“Would you stop saying that?” He flushed. “I like drawing, always have. Ever since I was a kid, I’d draw. But I also liked baseball, and my dad used to hint—hell, he told me all the time that sports make a man. Drawing was for girls.”
“Your dad is an idiot.”
“True.” He smiled, wishing that weren’t the truth. “I used to hide my stuff until I just focused on baseball as a career. That took a lot of work. But now I’m at the point where I did what I set out to do. I’m ready to move on to the next stage of my life. And let’s face it, you can only be at the top of your game athletically while youth is on your side. I’ve spent nearly two decades crouching, and my knees aren’t always going to be there for me if I don’t start taking better care of them.”
“You seem super strong to me, I have to say.” She glanced at his bare torso and further down past his shorts to his knees. “Sexy even.” She smiled at him. “I understand what you’re saying though. Are you dealing with a lot of injuries?”
“No. I’ve been super healthy the last couple of years. As you like to tell me, I’m only twenty-eight. But you know, I’m soon going to be twenty-nine.” He stared at her, willing her to believe him. “I’m ready for a wife and kids. For a home and a job where I’m not gone six months and more out of the year.”
She blinked. “You mean it? That house in Hope’s Turn, you’re really interested?”
“I am.”
“Oh boy. I’m sorry, Grant. I meant to tell you. Someone put an offer on that house near Simon’s. I found out earlier this morning by text. I have a feeling the owners will take it. It’s a great offer.”
“Hey, no worries.” He paused. “You really liked that house, didn’t you?”
“I did. But not like I’d ever be able to afford it.” She frowned. “Sam bought the affordable dream house. Now he, his wife, and their soon-to-be baby are living in it.”
“In Hope’s Turn?”
“No. The house lies between Hope’s Turn and Sisters. But that’s not what we should be talking about. Grant, you’re really talented.”
He disagreed, but she didn’t seem to want to discuss Sam anymore, and he didn’t think it the time to push. “Thank you. I’m sure I have a long way to go, but I wasn’t ready to share my work with anyone.”
“I’m the first to see it? Thank you.” She got up from the counter to hug him. “I still can’t believe you drew that.” She pulled away to look at his other sketches. “You’re willing to give up baseball to be what? A comic book artist? A manga creator? A painter? What do you want to do with your art?”
“Actually, I’ve got a comic character I’d like to create a world around. But I want to be independent.”
“So not like Marvel or DC?”
“Think Dark Horse or Image Comics. They do a lot of graphic novels with deep storylines. The Walking Dead is an Image Comic. Or if you like it more demonic, Hellboy is an awesome storyline from Dark Horse. These days, if you have the money, you can make it on your own without a publisher.”
“And that’s what you want to do.”
“It’s on my list.” He shrugged, praying she wouldn’t think him as big an idiot as others would likely think. His teammates understood leaving for money or a better location, to be closer to family. But they would never comprehend the idea of trying something else that paid much less—if anything at all—when still at the peak of his game. Would Piper think him silly for “throwing his life away” too?
“I think you’ll succeed with your graphic novel or comic or whatever you want to call it, because that’s what you do.”
“Thanks.” He paused, needing to hear her say it again. “You don’t think I’m stupid for wanting to quit baseball?”
“Heck no. The amount of pressure you must be under all the time to perform is insane. Considering how few people make it to your level, I mean, that you even got to play one season in the major leagues is impressive.”
“You’re not just saying that?” He swallowed, annoyed at himself for letting his insecurities show. Normally, he believed one hundred percent in anything he set out to do. But Piper’s opinion meant everything.
“I would with anyone else, but I believe in you, Grant. You’re an Original, with a capital O. And kind of intimidating, if you want the truth.”
Sadly, he’d heard that before.
“I mean, you’re wealthy, handsome, driven, great in bed—”
“Just great? Not earth-shatteringly fantastic?” He pulled her to him in a hug.
She kissed him, and he felt it to his toes. “Well, I guess if you put it that way, yeah.” Piper grinned. “But seriously, this will not be an easy thing to announce, so the fact you’re ready to do it, pull the plug and quit next year, tells me you’re ready. Mr. Planner would never just do something spontaneous that’s that big a deal.”
“Exactly. You get me.”
She let out an oomph when he squeezed her.
