

Gertrude gave a thumbs-up sign. “I never would have believed any of it five months ago.”

“Oh, thank goodness. I feel that way, too, but you’re so picky! I wanted it to be perfect.” Maddie checked her phone again. “Tillie’s opening the gates now for the kids. We’re letting Manders’ Minions be the first ones to see the new playground.”

They could hear the kids stampeding toward the Great Lawn, a rowdy, jubilant roar.

Maddie gave a short speech in tune with the attention span of her audience, ending with: “Let’s hear it for the champion of our playground, Ms. Gertrude Thornberry, of the inimitable Thornberry’s Toys. Let her rip!”

Tillie handed Gertrude a confetti cannon which she set off to welcome the kids and their families inside the park. Within a few minutes, every part of the playground was filled. Maddie felt a rush of satisfaction. Despite getting thrown the wildest curve ball of her life back in July, things were going well. There had been no bad publicity for the Manders or Monty. In fact, it was all good. The Manders were winning. Ticket sales and concessions were booming. No one but her closest friends knew about her secret romance with Carlton. She just might make it to the end of the season without any more trouble.

***

Once the game started, Maddie was able to enjoy the celebration without many extra duties to manage. For once she kept the event simple. It was one of the biggest crowds of the season. Every volunteer had been given a pair of free tickets, and most of them bought more tickets—to show their friends and families the new stadium. There was a palpable sense of pride everywhere.

Each volunteer’s name appeared on the Jumbotron along with photos from the various work parties. Everyone cheered for each other, and Maddie cheered so much that her voice was almost gone by the third inning. The Manders were having a home run festival, and none of the outfielders dropped a single fly ball.

At the seventh inning stretch, Maddie ran into Esme who had been working a pop-up booth for the Dirty Quilters.

“Quite a night!” Esme hugged her niece. “We’ve sold out of quilts. Raised two hundred and fifty dollars toward community art classes for kids.”

“You’re the best, Esme, and the carousel is a masterpiece. The Minions went berserk for it.”

“Are you having fun, honey? You can feel the joy tonight. I’ve been sending updates to Nick. He wants to call you after his game tonight and say congrats. He’s so proud of you.”

“What a sweetheart. Yeah, I’m having a terrific time. But… No, I shouldn’t complain about anything.”

“Sure you can. What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“I wish I could share this in person with Carlton,” Maddie whispered. “It's really getting old having to hide all the time. It pisses me off. It’s so stupid.”

“Just two more weeks and the season’s over. Then you’ll work things out. Don’t worry.”

“I know. You’re right. OK, I’m going down by the dugout to watch the end of the game. See you after!” She kissed Esme’s cheek and headed to the lower level of seats.

The eighth and ninth innings did not go as planned for the Manders. The Hickory Crawdads tied the game and then took the lead by three runs. In the bottom of the ninth, Alonso Garcia came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs.

“Crush it, Alonso!” Maddie hooted.

Alonso heard and grinned at Maddie. He pointed his bat out to centerfield. And then it happened. The thing that every player had imagined playing ball in their backyards growing up. That most rare and wonderful thing: A Golden Grand Slam.

The crowd at the Pickle Jar lost its mind. Levvie, the team manager, opened the dugout gate and let Maddie in to rush the field with the players. She found Alonso and they jumped up and down together, screaming.

“Your magic bat, Maddie!” he shouted.

“No, YOUR magic bat” she shouted back. “Viva, El Sueño!”

The field cleared and Maddie went back into the stands to find Tillie. “Everything good?” she asked. “Anything else left to do?”

“All under control, Boss. I’d say that went pretty well.”

The fireworks were still exploding over the scoreboard, and the fans were still celebrating when Maddie’s phone rang. She looked at it absently and saw the Chicago area code. She thought it was Nick and answered with, “Hey, you wonderful, wonderful man. What’s the news?”

The news was not what she expected. The call was not what she expected.

“No, I can explain,” she said. “Wait. Let me… Please don’t—”

Maddie hung up without saying another word, the color drained from her face.

“Are you OK?” Tillie asked. “What just happened?”

Maddie lowered her phone. “Monty just fired me. He found out about Carlton and me.”

***

The merry-go-round looked surreal in the moonlight. Painted horses grinned eerily at Maddie like they had sinister plans. Hours ago this place had been joyful and magical. Now it felt painful and mocking. She meandered around the carousel, searching for a spot to sit down and wait for Carlton. The seashell-shaped carriage pulled by dolphins with mermaids on either side seemed like the best option. If such a thing existed under these circumstances.

