that female ballerina who taught this stuff to Katie in the first place, and they were only together for a few minutes. They got on just fine. I think it’ll be good for Katie.”
“All right. If you’re sure.”
“I am.”
“Then we’ll see how it goes. Did you pitch today?”
“Yeah.”
They transitioned into ball talk. The team had lost to Florida by a run. Since that run had scored before Will hit the mound, it was unusual that he’d entered the game. His role as the closer was usually to come in late in the game to save the win for the starting pitcher. The manager had merely put him in that afternoon because the rest of the bullpen was struggling so much.
“Sounds like the relievers need some work,” Frank said.
“That’s putting it mildly. Most of them are recent trades or fresh off the farm,” he said, referencing Major League Baseball’s minor league system.
“Have you tried talking to them? Taking them under your wing? Maybe the newer guys are battling nerves and could use a mentor.”
Will fought a sigh. He had enough fathering to do without having to step in with his teammates too. Still, his dad had a point.
“I haven’t, but I’ll see what I can do. Actually, some of the guys mentioned getting together for drinks in one of the hotel bars this evening. Maybe I’ll swing by.”
“You really should. Bonding off the field is just as important as on it. You guys have to get to know each other if you’re going to trust one another and come together as a team. You’ll have to tell me how it goes.”
Ugh. That was one way to make sure Will did what he said he was going to do. His dad was an expert that that.
“Fine. Now really tell me about the Giuseppe project.”
Giuseppe’s had been an Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Midtown for nearly two decades. Its popularity had waned in recent years due to the owner’s failure to invest in updates to either the building or his menu. The restaurant took another hit when its scores dropped markedly during a routine health inspection. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the death of the owner the year before. Due to poor estate planning and a lack of interest by anyone in fighting to preserve the restaurant, the space had gone up for auction. Campbell Investments had picked it up for a song. They just hadn’t settled on what to do with it yet.
“It’s going well,” Frank said. “I managed to get the old kitchen equipment over to the auction house and we’ve started demo work.”
“Good. I’ve been researching local businesses to see what might make sense to go into the space.”
“Sure would’ve been easier to keep it as a restaurant.”
Will disagreed. “Too much competition in that area. Besides, the equipment they had in there all needed replacing. Hopefully the auctioneers can at least get us enough to cover the plumbing updates we’ll have to do.”
“That’s a point.”
They touched on a couple of the other projects they were handling. There had been a few setbacks with one of the subcontractors they used. Everything else was on target.
“Is that granddaughter of mine around?” Frank asked when they reached the end of their conversation. “I want to FaceTime with her.”
“Nah. She and Gareth are still at the pool. I’m betting they’re going to eat dinner poolside and stay until they’re kicked out.”
“Okay. I’ll call him. I look forward to hearing how the team bonding goes.”
“Yeah, yeah. Later.”
Hanging up the phone, Will stared at the ceiling wondering how he was going to work up enough energy to socialize. Then he wondered when he had gotten so old. Not even two years ago, he’d already be at the bar getting a head-start on the drinking with some of his teammates. Now, he was seriously considering trying to grab a quick nap first.
Shit.
In the end, he texted Gareth to make sure he’d be okay watching Katie for a while longer. Once he got the thumbs up, he rose and changed from his gym shorts and well-worn T-shirt to a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved collared shirt, rolling the sleeves to his elbows and leaving it untucked. His only jewelry was his watch and the necklace his dad had given him on his first Father’s Day, a silver circle on a black cord. Katie’s name was etched on one side of the circle and her date of birth on the other. He never took