I’m stunned. I can’t believe heactually bothered. Or remembered, considering how busy he is right now.
“You don’t have to just stare atit,” he says. “You can open it.”
I proceed, and when I pull thepaper back, I see it’s an iPod.
“I got Darren to upload yourplaylist onto it, so you can listen to Kate Bush or the B2s or whatever.”
He glances around like he feelsuncomfortable about having done something nice for me. “It’s okay. You didn’tneed to get me anything. I just sort of—”
I smile. Funny that we were on thesame page this evening.
I reach into my pocket andretrieve my own gift, wrapped in snowman-patterned wrapping paper, something Idid quickly in the hotel room before we came out.
He looks directly into my eyes.Like he’s stunned that I bothered to get him anything, and I’m sure he’s justas surprised as I was that he had a gift for me.
“It’s not much. I just figured...”
I let my words trail off as heopens the box, revealing a BluRay box.
“A Serbian Film?” he asks.
“Since you likedMartyrs, Ifigured you might enjoy this. It’s disturbing as fuck too. Like…snuff filmdisturbing.”
His eyes widen like he’s excitedabout the prospect of enjoying my gift. “Maybe we can watch it together somenight,” he says.
I avoid his gaze. I’d like that. Too much, I know. But thatisn’t an option. And when I look back to him, I can see the disappointment inhis eyes. Funny how such a lovely moment can be ruined just as quickly as itcame.
Twenty-Eight
Tad
“I’m not doing this!” Bryce exclaims as he stands before thebalcony of my Boston penthouse at the Hilton. His face is red, his eyes wide.
“Yes, you are,” I say, stretchedout across the couch, pressing an ice pack against the hip I landed on duringthe game yesterday. It’s one of the many injuries I’ve picked up since theseason started. But admittedly, seeing Bryce squirm like this is acting as abetter pain reliever than hydrocodone. “You’re my boyfriend, so you will do thesorts of things that gay boyfriends do for publicity together.”
He looks at Debra, who sits at thebar, sipping her martini as though she isn’t surprised by his reaction. Consideringshe’s the one who booked the photoshoot, she sure as fuck isn’t going to helphim get out of it.
I have to admit, I’m enjoyinggetting to him like this.
Darren stands in the kitchen, onthe other side of the bar from Debra, glowing like he’s enjoying the prospectof getting to see Bryce in his birthday suit. Kiernan sits on the cushionedchair across from me, his gaze wandering because this is a subject he’dprobably rather not be a part of.
“Bryce,” Debra says. “It’s notlike you’re going to look bad in a swimsuit.”
“You said nude.”
“Just for the photoshoot,” Iexplain. “I’m going to be covering my junk with a football and you’re going tobe covering yours with your hands and a gun. Well, at least maybe until theysee it and realize that you might need more than that.”
Debra chuckles.
Between the interview with HenryMason and the high likelihood of us going to the playoffs as we lead ourdivision with a10-5 standing, Debra’s been on a winning streak with promotions.We have offers from Pepsi, Nabisco, Wheaties, and Froot Loops. Talk shows andmagazines are begging for interviews. The last time this happened was when Iwas with Jordan. Since our split, I had to avoid interviews like the plaguesince they just wanted to ask about all the shitty things I supposedly did tohim while we were together, but now I’m eager to get back out there and showeveryone I’m not the Tad Roarke they think I am.
“Debra, you have to be kidding me,”he says.
“It’s cute,” she says. “It’sharmless. What’s the worst that’s going to happen?”
“You need to talk to Roeder aboutthis.”
“Already did,” Kiernan says fromthe sofa, his finger and thumb pressed against his forehead. I suspect hewanted to find a way to keep his son from showing his naughty bits on the coverof Entertainment Weekly. But it’s stupid for him to fight this when he knowswhat good publicity this will be for us. “He’s on board one hundred percent.”
