“Save your breath,” Dan muttered, and sure enough, Kevin saw Hannah’s third choice coming the minute he noticed Andrew’s lower lip sticking out.

“I choose Andrew. See, Andrew, just because you’re only five doesn’t mean nobody wants you on their team.”

“I’ll take Tess,” Cody countered, right on the mark.

“And I’ll take Aunt Molly!” Hannah beamed.

Kevin sighed. So far Cody had one current NFL quarterback on his team, one former NFL quarterback, and one of the most athletic little girls in northern Illinois. Hannah, on the other hand, had her mother, the worst softball player in history; her little brother, who had a lot of heart but, at five, not much skill; and Molly, who was … well, Molly—the lady who tipped canoes, tried to drown herself, and in general hated sports.

Cody’s next choices included the teenage girls who’d been kicking a soccer ball earlier with Tess, the middle O’Brian—who was built like a tank—and both his physically fit parents.

Hannah chose the six-year-old O’Brian, a kid Kevin was fairly certain he’d seen hiding his security blanket in the shrubs. She redeemed herself by picking her sister Julie, who at least was a dancer and coordinated, and then Liam Jenner, although her reasoning wasn’t too sound. “Because he drew a beautiful picture of Kanga and Roo for me.” While Cody filled in the rest of his team with the younger adults, Hannah chose every oldster who wanted to play.

It was going to be a bloodbath.

The boys ran to their cottages to get the equipment, Mr. Canfield—whose arthritis had been acting up—volunteered to umpire, and everybody soon settled into place.

Hannah’s team was up at bat first, and Kevin found himself on the pitcher’s mound facing the six-year-old who’d tucked his security blanket in the forsythia. Kevin made the mistake of glancing over at Molly and wasn’t surprised to see her give him a look that clearly said, If you’re the kind of man who can strike out Linus, then you’re not the man I thought you were, and you can forget all about getting me naked anytime in the foreseeable future, comprenez-vous?

He walked the kid.

Hannah sent up Andrew next, and Kevin put a soft one over the plate. Andrew missed, but he had a great swing for a little kid, and as Kevin watched an expression of mulish determination settle over his face, he knew he’d just caught a glimpse of what Dan Calebow had looked like at the age of five. Because of that, his next pitch was harder than he intended, but Andrew was game, and he gave it his best.