“Avocado toast. Mimosas. All the millennial stereotypes we can find.” He pushed a lock of hair over my ear and looked so joyful. “Please?”
“Sure. Yeah. I love brunch.” I shrugged, slightly ashamed and disappointed that we wouldn’t spend more time alone.
“You look sad. Why?” He studied me for a beat before a knowing grin took over. “Ah, how about this? We get food and afterward…we come back here. I can teach you more about my favorite base.”
Chapter Twelve
Brigham
The last person I wanted to meet after a game was my agent, which was probably saying something about who I hire to represent my best interests. It was just tough because he was a shark and got the best deals—but at what point does money not matter? Charles held up a beer at the joint a couple of blocks away from the stadium. I’d have preferred going back to the apartment and seeing if I could convince Sarah to hang out with me again, but he’d insisted we meet.
It wasof utmost importance. “Hey, Charles,” I said, sliding onto the barstool and flagging the waiter down. If I wasn’t drinking, I wanted something to quench my thirst. “Arnold Palmer, please.”
She nodded, leaving me with my pissed-off looking agent. “What gives, man?”
“Your sponsors are pulling out, Brigham. The watch company, the athleisure brand, protein shakes… What’s next? The commercials for staying active? I’m worried you’re going to be dropped from all of them.”
He wasn’t wrong. Sponsors had been letting me go since the arrest. It sucked to lose additional income, as my future in baseball was uncertain, but it wasn’t a shock. Sponsors wanted athletes to help use their image to gain profit. My face was associated with cocaine and bribing police officers.
I picked up a coaster and tore it into a few pieces, studying Charles’ hard face. “Where was this concern when the charges were first brought up?”
“I thought we’d beat them.” He downed the small glass that smelled like whiskey. “Thank god for that chick. People are so interested in her that they might forget that you party too hard and bribe officers.”
The waitress returned with my drink and another for him.
“Dude, what the fuck?” I reared my head back. “Sarah?”
“Yes. The blue-haired girl. Social media found her after I slipped her name as an anonymous user.” He barked out a laugh. “It was a genius move on my part.”
“Charles. That is unacceptable.” My jaw tightened and I clenched my fists under the table. The audacity that he’d assumed this would help felt like a punch to the gut. This was an innocent woman who had no fucking business being thrown into my world. “Leave her the fuck alone in this.”
“You care for her?”
“Not that it matters, but yes. I do.” I took some calming breaths and focused on my career. Punching my agent in the face—in a bar, no less—would not be a good look with my current reputation. It would do too much damage. “She isn’t equipped to deal with social media like I am. She’s off-limits.”
“Chill. I’m not going to do anything. I just wanted her name to get out so people can sympathize with the down-and-out dogwalker. It’s good for your tarnished image, Brigham. Like it or not, she is helping you seemlesschaotic.” He tossed a handful of peanuts into his mouth from the little dish and I fought a wave of disgust. Not only from the fact that tons of people dipped their dirty fingers into the bowl, but also at his assumption that his behavior was okay.
“Listen, man, you’ve been a killer of an agent for me. You’ve done a lot for my career, but I fucking mean it when I say to leave her alone. I’m not sure you’re listening to me.”
He made an annoyed face. “Sure. Got it.” He pulled out his phone and typed out a few things before looking back up at me. “The few teams that were interested in you aren’t open for discussions anymore. The Soles have been quiet. Nothing is for certain, but I’m not confident they are going to offer to extend your contract. Not with the bribing an officer shit.”
“Isn’t it your job to defend me and work out the misinformation, Charles?” My temper simmered just under the edge and it was becoming extremely difficult to keep it at bay.
“Look.” He twisted his mouth into a tight scowl. “I believe you. I really do when you say you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But you need to make more of an effort to clear your fucking name. Volunteer. Do hospital visits. Make yourself seem likeable and savable. We can hire a PR specialist.”
“No. I don’t want someone taking over my life and making me into someone I’m not. I’m not the best, wholesome guy, but I’m not a drug user who bribes cops. The truth will come out eventually. I have to believe that.”
He barked out a hard laugh. “Sure. That’s a stupidly naïve thing to say. You should know better, Brigham. The truth doesn’t matter when everyone has already made up their mind about you.”
“Then I focus on my game. I need a breakout year with personal bests. Stats don’t lie and can cover up the image bullshit.”
“To a point, sure. But the Soles owner is all about family image. Remember when your pal Gideon got ordered to coach after his fallout? The owner is willing to forgive, but you need to tryharder.”
Desperation and weakness were not a good mix. My heart raced and the feeling in my stomach got worse with each passing second. Charles was right. I didn’t have to like his tactics, advice or crass way of speaking the truth. I wiped my palms over my face to the point I saw bright spots over my eyelids. “I think I want to post my side of the story.”
“What does your lawyer say?”
“To sit quietly, but this is bullshit. I’m sick of letting thousands of people think they know the truth.” My conversation with Sarah about taking charge of her own story was just as important for me. “I sat out my fifteen games. My time was done for the MLB. The bribery charges… It’s fake. I didn’t say any of that.”
