CHAPTER 2
Vee
When Preston claimed my clan would be present, he was correct. The suite was filled with familiar faces. Uncle Darin was waiting with my dad. He was the husband of my aunt, my dad’s sister, Rachel. After Grandpa Carroll’s death, Dad named Uncle Darin co-vice president of football operations, a title he held in conjunction with his wife. Grandpa Carroll left the team plus half of his estate to Dad. The other half of his estate went to his daughter, Aunt Rachel. Before Grandpa’s death, Dad and Aunt Rachel were co-vice presidents until Grandpa named Dad CEO.
The Coopers franchise was the family business. Two of my cousins, Grant and Phillip, and I were employed by the team. The only family member to step away from the Coopers was Leigh, who chose to become a lawyer. While she currently worked for the state defender’s office, Dad and Uncle Darin were actively campaigning for her to move away from public defending and set her sights on corporate law, specifically working for the Lexington Coopers.
Lip sent me a grin and a wink. As cousins, Lip, Leigh, and I were always close. Being five years older than us, Grant thought he was too mature to hang with us. Some would think that would change with time, but even today that age-difference chasm still existed, among other divides.
I didn’t think about Preston as I made my way toward the bar.
My stepmother was seated at a barstool with a gin and Diet Coke—her game-day tradition. Daphne Hubbard had a flair for drama. My dad and she married when I was in middle school. While she was ten years younger than my father, now with treatments that cost my father a fortune, she appeared closer to my age. As I approached, I noticed that today she had a mix of brown and amber lowlights in her long blond hair. Daphne was also wearing the Coopers amber. However, licensed apparel wasn’t her thing. No, shewore a flowy amber blouse, four-inch-heeled gold sandals, and tight white capris accented with gold jewelry.
I forced a smile. “Hey, Daphne.”
“Hi, Vee, glad you could make it.” She leaned back and scanned me up and down before pressing her lips together disapprovingly. “You look comfortable.”
My lips curled as I took her in. To say our relationship was like a mother and daughter would be inaccurate. As a preteen girl, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with a new stepmother and made my opinion known.
Through the years, we’d learned to coexist. Even with our truce, our styles were different. Instead of high heels and flowing garments, I was more comfortable in blue jean capris, a Coopers t-shirt, and a pair of crocs. “Oh, thanks. That was the look I was going for.” I lowered my voice. “Do you know what Dad wants to talk to me about?”
Brent, the waiter behind the bar, came forward. “Miss Vee, would you like a cosmo?”
I shook my head. “I think I’ll stick with Diet Coke today.”
He smiled. “Late night?”
“Me?” I asked with feigned shock.
“Diet Coke coming up.”
Daphne responded to my question. “Darin and your dad are discussing a quarterback. He’s a veteran,been in the league for years. Royce signed him to a one-year contract. He’s going to play today’s game.” She shrugged. “You know how it works. If they decide that he’s not worth the money, he’ll be off the roster and on the practice team before the preseason ends.”
“And Dad wants to talk to me about him?”
She took a sip of her drink and nodded. “Your dad thinks you know him.”
My forehead wrinkled in question. “Who would I know that he doesn’t?”
“Oh, Reid knows him. It’s that Fin played for University of Kentucky while you were a student. You had that internship with the team.” She stirred her drink with the straw. “I think he only played at Kentucky for a short time. Then he went to Tennessee. Your dad’s curious about your thoughts.”
While I heard the first part of Daphne’s answer, the rest was lost to the growing static in my head. Fin. Griffin Graham. I was a sophomore at Kentucky, and he was a redshirt sophomore despite the two years he played at Kentucky State, a Division II school.
“Vee?”
I shook my head and began to reach for my Diet Coke. Instead, I lifted Daphne’s glass and took a hearty gulp. The gin tingled on my tongue and throat. Warmth filled my cheeks as I met her gaze and lowered the glass. “Oops.”
Taking back her glass, she offered, “Brent can add some gin to your glass.”
I picked up the cool tumbler of Diet Coke. “I think I better stay sober for this discussion.”
Her eyebrows rose. “You know Mr. Graham?”
“I did. But honestly, it’s been almost fifteen years. I’m sure my knowledge won’t be helpful.”
My heart sank as I looked up, seeing that Royce Beasley, the Coopers’ general manager, was now standing with Dad and Uncle Darin out by the tall counters at the top of the outdoor seating area. Mr. Beasley had been around since before my dad became owner over twenty years ago. In other words, he was older than dirt and wasn’t much into asking the opinion of others, especially those of us—Aunt Rachel and me—without a Y chromosome.
A quick glance found Preston with a beer in his hand, sitting on the half-round sofa near the gas firepit, talking with Hayden and Lip. I steeled my shoulders and approached the three men beyond the open glass doors. Sunlight filtered through the opened roof, giving the sensation of walking outdoors. In reality, it was outside. In January, when the snow could be falling, this area would be a warm and comfortable seventy degrees. With the retractable roof closed, it would also be inside.
