***
Jessica sighed with exhaustion. It took way longer to get the girls settled during their bedtime ritual, probably because she was anxious to get back to Tim and hear what he had to say. She finally gave up and allowed the older three to spread out in her bed and turned on a movie to pacify them. She took off her shoes and earrings and untied her ponytail, letting her hair hang loosely around her shoulders. Earlier, Tim had offered to help get the girls to bed, but she felt uneasy and insisted he hang out downstairs while she managed her wide-awake brood.
“If you want to watch the entire movie, you have to promise to stay in my bed, understand?” She eyed her blonde-headed daughters lounging among the overstuffed pillows. Julia had her thumb in her mouth and clutched her favorite blankie. Jill was lying back with a teddy bear in her arms. Jennifer sat cross-legged, clutching the remote and looked like she was ready to pull an all-nighter.
“We’ll stay in here, Mama. Promise,” Jennifer assured her. Jessica had heard that line before.
As her bare feet padded across the floor, she wondered what Tim found to do while she was preoccupied. She paused in the doorway to see him leaning back in a chair and readingArchitectural Digest. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies. He looked utterly natural sitting in her living room, as if he lived there too. The reading lamp cast a golden light around his mane of hair that fell over his shoulders, the brightness highlighting his presence. He was larger than life.
“Hi,” she said, interrupting his reading.
“Hey.” Tim put the magazine on a side table and started to stand.
“No, don’t get up. You want anything to drink while we talk? A beer or some water?”
“No, I’m good.” He leaned his elbows on his knees and interlocked his fingers. “Did you get the girls settled?”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “As well as I could. Jo-Jo’s the easy one. She loves her sleep. The other three, not so much.”
He chuckled, sat back up and held the armrests of the chair. “Sounds quiet to me.”
“That’s because I caved and let them watch a movie. They’re spread out all over my bed in the master.”
Tim chuckled. “Well, at least they’re engaged for the time being.” Inhaling deeply, he fixed his narrowed, green-eyed gaze on her. “Thanks for letting me stay so we could talk.”
“Absolutely.” Jessica was aware she was sitting like a prim and proper lady with her back erect, ankles crossed and her hands in her lap. She was trying to keep her nerves that were suddenly running with the bulls under wraps.
Tim looked away, avoiding eye contact and started to talk. “Jessica, you need to know, I’m an educated man; a University of Southern California graduate. I had a very lucrative career after graduation.” He looked at her face with determination. “You should also know that I’m the answer to a trivia question and the punch line to many jokes.”
She scowled, not sure what he was talking about. “I don’t understand.” She watched as he bit his lower lip.
“I don’t expect you to understand. I still don’t myself.” He sighed profoundly. “I came to Atlanta to get away. I wanted to stay under the radar and live in peace. You see, something…something unfortunate happened to me while I was in the prime of my career. I decided to retire and leave California to distance myself from the pain. It was death by a thousand cuts. It was like I had a scarlet letter tattooed on my forehead. Everyone knew me out there. And everyone hated me.”
“Now you’re scaring me. And you’re too young to retire. What did you do?” Her hands began to tremble in her lap.
Tim tilted his neck back and closed his eyes for a second before he changed position and leaned toward her. He tried to smile but shook his head, his nervous energy evident in the room.
“Do you like football?”
His simple question took her by surprise. Perplexed, her brow creased. “Yes. I went to UGA. I was a cheerleader in high school. Football is very important in the South.”
He seemed energized by her reply. “Good! So, you can relate to ‘the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,’ right?”
“I suppose.” Where was this conversation headed? “Does what happened in California have something to do with football?” Her mind started to reel, and she couldn’t help but gasp. “Are you a sports gambler, Tim?”
His expression was humored, and he laughed, her comment taking the edge off the conversation. “No. I’m not a gambler, Jessica. This has nothing to do with sports gambling or anything illegal.”
“Then tell me,” she urged. His secrecy was frustrating.
“McGill is my late mother’s maiden name,” he said slowly, his eyes fixated on hers. “I’ve been borrowing it for almost two years while I’ve been living out here.”
Jessica’s stomach clenched with fear. “Go on…”
“My real name is…” Tim closed his eyes as if in pain, the truth on his lips mind-blowing. “My real name is Tim Ryan. I was the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers for ten seasons. I’m the reason for the most devastating Super Bowl defeat in the history of the NFL.”
Jessica’s heart raced, and she felt light-headed. Was this a joke?
He continued. “Do you remember anything about that game two years ago? It was all over the news.”
