Page 11 of Hard to Hold

I might have to jet off here or there for a day to deal with a client, but the best thing about my job is I can do it anywhere. Negotiations are rarely done face to face these days and most athletes can be soothed via text, phone, or Zoom. My home base can be a Starbucks, my bed, or while pacing on a sidewalk somewhere.

So this MLS deal is perfect. It’ll let me escape from my everyday scenery for a bit, while the new challenge might be just what I need to get my head back in the game.

Besides, it’s a good excuse not to return home and face my family when I’m not one hundred percent ready to.

I should call people—my family to let them know I’m not coming home, Johnny to let him know I’m headed his way—but I don’t want to.

All I know is that this feels good—right—and I’m not sure why.

As I approach the counter, the attendant looks up with a bright smile and asks in a too cheerful tone, “May I help you?”

“Yes. I need to change my flight.”

“Where to?”

“Los Angeles, please,” I say, then hate when I look to the counter beside me and see one of the men from Sanderson’s circle last night. I don’t acknowledge him but rather skim over him as if I never saw him before turning my attention back to the lady in front of me.

“And a return date?” she asks.

“No. One way, please.”

CHAPTER THREE

LENNOX

I TAKE A DEEP BREATH and prepare myself for whatever the next few moments will bring. I’ve been rushing nonstop since my plane landed.

A text to Johnny while sitting for endless minutes on the tarmac letting him know he has a visitor for the next couple of weeks.

A frantic scramble for a rental car so I could get here on time.

Then there’s the traffic. Christ, if I thought New York was bad, it has nothing on Los Angeles and its myriad of complex, congested freeways where you have to merge and change roads more than I ever have before.

But I’m here with a few minutes to spare, and the powder I just dusted over my nose is still fresh on my fingers.

I glance around the conference room at its rich colors and dark wood tones. Its walls are lined with the logos of each soccer team participating in the league. The glass wall on the other side of the room looks out over a warehouse space with cubicles upon cubicles, but with hoverboards and dog beds littered throughout resembling a Silicon Valley tech start-up.

Soccer.

Ugh.

Not exactly my most favorite sport to say the least, and I’m not immune to the irony of the moment. That I’m here, seated in the MLS’s offices, waiting to hear what skill sets I have that will grow the love of soccer country-wide for MLS.

“Lennox Kincade.” Cannon’s deep baritone fills the room and by the time I turn to face him, my eyes are bright and my smile is welcoming.

“Cannon.” I rise from my seat and shake the hand of the man in front of me. Tall and broad-chested with dark features and from what I remember, assertive with a touch of that authoritative arrogance that is both attractive and annoying. “So good to see you again.”

“Can I get you anything to drink or eat?” He motions for me to sit. “I’m assuming you just came from the conference in Vegas.”

“I did, but I’m good, thanks.” I take a seat and grab the pen on top of my notepad.

Cannon takes a seat and folds his tall body into the chair. I study him as he takes his time preparing what he’s going to say. He’s handsome, in a too polished type of way, which makes me think his hands never get dirty and that if I held his handshake long enough, there wouldn’t be a callous anywhere to be found.

Not that that’s bad . . . but just not my type.

His eyes meet mine again, followed by a smile before he starts. “As you know, it’s been a struggle for soccer to find mainstream success in the US like other sports per se, such as football or baseball.”

“It’s definitely been a challenge,” I muse with a nod. “We don’t have the foundation in America like there is overseas in the Premier League or La Liga. On the other hand, with the rise of youth club soccer here in the US, and with those kids growing up loving the sport, you might be able to take advantage in the coming years of the building blocks that are happening.”