Page 314 of Well Played

They were nearly through with practice when the pretty brunette from earlier arrived and spoke to the coach. “What’s he doing here?” she demanded, loud enough for Walker to hear.

Walker gave her a reassuring smile.

She rolled her eyes and turned away.

The woman was vaguely familiar, but he didn’t know why she was being contrary.

Gracie and Jimmy stopped to speak to the woman. She smiled and hugged Gracie like an old friend.

It didn’t take him long to put together that she was Jimmy’s sister.

She laughed and greeted everyone. So, it’s just me she doesn’t like. What had he done to make the coach’s kids hate him? Most people liked him unless they were on the other team. As they made their way to the parking lot, Walker lagged. He wanted to speak to the brunette—Kay, he’d heard her called.

There was a small bottleneck as a crowd of little leaguers, spectators, and the team all tried to exit the park at the same time. He and his nemesis were pressed up against each other.

“I guess karma is a woman, and she’s a bitch, huh?” she said with a sneer.

Walker shook his head. “What’s your problem with me?”

“Oh, I don’t know, treating a fan like something you scraped off your shoe. Telling your lawyer you didn’t want responsibility for a child because you barely knew the mother, especially since that kid was handicapped. Take your pick.” She marched off, leaving him staring after her.

The memory of when and where he’d met the brunette and her brother came back to him. He cursed under his breath.

“That’s not a nice word.” Some little kid scolded him.

Walker nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He hurried to his car. Gracie was already strapped in.

“You should let me drive.”

“Not in this crowd.”

“I want to get my driver’s license.”

He groaned. This was not the problem he wanted to be dealing with right now. “Does Jimmy have his driver’s license?”

“No, but just because Jimmy doesn’t, doesn’t mean I can’t. You’re the one who’s always telling me that just because so and so does it, doesn’t mean I should, after all, if they jumped off a bridge, yadda, yadda, yadda.”

“Yadda, yadda, yadda?”

She shrugged.

Thoughts of Jimmy and his sister distracted him, so he forced his attention on the road and Gracie. “How about I arrange for you to take driving lessons?”

“So, I can get my driver’s license?” she asked excitedly.

“Maybe.” At her crestfallen face, Walker hurried to say. “I’m not saying no, but there is more to driving a car than just pushing the gas and going. You need to understand the rules, be prepared for danger, then there’s car maintenance and driver’s etiquette.”

“Okay, and if I learn all of that?”

Walker briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay, if the driver instructor says you’re ready, then we’ll let you try for your license.” Oh god, what have I done? But Gracie was bouncing in her seat with excitement. He shook his head as he pulled into the driveway of their little house. He’d bought the house a few years ago, and his schedule had finally allowed them to move in. Gracie wanted a normal life, and he wanted her to be happy. She’d been on the road with him off and on since he’d taken her from his parents. Establishing a community and putting down roots were important to her, and he wasn’t getting any younger. Leeward was as good a place as any to make their permanent home.

Gracie was already in the house with the lights on, but he sat behind the steering wheel, just staring into the past. Memories of the night his sister’s solicitor had called to inform him he was Gracie’s guardian filtered through his thoughts. Learning that Melanie had died and left him her kid just when his baseball career was taking off had sent him into a tailspin. He’d been terrified and selfish. He’d taken the easy route and let his parents raise the kid. A kid he’d only met twice, one of those times when she was first born and once the year before his sister died, when he’d been playing close to where Melanie and Gracie were living. He shook his head, not proud of the choices he’d made.

Mel was his half-sister. He’d not even known about her until his sophomore year of college. She was his dad’s daughter from his first marriage. They’d become friends, and she’d supported his dream of being a baseball player despite his parents’ protests. She’d even allowed him to live with her for a short time while he played for one of the minor leagues. They’d talked often on the phone after he went to play with LA, but it was only after he returned to the east coast that they began spendingtime together again. They’d had plans to get together just before a drunk driver killed her. Gracie, strapped in her car seat, had survived.

That night, when the lawyer told him about Mel and Grace, he remembered a young boy trying to talk to him. He and his sister only wanted his autograph, but he’d been angry and scared, and he had lashed out at them. “Damn,” he said, shoving his hands through his hair. His trademark curls were thinner now. His old coach had warned him to always treat fans with kindness and respect no matter what shitstorm was brewing, because you can be sure that it will always come back to rain all over you. How could he make this right with Jimmy? He didn’t think the sister would give him another chance, but Jimmy was Grace’s friend and he needed to set things right with him for her sake.

Walker sipped his coffee as he waited for Grace to get off work. He didn’t really want the coffee, but he needed something to do to not look like a pervert as he watched Kay. She moved around the coffee shop talking to customers, helping her employees. She filled the space, electrifying everything with her positive energy. He wanted to just sit and absorb the feeling of being close to her. She glared at him, turning away before he could tell her what really happened the first time they’d met. He sighed. No use worrying about it now. He’d messed things up with her before he’d ever known he wanted a chance, but at least he’d been able to bridge the gap with Jimmy.

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