Page 39 of Double Play

Now both her eyes and mouth are wide open. “Can my best friend, Andie, come too? She loves watching you play.”

“Of course.”

Tanner nods. “Andie is the daughter of one of the owners, Beckett Windsor.”

“Oh, I met her once. She comes to games with her mom and dad all the time.”

He nods before looking back down at Harper. “Angel, can you hang out with Shannon and read a book or something?”

“Sure, Daddy.”

He calls the woman who was sitting at the desk out front, who I’m guessing is his assistant, and she walks into his office to gather Harper.

Once they leave, he motions for me to sit, which I do. “Sorry about that. I have shared custody with my ex-wife. My nanny unexpectedly quit, and my ex is out of town. It’s been a little crazy. I won’t leave her with just anyone. It’s not like hiring a temp to work in an office.”

“It’s really not a big deal. You know, one of my teammates usually nannies in the off-season. She’s great with kids. If you can work with our softball schedule for the remaining weeks of the season, she’ll be wide open after that. Maybe that could work for both of you.”

His eyes light up. “Harper would love it if a professional softball player was her nanny. Which player? I’m familiar with the team at this point.”

“Bailey Hart.”

“She plays second base, right?”

“That’s the one.”

“If you could leave me her contact info, I’ll call her immediately.”

“No problem.”

“Great. Let’s talk turkey. Obviously, your face and name are everywhere right now. I know softball players don’t make afraction of the amount baseball players do. This is a huge financial opportunity for you.”

“I know. I’m overwhelmed. I’m not totally comfortable with all this attention, but I also know I’ll probably never have another opportunity like it, and I’d be crazy not to capitalize.”

“I totally agree. I’ve reviewed all the offers you sent and narrowed it down to the ones I think will best benefit your brand and pad your bank account.”

“I have a brand?”

He lets out a laugh. “You do. You’re not just a pretty face holding up a product. There’s substance to you. You’re about strength, health, fueling the body, hard work, perseverance, clean living, work ethic...”

I hold up my hands. “Okay, okay. I get it. You’ll give me as big of a head as Layton.”

He chuckles. “No one has a bigger head than Layton Lancaster.” We both smile at that. “In all seriousness, little girls all over the country want to be you. And unlike many other so-called role models out there, parents like me are happy to have someone like you as the role model for our little girls. I don’t want my daughter to be a Kardashian. I want her to be an Abbott.”

“I never thought of it that way.”

“Think about it. If you were a parent, would you want your daughter to look up to overprivileged women famous for sex tapes, who star on reality shows and look like they’ve never enjoyed a burger, or would you rather they look up to someone like you who has worked hard, remained disciplined, and sacrificed to be at the pinnacle of her sport?”

I nod. “I understand what you’re saying.”

We spend the next hour going through all the offers. We focus on a few that promote what I’m learning is mybrand, are easiest for me to commit to, and those he thinks he’ll be able tonegotiate a good amount of money for on my behalf. I can’t believe how much money I’m going to make this year. Way more than the entire rest of my life combined. I’m going to make Quincy-like dollars, something unheard of for softball players.

We get to the final one on the list. It’s a huge, international bathing suit company that wants both Layton and me. Tanner already knew about this one because it was offered to Layton too. When the season is over, they want us to spend two months traveling the world. They want to hit multiple exotic beaches with us in their products. It’s the trip of a lifetime.

He leans back in his chair. “Let’s discuss Fantasy Suits and their offer. It’s technically a conflict for me to represent you in this because of Layton, so you’re going to need to have someone else represent you on this deal. They should discuss the details of the contract with you more thoroughly than I’m permitted to. Layton waived the conflict for me to give you one small piece of advice. After that, my professional ethics rules dictate that I have to step aside, despite Layton agreeing to waive all conflict.”

“I understand. What detail?”

“They’re offering you a fraction of what they’re offering Layton. I have his permission to share that with you. He’s upset on your behalf and implored me to tell you about it so that you can rectify the situation.”

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