‘Actually you are. But you are a most welcome interruption. I needed a break anyway.’

‘You sure?’

‘Positive.’ Laura noticed that his right hand was all bandaged. ‘What happened to your hand?’

‘Oh, this? I slammed a car door on it. I’ve always been the klutz of the family.’

‘It looks painful. Can I get you something?’

‘No, it’s fine. Really.’

Laura stood from behind her desk and moved toward the chair next to Stan. ‘Why weren’t you at the lawyer’s office yesterday?’

Stan hesitated. ‘I appreciated your invitation, but it wasn’t my place.’

‘You were his brother.’

‘That might be true,’ Stan allowed, ‘but I wouldn’t have felt right going. It was supposed to be for those David loved and cared for. I… I don’t fit into that category.’

‘That’s not so,’ Laura insisted. ‘Whatever happened between you two does not erase the fact that you’re his brother. Think of the childhood you shared with him. Nothing can take that away. You belonged there, Stan. You’re entitled to some of his estate.’

Stan slowly shook his head. ‘I threw that all away, Laura. I don’t want anything from David, except something he can never give me: his forgiveness.’

‘If he were alive, I know he’d forgive you.’

‘I’m not so sure.’ He paused. ‘Listen, Laura, I know you’re busy so let me tell you what I came here for. I wanted to know if you’d have dinner with me tomorrow as a sort of Bon Voyage.’

‘Bon Voyage?’

He nodded. ‘I’m heading back to Michigan the next morning.’

‘You’re leaving?’ she asked. Over the last month, she had gotten used to having Stan around. He was part of the family now, David’s sole blood relative. She relied on him. ‘Why? I thought you liked Boston.’

‘I do. I love it. But the mall deal fell through. I can’t raise the capital. And… I don’t know… I feel like I don’t belong here – like I’m intruding on David’s family.’

‘You’re not intruding.’

‘Be that as it may, will you join me tomorrow night?’

Laura leaned back. She clasped her hands together and leaned them against the bridge of her nose. ‘Would you do me a favor, Stan?’

‘Of course.’

‘I don’t know if you know this or not, but David did not have a legal will. The letter of the law leaves his entire estate to me. I want you to have some of it.’

‘Laura, I can’t.’

‘I want you to build your mall with the basketball theme. How much do you think you need to get started?’

‘Forget it.’

‘Why?’

‘I already told you. I don’t deserve anything of David’s.’

‘Then do it for me. I need some new outlets for Svengali in his area. Your mall will be perfect.’

Stan shook his head, but Laura did not stop. ‘You can name it after David, Stan. Think of it as a memorial to your love for him, a way of showing the world what he meant to you. Would a million dollars get the ball rolling? ’ Even as she said it, Laura felt a pang of discomfort. David’s words came floating back to her.

‘We don’t get along…’

But she ignored the voice.

‘Look, Laura, I don’t feel right about this…’

‘Then it’s settled. I’ll have my attorney write you out a check tomorrow afternoon. One million dollars of your brother’s money will be yours. Agreed?’

He chuckled lightly. ‘Laura, have you ever been called stubborn?’

‘Frequently. Agreed?’

Stan shrugged. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

‘Say yes,’ Laura urged, while her mind churned in confusion. Was she doing the right thing? ‘Say you’ll cancel your flight back to Michigan. Say that you’ll get cracking on this mall idea. Say that you still want to be part of this family.’

‘Of course I still want to be part of this family.’

‘Then say yes.’

Stan lowered his eyes and then slowly raised them toward Laura. ‘You won’t regret this, Laura.’

Laura smiled uneasily. Won’t regret? She thought that maybe she already did.

Clip Arnstein put out his cigar. He glanced across the table at his two star players. Earl was in his late twenties and just at the pinnacle of his career. He had led the league in scoring twice and rebounding once. He was also a consummate shot-blocker. But he had scored a lot of those points off great passes from David. He had been able to get open for many of those points because teams had often concentrated on trying to contain White Lightning.

Timmy Daniels was a few years younger. He was a shooting guard from Brigham Young University, a super all-around athlete who had a fiery intensity that matched David’s. He liked to win, had to win, would do anything to win. His appearance may have reminded one of a little kid in the playground, but he was as tough as Clip had seen in his fifty years plus of basketball. And he could shoot. Now that David was gone, Timmy was probably the best outside shooter in the league.

Clip took out another cigar and bit off the end. ‘I thought it was about time the three of us met in private.’

‘What’s up, Clip?’ Timmy asked.

‘I have the results of the team vote. You two are now the captains of the team.’

Timmy glanced over at Earl before speaking. ‘I think I speak for both of us when I say that that’s an honor we wish had never been bestowed on us.’

‘I know,’ Clip replied. ‘But we all know the team is not going to be the same without David. Hell, our lives aren’t going to be the same. But we have to go on. The season starts in a couple of months and we have to get prepared. Rookie try-outs are next week.’

‘What do you want us to do?’ Timmy asked.

Clip tossed a file to both of his star players. ‘Here’s some info on our draft picks and free agents who are supposed to try out for the team.’

They both scanned the reports. When he was finished, Timmy closed the file. ‘It’s shit.’

Clip nodded his agreement. ‘There wasn’t a hell of a lot of talent in this year’s draft, plus when you win a championship, you pick last. We’ve got a problem here, guys. We lost one of the league’s best players. We don’t even have a decent scorer from the forward spot now. We’ll get crushed on the break without him. So my question is this: how are we going to find someone new on that list of players?’

‘I don’t know,’ Tim responded. ‘But you’ve been in tougher spots than this, Clip. You’re famous for the last-minute deals you’ve made over the years. You’re not called the Miracle Worker for nothing.’

Clip chuckled. ‘Thanks for the vote of confidence. Earl, you haven’t said anything. What do you think?’

‘No one can replace David,’ Earl said quietly.

‘I know that,’ the Miracle Worker replied. ‘I’m not looking for a replacement. The team as a whole is going to have to shift perspective. Without David, you’re not going to get those passes, Earl. We’ll have to play a slower game, a more controlled game. You have to post up down low like you did at Notre Dame. And Timmy, your outside shot is without question the best around. But we’re going to need you to penetrate the middle and open it up. You’re going to have to be more creative. But even with all that, we are still going to need more parts to make this machine run smoothly. I may have to make some trades.’

‘Trades?’ Timmy repeated. ‘You can’t break up this group.’

‘It’s a business, Tim. I traded three popular veterans to draft David and Earl, and I’ll deal players if I have to.’

‘Isn’t there another alternative?’

Clip nodded. ‘Sure.’

‘What?’

The Miracle Worker stood. ‘Hope for a miracle.’

Stan woke with a start. He wondered if he had had another bad dream. Impossible. No way. For the first time, everything was going his way.

He swung his legs over the bed and grabbed the clock. Three-thirty a.m. What a day he had had yesterday! As if duping Laura yesterday morning was not enough luck, the night had crowned him with yet another spectacular achievement. Maybe he should have held back. Maybe he should not have tempted the gods by stretching his luck, but oh man, he could not resist.