“Fuck off,” I scoff. “What’s going on?”
“I was calling to see if there’s any way you could pick up Olivia from ESA?” Camille pleads, as if I’ve ever said no to her before. We’re coming back from Marcela’s book signing in Ohio, but there’s an accident up ahead. We’re going to be stuck for a while. Could you watch her until we’re back, please?”
Marcela is one of Camille’s friends from RLU, and is a best-selling author.
“Not a problem. When do I need to pick her up?” I ask, already standing and heading inside the house.
“At four P.M.,” she tells me. “Thank you so much. I owe you.”
“We’re family. I’ve taken care of you for as long as I can remember and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.”
“Thanks, brother. We’ll hopefully be home sooner than later,” Ryker adds in before we all say our goodbyes and hang up.
I throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, changing out of my shorts. I then grab my keys and head for the front door. A smile lifts my cheeks when I think of spending the evening with my niece. Not only do I miss spending time with her, but it also means that I won’t have to spend another night thinking about the girl from the bar.
Or at least not as much.
Getting into the Elite Sports Academy grounds is like trying to break into the White House. The level of security this place has is insane, but I guess it makes sense when you have a place where retired professional athletes work and the next generation trains.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it if she decides to stay here full time once she’s a freshman, and I don’t think Ryker will either. We’re overprotective by nature, but if it ever comes to that, I know she’d be safe.
Once I get through the security gates and park in the visitor parking lot, I follow the signs that sayWelcome Center is this way,to find out where the hell I’m going. A large fountain sits in the middle of the pathway to the building, a wildcat spouting water out of its mouth, surrounded by landscaping that only the best money can buy. Everything about this place screams expensive.
“Quentin Laurent?” a deep voice calls, pulling my attention to the man at the top of the walkway that leads to the building I’m about to go into.
I look up to find none other than Daniel Ortiz. He’s one of the world’s best baseball players and currently holds the record for the home run derby. He retired with five World Series wins and was my favorite player to watch growing up.
“Mr. Ortiz,” I sputter once I’m close enough, knocked off-kilter as I hold my hand out to him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Daniel laughs as he shakes my hand. “Please call me Danny. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. I’m a big fan.”
I do my best to control my eyes from popping out of my head, because hearing from one of the greats that he’syourfan is the best compliment you could ever receive as an athlete.
“Wow, thank you. That means a lot,” I tell him. “I didn’t know you taught here.”
“With all the girls in school now, I have too much free time on my hands, so I approached ESA to see if I could volunteer in their baseball programs.”
“And you enjoy it?”
A wide spread smile fills his face as he palms his black beard peppered with gray. “You know what, I really do. I knew it was time for me to retire when we had our third baby. Family is everything, and I kept missing out on the little moments. Don’t get me wrong, I miss the game, but I wanted to take myself out of it before it took me out. You know what I mean?”
Fuck, do I ever. My whole life I planned for the career of my dreams, but along the way, I never stopped to think about what comes next. Everything he’s saying sounds a lot like what I’ve been thinking lately, and it has me wondering if it’s a route I should seriously consider.
I nod. “Absolutely. I’m sure you know I’m getting to that point, so yes, that’s been on my mind.”
“We should get together sometime if you ever want to talk about it. Retirement can be lonely, and as much as I love my wife and kids, I miss being around the boys at times,” he says, his words carrying a tone of nostalgia.
I can imagine how hard it would be to go from seeing the guys I call family nearly every day for months every year to sporadic meet-ups here and there.
We exchange numbers and then I’m making my way to the school directory posted on the wall, a map of where all the buildings are on campus. Once I figure out where the gymnastics training center is, I take a picture of it in case I get lost and then head that way across campus.
The rest of campus is just like my walk to the main building, with beautiful landscaping, modern facilities, and random athletic legends milling about their day. There are a few I notice, and we exchange a quick hello.
It’s weird to see them without security or paparazzi, but I guess this is why many retired athletes choose to work here. They can just be while still working in the sport they love.
Once I get to the building, I glance down at my phone to confirm this is indeed where I’m supposed to be. It is, so I make my way through the glass door and pause, unsure where to go from here.
Parents with their young children seem to be coming down the hallway to my left, so I head that way to the opposite end of the hallway until I reach double doors that I push through.
