Dad chuckled.
I rolled my eyes. “And here I was trying to be nice.”
“Do you have your speech all done?” Mom asked, adjusting the napkin on Dad’s lap. He had a habit of spilling his food.
I took a sip of water. “It’s mostly done.”
“I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful.” Mom reached across the table and patted my hand.
The waiter came over and took our order. While we waited for our food, we talked about Dad’s golf game and Mom’s new obsession with sourdough bread. Callie teased me a few times about how long my hair was, reminding me that I needed a cut.
It was nice being around them, but my mind was still stuck on that confrontation with Lydia.
The nerve of her to ask me for money, like I owed her something after what she did to me. She acted as if I had failed her somehow, and maybe I did. Lydia was wrong about many things, but maybe she wasn’t wrong about that part. It didn’t excuse what she did, but I couldn’t pretend that I was perfect either. The truth was, I stopped putting in the effort once I realized where things were headed.
It made me question if I had enough to give if someone else came along.
If anything, it made it harder for me to trust again. People seemed to always want something from me. My time, my attention, my money. And once they got what they wanted, they left.
Just as I forced Lydia’s face out of my mind, another one slipped in.
Becca. I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable at the thought. I shouldn’t have been thinking of her. Nothing would ever come of it. Reporters and players didn’t mix, especially with a man like me, who was the face of the franchise. It would be a scandal waiting to happen.
CHAPTER 9
NATE
My heart was pounding,and I was out of breath.
Jax peered down at me with amusement in his eyes. He held out his hand to help me off the bench.
“Hey, old man. Your friend is waiting for you, but you might want to slap some deodorant on first, or you’ll lose whatever chance you have with her.”
I glanced to where Becca stood off on the sidelines. We had another interview session scheduled, but practice was brutal, and I was exhausted. Two of our starters got injured, and a fight broke out between Hudson James, a defensive tackle, and cornerback Dan Wiggins. It started out as chirping at each other, then quickly escalated to pushing and shoving.
The competitiveness, especially during drills, often got out of hand at times.
I laughed as he pulled me up. “She’s just here to ask a few questions. I’ll keep my distance, so I don’t scare her off.”
He threw me a clean hand towel and slapped me on the back. “Wipe that bod off and go charm the reporter.”
I rolled my eyes and wiped the sweat off my face and neck before heading over to her.
As I got closer, that easy smile of hers hit me square in the chest.
“Sorry,” I said, slowing to a stop in front of her. “Practice got a little crazy today. I lost track of time.”
“That’s okay. I wish I had come earlier. I heard I missed all the fun.”
I laughed, which surprised me, considering how exhausted I was. “Just another day at the office, I guess.”
“Does that happen often?”
“The trash talk, yes. The pushing and shoving, sometimes. We’re all teammates, but we’re also competitors, too.”
She looked at me with interest. “Have you ever gotten into a fight with one of your teammates?”
I shrugged. “I’ve been involved in some pushing and shoving, but nothing too crazy. I wouldn’t want to risk damage to this pretty face.”
