Page 43 of The Scout

Cash and I worked together cleaning the kitchen. When the last dish was put away, he leaned against the counter. “We need to talk about something.”

I wiped my hands on the towel before laying it on the dish rack to dry.

“I have money, and the way I figure it, I owe you years and years of child support. I’d like to take care of you.”

“No, but thank you. We’ve been fine. I’m not after your money.”

“Stubborn woman. You don’t think I know that? Let me start over. Hannah, I’d like to pay for our son’s camp.” His brows tugged together. “What type of camp is it?”

“Baseball. It’s at the local college.”

“So he can get scouted?” he asked with a lilt of sarcasm—or maybe irritation, I couldn’t quite tell.

“No, to help him hone his skills and possibly get a scholarship.” Cash took a moment to reply, so I added, “I understand your profession and that you played professional ball, but this is about Jimmy, not you. Our son is very prideful, and as much as I know he’ll appreciate anything you can teach him, getting into college and doing it on his own is important to him.”

“Yes, I understand. I’d feel the same way. Our son has the talent to make it. I saw it. It’s why I want him for the Hawks. I just know that in a couple of years, I won’t be the only one who notices. Hell, I’d be shocked if the college didn’t send him a commitment letter with a full ride attached. If he goes. He could possibly do what I did. But we can talk about all of that later. For now, and with your permission, I’ll go to the bank and establish an account in your name for him for whatever you need. Please set your stubbornness aside.”

“Thank you, it’s a lot to take in at the moment. If you’d like to pay for his camp, that’s fine. The account would only be used for him and if completely necessary. I’m not prepared to think about him going to college or playing ball. I’d like to get through the next couple of years first.”

“Okay, so we have a deal?”

“For now, but that’s it.”

“See, stubborn.”

“I’m not stubborn.”

“Care to prove it?”

“Although I feel as though I already have, what do you have in mind?”

“Let me take you out.”

Rather than prove him right, I gave him a bright, toothy smile. “Maybe.”

Right when I thought I had the upper hand, a sexy-as-sin smirk spread across his face. “I’m going to make you fall for me again, Hannah Hall.”

“I’m not going to fall for you.”

“Stubborn.”

“Just being honest. It won’t happen.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Chapter15

Cash

After Jimmy left for school, I decided to start getting some things done. First, I grabbed my laptop, and although on a brief hiatus, there was a report I needed to send in. Once that was completed, and despite the early hour on the West Coast, I needed to call my mother.

There was no telling how she would react to hearing my father’s part in not telling me about Jimmy and dismissing Hannah. I knew if my mom had answered the door the day Hannah went to their house, life would be completely different.

Which was something else that weighed heavily on me. Would we have stayed together? Would we have more kids? The only answer I could come up with was yes. Our breakup wasn’t our best decision. Granted, hindsight is always twenty-twenty, but that didn’t make it less true.

After grabbing my phone, I scrolled through my contacts and tapped on my mom’s number. When the call connected, I heard breathing, and for a second, I wished I had texted before dialing.

“Hi ... honey. Hold on. Let me pause Franco.” I could hear a man’s voice in the background saying something about pace and power. The baritone faded off in the background. “Okay. Sorry about that.”

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