Storm still didn’t look at me.
I could feel Phoenix looming at my side as I reached into my pocket and withdrew my wallet.
Keeping my eyes on Jasper, hating him with every breath I took, I pulled out four crisp one-hundred-dollar bills and dropped them on the table, right in front of him.
“Here. That should cover it,” I rasped with a flick of my head towards the crisp notes.
Storm looked flustered and started to rise to her feet, but Jasper held out a hand, motioning for her to stay put. Again, telling her what to do. “Reed, it’s fine. That’s far too much. My father will get the bill when he comes back.”
“No, I insist. My treat. Thank your father for the game for me, please, Storm.” She nodded without looking at me, misery pouring off her drooped shoulders.
Clearing his throat, Jasper said with a sanctimonious expression. “Well, thank you, Reed. Good game, today.” He pushed to his feet and held his hand out for me to shake across the table. “I’ll make sure you get your change back.” I wanted to knock his flawless teeth out and ruffle that perfectly tousled hair.
I glanced down at his palm like it was covered in something nasty, giving him a taste of his own medicine and ignoring it. Instead, I walked around the table andgave his shoulder an aggressive pat. “Why don’t you keep it. You already have something else of mine.” My eyes locked briefly with Storm’s before I looked away.
And with that parting shot, I left, before I did any more damage, pocketing my wallet with angry, shaking fingers. I could hear Nix making some lame-ass apology behind me. I didn’t give a fuck; I just needed to get out of there before I made even more of a scene.
As I left, I was almost mowed down by a couple of kids asking for autographs, and I complied, signing the napkins they waved at me. As more people got in the way of my determined journey towards my car, Nix appeared and took control, acting like the bodyguard I had once asked him to be. I had forgotten what a big bastard he was. On the field, they called him Brutal. The size of his hands then caused people to call him Wreck-It, Ralph in college. Not to his face, obviously: that shit would be suicide. I watched as he carefully moved people to one side. I’d been on the business end of one of those fists; shit, all the Sawyer brothers had, and it was not an experience you wanted to have more than once.
“OK, people. Give the man some room, no more pictures, please,” Phoenix ordered in a firm but polite tone as he steered people out of the way and made a pathway for me. I knew cell phones were going off and pictures were being taken, capturing my fury, but I didn’t care.
I could feel Nix trailing behind me, rolling his eyes. “Want to talk about it?” Phoenix questioned.
I stopped by my car and turned back. “No. It’s simple. Dick pissed me off.”
“The world seems to piss you off these days,” Phoenix grunted dryly.
“I just fucking hate that guy.”
“Shocker,” he harumphed unhelpfully, but I ignored his snarky tone. “So, the Gala. Harper is at the movies with Ma that night. You wanna be my plus one?”
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away,” I shot back at light speed. As soon as Jasper had made his sly comment about me not being able to go, my mind was made up. I’d pull strings to be there; shit, I’d even donate something for their crummy cause.
With an annoying pat on my shoulder and a mouth twitch, Phoenix added, “That’s what I thought, brother.”
As Nix, a.k.a. my acting bodyguard, assisted me into the driving seat of my car, I realized that the only person I needed protection from was myself.
SIX
STORM
The atmosphere between Jasper and me after his epic golfing loss with my father at the Country Club went on for the entire week that followed. I tried to dust off what Reed had said, but he wasn’t stupid. Jasper knew I had once been intimate with him, and so I couldn’t understand why he kicked off like a possessive jerk. It was probably a face-saving thing. Jasper had felt humiliated at the brunch after losing at golf. God, I hated pissing contests. They were rife in high school, but as adults, really? It all felt so very juvenile.
Luckily, Jasper was working away on a project for his father that took him out of Newport on Wednesday. I’d agreed to pick him up from the apartment he stayed in when he didn’t stop at the house. He’d taken ages to get ready, appearing flustered with a small suitcase, a briefcase, and a green document wallet tucked under his arm. It was one I saw him with regularly, and I asked him about it in the car. He just shrugged and said it was essential reading for the flight. Boring.
I dropped him off at the airport, an attempt to keep the peace, but he was still cold. I knew I wouldn’t see him until the Charity Gala the following weekend, and promised him that I’d look at booking the honeymoon. Something we had still failed to do. I decided against blaming Reed's return for dragging my feet.
Reed had missed his next session on that Monday, which I was annoyed about. It was all above board as he had to attend a routine medical exam. NFL players underwent a comprehensive physical examination by team medics immediately after signing a new contract or joining a team. It was a mandatory evaluation to ensure the player was fit to play. It could also identify any pre-existing conditions to protect the team from assuming liability for undisclosed injuries.
His management had squared it with me first, and I took the time to re-read the notes Reed had written. I toyed with messaging him directly several times, but didn’t.
After entering his private number into my phone and deleting it several times, I decided to wait. Bearing in mind our past. I wanted to help him, and face-to-face meetings were always more successful in getting a person to be open and honest.
It was Saturday and the night of the Charity Gala. It was being held at Harbor Heights High.
Scanning the sports hall at my old school, I noticed it was much busier than it was last year. There must have been a dozen new faces, and I knew Daddy would be pleased with that.
Relaxing back in my chair, I turned away from where I was sitting with Jasper and focused on my father’s presentation.
