Me: I can be there in an hour.
Biting my bottom lip, I had to know if I was being released, so I went back to messaging her. But her text populated at the same time I sent mine.
Me: Am I in trouble?
Laura: Good. We’ll be waiting.
We’llbe waiting. There was more than one of them waiting for me? “Jeezus,” I muttered to myself, almost ready to panic. Ifwhatever she had to say was bad, my agent would be involved. On the other hand, I’d never heard of anyone being fired by the PR lady. Scrolling through my texts, there was nothing from my agent or attorney, so maybe it was going to be okay.
Checking my email, I scrolled through the inbox and the spam folder before hitting the promotions tab. Nothing there but the regular stuff offering me a deal on my cable bill and the latest sale on a bunch of stuff I didn’t need. There was only one thing this could mean. Lennox.
Flipping to my favorite contacts, I called up the man I was sworn to protect, unless he got me in trouble for something. Then he was on his own.
“Hello? Why the hell are you calling me this early?” Lennox grumbled.
“What have you done? What did you do to get me in trouble with Laura?”
He yawned in my ear before answering. “What the fuck are you talking about? I haven’t done anything.”
I huffed out a breath. “Then why does Laura want to see me in her office in an hour? It’s the offseason, Lennox. You know the rules. I’m not pregnant or getting married.”
He barked out a laugh as I paced my bedroom rug. “You kill me, dude. When you finally open that mouth, all kinds of crazy comes out. I love it.”
Grunting, I rubbed my hand down my face. “What could she want? I don’t get in trouble or cause media problems. That’s your department.”
“True dat,” Dane mumbled in the background. At leastheknew I was right.
Lennox laughed and said something I was sure I didn’t want to hear before he turned his attention back to me. “Mase, I’m sure it’s not a big deal. Just go in and talk to her.” He paused as I bit my nail. Lowering his voice, I wasn’t expecting what he saidnext. “Do you want me to go with you? I will. I’ll need to grab a shower because Dane…”
The scuffling and grunting on the other end of the phone told me I didn’t want to know what was going on. And if I weren’t careful, Lennox would tell me. “No, I’m a big boy. I’ve got this. I don’t need a babysitter.”
He chuckled, then spoke again. “Not a babysitter, big guy. Just a friend. I’ve got your back. Always. Just relax. It’ll be okay. Maybe there’s a big PR deal she needs someone for.”
Breathing in a deep, calming breath, I pushed down my panic. “Yeah. I know. Thanks, man. Sorry to bother you.”
“Hang on,” he said. “Give me a sec.”
I wanted to say he didn’t need to talk me off a ledge, but for some reason, I needed him to since Thomas wasn’t here. “Okay.”
I made one pass across my bedroom by the time he came back on the line. “Listen, I haven’t heard any rumors about anything, so try not to worry. I know that’s easy for me to say, but just know if we need to fuck some shit up, we will. Hudson will defend us. He’s a lawyer.”
I smiled at his tough guy routine. My friends were as easy-going as they came. “Don’t think that will be necessary, QB.”
He chuckled softly. “Well, at least you know we would if we needed to. You’re the best center in the league, Mason, and I’ll fight for you every day if I have to.”
Neither of us responded, letting the weight of our friendship settle my nerves. “Thanks, Lennox. I’m going to go shower and head over there.”
“Good. Call me when you’re done. Or swing by if you want. You’re always welcome here with us.” Lennox might be a character, but when he was serious, you could hear it in his voice. He was protective of his friends, and I needed that today. “If I do, I’ll call before I head over.”
“We’ll be here,” he said quietly. “Don’t worry.”
Ending the call, I took one last look at my contacts list and stalked off to my bathroom. Even though Lennox had eased my nerves, Thomas was the one who put it all into perspective. Anxiety was terrible, and as much as I thought I had it under control, it still reared its ugly head every time I thought I’d disappointed someone. It was even worse when I was clueless about what I’d done.
Less than an hour later, I knocked on Laura’s door. She was seated at her desk, working on her computer as she held a conversation on the phone. When she looked up and saw me, she smiled and waved me in.
“Hey, Dad, I’ve got to go. Tell Brent I said hello.” She smiled at whatever he said, but motioned for me to sit. “Okay, love you too. Talk soon.” As she ended the call, the smile remained on her face. I took that as a good sign.
“Thanks for coming in, Mason. I’m sorry to interrupt your offseason. Let me tell Craig you’re here.”
