Page 6 of Offside and Off-Limits
He arches an eyebrow. “Da bomb?”
I chuckle. “You should get into them, man. There are so many twists and turns, plus the time travel warps your mind.”
He chortles, shaking his head. “You do you, Lennox. I’m hoping you brought your gym equipment. This place is big enough for it all.”
“Sure did. It’s all set up in the garage, ready for use as and when. Wanna see?”
“Lead the way.”
We make our way through the boxes and down the hallway, where I give Jamie a mini tour of the house before entering the garage. The equipment has all been unboxed, and I’ve spent thebest part of a couple hours helping some of the guys put the machines together after my breakfast, courtesy of Shirley May.
Jamie casts an appreciative eye around the space. “It’ll be just like NYC, us working out together.”
“Mostly, yeah.”
He arches an eyebrow at me. “Mostly?”
I chew on my lip for a beat. “I’m, well, I’m hoping this place will mean a fresh start for me.”
“Are you thinking of getting another weights system?”
“Nah, I mean more along the lines of reinventing myself. Leaving the old Cade Lennox behind.”
“New town, new you? Like a new hairdo if you’re a chick?” he asks with a grin, and I laugh.
“Something like that, only less to do with hairstyles and more to do with how I choose to live my life.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Meaning?”
“You know me. I’m a good time guy. I love to party. I love to meet women. I don’t do serious, and I don’t do commitment.”
“‘Loverboy Lennox,’ wasn’t that one of the nicknames the media gave you a while back?”
I cringe. “Yeah.”
“And ‘Manhattan’s Most Wanted.’ I remember that one ’cos a bunch of the guys on the team were jealous. They wanted that one.”
“They can have it. I’m done with all that.”
“You’re done with that whole rapper lifestyle you had going on?”
“Heck, yeah. I want—” I break off, thinking of the conversation I had with my mom last Thanksgiving. She told me she wanted me to have the world, and part of that was finding someone to share it with. I swallow. “I guess I want to make my mom proud of who I am as a man.”
“Huh.”
“What doesthatmean?”
He pats me on the back. “It means my boy is finally growing up.”
I push his shoulder with the heel of my hand. “Shut up, man. I’m being serious here. I want to leave that guy behind. I want something more. Something real. Like Drake has with his girl.”
“Drake fell hard, and fast.”
“Yup.”
“And you’re expecting to meet the love of your life here in this small town? You do know the population is like a hundred people.”
“More like ten thousand, isn’t it?”
