This Heart of Mine (Chicago Stars #5)(94)

He looked around for another captain and started to pick Tess, but something about the way Hannah was sitting at her father's feet cuddling the poodles got to him. He'd seen her hand inch up, only to settle back into her lap. "Hannah, how about you? Do you want to be the other captain?"

Kevin was startled to see Dan drop his head and groan.

"No, Kevin!" Tess and Julie cried together. "Not Hannah!"

Molly surprised him most of all—the bunny lady, who was supposed to be so damn sensitive around kids. "Uh… maybe it would be better if you picked somebody else."

What was wrong with these people?

Luckily their callousness didn't faze Hannah, who jumped up, smoothed down her shorts, and gave him a smile that looked exactly like her aunt's. "Thank you, Kevin. They hardly ever let me be captain."

"That's because you—"

Phoebe laid her hand over Tess's mouth, but even she looked pained.

Kevin was disgusted with all of them. Nobody was more competitive than he was, but he'd never stooped low enough to make a little kid feel bad just because she wasn't athletic. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't pay any attention to them, sweetheart. You'll be a great captain. You can even choose first."

"Thank you." She stepped forward and surveyed the crowd. He waited for her to choose either him or her father. She surprised him by pointing toward her mother, a woman who played so badly that the veterans on the Stars' team had gotten in the habit of scheduling dental appointments just so they'd have an excuse to leave the team picnic before the annual softball game.

"I choose Mom."

Kevin bent closer and lowered his voice. "In case you weren't sure, Hannah, you can choose anybody you want, including guys. That means your dad. Me. Are you sure you want to choose your mom first?"

"She's sure." Dan sighed from behind him. "Here we go again."

Hannah gazed up at Kevin and whispered, "Mom gets her feelings hurt because nobody ever wants her on their team."

Tess cut right to the bone as only an eleven-year-old could. "That's because she sucks."

Phoebe sniffed and patted her team captain's shoulder, conveniently forgetting her earlier lack of support. "Pay no attention, Hannah. A winning attitude is far more important than natural ability."

Unlike Hannah, Cody was no fool, and he chose natural ability over that winning attitude. "I pick Kevin."

Dan rose from his lawn chair and moved closer to his daughter. "Hannah, honey, I'm over here. Don't forget about me. I'll get my feelings hurt if you don't choose me."

"No you won't." Hannah gave him a blazing smile, turned away, and fastened her eyes on Lilly, who'd been talking about gardening with some of the older women, and as far as Kevin could remember, hadn't raised her hand. "I pick you."

"Me?" Lilly looked pleased and stood. "Lord, I haven't played softball since I was a teenager."

Hannah smiled up at her mother. "This is going to be an exc'llent team. Lots of winning attitude."

Cody, not one to let any grass grow under his feet, chose Dan.

Once again Kevin stepped in, trying to help Hannah out by pointing toward the oldest of the O'Brian boys. "I was watching Scott toss the football around earlier. He's a pretty good athlete."

"Save your breath," Dan muttered, and sure enough, Kevin saw Hannah's third choice coming the minute he noticed Andrew's lower lip sticking out.

"I choose Andrew. See, Andrew, just because you're only five doesn't mean nobody wants you on their team."

"I'll take Tess," Cody countered, right on the mark.

"And I'll take Aunt Molly!" Hannah beamed.

Kevin sighed. So far Cody had one current NFL quarterback on his team, one former NFL quarterback, and one of the most athletic little girls in northern Illinois. Hannah, on the other hand, had her mother, the worst softball player in history; her little brother, who had a lot of heart but, at five, not much skill; and Molly, who was… well, Molly—the lady who tipped canoes, tried to drown herself, and in general hated sports.

Cody's next choices included the teenage girls who'd been kicking a soccer ball earlier with Tess, the middle O'Brian—who was built like a tank—and both his physically fit parents.

Hannah chose the six-year-old O'Brian, a kid Kevin was fairly certain he'd seen hiding his security blanket in the shrubs. She redeemed herself by picking her sister Julie, who at least was a dancer and coordinated, and then Liam Jenner, although her reasoning wasn't too sound. "Because he drew a beautiful picture of Kanga and Roo for me." While Cody filled in the rest of his team with the younger adults, Hannah chose every oldster who wanted to play.

It was going to be a bloodbath.

The boys ran to their cottages to get the equipment, Mr. Canfield—whose arthritis had been acting up—volunteered to umpire, and everybody soon settled into place.

Hannah's team was up at bat first, and Kevin found himself on the pitcher's mound facing the six-year-old who'd tucked his security blanket in the forsythia. Kevin made the mistake of glancing over at Molly and wasn't surprised to see her give him a look that clearly said, If you're the kind of man who can strike out Linus, then you're not the man I thought you were, and you can forget all about getting me naked anytime in the foreseeable future, comprenez-vous?