“Um, wow,” London said. “Twenty thousand, huh?”
“I’m not sure I can send that much through Apple Pay,” Samiah said, not missing a beat. “But maybe I can send half through Apple and the other half through Cash App? I’ll do that once we end the call.”
“Stop it! I’m not taking any more money from you!” She still owed Samiah the eighty-dollar booking fee from her stint in the city jail. Taylor dropped her head back and sighed up at her apartment’s water-stained ceiling. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I got myself into this mess. I’ll figure a way out of it.”
“Will you figure it out before or after you get a crick in your neck from sleeping in your car?”
“If you angle your head just right, you won’t get a crick in your neck,” she retorted.
“This isn’t funny, Taylor,” Samiah warned.
Who was she telling?
“I know,” Taylor said. “But I think I’ve found a solution. Maybe.” She paused for a moment before asking, “Have either of you ever heard of Jamar Dixon?”
“The football player?” Samiah asked.
Taylor sat up straight. “Wait, youknowabout him? How? You don’t even watch football.”
“Actually, I do watch when Daniel is here on a Sunday afternoon, but being from Houston means I can’t escape high school football even if I tried. Jamar Dixon went to Katy High. He was one of the top recruits in the country his senior year. He went pro, but I can’t remember which team.”
“The Bears,” Taylor provided. “He was injured during his rookie season. Apparently he did a lot of rehab after surgery, but I guess the Bears thought he was still too much of a liability to keep him.”
“How do you know all of this about him?” Samiah asked.
“He signed up for the boot camp workout I held in Zilker Park earlier today. He wants to hire me to be his personal trainer.”
“Wow,” Samiah said. “Fancy.”
“Are you sure that’sallhe wants?” London asked.
Taylor laughed. “My self-esteem is as healthy as the next chick’s, but evenIdon’t think I’m worth going through that much of a hassle.” She shrugged. “He said he needs a personal trainer and nutrition coach, so I’m going to take him at his word. I’m meeting him at a café in Round Rock tomorrow. If we decide to work together, I can at least use his fee to start paying down my debt.”
“Text us when you get there, when he shows up, when he leaves, and when you get back home,” London said.
“Sure, Mom. I’ll do just that,” Taylor said, rolling her eyes.
“Don’t be upset that people care about you, Taylor Marie.”
“Oh my God, now youdosound like my mother. And it’s Taylor Renee,” she said. “And, don’t worry, I promise to call you both as soon as I’m done speaking with the hot football player.”
“Is he hot?” London asked.
“Oh yeah,” Samiah said. “He’s too young for me, butsodamn fine. You should Google him.”
“I’ll do that after my shift. I need to go,” London said as she shut the plastic lid on her salad container. “Oh, shit! I was supposed to call my stepmom. Forget it, she’ll just have to call my mom if she needs to bitch about my dad.”
“Wait,” Taylor said. “Your stepmother actually calls your dad’s ex-wife to complain about him?”
“All the time,” London said. “My mom loves to tell her that he’s her problem now.” She shook her head. “It’s a strange relationship, but surprisingly healthy.” She stood and threaded her arms through the sleeves of her white coat. “Talk to you guys later,” she said before clicking out of the call.
“I need to go too,” Samiah said. “But my offer still stands. If you need to borrow rent money, all it takes is a phone call. No sleeping in the car.”
“Thanks,” Taylor said, even though she knew she wouldn’t take her up on it.
After saying goodbye to Samiah, Taylor pulled up the browser on her phone. She did another web search forJamar Dixon, clicking until she reached web hits that she had yet to read. She knew as much about football as she knew about botany or hieroglyphics, but based on the numerous sports blogs she read, Jamar had been one of the most promising running backs to make it to the NFL in a generation.
He’d also made it onto a number of Hottest Players in the NFL lists and Pinterest boards. She couldn’t refute that. The man was hot.
