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"What kind of bet?" he asked carefully. He didn’t get filthy rich by jumping into things blind.
I pretended to consider for a moment. "If the Rapids win the Down Under Bowl, I'll take over as owner," I said.
He raised one eyebrow. "And if they don't win?"
"Then you sell them," I said.
He blinked a time or two. "You realise I fully expect them to win, right?"
"Then you have nothing to lose." I shrugged. I didn't want to hope they lost, but… I couldn't finish that thought. Hoping my father's dreams didn’t come true probably made me a really shitty daughter. That was nothing new.
He looked thoughtful. "Okay, I'll take all that, but on one condition."
"What's that?" I should have known he'd add extra terms of some kind. He was a businessman, he did nothing without getting something in return.
"You take an interest in the team," he said simply. "Go to games, go to parties, everything an owner would do. By the time we reach the Down Under Bowl you'll want them to win."
"Fine." It couldn't hurt to take an interest in something Ollie liked. Besides, I liked the hot dogs they sold at Rapids Stadium. "I'll play along, as long as you don't expect me to scream myself hoarse at the games." If I was going to scream for anyone, it would be for Ollie.
"Deal." Dad held out his hand for me to shake, just like one of his business deals.
I looked him right in the eyes and shook his hand. "In the meantime, I might call dibs on a little apartment you have in town. The one beside mine. Unless you have plans for it?"
He made a face. "You can have it. It’s going to cost me a fortune in remodelling, isn't it?"
I smiled. "Yes, probably." It didn't need much more than a coat of paint and a change of furniture. Although, if Dad was paying, I might as well get a new kitchen. And maybe a bathroom as well. Maybe Dad would realise I was better suited to that side of his business.
He sighed theatrically. "I'll have to sell this place just to pay for that." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Think of it as a labour of love," I said.
"Ha," he barked. "It's blatant exploitation on your part. I hope you realise I'm not going to be organising this for you. You're on your own."
"I wouldn't want it any other way." I looked at him side on for a moment before adding, "You don't think I can do it, do you?"
"You have a long history of not needing to do things for yourself," he said. "I blame myself for that."
"I can't think who else you would blame," I said facetiously. "Unless you blame the staff."
"As much as I'd like to, I don't think that would be fair to them." He peered into his empty coffee cup.
"I think that might be the first time you've actually admitted you're not perfect," I teased.
"Don't tell anyone." He waved a finger at me.
I laughed. "No one would believe me anyway," I said.
"That's true." He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
"Are you sure you can move away from me?" I asked. "I'm going to miss these conversations." The idea made me more than a little sad.
"Me too," he admitted. "But like I said, you can come and visit. And I'll be here a lot. I wouldn't want to miss the Rapids playing."
I rolled my eyes.
"You and that team. Maybe you should marry them. You could live a long and happy life with them in Queensland."
"You know how many men there are in the team?" he asked. "That would get a little crowded. On the other hand, maybe I should introduce you to some of them. They all have good jobs."