“Maddie!” Carlton waved and sprinted across the lawn.

She stood up and waved back, her heart almost shivering within her chest.

He ran faster and leapt between several pink and purple seahorses to be at her side. “What is it? What’s wrong? Your message sounded so dire. I got here as fast as I could but…” He kissed her quickly and held her. “Do you think it’s safe to be out in public like this?”

Maddie shook her head, trying not to break down, but it was impossible. “It doesn’t matter anymore!” she burst out. “He knows. Monty knows about us. And he fired me. He really fucking did it. I’m gone.”

Carlton pulled her closer. He hugged her and let her cry, gently rubbing her back. He whispered in her ear, “It’s OK. We’ll be fine. Don’t worry. How did this happen?”

“I don’t know!” Maddie spat angrily, wiping her eyes. “None of our friends, I’m sure.”

“You know what? Fuck Monty! Stupid sonofabitch. It doesn’t matter.”

“But it does. It matters to me. Oh God, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before. I fucked up, but I didn’t know what else to do.” Maddie’s knees gave way and she felt woozy from the release of so much emotion and anxiety. She balanced herself against Carlton and eased them both into the seashell carriage seat.

“Take it easy,” he told her. “We’re here together. That’s the important thing. It’s not as bad as you think right now. I’m sure. Hey, at least we don’t have to sneak around anymore. I don’t think I could have done that for another two weeks.” He put his arm around her and she circled his waist with her arms, leaning against his chest.

“I’m afraid you’re going to hate me. I mean, really, really despise me,” she said.

He laughed. “There is absolutely no way that could happen. Not even if you force me to sing The Pina Colada Song again.”

She smiled up at him and wished that all of this mess could simply disappear. But it couldn’t. She dreaded what she had to tell him, but there was no way out. She couldn’t keep this secret any longer. She sat up, took both his hands in hers, and took an enormous breath. “This is going to be hard to hear, but I swear that I didn’t want to keep anything from you. I wanted to tell you every single day. I’ve been trying to protect everyone I love. There’s no good way to say this. Monty is… I know this sounds crazy… He’s my father.”

Maddie took another ragged breath and kept going. “I had no idea until I met him after the hotdog debacle. I was completely shell shocked. He told me—this is so bizarre, I can barely say it out loud—that I might inherit the Gray Sox one day. But I had to prove myself and be loyal to him. He gave me a horrible list of things I had to do. Stop seeing you. Destroy your podcast. I didn’t agree. I argued. But it didn’t make any difference. He basically laughed and told me he had faith in me. Which means I have money and power and you have shit.”

“But that’s a lot different than what you told me. You lied to me?”

“No! I told you all of the truth that I could. Everything I said about that meeting was true. I was going to tell you the whole story eventually, but I needed more time to—”

“Hang on. Go back. This is a lot, and it’s taking a few minutes to sink in.”

“Tell me about it! Been there. Done that.”

“How can he be your father? He sounds delusional. Or possibly ill?”

“Yeah, I felt the same way. But he’s not delusional, and he has no reason to lie about this. The thing is—my mom wanted to keep it a secret. To protect me. She never wanted anyone to know. Then Monty put me in this awful situation. Threatening me if I told anyone. We had to respect her feelings, he said. But he also thought I should know the truth. Given the possibilities for my future.”

“Jesus, Maddie!” Carlton got up and paced as much as was possible in the space of the seashell carriage. “I don’t—I’m trying to get my head around this, but it’s—I can’t! Does anyone else know?”

“Esme knows. I didn’t mean to tell her. I tried so hard to keep everyone else out of this horror show. But it was too much to bear by myself, and I really thought she might already know. It was terrible. I felt like I was going to explode.”

Carlton looked deeply hurt, and Maddie couldn’t stand it.

“But why couldn’t you trust me?” he asked miserably.

“It’s not that I didn’t trust you. I wanted to tell you. But it would have put YOU in a terrible situation.”

“How? I don’t see that at all.”

“Because of the podcast. If you knew about this story, how could I ask you to help me cover it up? Frankly, I don’t want the story to come out. Everyone I love would be ripped and ridiculed online, harassed in person. It would be a nightmare for everyone. Including Esme and Nick. My mom. My dad. Or rather the person I thought was my dad. I couldn’t have handled any of that. I was just trying to hang onto my job and keep my promises to the team and the fans of Sweetgum.”

