Gavin, not so much.
Gavin sat in the living room with his dad, Mick, and Elizabeth. Tara had taken Mom to the grocery store to pick up a few things.
They were watching a baseball game. A Rivers game to be exact. It was a doubleheader against San Francisco.
“The first baseman they brought up from the minors is pretty good.”
Gavin acknowledged his father’s comment, trying not to pay attention to the hotshot twenty-one-year-old scooping up the grounder and dashing to first base for the out.
“He’s decent.”
Elizabeth squeezed his shoulder. She sat on the edge of the chair with him.
“Might be time for you to get back to work before they replace you with someone younger.”
Gavin laughed. “I’m hardly out to pasture at twenty-nine, Dad. I’ve got a lock-solid contract. The kid there is a temp. They’ll shoot him back to the minors as soon as I come back.”
His dad reached for his glass of water. “I’m doing fine here, kid. You need to get back to work.”
“I’ll get back to work soon enough. No hurry, Dad. And don’t worry about my job. It’s secure. I have a great agent, here.” He patted Lizzie’s hand and stared up at her. She gave him a half smile.
“What? You think I should go back to work, too?”
“I think your father is doing well. It’s off season for Mick. He can be here to watch over your father.”
“Yeah, Elizabeth doesn’t want to lose another meal ticket.”
Elizabeth tensed but didn’t say anything.
Gavin’s gaze shot to Mick. “You can stay out of this conversation.”
Mick shrugged. “I’m in the room. Hard to stay out of it.”
“Mick. Butt out,” their dad said, then turned his attention back to Gavin. “But Elizabeth’s right. I’m right. You need to be playing ball.”
“I’ll get back to it, Dad.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
The Rivers were up to bat. The kid—Chris Stallings—hit a line drive past the shortstop and got on base. Gavin tried not to wince.
“He can hit, too. He’s been hitting the ball since he came up.”
“Because pitchers haven’t seen his stuff. Once they do, they’ll strike him out. He’s just lucky right now.”
Mick snorted.
Fortunately, Tara and his mom got back. Elizabeth left to help them with groceries, and Gavin sank deeper in the chair as Stallings made a couple of diving catches and then hit a home run in the eighth inning to take the Rivers up two runs over San Francisco.
Shit.
Not that Gavin wanted the kid to suck. His team needed to win. But did Stallings have to be so damn good? Gavin wanted his team to win on some of the other players’ shoulders.
“Come on. Time for your walk,” his mother said to his dad after the game.
“It’s a doubleheader.”
“You’ll be back before the second game.” She looked at Gavin and Mick. “Girls are starting dinner. You two can fire up the grill.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He and Mick took the chicken outside. Gavin grabbed a beer, Mick a soda.
“So do you agree with Dad? Should I head back?”
Mick flipped the chicken, then closed the grill lid. “I think you should do whatever the hell you want to do.”
“If it were football season, what would you do?”
Mick lifted his gaze to Gavin’s. “It’s not football season.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s your career, man. We’ve got it covered here, but I understand where you’re coming from. I probably wouldn’t want to leave right now, either. That was some scary shit that went down with Dad.”
Gavin nodded. “I’m afraid if I leave, something will happen and I won’t be here.”
“Can’t stay forever, though. In sports your name and your presence is everything.”
“I’ll know when the time is right.”
“Yeah, you will.”
AFTER DINNER, ELIZABETH HELPED WITH THE DISHES, then went looking for Gavin. She found him out back cleaning the grill.
“Chicken was good.”
He smiled at her. “Yeah, it was.”
“Your mother is awesome the way she’s taken control over everything. How she handles it all . . .”
“She holds up well. She’s got him home, and he’s going to be fine.”
She sat on one of the patio chairs. “Yes, he’s going to be fine. Which means you need to get back to work.”
He paused, stared at the grill. “Not yet.”
“Gavin, you need to work.”
“I’m not ready yet, Lizzie. A few more days, just to make sure he’s okay.”
“You’re not really doing anything here, Gavin, other than driving yourself crazy. Your dad is on the mend. Mick is here to help out your mom. Jenna has the bar under control. Tara is local, too. Your dad has plenty of help.”
His gaze shot to hers. “I said I’m not ready yet.”
“What are you so afraid of?”
“The question is, Elizabeth, what are you so afraid of? That Gavin will be replaced, and you’ll lose more money?”