Several other players showed up. It was a testament to how hard we’d had to fight to win the game. When it was my turn in the ice bath, Ty was in the other one.
“I talked to the coaches at Michigan last night. They asked about you, and I told them you, Wolf, and Tim were all interested in joining me there.”
I smiled at him.
“Do you get brownie points for helping recruit?” I asked.
“I’m sure it’s something like getting first shot at dorm rooms and comes with a bevy of babes.”
“A whole bevy?” I asked.
“Sure, why not? I mean, if Louisville can afford strippers and prostitutes, I’m sure Michigan can pony up a whole bevy.”
“What else did Michigan offer you? Better yet, what’s in it for me?” I asked.
Ty rolled his eyes at me.
“They did say that word on the street is you regained your number-one ranking with the recruiting services. They asked whether your throw to Roc was a fluke or if you were back, health-wise. I told them I’d seen you make that throw in practice on a regular basis.”
We both knew Ty was stretching the truth on that. I put it down to the miracle called Vitamin T. If it weren’t for the pain relief, I would have short-armed that pass.
◊◊◊
Duke said in puppy-speak that he would like to go for a car ride with me, so Paul drove both of us to pick up Brook. Duke had been stuck in the big house while Precious held court in my apartment. I brought his tennis ball, knowing his buddy Wolf would throw it for him.
After we picked up Brook, we drove to Dare’s apartment building. I walked up to get him and had to help him break the drone down so it would fit into its carrying case. I wasn’t exactly pleased with Dare’s craftsmanship. It looked like he’d put it back together with a hot glue gun and duct tape. I wasn’t sure it was safe to fly. Then I remembered what his mom told me.
“Do you have any extra parts?” I asked.
Dare reached into his front pocket and pulled out a baggy that had something in it.
“What’s that?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted.
“I guess we’ll find out when this thing goes up in a ball of flames,” I predicted.
“That only happened once.”
Like that reassured me.
While I put the drone’s case into the back of the SUV, Dare claimed the seat next to Brook. I gave her a knowing look as I climbed all the way into the back. I about laughed when Duke bailed on riding shotgun and bounded over the seats so he could sit next to me. At least I knew he loved me. Duke received a chest and ear rub for being such a good boy.
◊◊◊
When we arrived at Tracy’s lake house, it looked like we were the only ones around. It made sense, given that most people only used their cabins as weekend getaways, and early November meant it had started to cool off. While Dare, Brook, and Paul stepped inside, Duke and I decided to take a walk. He needed to burn off some energy, and I wanted to enjoy nature.
While Duke and I were on our walk, other people began to arrive. Besides Tracy, the rest of the gang showed up: Cassidy and Don, Tim and Tami, Wolf and Sarah, Phil and Jill, Yuri and Jan, with Pam rounding out our group. The guys must have seen Duke and me return because they all came outside. I tossed Duke’s ball to Wolf so he could throw it for my hound.
What had the guys’ interest was Dare had brought out the drone’s case. It was a hard-shell carrier that the drone sat in to protect it when traveling. Dare took the drone out and then had to attach the propellers, camera, and batteries to the frame.
“You ready to show us what it can do?” I asked Dare.
He set it on the ground and flipped a couple of switches to power up the computer he’d installed; that computer linked to the sensors he’d added. The model I’d purchased had a range of over four miles, according to the manual.
Paul had a tablet that was linked to the camera. I’d upgraded the camera, my justification being that it would be used for my mom’s real estate business. The picture was crisp and clear. The drone looked like it would work for her needs.
Dare had a controller with two joysticks that handled altitude and direction, with a video screen so you could see where you were flying. When Dare was satisfied that everything was ready, he started the four props, and it lifted off the ground. The smile on his face told you all you needed to know. He was happy as it lifted ten feet into the air and then shot out over the lake.
When Dare brought it back, he flew it right at a big tree. My breath caught as I had visions of it exploding into a bazillion pieces. I had a big grin on my face when it stopped on its own. He’d explained that it had sensors to keep it from running into stuff, but he’d upgraded it so it was safe for me to fly.
“You think it’s safe for me now?” I asked.
Dare nodded.
I noticed he hadn’t attached the solar panels, so I asked him about those.
“I wanted to test it first. With the upgrades, it has a flight time of a little over thirty minutes. With the solar panels, I’m hoping to extend that quite a bit,” Dare explained.