“I want to understand, but I don’t. It sounds like you didn’t trust me and you thought I would betray you. That your job meant more to you than us. Not telling is just like lying. You were the one who controlled the flow of information. You controlled everything. I never got a say or a chance.” Carlton sat down again and rubbed his eyes under his glasses.

Maddie scooted next to him and massaged his shoulders. “I’m so sorry. I feel awful. But I was pretty messed up by what happened. I was afraid that if you knew I was the daughter of the person you hated most in the world—you’d hate me, too.”

“That’s what you think of me? Wow, that’s disappointing.”

“Well, no. I didn’t mean it like that.” Maddie felt like she was drowning. She couldn’t find the right words, and Carlton was starting to slip away from her. “I meant that I wasn’t being rational because I’m so freaking in love with you!”

“Are you sure that’s what it was?” Carlton shot back. “Maybe becoming a billionairess and an MLB owner meant more to you than you’re letting on!”

Maddie felt like she had been stunned with a taser. “What? I’m sorry. What did you just say to me? That’s unbelievably cruel and unfair!”

“Is it?” Carlton moved out of her reach. “It sure seems like Monty was getting pretty much what he wanted from you, and I was getting none of your confidence. If you want to talk about your future—well, that doesn’t bode very well for us.”

“We have no future now? You’re ready to quit on us? OK. Well, I guess that’s what you do, isn’t it? You quit trying in baseball when one thing didn’t work out. You quit trying with Mary Ann when that didn’t go exactly the way you wanted. And you would have quit on your dream of being a play-by-play announcer if I hadn't done something about it! I believe in you, Carlton. But I can’t carry you on my back! My back is breaking with the weight of everything I’m carrying right now.”

“I never asked you to carry me!” Carlton was shouting now. “You gave me an opportunity, and I did all the work myself. That’s not carrying me. By the way, I’ve given you a helluva lot this season and never asked for anything in return. Don’t accuse me of freeloading off you. That’s something Cooper would do for God’s sake! If you really mean that… Well, that’s really disappointing."

“Great, I’m a huge disappointment! Fuck it! You’ve called me that twice now! I was hoping you might have a little sympathy for what I’ve been going through. Do you think I want any of this? It’s been tearing me to shreds. I just want my own sweet dad that I grew up with, not this horrible human being I barely know! I don’t want Monty’s money or his sorry-ass franchise! I’ve been trying to help this team and this town. I‘ve kept doing my job—and damned well, I might add—because of my integrity and love for the game. How could you say something like that to me? Why the hell would I want a parent who threatens me? Who threatens all the dreams I’ve had since childhood! I told you I was sorry, and I was trying my best. If you can’t accept that, then fuck you, too!”

Maddie got up and climbed past the mermaid, but caught her satchel on the tail. “Fuck you, too, you stupid sea bitch!” She yanked herself free and smacked the statue with her purse.

“Calm down! You’re going off the deep end here,” Carlton said with a hyper rational voice that irritated the hell out of Maddie.

“Fuck this whole fucking merry-go-round!” she yelled, waving her arms wildly at the unresponsive carousel. “I’m sorry I bothered to help, you bunch of SELFISH animals on fucking pogo sticks!” She spun around and pointed at two figures in particular. “YES! I’m talking to YOU, Unicorn and Pegasus!” She took her satchel and gave them a whack, too. “Why did I BOTHER with any of this STUPID FUCKING BULLSHIT? NO ONE CARES!”

Maddie could feel sadness bubbling up that she’d been masking with her anger, but she refused to let Carlton see her cry again. “I don’t care anymore. It hurts too much to care this much. I think I’m finally hearing what the universe is telling me. ‘Give up and get lost, Madison Fields! No one wants you!’ Thanks for putting it so plainly, Carlton. Apparently I’m an all-around huge disappointment.”

“You’re twisting my words. This isn’t helping anyone,” Carlton said.

“Stop talking to me! Just. Stop. Everything!”

“Maddie, please take a step back and—”

“No!” she said vehemently. “I’m out of baseball, out of Sweetgum, and out of your life!”

She climbed stiffly into Harriet then sped away into the darkness without looking back.

***

Maddie sat glumly at the sad, little card table in her office. Rory had given her until noon to pack her things, tie up any loose ends, and then leave the Pickle Jar for good. There really wasn’t much to pack. What had been harder was saying goodbye to Theo, the grounds crew, Levvie, and Alonso. Most of the staff and players were still ignorant of the news and Maddie preferred it that way. Tillie had gone to Plehn’s Bakery to pick up some cheerful pastries and smoothies. Meanwhile, Maddie stared into space, wondering how she could pick up the pieces of her ruined life.

