Chapter Twenty-Eight
Clay
Tuesday morning, I’m in Seth’s Manhattan office talking with him and my father, who’s joining us via video chat. I’ve just told them about Ben and his family and explained the concept for the foundation to help families of lower-income athletes who receive sports scholarships. “My legal and financial teams are ready to move forward, but before I proceed, I’d like to know what you think about the idea.”
My father’s brows pinch, his keen eyes serious behind his glasses. He’s always been a strong influence in my life. He’s patient, methodical, and supportive, and he thinks everything through before reacting, just like Seth. They are almost mirror images, except my father’s thick, wavy hair was more salt than pepper, and he has better fashion sense than Seth. As proven by his blue button-down versus Seth’s dark brown patterned sweater over a blue plaid shirt.
Seth sits forward, his elbows resting on the table, his fingers steepled. His gaze moves between me and my father, and he drums his fingertips. I know he’s waiting for my father’s response.
“I like the concept,” my father finally says. “It’s well thought out, and it can help a lot of families who aren’t as fortunate as you boys were.”
“That’s the idea,” I say.
Seth sits back, nodding. “I like it, too. You mentioned criteria. I assume the income of the kid and the adults will all be verified, but should there be parameters for the length of time they’ve been in that situation?”
“Yes. We don’t want anyone gaming the system. I wanted your input on that. My attorney suggested three years of verified income for the adults and two years for the kids.”
“I think that’s reasonable for the burden of proof,” Seth says.
“The kid would have worked through their junior and senior years of high school and kept up with their sports commitments?”
“That’s right. Pepper and I were brainstorming all weekend about ways to help families without holding them back, and she posed an interesting idea about offering incentives so the adults have a chance to better themselves.”
My father smiles. “I like the way she thinks. What kinds of incentives do you have in mind?”
“We thought about partnering with a career development company to offer job training, but that might be too limited and could be difficult to coordinate in certain areas. What do you think about offering to pay for classes for the adults and for childcare when it’s related to those classes or other job training?”
“I think that sounds like something your mother would have come up with,” my father says. “She always says if you’re helping someone, you need to also give them tools to help themselves.”
“I know. She and Pepper are very much alike in that way, always trying to help others.”
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” Seth says. “Most of the people I know who have been in those types of situations have never been given a chance to get ahead.”
“Will you rescind the grant if they surpass a certain income level?” my father asks.
I shake my head. “No. That feels wrong. Like we’d be penalizing them for doing well.”
“Gramps would call you a bleeding heart,” Seth says with a smile.
“Gramps calls everyone a bleeding heart.”
“Yes, he does,” my father says. “Then he’d pat you on the back and say he’s proud of you while he doles out cash to the families who need it.”
We share a laugh.
“We learned from the best,” I say. “I was thinking that you guys might want to go in on this with me. Make the Fielding Futures Foundation a family endeavor. What do you think?”
“Get a load of this guy, Seth,” my father says jovially. “He’s banked multimillion-dollar contracts and he’s still asking us for money.”
“I guess he hasn’t signed that extension yet,” Seth adds.
“I don’t need your money, and no, I haven’t signed yet. I just thought it might be nice to do this together. Forget I asked. I’ll see if Dash wants to go in on it with me.”
“Like hell you will. You know I’m in, son, and I like the name you’ve come up with.”
“Thanks. That was Pepper’s idea.”
“I’ll message T and have him set up a meeting with my attorney,” Seth says.
“While you’re at it, ask Taylor to get you a woman, and maybe a little fashion sense,” I joke.
“Ladies love my fashion sense,” Seth says evenly. “Just because I don’t flaunt my affairs doesn’t mean I don’t have them.”
I scoff.
“A’right, boys, settle down.” My father shakes his head with a laugh. “It’s like you’re teenagers all over again.”
“Giving him a hard time adds a little joy to my day,” I say.
“Speaking of joy,” my father says, “it sounds like you’ve been doing more than just visiting your special lady in Charlottesville.”
