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Making a Comeback
More than a Game # 3
More than a Game # 3
By: Kristina Mathews
Releasing July 7th, 2015
Lyrical Press
With a divorce in the works, Annabelle
Jones heads out to Southern California, the land of sun and starting over. She
wants to prove to herself and her young daughters that she still has what it
takes to turn heads as a swimsuit model—that she doesn’t need a man to take
care of her. Until an accident forces her to rely on the hunky, yet mysterious
man next door…
Nathan Cooper is trying to revive his
own career. Once a top left-handed relief pitcher, he tried to get over a
hidden injury with the aid of banned substances. Not only was he caught and
suspended, he was traded and missed out on winning the championship. Now he’s a
free agent without a contract, and that means life is ready to play ball…
Today
was a good day. A glorious day. Sitting at the stoplight in the Southern
California sunshine, Annabelle Jones did a drum solo on the steering wheel of
her convertible Mercedes. She didn’t care if people stared at her singing along
to “Don’t Stop Believing.” She hadn’t stopped believing, and look at her now,
fresh off her first modeling job since filing for divorce. So it wasn’t the
cover of Sports Illustrated, still, it was a job. Something she could be proud
of. Her daughters could be proud of her.
It
wasn’t about the money. The income she earned from this modeling job was more
about pride. Having something to offer the world, even if it was just her face.
Annabelle
wanted to show her daughters that a woman didn’t need a man to take care of
her. She could stand on her own two feet, and return to the career she’d given
up when she married Clayton Barry. She might not fly off to exotic locations or
work with the world’s most famous photographers, but she was working.
She
lifted her face to the sun, soaking in its warmth. It was as if the fog of the
last few years had finally lifted. Nothing but blue skies ahead for her and her
six-year-old twin daughters.
Today’s
shoot was just the beginning. Her agent had two more jobs lined up for her
before the end of the month. He’d also scheduled her to attend the televised
celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
issue. She hadn’t been able to make the photo shoot last fall in New York for
the magazine, but he thought making an appearance on the live show would give
her plenty of exposure.
Hopefully,
she’d be able to juggle it all. Part of what appealed to her about today’s job
was that it was close enough that she’d be able to shoot for a few hours and
still get home in time to meet her daughters when they got off the school bus.
Annabelle
glanced at the clock. If the light didn’t change soon, she wasn’t going to make
it to the bus stop in time.
The
song ended and Annabelle turned down the volume. She’d started listening to
Journey during the Goliaths’ World Series run. So the song was five years older
than she was, the message still rang true. It was about hope. Starting over.
Believing.
The
traffic light turned green, and she pulled into the intersection. A flash of
yellow appeared out of the corner of her eye. She turned in time to see an SUV
blow through the stoplight. Before she could react, the vehicle struck her
Mercedes just behind the driver’s side door.
Her
head slammed into the side window. Glass shattered and she looked down at the
blood on her blouse. A thousand black pixels danced before her eyes.
And
then nothing.
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Kristina Mathews doesn't remember a time when she didn't have a book in
her hand. Or in her head. But it wasn't until she turned forty that she
confessed the reason the laundry never made it out of the dryer was because she
was busy writing.
While she resigned from teaching with the arrival of
her second son, she's remained an educator in some form. As a volunteer, parent
club member or para educator, she finds the most satisfaction working with
emergent and developing readers, helping foster confidence and a lifelong love
of books.
Kristina lives in Northern California with her husband
of more than twenty years, two sons and a black lab. A veteran road tripper,
amateur renovator and sports fanatic. She hopes to one day travel all 3,073
miles of Highway 50 from Sacramento, CA to Ocean City, MD, replace her carpet
with hardwood floors and serve as a “Ball Dudette” for the San Francisco
Giants.
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