“His ex-fiancée married his former friend and teammate in a huge star-studded ceremony.” They all turned in the direction of Jacques, who had just delivered the piping-hot tea.
“Seriously, Jacques?” Xavier asked, scowling at Jacques. “I thought we were cool.”
Jacques patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry, but it’s all over the news. No point in holding it in.”
“Good riddance,” Hattie said in a raised voice. “It’s fortunate you didn’t walk down the aisle with that one. Thank your lucky stars. Your traitorous friend did you a huge favor.”
“Ouch. Tell me how you really feel,” Xavier said, shooting her a surprised look. At times he forgot that Hattie could be brutal in her observations. He was grateful to have her in his corner.
Xavier knew Hattie was right about his ex, but he was still rattled. It reminded him of how reckless he’d once been with his heart and how he hadn’t even seen the blind side coming. Had he changed since then? Was he savvier about protecting his heart? Or was he still capable of being played for a fool?
Was True capable of being another Heather? His heart told him no, but his head was telling him anything was possible.
Hard questions whirled around in his head. Why couldn’t he just separate True from all the bad stuff in his past? The way True made him feel was unlike anything else he had ever known. It scared him to admit it, but he was in love with her. Real, true, abiding love. She had come into his life like a random blizzard in Arizona. He hadn’t been prepared to feel so much so soon. He wasn’t sure he could handle it ifTrue turned out not to be the woman he thought she was. His heart wouldn’t be able to deal with another betrayal.
“I give them six months tops,” Caleb said. “Don’t worry. You’ll have the last laugh.”
Xavier knew everyone was trying to make him feel better, but he didn’t think their tactics were working. Sometimes a person just needed to sit in the discomfort for a while in order to process everything. The timing couldn’t be worse, though, since he was knee-deep in a relationship with True. If someone had asked him a few days ago, he would have said he didn’t have a single doubt about her. But now… he would have to be a fool to not question it all.
After dinner, he went back upstairs and made a call to his agent, who answered on the second ring. Gordon Baker had been with Xavier since the day he had been recruited by the Cardinals. As loyal as they came, Gordon was the only one who had steadfastly remained in his corner after he’d lost it all and hit rock bottom. He was a good dude who genuinely cared about Xavier and always sought out opportunities in the industry for him to explore.
“Hey there, Xavier. How are you? What’s shaking in Alaska?” Gordon’s deep baritone voice came across the miles loud and clear. Xavier put the call on speaker and sat down on his bed.
“Hi, Gordon. Things are good here. I just wanted to get back to you. Sorry, I know you’ve left a few messages for me, but things have been a bit hectic here.”
“That’s okay, X. From what you’ve said about Yukon Cider, I imagine there’s a huge learning curve.” His laughter rang out on the other end of the phone.
“That there is,” Xavier said. “So what’s going on?” He knew Gordon well enough to know there was something business-related to talk over.
“As you know from our discussions, several major networks are looking to bring on some on-air talent. Fresh faces. Athletes. For the first year or so it would mostly be weekend gigs, which would work out with your arrangement with Hattie to be at Yukon Cider during the week,” Gordon explained. “You check off the boxes as far as I’m concerned. I think hiring you would be a no-brainer, especially now.”
“What do you mean, especially now?” Xavier asked, confused about what Gordon meant. Was there a spike in interest in washed-out football players?
Silence greeted Xavier on the other end of the phone. Gordon cleared his throat and continued speaking. “I hate to be insensitive, but with all this hoopla surrounding Heather and Chazz’s wedding, your name is back in the news. Although it’s their wedding, this is causing a chain reaction where everyone is buzzing about you. People remember the on-field collision and your medical issues, plus your engagement to Heather. It’s causing a bit of a feeding frenzy.”
Xavier put his head in his hands. What a world! For almost two years now, no one had wanted to lift a single finger to help out when he’d been at his lowest point. No interviews. No compassion. He had been written off as a failure. And now, simply because of the wedding, his name was back in the spotlight.
“I don’t know, Gordon. It feels a little unauthentic.” He didn’t want to capitalize on one of the most agonizing moments of his life. Not to mention that he cringed at the thought of being mentioned along with Heather and Chazz.
“Like my grandmother used to say, strike while the iron is hot. And you’re on fire, my friend. The thing about fires is that they can sometimes go out without warning, so time is of the essence,” Gordon said with conviction. His agent wasone of the best in the business, always shooting straight from the hip. Xavier trusted his professional judgment.
“What do I need to do?” Xavier asked. This was the chance he had been waiting for, an opportunity to redeem himself. A shot at redemption.
His conscience was bothering him about bailing on the Mavericks, but he would find a top-notch replacement to lead the team. The team’s greatness wasn’t about the Storm being their coach. He was hosting a team-building event at the bowling alley for the Mavericks, and he would have to hide his emotions from the kids. He couldn’t allow guilt to swallow him up. This was his shot at a career comeback. He’d be a fool to pass on the opportunity.
“There’s a round of interviews happening next week in Los Angeles. You need to be here and place yourself front and center. I can line up some on-air interviews for you as well to beef up the interest.”
“Okay, I’ll do it,” he said, battling a sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach. Xavier was saying yes to something that would be beneficial for him, but he knew the fallout would be messy.
“I’ll send over the details. And I’ll be in touch,” Gordon promised. “Talk to you soon.”
When he disconnected from the call, Xavier began to pace back and forth along the length of the room. The call with his agent had left him on edge. If he was hired for one of these on-air positions and it became a full-time gig a year from now, he was basically indicating that he wanted to sell Yukon Cider rather than stay on and run the company. That decision could cause shock waves throughout Moose Falls. And within the Stone family.
What would Hattie and his brothers think? Red? And most of all, True. A part of him knew that if he left, it wouldbe the end of them, of what they were building together. That knowledge threatened to burn a hole in his chest, but he was in self-protection mode at the moment. He had no confirmation that True had strong feelings for him. His romantic history had shown that he had a shocking lack of insight where relationships were concerned. For all he knew, he was simply a means to an end for True. Although it gutted him to think such things, he had to be realistic.
He had to put himself first so he could get back what he’d lost. If he listened to Gordon, he could be back on track financially in a few years. He would be rehabbing his image and taking steps toward rebuilding his old life. Leaving Moose Falls and letting True go wouldn’t be easy, but it was what he needed to do so he could move forward with his life. If only his heart could be as practical as his head.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
