Page 127 of The Problem with Players

“That would be true if I didn’t have Cameron Fisher on my team.” I grabbed an apple from the basket on the counter and tossed it into the air before catching it. “Batter up, Coach.” I smirked before walking off to change into my uniform. As I walked away, I called out. “Stop looking at my butt, Nathan Pierce.”

“Can’t help it. There’s so much goodness to take in.”

“Shut up before I take off my shoe and throw it at you.”

“Don’t stop there,” he urged. “By all means, throw me your panties, too.”

38

NATHAN

The game was a hit, and unfortunately, I lost to Cameron and Avery. That was a game I’d never live down based on how the two mocked me nonstop during brunch.

Afterward, Avery stayed back and helped Cameron with his homework and talked to him through some things. I figured it was good for them both to talk about their mothers. Sometimes talking about the hard losses in one’s life made them easier to deal with.

On the other hand, I figured it was a good time to check in on Cameron’s father and have a heart-to-heart with the living.

“Coach Pierce, hey,” Adam said as he opened his front door after I knocked. He looked as if he’d come down slightly from his drunken binge. He had dark circles beneath his eyes as if he hadn’t gotten much sleep. He was still wearing the same clothes he had on the day prior, too, and smelled like booze. He scratched his head and cleared his throat. “Is Cam with you?”

“No. He’s still at my family’s farm.”

“Shit. Listen, last night, I was a mess. I’ve been meaning tofigure out a way to apologize to you and Cam for how I was acting. That’s not who I am normally.”

“But it’s who you’ve been lately.”

He grimaced. “Listen, I don’t need a lecture?—”

“I’m not here to lecture. Just here to talk. Can I come in for a second?”

Adam glanced over his shoulder. “Gee, Coach, it’s actually pretty messy. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Things have been a bit rough lately without…” His words faded away, but I knew he was speaking of his wife.

“I don’t mind messes. I won’t take up much of your time, I swear.”

He nodded and stepped to the side. He led me into his house, to his living room, where empty food containers and beer bottles were spread all over the place. Adam scrambled to gather the stuff from the coffee table and tossed it into the kitchen sink. He then tossed the dirty clothes piled high on the couch into an already overloaded basket sitting by the laundry room.

“Sorry,” he grumbled, hurrying back over to me. “Please, take a seat.”

I sat on the couch, and he sat in the recliner across from me.

I noticed the photographs sitting on the fireplace mantel, photos of Adam smiling with his family, before the darkness tried to swallow him whole.

“Look, Coach, I just owe you an apology for how you saw me last night. That wasn’t my norm, and I don’t want you to think anything awful about me,” he started. “And I know Cameron probably painted a bad picture of me, but that kid can be a bit dramatic with everything. He’s a good kid, but he’s a bit of a drama king. I like to say he got that from his mother.” The moment he mentioned his wife, I saw the sadness flash through his stare. “She was a drama teacher, after all.”

“I’m sorry about your loss, Adam.”

He grimaced and sniffled a bit. “Yeah. That’s what most people say. After a while, those words feel empty.”

“Do the words feel empty, or do you feel empty?”

He hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat. “Can you tell Cameron he can come home now? I got everything under control. Last night was just a bad night.”

“Cameron mentioned you’ve been having a few bad nights. And you seem to get a bit too excited at games, too.”

“What can I say? I’m a big baseball guy.” He laughed, trying to play it off. He went to stand. “Listen, I hate to break this up, but I have a lot?—”

“My father had a drinking problem. Drinking and gambling. He almost lost our family farm due to his addictions. He used to come down hard on me whenever he was in one of his drunken slurries. Never came down on any of my younger brothers, only me. And only in private. My mom never knew. I think it was because he thought I was strong enough to take his abuse.”

Adam lowered himself back down to the recliner and narrowed his eyes. “What’s your point?”

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