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This wasn’t the form Liam wanted to see, but getting Pop’s assessment was important to Coury, so he gave his best effort. After a dozen pitches, Liam’s hand stung. He had no idea how someone caught the ball when Coury threw full out.
“We’re done.” Coury jogged over and kissed Liam. “Thank you. I know you didn’t want to do it, so I really appreciate it.”
“It’s fine.” He handed Coury the glove and rubbed his hand.
“Does it hurt?” Coury gently massaged the top of his palm.
“A bit.” He shrugged. “But that feels nice.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Coury winked and whispered. “I promise to make it up to you.”
Liam’s cheeks burned. Thankfully Coury blocked Pop’s view. Not that he cared. Coury had spent the night several times. After that first awkward breakfast together, it just seemed normal now.
“See something I need to fix?” Coury set the gloves on the bench where Pop was seated.
“Nothing you don’t already know. You drop your arm sometimes, but each time you did it, you adjusted the next time. Try to keep your focus.”
“I know. But seriously, it’s hard to concentrate throwing to Liam.”
“Which is why they make catchers wear masks. Can’t have the pitcher getting all hot and bothered by a handsome face.”
“Anything else?” A blush crept into Coury’s cheeks.
“What you really want to know is do I think you have a chance.”
Liam held his breath as Coury nodded. This was his dream and even though Pop played professionally fifty years ago, he’d spent years as a part-time scout evaluating people like Coury.
“It’s funny. If you didn’t have a chance, it would be easy. It’s when you do that it’s harder to say. You certainly have a chance, but it’s a long shot. I saw your numbers and they’re fine for an eighteen-year-old high school senior. Scouts expect a bit more from someone in college.
“You’ll need to get your velocity up a notch or two on your fastball and slider. If you want to get beyond the lowest rungs, you need to develop another strong pitch, maybe two.”
Liam watched Coury’s shoulders sag a bit more with each word. “Way to hold back, Pop.”
“I don’t mean to be negative, but he asked for my opinion. I never made beyond single A because all I had was a good fastball. If you improve your other pitches, you’ve got a shot.”
“But as you said, it’s a long shot.” Coury sounded a bit deflated.
“The world is littered with number one picks who never make it. On the other hand, the league is full of guys who were picked a lot lower. That’s why so many take the chance and see. If you ace it, it’s the stuff dreams are made of. If you don’t . . .” He shrugged.
“I’ll regret that I wasted my time.”
“No.” Pop shook his head. “Dreams require risks. It’s a question of what you’re giving up when you chase them.”
Liam suddenly felt awkward listening to their conversation. Pop wasn’t as blunt as Beckett had been with Liam, but he was sending Coury a message.
“Sometimes you need to chase dreams, Pop.” Liam hooked his grandfather’s gaze and held it. He didn’t want to think about this any more than Coury did. They knew what they were doing, and what would probably happen in a few months.
Coury’s phone rang. He grabbed it from the bench.
“Beckett.” He looked at Liam. “What’s up?”
“Yo, yo!” his brother spoke so loud, Liam could hear the conversation even though it wasn’t on speaker. “Rayna and I split. She was being a bitch. Said I wasn’t paying enough attention to her.”
“Wow.” Coury grimaced and held the phone away from his ear. “Sorry to hear it.”
“Nah, don’t be. I’m better off without her. She was too clingy.”
Liam rolled his eyes. Any girl who complained that Beckett spent too much time with his “bros” was clingy.
“Right. So, not sorry?”
“Exactly. I’m planning to come down tomorrow to party with you and Liam.”
“Did you tell your grandfather or Liam that yet?”
“Nah, figured they won’t mind. But I wanted to be sure you were free.”
Coury looked at Liam and raised his eyebrows.
Not that Liam would get a say, but he shrugged. It wasn’t a great time for his brother to visit, but he also didn’t want to say no.
“Well, check with them first. If they’re cool, that’d be great.”
“Like they’d say no.”
Slider came out and barked twice. Everyone froze as Pop waved the small dog over.
“You outside?” Beckett asked.
“Um, yeah. Check with your family and call me back.”
“Sounds great. See you tomorrow.”
Coury hung up and turned to Liam. “You could say no.”
“Like that will stop him.” They both turned to Pop.
He shook his head. “Oh no. I’m not going to tell Beckett he can’t visit because you two don’t want him to know you’re together.”
“Shit.” Liam didn’t want Beckett to screw things up. “We can’t tell him.”
