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“Frank wouldn’t have told his parents about Gerry’s jealousy. I don’t think he gave it much thought.” Albert placed his empty cup and saucer on the low, walnut table between them. “But Gerry had always been envious of your father. Your father was smart, handsome and popular. Everything Gerry wanted to be.”
Jaclyn ran her right index finger back and forth over the china cup. Her mind tumbled with thoughts of Gerry’s envy, his unrequited love and her parents’ romance. “That explains Gerry’s mission to ruin the Monarchs. He wants to destroy what matters most to my family.”
“I’ve told him that he needs to let go of his resentment for your family. You have nothing to do with what happened in the past. But he doesn’t care. He’s had these bad feelings for so long, I don’t think he’d know what to do without them.”
Jaclyn studied Albert. “Why are you telling me this now, especially after the role you played in helping Gerry destroy the franchise?”
Albert was silent, staring into his coffee cup. After several long seconds, he raised his gaze to hers. “I’m so very sorry for what I did.”
Jaclyn read the regret in Albert’s eyes. She heard it in his voice. It didn’t relieve her anger. “Then why did you do it?”
“I believed Gerry when he said the franchise would make more money in its own market. But then you reminded me that the franchise isn’t just about money. It’s about community.”
Jaclyn set her cup and saucer on the low table and stood. “I wish you had remembered sooner, Bert.”
“I’m sorry, Jackie. Your grandfather was a great man. He really cared about this community, and so do I.”
“Then help me figure out a way out of this mess.”
“The key is the arena.”
“I need more than that. I need a way to keep the team in the Empire. But you and Gerry have taken that possibility out of my reach.”
Hours later, Jaclyn was still fretting over her meeting with Albert and his less-than-helpful advice. She stood beside Violet at the Morning Glory Church, serving dinner to the homeless and trying to make sense of Albert’s words.
“Bert said I should focus on keeping the team in the Empire and not worry about getting the majority shares.” Jaclyn added mixed vegetables to the shelter guest’s plate of stewed chicken. She smiled at the older man. “Enjoy.”
Violet added rice to his plate and wished him a good evening before turning back to Jaclyn. “What is he going to do to help you?”
“Nothing. He and his family don’t have any interest in the franchise.” Jaclyn served a young father and his son. She frowned at the thin material of their coats. February in Brooklyn demanded thick winter coats. She made a mental note to hold another winter clothing drive with the Monarchs and their corporate partners before the All-Star game.
Violet added a spoon of rice each to the father and son’s plates. “You can handle the day-to-day. Bert can be a silent partner.”
“Bert doesn’t want any part of it, Vi. He told me the Empire is the key and now his involvement with the Monarchs is over.”
“That sounds like a line from The Matrix. Just remember, Jackie, there is no spoon.”
Jaclyn grinned at her friend’s use of the movie line. It reminded her of the night she beat DeMarcus at one-on-one basketball. “The difference is, Laurence Fishburne’s character didn’t help create the world Keanu Reeves’s character needed to save.”
“And neither did Keanu Reeves’s character.”
The hesitancy in Violet’s tone brought Jaclyn up short. “What are you trying to say?”
Violet served a spoonful of rice to another guest, then looked at the long line of people still waiting to be served. She lowered her voice. “What Gerry and Bert did was unfair and misguided.”
“In Gerry’s case, it was spite.”
“True. But, sweetie, you enabled them.”
The accusation stung. Jaclyn gave her a sharp look. “What do you mean?”
“You didn’t think you could take your grandfather’s place, even though he’d groomed you to do just that. So while he was sick and for almost two years after his death, you left everything to Gerry and Bert.”
Jaclyn stiffened. “I’d just lost the last member of my family. I was grieving.”
“I understand. But, sweetie, your grandfather had counted on you.”
Her heart squeezed. “I know.”