“Yeah, it’s turning out that way. I’m really enjoying working with Ben and his friends. They’re incredibly dedicated. It was pure coincidence that I met the rest of Ben’s family, and it really drove home how good I’ve always had it. I wanted to help them, but I wasn’t sure how I could. Pepper is the one who came up with the idea of a foundation. She planted the seed, and together we nurtured it until it grew into Fielding Futures.”
My father arches a brow. “It sounds like you and Pepper are driven by the same things. It’s nice to have that in common.”
“It is. In fact, she’s interviewing Ben’s mom tomorrow for a job with her company.”
“The receptionist job?” Seth asks.
“Yes, but Clare brings more experience to the table, which would be valuable for Pepper. She’s thinking about redefining the position. Thanks for your help with the ad, by the way. She’s interviewed three other candidates who came from it, and she has another interview today, but we’re both hoping Clare will be the best applicant for the job.”
“She must’ve been as touched by their situation as you were,” Seth says.
“She was. She’s made a career out of helping others, and she’s helping me, too. In ways I didn’t expect.”
“How so?” my father asks.
I tell them about the migraine I had in Paris and how she’d helped me through it. “I had another one Saturday, and she took care of me. I’m not used to that, but she sat on the couch with my head in her lap for two hours reading over the pitch she’s giving tomorrow to a group of investors, while I dozed off, trying to break the migraine cycle. She didn’t mind that I was out of commission, and I’ve got to tell ya, she has a magic touch that makes everything feel better.”
“Sounds like she cares about you and not just what you bring to the table,” my father says.
Seth barks out a laugh. “She wouldn’t give him the time of day because of his fame and reputation.”
“I wondered why she kept taking off. That’s a nice change,” my father says.
“You can say that again. She’s nothing like any other woman I’ve ever gone out with. She’s sweet and funny, and so damn smart, I can barely keep up with her. I mentioned that my shoulder is giving me trouble when I throw, and now she’s working on a prototype for a sensory glove to help with it.”
Seth’s brow slants. “Your shoulder is affecting your throwing?”
Fuck . I didn’t mean to divulge that. “Just enough for me to notice. Nothing to be concerned about.” I can feel him scrutinizing my reaction. “The point is, beyond my coaches, a few buddies, and family, nobody has ever given a damn about me and what I might be going through or wanted to be there for me in that way, to help me through the tough stuff. Pepper worries about me, my emotions, my physical state, my stress.”
“You’ve never let anyone get close enough to see the real you before her,” Seth points out.
“There’s never been anyone who made me want to let my guard down.”
“She sounds like a remarkable woman all around,” my father says. “I assume you’re doing nice things for her, too? Adding value to her life, not just social media headlines?”
“Beyond sexual pleasure,” Seth goads.
I smirk and give him a loaded answer. “I bring pleasure to her life in and out of the bedroom.” He doesn’t need to know that I also bring out her reckless side in and out of the bedroom, adding sexual pleasure to our lives and happiness to our hearts. I smile to myself thinking about the fun we had Sunday morning when I convinced her to go for a short run with me through the park, followed by a polar plunge in the lake. The run was more like a fast walk interspersed with jogging and stolen kisses, but I’ve never seen her smile as much as she did when she ran into my arms after the polar plunge, shivering and saying she wanted to do it again.
We also went to a pub with Ravi, Chris, and Min last night. We had a great time, and we’re watching the Super Bowl with them this Sunday. I like this road of discovery we’re on together, figuring out who we are as individuals and partners, and I look forward to a lot more of it.
“Your mother and I would love to meet her someday,” my father says.
“You will.”
“Any idea when?” my father asks.
“I’m all for meeting Pepper,” Seth says, “but this guy needs to get those hearts out of his eyes and focus on that contract and the future of his career before the opportunity closes.”
My fucking future .
I know I need to get my shit together and figure that out, but right now the only thing I’m certain of, is that I want Pepper in it.