Page 105 of Payoff Pitch

I mumble back, “Behave yourself, old man.”

Bailey places the cake on a nearby table, approaches me, and smiles. “Hi, Mr. Montgomery.”

Dad stands in front of me and holds out his hand. “I’m the original Mr. Montgomery, but you can call me Stan, or anything you want, just call me.”

She lets out a laugh. “Stan works just fine. I see where your son got his charm from.”

Dad shakes his head. “Tanner charming? No, no, no.” He takes her hand and kisses it. “Allow me to open your eyes to a true Montgomery Casanova.”

Kamryn flashes her mischievous grin and throws her arm around my father. “And I’m the charming Hart. My name is Kamryn. You and I should hang out, Daddy Stanley.”

Bailey narrows her eyes at Kamryn. “What did we talk about in the car, Kam?”

“That I have to be a good girl.” She turns to Dad and bats her eyelashes. “You think I’m a good girl, right, Daddy Stanley?”

He links his arm through hers. “I most certainly do. Allow me to get you a drink and tell you about my manscaping.”

Kamryn lets out a laugh. “I love a man who isn’t afraid to talk about his manscaping.”

They walk away toward the sodas, and I shake my head. “Sorry about that. He’s kind of a dirty old man.”

She giggles. “She’s kind of a dirty young woman. They’re a perfect match.”

“They sure are. Show me the cake I’ve been hearing about.”

We walk toward the table where she left it, and I look at it. It’s a professional-looking cake of a softball field and players withHappy 8thBirthday Harperwritten in the outfield. The shortstop even has Harper’s number and hair color. No detail is missing.

“Wow. Incredible.”

Fallon walks over and shakes her head. “Holy shit, Bailey. I knew it would be nice but not like this. It’s amazing. I’m afraid to cut into it. This must have taken forever. Thank you.”

Bailey looks both relieved and happy. It’s the first time she and Fallon have seen each other since Colorado. “It was my pleasure. I hope Harper likes it.”

Fallon’s parents walk over. Doris nods toward Dad fawning all over Kamryn and mumbles, “Like father, like son.”

Fallon briefly closes her eyes. “Mother, go make yourself useful and take pictures of Harper and her friends.”

They leave, and she sighs. “Sorry, Bailey. The cake is amazing. Harper is going to flip. Having you and your friends here alone is enough to make her day.” She turns to me as she digs through her purse. “I forgot to tell you.” She finds a business card and hands it to me. “A man approached us on the airplane. He’s from a talent agency and said he thought Harper and Dylan were stunning and asked us to call him if they want representation. I looked him up. He’s legit, but—”

Bailey shakes her head emphatically. “No. No way. I don’t want Harper involved in any of that.”

Fallon’s smile fades as she turns to Bailey. “No offense, but sleeping with Tanner doesn’t give you a say in what Harper does and doesn’t do. You’re not her mother.”

I grit my teeth. “Fallon. Watch yourself.”

Bailey slowly nods. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Just take it from someone who did that kind of stuff at her age, it’s not as glamorous as it seems. I care about Harper, and I don’t want her to experience anything I experienced. It’s long days being manipulated by dozens of adults. She’ll have to miss things like softball games, school, and sleepovers. It robs you of your childhood.”

Fallon considers her words. “Thank you for your input. If you had let me finish, I would have told you that Harper said she wasn’t interested, but Dylan was. Before I flip the card to them, I was going to ask Tanner to check out the company.”

I take it from her. “I’ll look into them and call the Knights.”

The three of us stand there in silence. That got awkward fast. Fortunately, Harper and her teammates run over and gush all over Bailey, Arizona, and the cake.

I see my father and Fallon’s parents in a heated discussion. Somehow Kamryn is also involved. I can only pinch the bridge of my nose. This day is a disaster.

Later that night,my father and I are alone at my house sipping whiskey when he smiles. “I can’t believe you’re diddling the babysitter.”

I sigh. “Don’t cheapen her like that. It’s not tawdry.”

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