The only person who was actually taking money from me was Pam. I wasn’t for one second going to begrudge her a cent of what she’d spent. She had a good heart, and I didn’t fear that she’d take advantage of the situation. I guess I could be a cynic and think of it as though I’d gotten off cheap. If her dad hadn’t been so slimy, I could realistically have been on the hook for a lot of child support.
Tami, in her own way, had warned me about this when she joked about me giving her a debit card.
I grinned when I realized my dad had just snuck a life lesson into our discussion about business. My uncle had said pretty much the same, but somehow, Dad had made me think it through.
“I see your point,” I said.
“I hope you do because once people start to figure out you have money, they’ll approach you with their hands out. Not just your friends, either. Every cause and charity will mark you as a soft target. I mean, how could you refuse to give a few bucks for starving puppies?” Dad teased.
“Hey, Rita and Frank suggested I give money to that no-kill shelter,” I huffed.
“I’m not saying not to do good; I expect you to. But I also expect you to figure out how you’ll decide. I suggest you send them all to Caryn and let her check out their organizations to see how much actually goes to feeding puppies,” Dad advised, which made sense.
“Dad, is it wrong of me not to want to get involved in all this right now?” I asked, meaning the business.
“Feeling a little overwhelmed?”
“More like I’m entirely out of my depth. I should be figuring out which party I’m going to or if a girl likes me. I shouldn’t be worrying about multiple streams of income and the best approach to farming. And I’m not sure I want to, either. It’s bad enough I spend time making movies and modeling.
“Now I have to deal with the press stalking me, and I have to assume that someone has a camera on me 24/7. I have fans in my face I have to be nice to. Then there’s football, school, and all that entails. Plus, I have to figure out what college I’m going to. On top of that, I need to work out if I expect to get a scholarship. Oh, and let’s not forget that I’m supposed to be a team captain and set an example.
“How am I supposed to find time to run a business and do all that?” I asked, finally running down.
My dad just looked at me. It took me a moment to realize he was doing the Dawson bit where we go quiet and wait it out. I had embarrassed myself with my tirade.
“Look, I realize it’s not all bad. I’ve gotten to do things most people would kill to do. Having fans does have some nice benefits,” I admitted.
“Don’t tell your mom that,” Dad suggested.
That was a good call. He took a minute to think.
“We wondered how much you’d want to take on. I would’ve folded a long time ago. You have your mother’s stubborn streak, and I’m sure you don’t want to get her cranky gene. If you continue to keep taking on more, you’ll soon get there.
“You’ve been good at listening to your uncle and his advice about getting help. Up to this point, you’ve been able to stay involved in everything, but remember when he told you that you need to delegate. By yourself, you’ll only be able to do so much. You have to let go and let Caryn do her job,” Dad said.
“But she asked me what I thought. I was scared about the next movie negotiations. What if I’d made the wrong decision, even though I ended up making the right one? Saul advised me to take their deal,” I said and looked at my dad, who was smiling at me. “I’m talking in circles, aren’t I?”
“Next time you’re feeling anxious about a decision, call me and talk it through. Not for me to tell you what to do, but to act as a sounding board. I’ve had some experience,” Dad said.
I snorted.
“Listen, I’m not that old.”
“Whatever you say, Dad,” I teased.
I still needed to find other ways to invest my money. I would have Caryn call Harper’s dad. Mr. Mass seemed to know what he was doing. Dad agreed.
I told Caryn the good news and let her tell everyone else. This served to reinforce that they had to go through her for business matters. I didn’t need Angie calling me because their toilet was stopped up.
◊◊◊
Chapter 2 – Unmasked Wednesday January 20
First period with Coach Fletcher was eye-opening. He’d been hired from the outside to get the team’s strength and conditioning program in place and teach our staff how to execute it. Coach Rector made sure we stayed on track when Coach Fletcher wasn’t here. Coach Fletcher planned to stop by periodically to check up on us and tweak our workouts when needed. I might have told him I could go it alone, but he showed me what some of the other football players had accomplished in only six weeks with him.
“My job here is to find out what you want from a workout. I understand you play quarterback.”
“I also need to get ready for baseball. This will be my first time playing center field,” I said.
“Is this for fun, or are you serious about it?” he asked.
