AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You should ask why I fight fires when my father is one of the richest guys in the country. I should be set, right?”
Wow, he was good. How did he know I was thinking that? I had to play it off.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” I said.
He smiled. “Sure, you are. I’m sure you did some digging about me. I’m used to it, so don’t feel embarrassed.”
Shit. He had me. I had to come clean. I smiled and chuckled. “Maybe, I did.”
“Well, then don’t you want an answer?”
“It’s up to you,” I replied.
“Well, I do it because it makes me happy. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, and I love it. I don’t think I’d ever be happy doing anything else.”
“Really?” I asked. “That’s interesting. I didn’t peg you for an adrenaline junkie.”
“Thanks,” he said. “When did you see your first baseball game?”
“What?” I asked. This guy was full of random things.
“Your first game? I can tell you are a huge fan of the game just by watching you play. A natural athlete has that love of the game built into them from an early age.”
“That’s true. My dad took me to a Reds game when I was six. We got seats right behind home plate. I watched those fastballs coming right down the middle all afternoon and smack into the glove. It was something that really got into me then. I knew that I was always going to love the game.”
“Mine too,” he said. “Only I was eight when my dad took me. It was one of the few times I can remember him taking the time out of his busy schedule to spend some quality one on one time with me. I guess after that, he figured he didn’t owe that to me anymore and he wanted me to grow up and quit dreaming. He basically wanted me to think like him, act like him, and to put away my childish dreams. That was basically what he always called anything I believed in or had a passion for—childish.”
I felt a bit of pain in Lance’s speech. It sounded like he did not have a fun childhood and that maybe growing up with really successful parents was not all it was cracked up to be. I did not want to feel sorry for him, but there was a sadness that I could see behind the cocky façade that drew me to him.
“How many games have you seen at the stadium?” I asked.
“I’ve seen probably ten or so a season every year since then. Most of them were by myself, or with someone that worked for my dad that he paid to watch me or be my friend. Our butler Ellis took me a bunch of times. Then when I was twelve or so, I would just take a taxi or a bus. I didn’t need a chaperone anymore.”
“At that age? I can only imagine what sort of trouble you started getting in,” I laughed.
He smiled. “Me?” He laughed harder. “Yeah, I did Mostly, though, it was older kids who saw I was by myself and they could mess with me. They might have known who my dad was, but I wasn’t sure. They decided to push me around. I got beat up a time or two.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, but it was a blessing. That’s what led me to martial arts which gave me the confidence to change my life. I decided to hell with my father and his feelings. If I had to be a clone of him for him to accept me, then I basically didn’t have a father. And to this day, that’s kind of how our relationship is.”
“Ouch,” I said. “But you do martial arts? Me too.”
“Really?” Lance seemed very interested.
“Well, I used to, and then I got a bit sidetracked. I’ve just recently picked it back up again.”
“We’ll have to spar sometime,” he said.
“Sure. If your ego can handle being beaten by a girl.”
“Can I handle that? Hell, some guys pay good money for that privilege.”
I tried not to laugh. His statement was kind of offensive, but it was a good one. He was witty and quick on his feet. I liked that about him. I knew that I was falling for this guy a bit. That was exactly what I was afraid of, but for the moment I was enjoying myself too much to care.
We finally made it through the crowd to the bar and ordered our drinks. The bartender brought us our beers and we found a small table close by to continue our conversation. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my friends watching me closely. They were both very happy that I seemed to be enjoying myself with a man. And I had to admit, I was also happy.
“So, why are you single?” Lance asked.
