Danny had told himself that he kept it to himself because his dad would have made fun of him for wasting his time doing something so unmanly. Now he wondered if he’d had some sense what might happen if his dad knew about the money.
Hindsight and all that.
Every so often, his dad offered to manage things for him, but Danny brushed the suggestion aside, saying his sports agency handled that. They did—his dad just didn’t need to know that they didn’t do that for him.
Usually trading was his favorite part of the day, but between the woman and his jet lag he couldn’t focus like usual. He gave up and put on some Tim McGraw to listen to while he did his morning exercises. Tim always put him in the right frame of mind.
Singing along to “Highway Don’t Care”—he fucking loved that song—he showered quickly, getting dressed just as fast. He needed to buy some clothes because he hadn’t brought much with him. He figured it’d go a long way with MacNiven—and Pascal, the asshole—if he cleaned himself up a little.
He also wanted to look good when he took his woman out on a date.
It was still too early to call Winners Inc. but he figured Ortiz was awake. He had two little girls now, and he liked spending time with them in the mornings before going to the foundation.
Ortiz knew everything—from his desire to have a relationship with his father to the current situation in London. They’d known each other since before their balls had dropped, so they understood each other’s shit. He trusted Ortiz with everything.
When he’d first had the chance to go to Ghana to meet his dad, Ortiz had been all gung ho for him. Ortiz had grown up without knowing his dad too, with his mom working three to four jobs to feed and clothe him and his siblings, so he understood how important it was. It’d been just the past few years that Ortiz had been voicing his reservations about Danny’s dad.
He’d wondered if Ortiz had been jealous of his relationship with his dad—his friend had been going through some things with his family, so it’d have been logical.
Turned out, Ortiz had just been smart.
He hated that his situation affected Ortiz too—not just his livelihood but also his reputation and life’s work. Ortizcaredabout the kids they helped. He’d be devastated if something happened to everything they’d built.
He sat on the couch and picked up his phone.
Osei
I’m in Chicago.
Ortiz replied right away despite being two hours behind.
Ortiz
You see MacNiven?
Osei
Yep.
Ortiz
Did you hire him?
Osei
Waiting to hear that they’ll take me as a client.
Ortiz
Waiting??
Since when do you wait?
Osei
I don’t.
I’m calling him as soon as they open.