The big man, whose face Aidan recalled seeing plastered on a few auto dealership billboards out on the highway, stood up. He clearly wanted to pace, but there was no room for that. Instead, he bent down, put his hands on the desk and scowled directly at Aidan, deliberately invading his space. Aidan refused to budge an inch, making sure that Porter knew the intimidation tactic wasn’t going to work.
“I heard some mighty disturbing news from my wife over the weekend,” Porter said. “I’m hoping she got it all wrong.”
“What’s that?” Aidan asked mildly.
“She says you’re thinking of replacing our boy as the team’s quarterback.” His scowl deepened. “Now that can’t possibly be right, can it? Not with all the money I’ve donated over the years to help out this team. They’d still be playing in that old, rinky-dink stadium if I hadn’t written a sizable check.”
Aidan wondered how Mick O’Brien might view that sizable check. It was his impression that Mick had paid for much of the construction out of his own pocket. He glanced at Rob, who merely shrugged.
Aidan held Porter’s gaze. “What I told your wife, Mr. Hobbs, is that I’m in the process of evaluating all of the players right now to get a sense of what their talents might be and what positions they’re best suited to play. I haven’t made any decisions at all. My goal is to put the best possible team on the field in the fall.” He kept his gaze steady and unblinking, as he added, “I’m sure you feel as strongly about that as I do.”
“I know I do,” Rob chimed in. “I think that’s a sentiment the whole town would agree with.”
Some of the bluster seemed to drain out of Porter, but that didn’t stop him from declaring that Taylor was meant to be a quarterback. “I’ve been working with that boy myself since he could hold a football. You might not know this, but I put in some time on the field at the University of Maryland back in the day, so I know a good quarterback when I see one.”
“I’m sure you do,” Aidan said, vowing to himself to look up exactly what sort of playing time Porter Hobbs had put in and in what position. “And you have the advantage of all those years of working with Taylor to see how talented he is. If he’s everything you say he is, I’m sure I’ll recognize that, too. During my days in the NFL, I played with some Pro Bowl athletes myself, so I do have some idea of what to look for.”
He wasn’t proud of himself for the one-upsmanship, but he figured Porter had it coming.
Rob stood up, clearly satisfied with where things stood. “Porter, I told you Aidan would reassure you. He’s being open-minded.”
“I just want to be sure he gets the picture,” Porter said, clearly not ready to let it go. “Taylor belongs in that quarterback position. I won’t see it go to the likes of that Santos kid.”
Up until that instant, Aidan had been fairly sympathetic to a father wanting to protect his son, but the hint of bias in Porter’s disdainful use of the boy’s Hispanic last name set his teeth on edge. Apparently Rob sensed that the situation was about to deteriorate, because he put a hand on Porter’s back and steered him rapidly toward the door.
“Thanks for taking the time to see us,” the principal told Aidan.
“Not a problem,” Aidan said, clenching his fists, but out of sight.
Five minutes later the principal was back in his office. “I’m sorry,” Rob said. “I had to bring him in here and let him say his piece. He has an overinflated sense of his contribution to this football program, and he also has a big mouth. It’s not worth it to have him running around town stirring up trouble. Just know that whatever your decision is, I’m behind you.”
“Understood,” Aidan said, not envying Rob for the position he’d been put in. “By the way, have you seen Hector Santos on the field?”
Rob nodded. “He’s got raw talent, no question about it. Are you leaning in that direction?”
“Too soon to say after just a couple of practices and drills,” Aidan said. “But if it’s best for the team, I won’t hesitate to make that call.”
“You do what you need to do. I’ll deal with Porter.” He grinned. “So will Mick O’Brien, if he ever hears Porter bragging about funding that stadium. His check might have covered the snack bar. O’Brien money built the rest.”
“I wondered about that,” Aidan admitted. “I’d sure hate to offend a major donor, when the team’s not even on the field yet.”
“No worries about that. I think he’s been neutralized for now,” Rob said. “You handled the whole thing with amazing tact.”
Aidan wasn’t entirely reassured. “Are there other people in Chesapeake Shores who’ll react the way he did, just because Hector’s Hispanic?”
“I’d be surprised if there are,” Rob said candidly. “I’ve never seen any hint of prejudice in this community. Mick O’Brien might not hold any formal position in this town, but he’d never tolerate that kind of an attitude. Obviously he can’t control people’s private thoughts or even their actions, but I think people look up to him. They tend to follow his lead.”
Aidan nodded. “I’ll have a chat with him next time I see him. I want to get his take on how much ruckus I’m likely to stir up if I make a change.”
“Seems like a smart idea,” Rob said. “How are the other players getting along with Hector?”
Aidan allowed himself a smile at last. “I noticed there was a little tension the first time we got on the field, but then he threw a couple of long spiral passes that were dead-on. They would have been easy touchdowns. Even Taylor Hobbs went up to congratulate him. And Henry’s taken him under his wing and been working with him on his English. He even offered
