“Way to give me hope, old man.” He set the boxes on the counter.
The laugh rumbled from deep within. “If you want to persist in this game, know that I beat my son and two daughters every time. I’m certainly not going to be out maneuvered by someone two generations removed.”
He didn’t have a good answer, so he shrugged. That proved to be the wrong answer. Pop hooked Coury’s elbow and pushed him into a chair.
“You’re my guest. That alone ought to be enough, but you are the exact medicine Liam needed. I’ll never be able to repay that.”
“I don’t expect you to pay me. I like hanging out with him.”
“Precisely my point.” He smiled and took the chair across from Coury. “Years ago, my wife’s family used to pay all the time. Alice’s father wasthemaster of snagging the check before anyone else. One time I thought I had him. When he went to the bathroom, I called the waiter over and was about to give him my credit card, when Nathan suddenly appeared and dropped his card in the waiter’s hand. He had this triumphant look of glee that he’d won again.”
“You never beat him?”
“Nope. But we talked afterward and agreed I could pay for things like their birthdays or anniversaries.” He patted Coury’s hand and smiled. “You and I are nowhere near that level. Save your money. Minor leaguers make so little.”
“Is that why you left?” The question popped out before he could stop it. Pop, however, was unfazed.
“No. I had support from my family. I left because I wanted to marry Alice. It was also clear after one year I wasn’t going to exceed the scout’s expectations.”
“What does that mean?”
Pop stood and went to the cupboard for some glasses. “Some prospects you can spot a mile away as winners. Most of those succeed to some degree. Some flame out despite the best scouting. The rest are hit or miss. They’re good enough to get a shot, but no one is touting them as the next big thing.”
He set one glass in front of each placemat. “Scouts evaluate prospects like investment bankers evaluate startups. Everyone wants to invest in the sure winners. For the rest, they spread their money around, taking flyers on companies that might pan out and become the next Google or Facebook.
“I was one of those flyers. No one expected me to be the next Sandy Koufax. When I realized they were right, I packed it in and went home.”
“Did you miss it when you left?”
“Yes and no. I loved playing, but I knew I’d lose Alice if I didn’t come home. She let me chase the dream to see if I could get the brass ring, but she wasn’t going to wait forever.”
“What if you’d exceeded expectations?”
“I really don’t know. I always expected she’d stick by me if I was moving up. I didn’t, so it was a moot point.” His smile disappeared and he stared at the glass in his hand. “I never regretted trying, but I do wish I had that year back to spend with her.”
“Is the pizza here?”
Liam thundered down the stairs, and Pop powered through his grief. “Why am I not surprised my grandson comes running when he smells pizza?”
* * *
The pizza lived up to its recommendation; the movie did not. Pop had fallen asleep in his recliner halfway through. Slider had curled up with his head on Coury’s leg. Only the prospect of going out once more got him moving.
When they returned from a quick walk around the block, Pop woke. Yawning, he thanked them for taking Slider out and headed off to bed. Slider watched him for a few seconds and hopped off just before Pop closed his bedroom door.
“He must really like you,” Liam said. “Normally he doesn’t do that with anyone but Pop and me.”
Grabbing their glasses, Coury followed Liam into the kitchen. “Guess he figured he’d make friends with the one person in the house he’s smarter than.”
The scowl Liam gave him was unexpected.
“What?”
“You need to stop that. You’re not stupid, Coury. Far from it. Your problem is you don’t apply yourself. Baseball is more important than studying. But when you try, you’re above average.”
“Not really. I’m doing okay in paleontology, but that’s the exception.”
“Nope.” Liam shook his head, eyes glittering determinedly. “Not buying it. I’m not sure who convinced you along the way that you weren’t that smart, but they were dead wrong. If you’d stop hiding behind that lie and start believing in yourself, you’d see.”
