As he’d grown, the football field became an extension of his home. He felt right on the grass, the same sense he had when he was ankle-deep in beach sand or setting up a ball pit for Akoni. Holding Cedar felt that way too, like he was right where he was supposed to be and doing exactly what he was supposed todo.
He arrived at Elijah’s downtown office only a few minutes late. Elijah greeted him with a handshake. His bald head was extra shiny today. Teo teased him about having gone in for a wax and shine at the salon. He was all smiles and reported that things were good with the baby andDeja.
They settled into the plush chairs around the coffee table and got to work. “I sold your interest in the chain of tanning salons,” Elijah said. “You came out on top, but if you want to avoid a hefty tax on the gains you need to roll the profit into somethingelse.”
Teo wished Cedar was here. She would love this. “I’m sure you havesuggestions.”
Elijah leaned forward. “Actually, the business developer who had the idea for the curly hair salon put out anotherplan.”
“Really?” Teo leaned forward too. “Shouldn’t that be a redflag?”
“It would be, if this other plan wasn’t just as good.” He rifled around the coffee table before coming up with the folder he was looking for. “Even I liked this one. It’s a bakery with a cookie and brownie bar where you can decorate your owntreats.”
Teo steepled his fingers—intrigued but not sold on the idea. “Awhat?”
Elijah grinned. “Picture an all-you-can-eat buffet, except instead of lettuce and soups under the glass, you have frostings, sprinkles, candies, and the like. The cookies are cut in holiday-appropriate shapes, and there are decorating ideas with instructions posted on thewalls.”
Elijah had painted a sweet picture in Teo’s mind. “Really?”
“Sounds great, right? Date night. Family night. Times when you want more frosting than cookie. Besides the decorating station, people can purchase a finished product from the displaycase.”
Teo could see himself taking Cedar and Akoni to a bakery like that. They could spend some time building their own treats. They would love it. Keeping Akoni from grabbing fistfuls of sprinkles would be an issue, but the effort would be worth the experience. “Let’s doit.”
Elijah jotted down some notes. “I think it would be a good idea to meet this guy. Especially if you’re going to back more than one of his start-ups. And if all his ideas are this great, then we want to be in with him before anyoneelse.”
Teo could see the wisdom in Elijah’s suggestion, but he was already feeling the pull to get back home. “I’m bringing Cedar and Akoni, so make sure it’s a familyrestaurant.”
“I’ll let Deja pick. I want her and Cedar to meet,too.”
His agentwassmart. Cedar was quickly becoming an important part of Teo’s life, and he wanted her to know all the people he knew—wanted them to know she was significant. He grinned. “Perfect.”
They went on to talk about a couple commercials for sponsors and his schedule. He wouldn’t film during the season, so they had to cram as much in as they could before workoutsbegan.
Time was flying by, and as it passed, a sense of change approached. Cedar would probably get the job she interviewed for today. That meant his time with her would be limited to evenings and weekends, and his weekends would be spotted with games andtravel.
He wanted to lay claim to her every spare minute and soak up her sweet zest for life. As he promised, he hurried home to the two people he cared most aboutwaited.
Chapter 17
“Well, that was a bust.”Cedar flopped onto the couch next to Teo. She rubbed Akoni’s back. The poor little guy had buried his face in Teo’s neck when the possible nanny snapped at him for throwing one of the plastic balls from the ball pit atTeo.
“She wasn’t all bad,” Teo offered lamely. Cedar waited. He wrinkled his nose. “Never mind—she washorrible.”
Cedar shook her head. “Did you love her speech about tough love fortoddlers?”
“No. No one is strapping my kid in a chair for any other reason than safety. He already hates his car seat. Can you imagine what he’d do if he were forced in there for letting out one of his screams or smearing jam on his highchair?”
Cedar laid her head on Teo’s arm. “I take back every not-so-nice thought I had about you when you dropped Akoni in my arms on that first day. Hiring a nanny isexhausting.”
So far they’d interviewed a woman who barely glanced at Akoni but spent a lot of time staring at Teo—or parts of Teo, depending on the moment. Then there was a grandmother who spent twenty minutes telling them how dangerous football was and insisting Teo retireimmediately.
They interviewed a man who eyed Teo’s football signed by last year’s Titans team. He expressed so much interest in the keepsake that Cedar was sure that if the house was on fire, he’d grab the football and leave Akonibehind.
And then there was Helga. Helga wasn’t her real name, but Cedar had taken to thinking of her as such halfway through the interminableinterview.
“Nice to know I’ve been redeemed in your eyes.” Teo shifted so he could check the time. “Are you ready for our dinnerdate?”
Cedar’s stomach flipped. Meeting Elijah’s wife was kind of a big deal. Since moving to Texas, she’d made some friends, but they all ran in different circles. She’d barely kept up with where her fellow students ended up after graduation. Many of them were out of state and a few had gone out of thecountry.
