Page 107 of The Wrong Move

“Nope.”

“I can’t stay anyway. I have a business arrangement.”

“On a Sunday?” I study my brother’s face, and the mask cracks. “You seem to have a lot of business appointments on weekends. Maybe it’s an excuse to leave.”

His brow furrows.

“No judgment here. Eventually, your secret will get out, and we’ll find out who she is.”

“There’s never just one,” he says dryly. He looks over to Franklin and Penny as though he is hiding something.

Something tugs on the leg of my trousers. “What the…” I look down to Summer crawling over my feet. “Hey, princess.” I scoop her up, holding her in the air before lowering her to my face and planting a kiss on her cheek. Giana holds out her hands, and Summer goes to her without hesitation. I turn back to Jobe, but he has moved toward Dad, who is pouring four glasses of whiskey. Mom pops a bottle of champagne.

I take the whiskey from Dad as Lola walks through the room with a silver tray of appetizers. “Thank you, Lola.” I pop a mini lobster roll in my mouth. We must be celebrating something special.

Penny comes to take Summer from Giana. “She moves so fast I can barely keep up.”

“She is so cute,” Giana coos. They talk briefly, then Mom signals that she wants to say something, so Penny moves to stand beside her husband.

“We have exciting news,” Mom announces as she moves to stand beside Charlotte. “You all know Carson and I intend totravel more, this time for leisure,” she emphasizes. My father spent half his life flying around the globe for work. “And Frank is stepping away from the team to spend more time with his family and to focus on Hendricks Capital Management. He’s had too many fingers in the pie and, unlike his father, knows the right time to let things go.”

I’m not surprised. But wait, who will be heading up the LA Sharks?

“While we have loved our journey owning a basketball team, we are promoting Charlotte to CEO before taking over the ownership.” Mom looks fondly at Charlotte.

“Please raise your glass to your sister…” my father adds, “… and her ideas on how to propel the team forward and maximize our success.”

“Congratulations” sounds around the room as everyone toasts. I throw my whiskey back, then move toward Charlotte. She flashes a big smile, the pride oozing out of her. “Well done, Lottie.” I lean in and hug her. “I hope you enjoy babysitting grown men.”

She laughs and clinks her glass with mine. “I’m used to it. Older brothers who behaved like idiots helped the transition.”

I pat her back. “What’s the first change you intend to enforce?” Every new CEO has ideas of how they want to revolutionize procedures, even if it’s not broken.

“I’m going to have more say with player selection and oversee the coach’s decisions.”

I nod, thinking it’s a ballsy move. “Good luck with that.”

“I was going to ask you to pop into my office. I have a proposition for you.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“I won’t go into detail here, but I’m hoping you might be part of the offensive coaching team, at least until you’re fit enough toplay. It’s also about the future and our family’s future with you remaining with the team when your playing days are over.”

Giana comes to stand beside me. “Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing.”

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, I kiss her forehead and pull her into my side. “What do you think?”

“Something to consider. Coaching is strategic, right?” I nod. “And you’re a math genius. It makes sense to coach and use your strategy intelligence off the court.”

“Maybe.” I love the idea, though getting back on the court is still a priority. For the future, it could be a viable option to coach and remain in the game.

“Give it a shot. Even for a month,” Charlotte suggests.

“He will…” Giana says for me, “… and he’ll excel like he does at everything.”

I shake my head and smile at Charlotte. “She makes me the happiest man on the planet. How am I so lucky?”

Charlotte touches both of our arms. Her eyes flick from mine to Giana’s. “You’re both lucky to have each other. Never forget that.”

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