“And what?”
“What next?” Deacon asked. “You snagged the gold ring early. Fame and fortune. Been there, done that. Now what? If you think you can fool me with all the positive, life-is-awesome crap, think again.”
Mitch groaned. “I don’t know, okay? I just… I have no room to complain. Most people would kill for my problems. But I’m bored. I’m tired, and I have nothing to be tired about. I feel like a huge jerk not accepting how privileged I am. But what do I do now?”
“You need to find your passion.” Deacon nodded. “I had a tough time too, you know. And not just because I was out of options and nearly out of money.”
“You know I would have helped you.”
“Fuck that. It’s not my money. You did the work that earned your paycheck, not me.” Deacon wore a familiar, stubborn expression. “Plus, everyone told me not to marry that gold-digger, and I didn’t listen. I should have. But that’s over now. She’s remarried to one of the Jets, I think. Or a Cowboy, I can’t remember.” He grinned. “And I don’t care. She’s out of my life.”
“What life? How’s the dating scene treating you, Casanova?” That came out more sarcastic than Mitch meant it, because he was genuinely curious. “Seriously. Is it that bad?” The look Deacon shot him made him laugh.
“The last woman I dated kept asking for stories from the old days. And she wouldn’t stop beating around the bush wanting to know how much money I made. She was sexy, no doubt. But not worth the effort. I’m so over the pretty ones with no substance.” Deacon gave him a knowing look. “Now Becca Bragg is both pretty and a hard worker.”
“So, ah, what do you know about her?”
Deacon’s smirk made him itch to slap it off his brother’s fat face. “She’s single, dated a little here and there, but not much. She loves her kid. Works at that tea shop downtown and makes killer sweets. Stan is addicted to her molasses cookies.”
“Yeah. What else?” Something had to give him an edge with the woman, because he had trouble reading her. Just when he thought she was into him, she wasn’t.
“I don’t know. I hadn’t realized her husband passed until you mentioned it. Simon’s quiet about his personal life. Not so quiet about his opinions about the game though.”
They both grinned.
“I like him,” Deacon continued. “He’s not only a terrific player, but he’s not a glory hound. We have enough of those. And then there’s his pretty mother—” he held up a hand to stop Mitch’s rebuttal “—who never gives the coaches any grief. Those are my favorite kids to play, the ones with the nice parents.
“You act different around her, Mitch. Just be careful, okay? I don’t think she’d try to cheat on you or lie to you, but with women, you just never know.”
Mitch took his brother’s advice to heart. Having witnessed how hurt Deacon had been by Rhonda’s infidelities, and having seen how difficult it was to find someone who’d like him for himself, not just for his fame, he’d backed off the dating scene.
Truth be told, he rarely spent more than a few months with a woman without getting antsy, feeling the net of a relationship tightening around him. Maybe after a little one-on-one time with Becca, he’d feel the same.
“How do you think Mom and Dad do it?” he asked Deacon.
Deacon shrugged. “Hell if I know. Then again, Dad wasn’t famous or anything, and he snagged Mom before she knew better. To hear them tell it, it was love at first sight.” Deacon scoffed. “Talk about some crappy excuse for getting lucky.”
“Come on. It’s possible.”
“You think?” Deacon shook his head. “Man, I can count on one hand the people I know who are still together after a few years of marriage. Relationships are hard enough, but trying to prepare for your own divorce on your wedding day has got to be a killer.”
“Aren’t you all sunshine and light?” Mitch had a need to get his brother thinking more positively. “What about Roy and Jess?”
“They’re the exception.”
“Mom and Dad? Aunt Joy and Uncle Steve? Meg and Harry?”
“So what? Our relatives are happy. That counts as one.” He ticked off Roy, their aunt, uncle, and cousins on his index finger.
“I know what finger I’d like to show you…”
The doorbell rang, interrupting them. Mitch’s heart raced as if shot off the starting line. “Showtime.”
Deacon downed the rest of his beer. “God help us.”
