Page 8

Tate

“ T hat was so much fun! Thank you for inviting me!” Gemma beams. Hopefully, that will score me points with Teddy and her mother.

I need the woman to forgive me. Ever since the rugby match debacle, my nephew won’t let me hear the end of it.

He’s worried her dislike of me will cause problems for him.

“Told you. Uncle Tate’s the best.”

“Hear that?” I turn to Gemma’s mom, whose name I still don’t know.

How have I spent an afternoon with her and haven’t bothered to ask?

It’s not like I could pick it up listening to the kids speak to her, either.

Gemma calls her Mom, and Teddy refers to her as Mrs. Robbins.

“I’m the best.” I toss her a wink, then address the kids.

Since when did I start thinking of twenty-year-olds as kids?

“The team gathers out front for a meet and greet after the games. Go mingle with the guys and take some pictures. I have business to attend to. ”

“How long will you be?” Teddy asks. “I’m getting hungry.”

How? He had two hotdogs and a bag of popcorn. What I wouldn’t give to be young again, with an over-accelerated metabolism.

“Half an hour at most.”

“Wait!” Gemma’s mother reaches for my arm, bringing a smile to my face. I’m surprised at how much I appreciate the gesture. “Where are you going?”

“To break some hearts.” I walk away, leaving her speechless.

I’m sure if I give her time to recover, she’ll have something sassy to say that I’m not going to like.

Part of me feels like a coward because I rush off before she can recover and say anything.

Regardless, I can’t think about her right now.

I have other things I need to take care of.

A short man in a purple suit and gold crown waits for me at the other end of the stadium, along with my agent. I’m out of time, I have to give them my decision. It shouldn’t be hard, but I didn’t come home to the States with endorsements, and the ones I have overseas are drying up.

Becoming a Nurple isn’t in my best interest, and Daryl knows it. But he doesn’t make money unless I make money. All he sees when he looks at me are dollar signs. No matter that accepting this offer is demeaning to me. It’s the equivalent of a major downgrade.

“Mr. Grimm,” King Purple Nurple, Nick Russo, extends his hand. “I’m so glad you made it. I hope you and your guests enjoyed the game. ”

“Very much, thank you.” I clasp his hand with a firm grip as we shake. “You have a gold mine here. You should be very proud of what you’ve built.”

“I am.” He beams. “And it doesn’t end at the box office,” excitement lights his face. “Every year, we expand the merch line, and It’s difficult to keep the shelves stocked. Anything you can think of. Mugs. Pillows. You name it, we’re branded on it.”

“I know. I think my nephew and his girlfriend bought one of everything. They even changed their socks during the game.”

“I hope they gave you the VIP discount.”

“It wasn’t necessary.” I massage the back of my neck. I have to do the right thing. I can’t back down.

“You know, we started with generic shirts and jerseys bearing nothing more than the team name and logo. Now we have player names and numbers on them as well. Best of all, if a specific jersey sells, we share the profits with the player. This way, we keep things fair. It’s a plus for the whole team, wouldn’t you say? ”

“Fair is the fact that you pay them for going out in front of a crowd to have a good time night after night. You take on the cost of everything else. It would be perfectly reasonable for you to keep all the profits from the jerseys for yourself.”

“It’s good business for me to keep my players happy so they’ll stay. And so others will want to join us.” He tilts his head, the top eye opening a bit wider. He looks like he’s trying to show that he can be sly.

“You hear that, Tate?” Daryl inserts himself.

Of course he does. He needs to make himself relevant to earn his share.

Right now, all he’s thinking of is how big his cut is.

“The Nurples keep their players happy.” He turns to the want-to-be king.

“So, considering Tate’s star power, he doesn’t need to be present for all the team practices. Two a week should suffice.”

“No deal. We play four games a week. Those days, we practice before we play, and then we need another two to work on new material and tweak things. I understand that Mr. Grimm played rugby and is a terrific athlete, but baseball is different. He needs to master his new craft. That’s one of the reasons he needs to be on the field practicing with the team.

The other is that the players have a certain chemistry, and it will be obvious to the crowds if everyone isn’t on the same page. ”

“Let’s talk travel?”

“Tate travels with the team. We work best as a single unit.”

“For out-of-town games, he gets his own suite.”

“That will be up to Mr. Grimm. We get the players where they need to be, but then it’s up to them to book their own accommodations. Many of the younger guys share rooms to save money, but it’s okay for players to get their own room as long as we’re all in the same hotel.”

“He can expense the room to the team—”

“He can expense it on his taxes.”

I need these men to stop talking and acting like I’m not here. I interrupt by resting my hand on my agent’s shoulder. “Daryl, it’s fine.”

“Wonderful!” Nick looks like I told him he just won the lottery. “We can go to my office and sign the contract. ”

“Actually, Nick,” I rub the back of my neck again, hoping I’m not passing up a great opportunity. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to pass.”

Nick’s brows pinch together. “I thought you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did. But, this is baseball. Those guys played this game all their lives. I quit when I was twelve. There’s no way I can handle the ball like them, hitting the ball blindfolded or throwing between my legs for a strike.

And they’re young.” That last part, although true, hurts like hell. “Decades younger than me.”

His mouth twists as he processes what I say. “Not all of them.”

“I’ll put money on the fact that every one of them is younger than me.”

“Minor detail.”

I can see he wants me to sign on, but I don’t understand why. I don’t bring anything to the table. My fan base is overseas. And as much as I hate to admit it, I’m past my prime.

“The only thing I can do is look bad and lose the respect of people who have followed me and my career over the years. You don’t need me.” He looks like I punched him in his rounded belly. “What you need is more of these young, good-looking guys dancing shirtless in the stands.”

“Many of our fans enjoy that, but there’s so much more to what we do.

We strive to engage old and young and work to create a family-friendly atmosphere.

That’s why we choose the games and audience highlights that we do in between innings.

And it’s what makes you so attractive. You can grab the attention of the older crowd. ”

Right. Because I’m old . Nail in the coffin. Hard pass. I place my hand on his shoulder. “You have a vision, and you’re bringing it to life. Keep doing what you're doing, because your brand is great. I really do appreciate you considering me for your club.”

After shaking hands, the disappointed Nurple king turns and walks away.