Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“BS.” Wanting to shake herself for her reaction to him, she took a sip of her smoothie, then began to butter the second half of her muffin. “Nobody in the family cares what you do post-sport so long as you have some kind of plan for it.”
That was a tenet with which they’d beaten Catie over the head too—figuratively speaking and with lots of love. Sport wasn’t forever, not at their level. They’d both run and play until they dropped dead, but at some point it wouldn’t be as highly paid professionals. The sponsorships would fall off as their influence waned.
If they were smart, if they saved and invested well, they’d be set up financially speaking—but they could also turn into emotional wrecks without direction if they didn’t know what to do with the rest of their lives.
“Reality of professional sport,” Gabriel had said to her once. “Don’t let it kick you in the ass. Be ready so you can take the next stage of your life by the horns.”
Which was why she didn’t get Danny’s reticence. “You want to open a restaurant or something?” she asked. “I mean, if Gabe’s still investing for you, you’ll have more than enough money.” Gabriel Bishop was also investing half of Catie’s retirement savings while Jacqueline was doing the other half.
The two had an unofficial contest going to see who could get the best returns, though they’d never admit it. They just tried to sneak bits of info out of Catie by talking about her overall portfolio.
“It just feels…” Danny thrust his hands through his hair. “Catie, my big brother owns half the city, my other big brother started an empire in his early twenties, and my third big brother is the vice-captain of the national team—a team which he made while having a kid as a teenager and losing the love of his teenage life.”
Breath harsh and the volume of his voice rising, he slapped both hands down on the table. “My dreaming of a future making pastries is not going to cut it!”
9
IN WHICH THERE ARE ABS OF STONE (AND “INTERESTING” TWINGES. UH-OH.)
Catie blinked, stared, took a sip of her smoothie. “Whoa.” She’d never, not once, thought about what it might mean to be the fourth sibling in the Bishop-Esera family, but when Danny put it like that… “Big boots to fill.”
“Tell me about it.” Expression glum, he slumped back in his seat.
But Catie wasn’t done. “Jake says all the time that he’d never have made the team without your support.” Danny had actually been picked for the national squad first, though Jake was two years older.
“He always talks about the family support that got him through and how if other teen parents had that kind of support, they’d be able to achieve so much more.” Jake was actually an ambassador these days for a youth program that supported teen parents. “He never ever tries to say he did it on his own.”
“Sure,” Danny agreed, having drunk half his smoothie in the interim. “But you know he just started a degree in automotive engineering and he’s already getting broadcasting gigs? I wouldn’t have believed it if you’d told me a year ago—Jake can be weirdly shy, but these days I turn on the screen, there’s his face.”
“Exaggeration much?” She raised an eyebrow. “Jake is doing a single paper this semester, and he has one show that he films around his rugby and other commitments.”
“It’s on prime time,” Danny shot back. “Highest ratings of any new sports shows in the past ten years. And all I want to do is make pastries and cakes and muffins and not have a restaurant empire.”
“You know your entire family would buy out your bakery and tell all their friends in support of your new career?”
“I know.” If anything, he slumped farther down in his chair. “Your mum ever lean on you to follow in her footsteps?”
“Nope. Not since Harlow came through back when we were teenagers.” Her stepbrother was Jacqueline’s true son when it came to the business world.
Jacqueline respected Harlow even more because he’d left her company and worked internationally for several years, gaining valuable experience—and doing it all on his own. Catie was her brother’s chief cheerleader and loved how he didn’t flinch at butting heads with the Dragon.
Funnily enough, she thought Jacqueline might enjoy the verbal duels just as much.
“Mum’s expecting me to go into the charity sector because of my camp,” she added, “and yeah, I can see it.”
Danny nodded. “It’s amazing, what you do.”
“You helped. Thanks.” It wasn’t so hard to choke that out. “The kids get a kick out of having you come and spend time with them.” With rugby a certified national craze, getting to interact with a player as admired as Danny was a major deal.
“It’s fun, especially seeing their faces light up when you and the other instructors join me for a game of touch.”