Porter scowled at Aidan. “I had a talk with Mick O’Brien the other day,” he reported.
“Is that so?” Aidan said mildly, not sounding especially surprised.
“I gather you’d run to him tattling on me,” Porter said derisively.
“Actually I didn’t,” Aidan said. “Mick stopped by practice. He saw the boys in action and wanted to know how the team is shaping up. I told him.”
“I know what you told him,” Porter said irritably. “You’re going to pick that Santos kid over my boy. I warned you about that.”
Liz noted that Aidan didn’t back away. Nor did he seem intimidated by the man’s bluster.
“And I told Mick the same thing I told you, that I was brought here to do what’s best for the team. Taylor and I’ve had a talk about putting him in a different position, one where he can make a real contribution to the team. He’s eager to try that. You should come by. He and Hector have a real connection on the field, probably because Taylor has played at quarterback. He understands the routes. He can anticipate exactly where Hector intends to throw a pass. He’s got not only the instincts, but the hands to make the reception.”
Porter didn’t seem the least bit pacified. “The boy was meant to play quarterback,” he said, refusing to back down.
“Let me ask you this,” Aidan suggested, his tone reasonable. “Would you rather have him develop as a mediocre quarterback who won’t get the attention of a single college scout, or a star receiver who can take his pick of some of the best football programs in the country?”
Porter finally looked intrigued, as well he should, Liz thought, impressed with Aidan’s argument.
“You think he can do that?” Porter asked, a noticeable gleam in his eyes.
“Porter, honey, don’t let him try to sweet-talk you into changing your mind,” Pamela argued. “We know what’s best for our son. Everyone knows it’s the quarterback who gets the money and attention.”
Liz wanted to step in and remind her of who had the pro football experience and the coach’s job, but she kept quiet, mostly because it was obvious Aidan didn’t need her help. Porter seemed to be wavering at last.
“I asked you a question,” Porter reminded Aidan, shooting a quelling look at his wife that silenced her.
“Come by and watch the two of them,” Aidan suggested. “Then you tell me.”
“I’ll be there Monday afternoon,” Porter said. “I’d better be impressed by what I see.”
“I think you will be,” Aidan replied.
“I’m coming with you,” Pamela said, not looking nearly as convinced as her husband. “I want to see for myself what all this hype is about that Santos kid.” She frowned at Aidan. “You’d better hope this is not about some liberal, knee-jerk attempt to play favorites because the boy’s Hispanic and deserves a break he hasn’t earned.”
Liz spotted a muscle tic in Aidan’s jaw and knew the limits of his diplomatic skills were being sorely tested. She’d held her tongue up to now, but she couldn’t let Pamela’s ill-considered remark slide.
“I’ve spent a little time with Hector,” she told the couple. “He’s a very nice young man. He’s humble, smart and eager to help the team. So is Taylor. You should be proud of that.”
Pamela frowned at the suggestion by someone they barely knew that they weren’t taking pride in their son’s willingness to be a team player. “Of course we’re proud of Taylor. We want the best for him.”
“As all parents want the best for their children,” Aidan said. “My job is to go beyond that and figure out what’s best for the team. Ultimately that will make each of these kids shine, too.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Porter conceded reluctantly, though Pamela still didn’t look satisfied.
“We’ll be there Monday afternoon,” Porter repeated, almost as if it were meant as a warning. “Come along, Pamela.”
Just then the maître d’ came to take Liz and Aidan to their table. Only when they were seated did Liz meet Aidan’s gaze.
“Well, that was fun,” she commented as she took a sip of her water. Her mouth seemed to have gone dry as a result of all that tension. “Is that what it’s been like for you the past couple of weeks? Are you getting pressure from every direction?”
“To be honest, Porter’s the only one who’s made any kind of a fuss,” Aidan said. “Hopefully, once he sees what those two boys can do on the field, he’ll back off.”
Liz studied him closely. “Any regrets now about going into coaching? Dealing with Porter would be enough to send me packing.”
Aidan laughed. “You never met my mom. I think dealing with Porter is some kind of karmic payback for me. I’m pretty sure she came close to driving my high school coach into an early grave. She watched the Giants and the Jets every Sunday, studied them, in fact. She thought she knew everything there was to know about the game and about my ability to play it. I’m surprised she didn’t insist on sitting on the bench and naming herself assistant coach. I keep reminding myself about that whenever I have to deal with Porter.”
He grinned at her. “Thankfully, by the time I went to college, I’d convinced her to back off.”
Liz stared at him. “You’re kidding. It took that long? You must have been humiliated.”
“Not really. I suppose I was embarrassed from time to time, especially when my teammates would get on my case, but I got what she was doing. No kid ever had a bigger advocate than Anna Mitchell. It started when I played in a Pop Warner league and never let up. I think she was determined to fill the role she imagined a father would have filled if my dad had been around. Trust me, there were dads whose behavior was a whole lot more humiliating.”
“Was it tough?” Liz asked. “Not having your father in your life?”
An odd expression washed over Aidan’s face, one she couldn’t quite read. There was a
