Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 92167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
His phone rang and he touched his ear once more to answer. “Linc.”
“Mr. Conner, there is someone here asking for you. A Mr. Harper.”
“I’ll be right in.” Mr. Harper was one of the men he’d approached about being an investor, but the man hadn’t wanted to be involved. Despite the fact his son was here almost every day, utilizing the facility.
Do not punish the son for the sins of the father.
His own father’s words rang in his mind and he took a deep breath as he thanked Miss Yander and ended the call. With a final glance in Greer’s direction, he caught Brandon’s gaze and gave a pointed look at the little girl so he would know to keep an eye on her. Then he returned to the main building.
Mr. Harper was a dour-faced man who loved to use his family’s money to get what he wanted in town. When Linc had been growing up, the man had never failed to try and make him feel like less because of who he was. For no other reason than because his father hadn’t had tons of money and Linc had worn a lot of secondhand clothes.
Amazing what I will overlook to make sure my center has what it needs.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Harper. You wished to see me? How can I be of assistance?”
“I want to talk to you about the baseball team.”
“The high school team?” He shook his head. “I can’t help you because I have nothing to do with that.” He had made sure he wouldn’t have anything to do with the school team. He had complete faith in the coach, the same man who had gotten him well on his way to the majors.
The man crossed his arms and rocked on his heels. “I heard you were starting some teams for the center.”
“We are. By age grouping.” The center was growing fast and getting in people from other towns. He had to do what he could to make it fair to those playing.
“I want Matt as the captain of his age group.”
Linc paused and tried to control the anger that surged through him like a living flame. Tried. It didn’t spill free but he sure as hell wasn’t in a good headspace now.
“Are you walking into my center and demanding what I do?” He crossed his arms and looked down at the man in front of him. When he’d been small, Mr. Harper had come off as an imposing man. Not so anymore. Linc towered over him by more than a few inches and what used to be muscle on Mr. Harper was now pudge. “That’s not how things work here. The boy or girl who is honored enough to wear the title Captain is picked by their teammates, not me.”
“He deserves this.” The man glared up at him.
“I don’t care what you think he deserves, Mr. Harper, that’s not how I run things. Everyone has a fair shot.”
A scoff. “Is this because I wouldn’t invest in your business? Or because of things when you were growing up?”
Across the room, he spied Mitchell step into view, toweling off his face. His best friend gave him a raised eyebrow and he responded with a minute head shake. He was okay, didn’t need the man to come back him up. Even if Mitchell would be right there, if necessary.
“Neither of those things have anything to do with this, Mr. Harper. Unlike you, I don’t hold grudges. I asked you about an investment opportunity and you declined. It’s your money and your right to do what you want with it. I didn’t want your reasons then and I don’t care about them now. My reason for doing what I am doing is because that’s how things are done here. This place is about equality for all the children who step through the door. Not just for those whose parents think they can buy them a position. Good day.”
Walking off before he punched the fucker, he went across the floor to Mitchell.
“How’s it going?” Mitchell draped the towel around his neck before tunneling his fingers through unruly blond hair.
“Coming along. How was the game?”
The former pro player groaned. “I think I’m getting old.”
Linc laughed and smacked him on the back. “You are.”
That earned him a glare. “Just as old as you are.”
“Yeah, but my bones aren’t creaking like yours.”
He grunted. “Don’t remind me. You sure you’re okay? Mr. Harper doesn’t seem happy.”
Linc rolled his eyes. “He’s not. He wants me to just give his son the captain position on the baseball team we’re putting together.”
Mitchell snorted then smirked. “Does he not know how you operate?”
A slow grin filled Linc’s face. “He does now.”
Greer came in with the other children and he watched her smile and run over to the wall where he saw Dawson Shay—fiancée to his other best friend Tully Faulkner—talking to another parent. Dawson and Tully, who used to play professional hockey, got engaged recently after a rough start to their relationship.