Page 29 of Hello Billionaire

She probably wasn’t even thinking of me. She shouldn’t be.

I glanced at the clock. She was probably at her son’s game right now, work the furthest thing from her mind.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I looked up the school’s website. She’d mentioned the team he played for once, and within a few minutes, a livestream of the Golden Valley game played on the flat-screen in my office.

The look of a high school field and amateur announcing took me back to my days playing high school ball. I had an opportunity to play in college, but I’d turned it down to go to technical school and study diesel mechanics to help out with the farm equipment. Back when I thought I’d be running the family ranch instead of a billion-dollar company.

The game played in the background as I worked. But in the ninth inning, the announcer said, “Up to bat is Levi Elkins, a freshman on the team.”

My gaze snapped up to the screen, and I studied Farrah’s son walking up to the plate in his gold and black uniform. I’d seen a photo of him when doing my employee background research, but now I realized just how big of a boy he was. Strong but still lanky and growing into his size.

He stepped up to the plate, cheering sounding in the background. I tried to pick out Farrah’s cheers, Andrew and Cora’s too. I wondered if Farrah’s ex had shown up for her son.

I really hoped he had.

“Strike one!” the announcer said. “So far, Levi’s batting record is limited, but let’s see if he can pick it up on this next pitch.”

“Foul ball! Looks like he swung a little late. You know, sometimes it’s hard for these younger kids to catch their bearings once they come to play high school ball. Takes time to get used to these fast pitches from seniors who have been training for a few more years. Let’s see if he can get a hit off this pitch.”

The ball came closer to the plate, and I saw the moment the bat connected with the ball. A crack sounded through the speakers as the ball went flying into the outfield.

“Thataway!” I yelled, clapping my hands. But then the centerfielder caught the hit. Levi hadn’t even made it to first base.

“Shit,” I muttered, rocking back on my feet. My gut ached for him.

“What are you doing up here?”

I jerked out of my skin, muscles coiling to defend myself. Which was stupid, because it was just my sister. “What the hell are you doing here, Liv? I nearly shit my pants.”

She smirked, folding her arms across her chest. “That would have been a sight.” She glanced to the TV. “I didn’t know the Ropers had a game today... Oh wait.” She squinted at the screen, and I fumbled for the remote, hurriedly clicking it off, but not soon enough.

“Were you watching ahigh schoolbaseball game?” she asked.

“No,” I lied.

“You’re a shitty liar. What were you doing watching a Golden Valley game anyway? We don’t have any long-lost cousins there, do we?”

“A friend’s kid’s playing,” I said. It wasn’t entirely untrue.

“You don’t have any friends.”

I grunted. She was right. “A business partner then.”

Her jaw dropped open. “It’s that single mom you work with, isn’t it?”

Why was I blushing like I was a high school kid getting caught making out? I was a grown man. I could watch a kid’s baseball game if I wanted. But arguing that with Liv would just open more opportunities for her to ask questions with answers I didn’t want to face. “You didn’t mention why you came?”

She looked like she wanted to argue, but instead, she plopped down in one of the chairs, setting her purse on my table. “I had to pick up some things in the city, and I wanted to come by and apologize. I’m sorry for springing Mom and Dad on you like that. It wasn’t fair of me.”

I nodded, surprised by her apology. None of us Griffens were great at saying sorry. “Thanks for saying that, Liv. I know you have this big heart and you just want everyone to get along, but...” I heaved a sigh. “Sometimes people don’t have the storybook family they wanted.”

My mind drifted to Farrah, learning that her husband had cheated on her, leaving her with three kids. If anyone deserved a good life, it was her and her sunshine heart of gold. If she couldn’t get that happily ever after, what hope was there for me? “I’m just a grump anyway,” I muttered. “Just a matter of time before people start calling me Scrooge.”

“To your face.” Liv winked. Then she nodded toward the TV. “But I’m starting to wonder if there’s a heart under there after all.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” I said. Because even if I did like Farrah, it wouldn’t matter.

Like I said, not everyone gets a storybook ending—or even has time for one.

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