Maddy won her division at the nationals, and she got offered a scholarship to the University of Michigan. In the meantime, weâd be spending our senior year together at a special sports high school, where kids took regular classes in the morning and athletic training in the afternoon. It sounded as close to nirvana as high school could be.
When we got home from the nationals, there was more good news. The police had made a breakthrough in the vandalism case. The clue was a gold chain, which the cops had found in the grass after the outdoor stage was wrecked. The personalized engraving on the chain allowed them to trace it back to Mike Baron. When the cops confronted Mike, he didnât betray the other guys in his gang, not even Quinte. So it turned out there was some good in Mike after all. But he did rat out Mr. Hunter.
Of course, Rexâs dad denied everything. But when Mrs. Sharma threatened to sue him, he agreed to settle out of court for $400,000. That was the amount the club still owed to his company. With the settlement, the debt was erased and the club no longer had to worry about bankruptcy. No developer would be coming to bulldoze our tennis courts.
The last week in August, the insurance check for the vandalism of the tennis auction finally came through. I was sitting with Maddy on the bench at the back of the club, overlooking the Rideau River, when Mrs. Sharma came up and placed the check in my hand.
âItâs yours, Connor,â she said. âYou deserve it. You deserve more than that.â
I looked at the check. It was for $20,000. I felt embarrassed, but she insisted I take it. I tucked it away safely in my tennis bag. The truth was, with Maddy beside me under the late-summer sun and the sounds of rackets hitting balls in the courts all around us, I felt as though I already had more than I deserved.
I didnât know where my tennis career would take me. First to Florida. After that, maybe all over the world. But I knew that whatever happened, I could always come back here, to this club by the river, and I would feel welcome.
I couldnât help thinking that if old Mr. Cross was looking down from the afterworld, he would be proud of what I had accomplished with his prize money. Not for myself, but for the Purposes of the Sport of Tennis.
ALSO AVAILABLE BY
KATE JAIMET
EDGE OF FLIGHT IS THE TOUGHEST
rock-climbing route Vanisha has ever faced. She has one last chance to conquer it before she moves to Vermont to start university. On her final weekend of climbing, she and her buddies Rusty and Jeb stumble on an illegal marijuana plantation. When Jeb is shot by the bikers who guard it, Vanisha must climb Edge of Flight to seek help. Will she have the courage she needs to help save Jeb?
ASSISTANT COACH OF THE GIRLSâ BASKETBALL
team. Sounds like an easy gig for sixteen-year-old Salvador âSlamâ Amaro. Show up, run a few drills and pad his resumé so he can win a spot on the Ontario Under 17 menâs team. But Slam hasnât bargained on the girlsâ head coach and the star point guard going missing. With the girls facing playoff elimination, Slam has to solve the mystery of their disappearance and take over as head coach of the team while battling some tough competitors for his own place on the Ontario squad.
When we got home from the nationals, there was more good news. The police had made a breakthrough in the vandalism case. The clue was a gold chain, which the cops had found in the grass after the outdoor stage was wrecked. The personalized engraving on the chain allowed them to trace it back to Mike Baron. When the cops confronted Mike, he didnât betray the other guys in his gang, not even Quinte. So it turned out there was some good in Mike after all. But he did rat out Mr. Hunter.
Of course, Rexâs dad denied everything. But when Mrs. Sharma threatened to sue him, he agreed to settle out of court for $400,000. That was the amount the club still owed to his company. With the settlement, the debt was erased and the club no longer had to worry about bankruptcy. No developer would be coming to bulldoze our tennis courts.
The last week in August, the insurance check for the vandalism of the tennis auction finally came through. I was sitting with Maddy on the bench at the back of the club, overlooking the Rideau River, when Mrs. Sharma came up and placed the check in my hand.
âItâs yours, Connor,â she said. âYou deserve it. You deserve more than that.â
I looked at the check. It was for $20,000. I felt embarrassed, but she insisted I take it. I tucked it away safely in my tennis bag. The truth was, with Maddy beside me under the late-summer sun and the sounds of rackets hitting balls in the courts all around us, I felt as though I already had more than I deserved.
I didnât know where my tennis career would take me. First to Florida. After that, maybe all over the world. But I knew that whatever happened, I could always come back here, to this club by the river, and I would feel welcome.
I couldnât help thinking that if old Mr. Cross was looking down from the afterworld, he would be proud of what I had accomplished with his prize money. Not for myself, but for the Purposes of the Sport of Tennis.
ALSO AVAILABLE BY
KATE JAIMET
EDGE OF FLIGHT IS THE TOUGHEST
rock-climbing route Vanisha has ever faced. She has one last chance to conquer it before she moves to Vermont to start university. On her final weekend of climbing, she and her buddies Rusty and Jeb stumble on an illegal marijuana plantation. When Jeb is shot by the bikers who guard it, Vanisha must climb Edge of Flight to seek help. Will she have the courage she needs to help save Jeb?
ASSISTANT COACH OF THE GIRLSâ BASKETBALL
team. Sounds like an easy gig for sixteen-year-old Salvador âSlamâ Amaro. Show up, run a few drills and pad his resumé so he can win a spot on the Ontario Under 17 menâs team. But Slam hasnât bargained on the girlsâ head coach and the star point guard going missing. With the girls facing playoff elimination, Slam has to solve the mystery of their disappearance and take over as head coach of the team while battling some tough competitors for his own place on the Ontario squad.
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