His head turns back to face the window. “Whatever. It’s fine. I’m not mad.”
“No, I guess maybe you’re not, and I could understand if you’re still hurt. I feel really bad about not seeing you pitch, Charlie. I made a stupid mistake and I missed something important to you.”
“So why were you in Toronto, anyway?”
I consider it a good thing that he’s at least willing to ask questions and not shutting me out, even if his tone is still borderline belligerent.
It’s hard to temper my expression. He’s hurting, and letting my excitement bleed through too early could backfire. “Remember the night I came over for dinner and you had just got your attachment for your prosthesis?” He nods. “You had some really good insight into why it wasn’t working exactly the way you wanted it to. And I could see how easy it would be to feel frustrated by the limitations of the attachment the way it was. I know Doc is awesome, and I’m sure he’s got lots of ideas, but that night, you gave me an idea.”
Charlie’s face makes it clear he’s waiting for me to get to the point, so I hurry on. “You know I told you about GaitSync? Well, that night I thought of something, another microchip, but one for arm prostheses. Something that could give real-time feedback via vibrations to help you know exactly how to adjust your movements to better mimic the natural feedback people get through their hands and wrists. It’s not just for athletes like you, but for anyone who wants more precision and control over how their arm works. Instead of having to wait to work with someone like Doc on the changes.”
“That sounds cool,” Charlie says slowly, and I can hear the fragile thread of interest in his voice. “But what does all that have to do with you going away?”
“I wanted to get back to Toronto, where my old lab and my former mentor were to see if we could hammer out an actual design concept for the microchip. I didn’t want to tell you or your mom about the idea until I knew it was possible.”
I take a chance and rest my hand on his shoulder. Thank fuck, he doesn’t pull away. “Please trust me when I say, I wouldn’t have gone if I hadn’t put the date of your game in my calendar wrong. I never would’ve left town and missed the game on purpose. I’m really sorry, Charlie. I let you down, and I feel absolutely terrible about that. There’s no good excuse; I screwed up and I hurt you. The thing is, that happens in life. Everybody screws up sometimes. There’s no avoiding it. So I’m here, doing the best I can by explaining what happened and asking if you can forgive me.”
His stare is unflinching, and I don’t let myselflook away. Then, underneath my hand, I feel his body let go of some of the tension. “Yeah. I guess I can. That chip thing sounds pretty cool.”
I sag back in my seat and let my smile break free. “I think it will be. There’s still a lot of work to do, but I’ve got a plan so I can do it from here now.”
“You don’t wanna work on it at your old lab?”
“Are you and your mom going to move to Toronto?”
Charlie makes a face. “I hope not, but if she doesn’t find a job, then who knows.”
“Well, if you two are here, then I want to be here. You and your mom are the most important things in my life now. And I’ll do whatever it takes to prove that to you both and hopefully earn a spot in your life for a very long time.”
There’s the barest hint of a smile on his face. “Cool. Mom deserves that. Someone who puts her first, I mean. And you’re a cool guy. So I guess I’d be okay with you sticking around.” That fraction of a smile falls. “But she’s been really upset all week. And I don’t think it’s ’cause of my game.”
I purse my lips and exhale. “It’s not. It’s because I screwed up with her, too. But I’m fixing it, I swear. In fact, I could use your help with the finishing touches, if you’re willing?”
He studies me with a narrowed gaze for several seconds before nodding. “I’ll help. But Luca, you gotta stop screwing up. This is strike one.” He winks.
I choke out a laugh. “Deal, kid.”
The next day, everything is ready. The charity game between the Cedar Creek Thunder and the Cedar Creek Little League team is in two days. I know for a fact Isla is still taking today off as planned, back before I screwed everything up and she thought I was coming home today.
I also know my assistant is an underpaid genius, because he somehow got her to agree to pop by the offices this morning on the pretense of there being a critical issue with one of the banners that was delivered recently.
Do I like tricking her, especially in a way that I know is stressing her out? Of course not. But for the plan Charlie and I came up with over pizza, she had to come to the offices alone. Well, sort of alone.
And that brings me to now. Waiting impatiently in the executive offices at the stadium.
“You’re gonna wear a hole in that brand-new carpet and trust me when I say, we don’t have the budget to replace it with your recent restructuring.”
I pivot on my good foot and glare at Dom. “Don’t make me regret putting you in charge.”
He just laughs, leaning against the door frame to my former office. “No going back now. The ink is dry and the paperwork filed, my friend.”
I smile, even as my fingers tap out an impatient pattern on my leg. “No going back. Just don’t sink the damn ship, okay?”
He tips his fingers in a mock salute, just as I get the text I’ve been waiting for. “They’rehere.”
Dom flashes me a thumbs-up, then heads back to his office while I stand in front of the elevators. A couple of minutes later they open, but only Charlie emerges. “Where’s your mom?” I ask as he walks over to me, holding out his hand.
“On the concourse, trying to find the banner. She thinks I’m still in the car. Lemme see it?” I hand over the thin piece of metal, and he grins down at it. “Cool.”
