Page 21 of Payoff Pitch
Fallon squeezes my arm in appreciation. “Thank you.” She turns to Bailey. “Tanner said you play softball and that you may want to teach someday?”
Bailey’s face lights up. “Yes, I do. I enjoy softball, butworking with kids is my passion. I’ve even tinkered around with writing a few children’s books. I have twoveryrough drafts sitting on my laptop. I work on them when I can, but I’ve been neglecting them for a long time now. I hope to dive back into them one day.”
Fallon asks, “What are they about?”
Bailey looks over at Harper and winks. “Young female athletes, of course. There’s so much evidence of the positive effects of athletics on young girls. They’re more physically fit, mentally healthier, and they perform better in the classroom. It helps with both verbal and non-verbal communication, increased self-esteem, and overall leadership skills. My sister and my teammates are among the strongest women I know. They’ve all overcome adversity on varying levels. Sports are a big part of that.”
Fallon nods. “I was an athlete back in the day. I get it. I’m a physical therapist now and certainly agree with everything you said. It’s part of the reason we’re so supportive of Harper’s passion.”
Bailey asks, “What was your sport?”
“Basketball.”
Bailey lets out a laugh. “That was my main sport until Kam begged me to spend more time with her playing softball.”
I sit back and smoke my cigar while the two of them trade a few basketball war stories. They’re getting on like old friends. I think it’s official. The sexy Bailey Hart is now my daughter’s nanny, and I’ll be looking at her gorgeous face several times a week.
At some point, Harper stands, walks over to me, removes the cigar from my mouth, and, without an ounce of remorse, extinguishes the flame in my ashtray. “Smoking is bad for you, Daddy.” She turns to Fallon. “Right, Mommy?”
Fallon and Bailey both laugh as Fallon pulls Harper ontoher lap. “It sure is. Don’t let him smoke. I tried for years to get him to stop. You need to succeed where I failed.”
I turn to Bailey, pleading for help, but she shrugs. “They’re right, Mr. Montgomery. Smoking is terrible for you.”
My face falls. “Oh my god, it was bad enough when it was two against one, now there are three of you. How did that happen? At least I don’t pump my body full of sugar like you two.” I look at Bailey. “Fallon and Harper each have quite the sweet tooth.”
All three of them smile but Bailey’s is a bit more conspiratorial. “Harper, I have a fun little game we can play to make your daddy stop smoking. Are you in?”
Harper’s face lights up. “Yes! What is it?”
She motions for Harper to come to her, which she does. Bailey then whispers in her ear. Whatever she says leaves Harper in a fit of giggles.
Fallon looks at me, nods, and gives me the thumbs up.
Oh boy. This should be interesting.
CHAPTER FIVE
BAILEY
“Are you two sure you want to learn to throw from the slot? It’s an advanced throwing technique. Even some professional players don’t know how to do it properly.”
Harper and her best friend Andie look at each other wide-eyed and nod enthusiastically. “Yes. We want you to teach us.”
“You both have good overhand throwing mechanics. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t teach you this. Never stop practicing good mechanics. It’s so important to learn them while you’re young. How about your stomach muscles? You need a strong core to throw from the slot.”
They both lift their shirts enough to reveal their little bellies, looking at each other to try to figure out if they have strong muscles. I nod and inwardly giggle. “Okay, you guys lookverymuscular to me.”
They smile at each other and high-five. Andie says, “My daddy has a boxing ring at our house and sometimes I practice. I think that’s why I’m so strong.” She flexes her biceps.
A boxing ring? Oh right, he’s a billionaire. Andie is thesweetest, most humble kid. You’d never know that her father is one of the wealthiest men in America.
She returned home from a family trip to Italy this morning and the first thing she wanted to do was come see Harper. Their other best friend, Dylan, is at camp. Apparently, she doesn’t play softball. They want to practice before she comes over to swim later this afternoon. Tanner said he’d be home in time to give the girls dinner.
Andie has wild, dark curly hair that we wrangled into a messy bun. Harper is wearing her light brown hair in braided pigtails, as she was when I met her. They’re adorable together and I love hanging out with them.
“Alright, girls, throwing from the slot should only be used when you’re in a rush or on the move. You can’t throw it quite as hard or as far as a regular overhand throw, but it’s a quicker release and sometimes necessary. I use it at second base a lot because I don’t need to throw as far, but I do often need to get rid of the ball quickly.”
Harper toggles her head back and forth in contemplation. “Maybe I should play second base, like you. My daddy played shortstop when he stopped pitching. That’s why I do it, but I think I might want to try second.”