Page 78 of If We Never Met

"No, that makes sense," Zach said with a nod. "I never felt that way when I was playing sports. I just figured I'd do better the next time, even if that wasn't true. I guess I wasn't hard on myself at all." He gave Dante a thoughtful look. "How did your parents handle you?"

"Oh, don't go by my parents," Dante replied. "My mom would just serve me up a big bowl of pasta after a game. That was her go-to solution for everything bad that happened. My dad never showed up to see me play, so he had no idea what was going on, nor did he care. But you should keep on supporting Hailey. She'll appreciate it even if she can't show it."

"Leo, stop eating the dirt," Chloe said suddenly, interrupting their conversation to grab her son off the ground. He had dirt smeared across his mouth. "Anyone have a fix for this problem?"

"Not me," Dante said with a laugh. "I never ate dirt."

"I think we're going to head home," Chloe said. "I have a gift for Hailey in my car."

"I'll come with you to get it," Gianna said.

As they left, Zach moved closer to Dante and started talking about baseball and kids.

Hannah slid next to her and gave her a little smile. "Nice kiss, but a little G-rated."

"We're in public."

"True. But I can still see that you are so into him."

"I am," she admitted. "For however long it lasts."

"Live in the moment."

"That's what I'm going to do."

As the inning ended, Jake came over to the fence, motioning for Zach and Dante to come over. A moment later, to her amazement, Dante gave her a wry smile and a shrug as he headed toward the dugout. "I'm going to coach first base," he said.

"Have fun."

As Dante moved to the field, Zach rejoined them. "Dante said he could give Hailey some tips later on her swing."

She was surprised again. "That's great."

"He seems like a nice guy."

"Keira definitely thinks so," Hannah said with a laugh.

She made a face at her friend. "You be quiet."

"When am I ever quiet?"

She didn't bother to answer, her attention moving to Dante. As each girl hit and reached first base, he had a little chat with them. She had no idea what he was saying, but the girls seemed to be completely captivated.How could she blame them?She was completely captivated, too.

Chapter Eighteen

Dante couldn't believehe'd gotten talked into coaching, but it was actually fun. The kids were eager to learn. They listened to whatever he said, and they laughed and smiled so easily. Even Hailey, who definitely had an intensity that reminded him of himself, relaxed when he talked to her. And after the game, with an empty field, he found himself helping Hailey and her friend Megan with some hitting.

With Jake pitching and Zach shagging balls, he coached each girl on her stance and talked about watching the ball and not getting too tense. Within fifteen minutes, their success at connecting with the ball went up about ninety percent. Most of the families had left by the time they finished, but Gianna and Keira were still sitting in the stands. He walked over to join them as Jake and Zach got the equipment together.

"Nice job, Coach," Keira teased.

"Thanks for doing that," Gianna added, as she got off the bench. "I've never seen Hailey hit so well."

"Hopefully it sticks," he said.

"I'm going to help Hailey get her things together. You're coming out on the boat with us, right?" Gianna asked. "I'd love to get to know you better."

"Yes. I'm looking forward to it."

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