Family Camp (Daddy Dearest, #1)(11)

His dad nodded. “Well, son. We knew it was coming. How are you feeling about it?”

Yeah, Travis had known it was coming. On average, baseball players lasted only five and a half years in the major leagues, peaking by age twenty-nine. Travis was thirty-two, and he’d gotten three years in the minors and eight in the majors. He’d lasted longer than most, and his shoulder wasn’t what it used to be. But it was one thing to know it would happen sooner or later. It was another when “later” became “now.”

Travis sighed. “Conflicted.”

“Um-hmm.”

“I’m gonna miss it.”

“Sure you will. All those perks and being buddies with your teammates. It’ll be a hell of an adjustment. But there’s gotta be a little bit of excitement, huh? About starting something new?”

Travis laughed. “There would be if I had any idea what that was.”

His dad thought about this, looking out over the lake. “Well. What do you want it to be?”

“Honestly? I can’t even think about it right now. It just feels like a huge gaping hole.”

“You’ve talked about coaching,” his dad prompted.

“I don’t even know where to start with that.”

“I guess you start by looking at job postings and seeing what credentials they’re looking for. You’ll have a huge advantage as a celebrity ex-pro. Bet you could coach just about anywhere you wanted.”

“Yeah,” Travis agreed. “I talked to another guy who retired. He went into the minors right after high school like I did. He had to go to college for two years to get a teaching certificate, but he got a job as an assistant coach at a small college while he did that.”

“Well, there you go,” James said.

“I just don’t know if that’s really what I want. Or where I’d do it. I don’t necessarily want to stay in San Diego. It’d be nicer to be closer to you guys. But…” He paused.

“But not too close,” James supplied with a chuckle.

Travis smiled. “Damn. It’s like you can read my mind.”

“I get it. We’d love to have you close. Hell, I’d love to have you work for the camp full time. But I know you’ve got your own star. My advice is to try to forget about it this week and let yourself relax and have fun. The right path will become clear in time.”

Travis raised an eyebrow. “Do you really believe that or is that just a pep talk thing?”

James gave him a faux growl. “I believe it, smart-ass. The big things—when they come, you know. Your mother. You guys. This property.” He waved his hands. “You knew you wanted to play ball, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” God, he’d been so passionate and focused then, at eighteen. There’d been no questioning his path at all, only a desperation and burning ambition. Minor leagues, working up to the majors. And now? Now the ground was like quicksand under his feet and, instead of the future, all he could see was a blank wall. He had no idea what was past it.

His dad put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s gonna be great. Look at it as a new opportunity. Maybe once you’re out of the pros you can find a nice girl and settle down, start a family if that’s what you want. That’s worth looking forward to, isn’t it?”

“Uh-huh.” Travis didn’t meet his dad’s eyes. Maybe I’ll have to finally come out of the closet.

He almost said something stupid, something like, Actually, Dad, it would most likely be a “nice guy.” But like every other time he’d had the chance to lay it out there, he hesitated, a bone-deep dread freezing his tongue. He didn’t want to see James Mayhew’s expression change when he looked at him, to lose that look of constant pride and open love. Maybe he was a coward, but he just didn’t think he could bear it.

So he peered down at the deck and scuffed the wood with his shoe.

“Well, you know your family loves you and we’re there for you, whatever the future holds. You’ll find your path, son. You always have and you always will.” James put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

“Thanks, Dad. I love you too.”





Chapter 5




It took them three trips to drag their gear from the parking lot—Geo took the Boy Scout motto of “be prepared” to a new level of hell—and get settled into cabin number 10. There was a bunk bed, double bed, and single bed in the room. Jayden climbed to the top bunk of the bunk beds as soon as they came in the door, and Lucy sat on the bottom bunk below Jayden, making her choice clear. Geo liked that she wanted to be close to her brother instead of alone in the single bed across the room.

That was progress, right?

He took the double.

He fussed around, putting out an alarm clock, a case of bottled waters, and the cooler with snacks. He made Lucy and Jayden’s beds with the bedding he’d brought from home including Lucy’s pink pillow and comforter. He arranged the kid’s clothes in neat stacks on the single bed.

“Jayden, if you want to change, your clothes are right here. Okay? It’s sort of an open-air system.”

Jayden looked at the clothes suspiciously. “I told you, that stuff is lame. I ain’t wearin’ it.”

“Yeah, I get it’s not as hip as your jeans. But shorts would be a lot more comfortable for running around at camp. And your swim trunks are right here, okay? And beach towels.” Geo patted the various piles.