Cooper poked his head in the office and broke Maddie’s morose trance. “I heard the news. Fired from yet another minor league team. You must be devastated.” He faked a sympathetic expression.

Maddie eyed him suspiciously and wished she could smack the smug look off his face. “Where did you hear that?”

“I didn’t hear it. I caused it. I got on a conference call with Rory and Monty and let them know that you and Carlton were still hooking up. Maybe that will teach you to mess with me.”

“You did what? How did you know about any of that?”

“Oh, Rory and I talk. I keep him informed about certain things.”

“You mean you’re a snitch! And a lowlife sneak, too.”

“I prefer the term private investigator.” He grinned salaciously and wagged a finger at Maddie. “Got some pretty steamy pics of you two to show the big boss! That little trip to the Sweetgum State Park for instance.”

Maddie sat stock still. She felt violated in so many ways. “You were peeking in the windows and spying on us? You sick bastard!”

“You say sick bastard, I say clever detective. Yeah, I could have told the truth about you earlier, but I wanted to give you a chance. If you had played nice with me, I might have let it slide. I wanted us to be a power couple, but you were so high and mighty. You’ve made me the butt of your jokes and insults for the last time, Ms. Fields.” He imitated an umpire at home plate. “You’re outta here!” He jerked his thumb behind him.

A string of distressing memories unfurled in Maddie’s brain, and she was furious with herself for not getting wise to Cooper sooner. “You figured it out that night in the clubhouse with the mascot suits, right? Damn it! I could have turned you in for stealing and I didn’t. I just changed all the locks on the supply cabinets. Serves me right for being nice. I should have fired your ass first.”

Cooper’s jaw went slack. “Wait a second. That was YOU?” Comprehension dawned slowly. “OK, that makes sense.”

“Well, if it wasn’t that night, how did you figure it out?”

“I was dropping off one of my lady friends when I saw Carlton drive by in a beat-up station wagon. Mr. I-Fixed-Up-My-Alfa-Romeo-Myself driving around in that bucket of bolts? I figured something was up. But I have to admit, I was surprised when he parked in the back of the Piggly Wiggly and you had Harriet parked there, too.”

“But we were so careful. No one followed us to that cabin. We waited to make sure.”

“I kept my distance and saw Carlton turn into the park. I stayed out of sight for half an hour, then drove around until I found that old station wagon. There are only so many cabins in that place. It wasn’t too hard.”

Maddie had been feeling worse than miserable since getting fired and fighting with Carlton, but now a layer of gross humiliation was added to her pain. She had been ratted out by an idiot.

Cooper appeared to be savoring her agony. “I better run, Mads. I’ve still got a job so I better get busy.” His smarmy-superior tone as he turned to leave was more than Maddie could take. She picked up the Grand Lunch coffee mug left on her desk and hurled it at Cooper. The mug missed him by about an inch.

“Hey, bitch! You’re crazy!” Cooper yelled.

“You haven’t seen ‘crazy’ yet!” Maddie leapt up from her folding chair and knocked over the card table at the same time.

Cooper ran, but Maddie was hot on his tail. They raced down the concourse, and Tillie returned. She dropped her Plehn’s Bakery bag and grabbed Maddie around the waist as she passed. Cooper was about twenty feet ahead, bent over panting and holding his side.

“Boss, I know he’s a jerk, but you don’t want to lose your job and get assault charges filed against you the same day,” Tillie said to the still-struggling Maddie.

“You don’t understand. Cooper’s the one who turned Carlton and me in. He spied on us and took pictures. He’s the one who got me fired!”

“Stay right here,” Tillie said firmly and let Maddie go. “I was on Kingsley’s track and field team for three years.” She got into a sprinter’s starting position and shouted, “You better start running again, you nasty little snot otter!” as she took off.

Cooper ran like his life depended on it. Maddie followed at a safe distance. She could hear him shrieking as Tillie decreased the distance between them. Cooper barely got to his car when Tillie caught up to him. He let out one final, shrill scream when Tillie kneed him in the groin.

Maddie turned and strolled back to her office for the last time. There was a tiny bit of justice in the world after all. Tillie would be fine, and Cooper would be smarting for some time. And nobody would ever file assault charges against a Pinkney.

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