If We Never Met (Whisper Lake #5) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,68

success."

"That's why the success is so sweet. It's a difficult game. But when you win, it feels amazing."

"I'd love to see you play."

His smile dimmed. "Maybe you will. Who knows?"

"I know," she said confidently. "I have faith in you."

"If I could will my arm to work, I would, but it's not that simple. It's not about desire."

"I understand, Dante. You have a real injury to deal with. But you're working hard, and you have a great rehab facility and an excellent doctor. I think you'll make it back."

"Hopefully. But I didn't come here to talk about my game. Why don't you introduce me to your friends? I know Hannah, but not the other two."

"Okay." They walked down the sideline, joining up with Hannah, Chloe, Gianna, and also Zach, who had just arrived. She introduced him to everyone, but there wasn't time for prying questions as Hailey came up to bat.

They cheered her on, but after two swings and two misses, Hailey hit a weak ball to the pitcher and was thrown out at first. Her smile turned into a dejected frown as she walked back to the dugout, and no amount of cheering and support seemed to change that.

"She's so hard on herself," Gianna murmured.

"I keep telling her it's just a game. She's here to have fun," Zach put in. "But that almost makes her angrier."

"I agree," Gianna said. "Last game, I said nice try, and she almost bit my head off."

"I hated when anyone said that to me," Dante said, drawing all eyes to him.

"Really?" Gianna asked curiously. "Why?"

"Because I was disappointed in myself. I couldn't hear what anyone else had to say. I just knew that I'd failed, and it pissed me off." He cleared his throat. "But your little girl is not me, so??

"No, that makes sense," Zach said with a nod. "I never felt that way when I was playing sports. I just figured I'd do better the next time, even if that wasn't true. I guess I wasn't hard on myself at all." He gave Dante a thoughtful look. "How did your parents handle you?"

"Oh, don't go by my parents," Dante replied. "My mom would just serve me up a big bowl of pasta after a game. That was her go-to solution for everything bad that happened. My dad never showed up to see me play, so he had no idea what was going on, nor did he care. But you should keep on supporting Hailey. She'll appreciate it even if she can't show it."

"Leo, stop eating the dirt," Chloe said suddenly, interrupting their conversation to grab her son off the ground. He had dirt smeared across his mouth. "Anyone have a fix for this problem?"

"Not me," Dante said with a laugh. "I never ate dirt."

"I think we're going to head home," Chloe said. "I have a gift for Hailey in my car."

"I'll come with you to get it," Gianna said.

As they left, Zach moved closer to Dante and started talking about baseball and kids.

Hannah slid next to her and gave her a little smile. "Nice kiss, but a little G-rated."

"We're in public."

"True. But I can still see that you are so into him."

"I am," she admitted. "For however long it lasts."

"Live in the moment."

"That's what I'm going to do."

As the inning ended, Jake came over to the fence, motioning for Zach and Dante to come over. A moment later, to her amazement, Dante gave her a wry smile and a shrug as he headed toward the dugout. "I'm going to coach first base," he said.

"Have fun."

As Dante moved to the field, Zach rejoined them. "Dante said he could give Hailey some tips later on her swing."

She was surprised again. "That's great."

"He seems like a nice guy."

"Keira definitely thinks so," Hannah said with a laugh.

She made a face at her friend. "You be quiet."

"When am I ever quiet?"

She didn't bother to answer, her attention moving to Dante. As each girl hit and reached first base, he had a little chat with them. She had no idea what he was saying, but the girls seemed to be completely captivated. How could she blame them? She was completely captivated, too.

Chapter Eighteen

Dante couldn't believe he'd gotten talked into coaching, but it was actually fun. The kids were eager to learn. They listened to whatever he said, and they laughed and smiled so easily. Even Hailey, who definitely had an intensity that reminded him of himself, relaxed when he talked to her. And after the game, with an empty