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I smiled as she opened a door for me, knowing this treatment was something I got in a lot of places but rarely felt I deserved. Of course, Daniel would think I did. Maybe in his case I deserved it more than others, but I wasn’t beyond admitting that I liked it either way. Being wealthy and well-liked made life a lot easier. It shouldn’t have. Not really. But life wasn’t always fair to everyone.
Daniel spotted me as soon as I walked out into the sunshine and waved up at me from the field. There was a sheltered section near the bottom of the stand, not far from the field, and some of the coaches were there as well.
My guide led me right over and made sure all the coaches knew who I was, most of them giving me their attention for justlong enough to establish that I wasn’t a scout or a threat of any kind. Just a good friend of one of their best players.
Not wanting to interrupt training, I thanked the woman and sat down out of the way. Still, one of the coaches came over and shook my hand.
“Daniel has told us all about you helping him so many times. Says you’ve got a good heart and a good mind. We like that combination here. If you have any questions, just send them my way, and we’ll make sure you understand whatever you need to.”
I smiled again and considered thanking the man and leaving it at that, but I’d come here for a reason. To think about something other than Kit. And I was certainly going to try.
“Would you mind talking me through the training?” I asked. As soon as I uttered the words, the man’s face lit up as if I’d just told him that today was Christmas. Clearly, I had asked exactly the right person to talk to me about the team and what they were doing.
Over the next hour, Jason the coach explained absolutely everything I could have wanted to know about the team strategy and what they were all doing. It was fascinating, some of it almost counterintuitive, but all of it coming at me out of the mouth of someone passionate about their job.
For a while, I lost myself in listening, asking questions, and letting him glow in his passion. This was his favorite job, and I was encouraging it. No sooner had Jason finished talking about the training strategy for Daniel, specifically when the man himself jogged over and plopped himself down on the bench beside us.
He was panting and wearing all the gear as if he were playing, but he took the helmet off and beamed at me.
“It’s so good to see you. Do you like the place?” Daniel asked as if my approval meant the world to him, and I nodded, always willing to give it.
“You’ve got a great team here and a lot of support. I’m sorry I didn’t come see you sooner.” I meant every word, feeling better already.
“You already do enough, but I’m glad you like it. Want to stick around for a while and watch us have a practice game in a few hours?”
I nodded, more than willing to stay for the rest of the day. If they were playing especially, although I wasn’t sure exactly who the game would be against.
To my surprise, Daniel didn’t get back on the field but sat next to me and pointed out some of the other players. Once again, I sat back and listened as someone very passionate talked about everything that mattered to them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
When Daniel came back, switching off partway through the game for another player, he had a quick conversation with one of the coaches before coming to sit with me.
“We’re playing well tonight. You’ve caught us doing good. Of course, it’s easy to play well while the pressure is off.” Daniel smiled, clearly happy with everything.
“I think they’re playing well because you are. You inspire them and hold it all together.” I nodded, having just enough understanding of football to know he’d done a good job. His uniform was covered in grass stains and mud, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Daniel looked over at me for a moment, studying me before a shout drew his eyes back to the field. We fell into a companionable silence while the play continued. I sighed, my thoughts turning to Kit immediately.
Again, Daniel glanced at me, but he didn’t say anything. We talked about the game a little more, but it was clear that his team was dominating, and even without him, they played well and finished the game on top. Daniel clapped for them and excused himself to go congratulate his team.
They all disappeared to get changed, cleaned up, and debriefed, but I stayed where I was for a while longer, not sure where to go or what to do now. I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to Daniel, but the distraction was gone, and I was already wondering what Kit would have made of this game.
Would she enjoy the sport? She’d also been the one to make a suggestion to help Daniel, and I felt a little guilty that he was thanking me and being grateful to me. Had I told him about her?
Again, the thoughts of Kit came crashing back. I knew I would be seeing her again. On top of everything else, I would have to be in the same room as Kit again at some point. And I had no idea if I wanted that or not.
“Would you like me to escort you somewhere more comfortable to wait for Daniel?” a voice asked, making me jump. I swiveled around to see the same young woman who had helped me earlier.
I nodded, simply to increase the chance I would have someone to talk to and not have to sit alone anymore. Being here had helped, but no matter what I did, it seemed my thoughts would return to Kit.
The guide took me through a maze of corridors and in an elevator until we were in a large room with an even better view out and over the field. There were already several people there, including Jason, who had sat with me while Daniel was training and warming up for the game.
He waved me over to him, and I noticed a long trestle table covered in food behind him.
“The entire team will be up soon. Come and have something to eat. There will be plenty, and Daniel will get a kick out of introducing you to everyone else.”
I wasn’t going to say no to good food, the smells already tantalizing. If this was the hospitality I could expect, I might visit more often. Of course, being incredibly wealthy had its benefits,and I knew some of them were being nice to me because of the money. I was a billionaire, and everyone who ought to know who I was by name, did.
