Page 101 of Elevator Pitch

“She believes in me. That I can change. That I can be better. And I’m not giving her up.” I stand taller, facing my boys. I want them to like Vee, but I don’t need them to accept her. Vee is for me, not them.

“She’s nicer than Chandler,” Harley states.

Chandler wasn’t cruel to my boys, she was worse, she’d been indifferent. She liked the idea of a single dad but not the reality of it. She didn’t like kids, and although my boys are young, she didn’t relate to them on the one occasion she’d been present around them.

Vee won Harley over with chocolate chip pancakes. Apparently, Landon is a tougher sell.

“It’s your life, Dad. Date who you want,” he dismissively states.

Still not liking his insolent attitude, I reply, “I will.”

“But what’s with this sleeping thing?” Landon wrinkles his nose in disgust while Harley laughs.

Yeah, I’m not finding it funny that Harley spilled the beans with the watered-down version of my relationship with Vee. The one where I told him I felt lucky Vee stayed in our home, and the Anchors had a winning streak on the road.

“Moment of truth?” I question which perks up both boys, their attention suddenly riveted to me. “I met Vee the night the Flash lost the championship. We got stuck in a hotel elevator together. Feeling sorry for myself, guilty that the loss was somehow my fault, I went to her hotel room, and we talked. Only talked.” I emphasize. “And the next day, I got the call from the Anchors, wanting me as their coach. I took the offer as a sign. Vee was good luck.”

“That was one night,” Landon reminds me, scowling and skeptical.

“But then I saw her again in Arizona, after Sylver and Valdez got into it on the field.”

Landon groans. As much as he might have resentment toward my coaching position, he loves baseball. He played all through high school. He was a student athlete, and hoped for a college scholarship, but ultimately his choice had to come down to what he wanted to be in life. The scholarships came from universities that didn’t interest him. He wants to be an engineer, and he recognized he needed to follow his heart more than money.

“And the Anchors won again.” Maybe not as consistently as recently, but with Vee in my life, the Anchors had more ups than downs.

“Can’t you just have a lucky pair of socks or something?” Landon asks. His concern shows despite the joke.

Tilting my head, I stare at my son. “Are you worried I’m using her?”

“Aren’t you?”

Since when is my son such a defender? Then I recall my thoughts about people using him to get closer to me or a team. I fight a smile, pride swelling in my chest. My son isn’t against Vee, he’s actually more upset on her behalf. He wants to protect her.

With a smile on my face, I say, “I am not using her.”

“She said you weren’t dating,” Harley reminds me. His brows creased with worry.

“And I plan to change that misconception.”

Because as far as I’m concerned, Vee is my girl, not a good luck charm.

+ + +

“Hey,” Vee sleepily whispers into the phone when I call her later that night. The hour isn’t late, but I’ve clearly disturbed her.

“Are you in bed?” My ribcage tightens. I wish I was there with her, or she was here with me.

“Sudden headache.”

“Is there anything I can do?” The boys are more than capable of taking care of themselves. I can go to the pharmacy for her or order a delivery. Or—

“It will pass. I just need to close my eyes and melt into this dark room.”

My heart begins to hammer. I don’t want her to brush off a simple headache. Patty did that too often.

“What can I do?” I ask, preparing to grab a jacket and leave the house. I’ll stay with her all night.

“I’ll be good by morning. Just need some sleep.”