Page 15 of Love on the Sidelines

"I miss her."

Emily's words hit me hard and I say, "Me too."

"Why are you single?"

I try to laugh off that comment, but I'm not sure I have a good enough answer. "I work a lot. Most women don't appreciate that."

"Don't you think you work a lot to avoid being with someone?" Emily's matter-of-fact tone makes me lose focus and I have to swerve to get back into the right lane before I hit another car. “At least that’s what Mom would say when she talked about you.”

"That sounds like your mom," I say. How did I not realize Emily is basically a parrot of her mother’s sayings?

"It might be worth it to date more. Work less. Go on vacation." Emily now sounds like a twenty-five-year-old lecturing her thirty-one-year-old uncle.

"I'm not going by myself."

"Exactly why you need to find a partner in life. You've got enough money to travel. You just need a buddy."

I laugh. Emily has always been an old soul, able to talk to adults and children alike. But having her chastise me for my bachelorhood is a different kind of humility. Life didn't work out for my sister, not the way she'd hoped. And trying to make something like what my parents had seems near impossible with the life I'm leading right now.

I doubt there's a woman out there who will care about me for me and not my money.

Ava comes to mind. The fact she backed away from me when I tried to hand her the check that first day of practice, it’s like she’s allergic to things like that.

I wonder what she would do if she were to be something more than just my niece's coach. I can't think about that, though. There's too much I need to figure out business and family wise. I don't need to disrupt the system that's been working so well. Or has it?

9

AVA

The college roommate chat has been going crazy this morning. Brooklyn and Meg are traveling and enjoying life. Meanwhile, my bank account says I can travel to my backyard and enjoy life there. At least I'll get to go somewhere with the upcoming tournaments, but it would be nice to go on an actual vacation where my biggest responsibility is deciding where to eat.

The fees for each player include enough to take care of my hotel room and a car if we need it. Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I'd followed through on my childhood dream of being a lawyer. I'd have money to travel, but would I have the time?

It's early and I've already got everything set up for our itty bitty clinic for the parks and rec department. It’s for ages three through five and it’s my new favorite group because I never know what’s going to happen.

We've been working on baseball for the past two sessions, and while I had to change out a few drills to keep their attention, it's going well for my first time holding this clinic.

"I'm so glad you're doing this," one mom says as she comes up to get a T-shirt we give out to all the kids when they come. Her boy missed the first two classes. "My little one is so active and just needs an outlet like this."

She points to the boy, who's chewing on his tiny mitt while running around a group of kids.

"Yeah, hopefully it helps," I say, trying to be kind.

"Can I just drop him off and come back later?" the woman asks.

I hold up a hand, alarm bells going off in my brain. "Yes, but the class is only forty-five minutes long. That time goes by quickly."

The woman waves her hand and says, "I'll be right around the corner. Good luck."

As I turn back to look at the group, I can see that it's going to be a high-energy day on all fronts.

Mitt boy trips another kid running by and then laughs about it. Breathing in, I try to do the best I can at keeping my cool.

I finally get the kids divided into groups for the drills. The teenagers who are supposed to be helping me are on their phones or are using this as their own personal chance to do the drills, even though the tee is set almost for their ankles.

"Chance and Aaron, focus. One of your kids is running across the field over there."

Aaron sees the little girl and takes off to grab her before she hits the sidewalk next to the parking lot.

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