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My head blanked. “I…uh…well—”

“I did,” Lauryn chimed in. Thank God. “I Googled the team.” She picked up the iPad and showed him their team page. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He swatted away her apology with his toothbrush like it was a meaningless fly. “If, by some miraculous turn of events for the Fultons, we do lose the stadium, it’s not like I can’t manage another one somewhere else.”

Excuse me?

“What do you mean ‘manage another one’?” Lauryn sat up straighter.

“Nothing to worry about right now, girls. It’s late. Get some sleep.” He smiled. “I’ll make waffles in the morning.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Lauryn gave me her “Oh shit” look. Dad’s version of breakfast was usually too charred to be edible.

“Of course I do.” He stepped into the hallway. “Lights out soon. Oh, and Eliza, please stop driving that piece of junk around town. It’s a wonder it still runs, and you already have a perfectly good car, one that definitely suits you better too.”

Suits me better?

“And can you update the hardware store’s website with some new pictures and a revised work schedule?” he asked.

“Sure, Dad. Just shoot me an email.”

“Not necessary. I’ve got it all downstairs on some notes and an SD card.” His eyes shone with pride. “I even remembered how much you liked organizing with sticky notes, so I used some of those too.”

“Dad, you raided my stickies again?” The last time he did I spent hours reorganizing them.

He winked and closed the door. “Goodnight, girls.”

“Night, Pops.” Lauryn took out her earrings, a rectangular hammered sterling-silver pair with pink coral stones through the middle. She made those a few weeks ago and already had orders for two more pairs. Lauryn was incredible at making jewelry—really, she was incredible at everything she did.

“I think your dad needs to be more worried about Reed.” Lauryn’s face glowed from the light of the screen. “He’s got a fastball that was clocked at eighty-nine miles per hour, you know.”

Great. “Can we please drop it?”

“Guess that’s why he’s called an ace, huh?”

Sadly, yes.

Having him here during my first big shot with the infamous summer theater troupe was like saying “Good luck” and greasing the stage before a performance, but having an ace pitcher going against Dad’s team during their most important season? Might as well stomp all over the foul line.

“Don’t worry.” Lauryn closed the iPad. “Your dad has one of the best records for summer baseball leagues in the state, maybe even on the East Coast.”

“True.” I fell backward and let my hair spill around me. “But did you hear him when he said he could always manage another stadium elsewhere?”

“I did.” She reached across the bed toward my nightstand and grabbed my lotion. “You don’t think that means…he wouldn’t make you move your senior year, would he?”

“No. No way. He would never.”

Right?

I grabbed my new bottle of face wash off my dresser and strolled into my bathroom. “I still can’t believe he’s going to ruin my summer though.”

“Who? Your dad?” Lauryn appeared at my side in front of the mirror.

“No. Reed.” I turned on the water and splashed my face. “I’ve never been able to focus with him around.”

“Yes, I know.” She nudged me. “Your brother and I have been telling you for years—”

“Lauryn…”