Still. It feels like he can see right through us.
He clears his throat, and then he says, “Maverick, Lincoln and I would like you to travel with the team this weekend to Cincinnati. Stand on the sidelines with a headset, get your head back in the game. Call plays. That sort of thing.” He turns to me. “We’d like you to travel as well as part of the team staff.”
Maverick scoffs at that. “I can’t even get away from her on the plane?”
Ihatethat his words cut me. I hate that I physically flinch at them. It’s just more proof for Jack that there are feelings involved, and I try to convince myself that his words are spoken as a way to continue the farce in front of Jack.
Jack turns to Maverick. “She’ll sit with staff. You’ll sit with players. She’ll have her own room at the team hotel. If you have further questions, keep them to yourself.”
“Yes, sir.”
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Maverick stand down before. He must have a hell of a lot of respect for Jack—he’s maybe theoneperson in the world that Maverick has a single ounce of respect for. Is there anyone else? I don’t have the answer to that since despite what happened between us last night, he still hasn’t let me in.
And the more time I spend around him, the more I’m convinced that he willneverlet me in.
CHAPTER 20: Everleigh Bradley
Finding Dad
I don’t listen to my voicemail until Maverick is out on the field and I’m up in the bleachers. “Hey Ev, it’s Liam. Ivy told me to call you when I had an update, and, well, I have an update. I’m at practice now, but call me back when you can.”
I’m not sure why my blood runs cold, but it does. I just get a bad feeling from the tone of his voice.
I can’t call him back now when I’m at practice. What if it’s bad news? It’s going to have to wait until lunchtime, and I’ll spend the rest of the morning absolutely dreading this phone call I have to make.
I try to bury myself in work. With Ellie as my partner, we’re off to a good start on refurbishing Maverick’s image, and I go over Ellie’s suggestions for his newest sponsorships. She booked him a few appearances over the upcoming weeks, mostly at bars or clubs, as a way to get his foot in the door to start meeting people in Vegas.
Before I know it, it’s lunchtime, and I slip into the conference room to call my brother back while the team goes to the cafeteria to make their food selections. I brought a measly salad for lunch, though Lily told me I’m welcome to take my pick of food from the cafeteria. Regardless, I don’t feel very hungry as I pull up my brother’s contact.
I dial it, and I think it’s going to hit voicemail when he actually answers.
“Hey, Ev,” he answers.
“What’s going on with Mom?”
“She, uh…” He stutters a little, and he sighs. “The doctors did an X-ray. They felt the break shouldn’t have happened to a healthy bone.” It feels like he’s sort of dodging around what he wants to say.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“They said the way the bone broke looks like it sort of exploded from the inside and is typically indicative of cancer.”
“Cancer?” I murmur softly as the word plows into me with the force of a thousand bricks.
“She scheduled further imaging and a biopsy to confirm, so right now it’s speculation. Have you talked to Dad recently?”
“No. Why? Is he okay?”
“He’s in Vegas,” he says. “You didn’t know?”
“No. I had no idea.” I’ve been too busy banging my neighbor.
“Well, he’s not answering his phone, so we haven’t been able to tell him what’s going on. Can you try to get in touch with him?” he asks.
I wonder if he’s here at his lounge. I wonder if Liam knows about the lounge.
I try calling my father, too. He doesn’t answer my call, either. I guess I have plans for tonight after practice and in between packing for my trip tomorrow.
I meet with Maverick again after practice, this time in the conference room at our building. “Ellie devised this social media schedule. Let me know when you get your first shipment from the meal plan so I can take photos of you eating. The sports drink company sent a tracking number showing your shipment will arrive tomorrow, and I’ve already been in touch with Milton to put it in your fridge so it’s ready when you get back from Cincinnati. And the apparel should be at the front desk now, but we don’t want to bombard socials with three different posts, so we’ll multitask some of this.”
