Page 5 of Everything's Better With You
“But I’m not exactly collegiate leadership material.”
“AndIam?” Les said, gesturing to himself. He knew it would make Joe laugh, and he succeeded.
“But you’re a proven commodity. I’m an unknown quantity.”
“Not true,” Barry said. “You’re an important part of the athletic history of this school and it makes perfect sense to offer you the position.”
Again with the blinking.
“I don’t know what to say,” Joe said, his voice not quite as strong. “I…wow.”
Barry held up a hand. “Think about it. Spend the weekend thinking about it. Les will tell you more about what the position entails, and then we can talk more about salary and benefits.Leslie will introduce you around and take you to your accommodations as well.” He stood from his desk and held out his hand, prompting Joe to pop up from his seat. Les moved a little slower as he got up and moved around next to his brother. “I’ve got a meeting with alumni donors and then I’m going to introduce the cheer squad for their exhibition. Thanks for coming this weekend, Joe. I hope you enjoy Spring Fling.”
Joe shook his hand. “Thanks for the invite. I always meant to come back.”
Les squeezed Barry’s shoulder and then turned to Joe. “You’re here now, that’s what counts. We’ll see if we can’t persuade you to join us over the weekend.” He was laying it on thick, but he couldn’t help himself. Joe Judd was here, in person, and Les was determined to convince him to stay. Well, to take the job.
“We’ll see you two in a bit.” Barry left them alone in the office.
Les’s cheeks hurt from smiling.
“What do you think?” he asked. “I know you’d be great.”
Joe planted his hands on his hips and the confused look on his face made Les crack up.
“Do you honestly see me as an educator? An upstanding citizen and a fucking role model? Oh my god, listen to my mouth, are you serious right now? How could anyone see me as an academic? I graduated from here with mediocre marks, and that’s being generous.”
He put a hand to his forehead and Les wanted nothing more than to say the right thing, but he knew better.
“Joe, you’re great at everything you do and you know it.”
He looked at Les funny and his shoulders dropped from up and around his ears. “Maybeyoushould be the cheer coach,” he finally said. “You’re good at this.”
A memory from the night they’d met hit Les like a left tackle, catching him just as he was about to pass and surprising the hell out of him.
The two of them sitting at a bar, Joe with a frou-frou drink, Les with a nonalcoholic beer as he was coming off his latest concussion. Knees touching under the bar, not giving a shit who was watching, high off the vibe you get when you connect with someone on that level, where the attraction is obvious to both parties, the conversationis flowing, and neither party can take their eyes off the other. Les tried to memorize every word that came out of Joe’s mouth that night, but he was more focused on Joe’s mouth than his words.
Like now.
“Les?”
“Hmmm?”
Joe laughed, the tension gone from his frame. “I asked ‘what now?’ Are you gonna show me a good time?”
Les’s face must have showed his shock because Joe gave a devilish chuckle.
“All right, Leslie Payton. Show me a good time while I try to comprehend why onEarthyou and your brother think this is a good idea.”
Three
Joe
Joe smiled and nodded as he followed Les out of the office and down the walkway, but he was fixated on the Payton brothers’ proposition.
Me? Joe Judd living in Ayre Valley? Educating America’s youth?
In what reality wasthata good idea?
