Page 64 of Redemption
He smiles, his white teeth showing in a way that makes him look deranged. “I guess I should ask you the same thing. Tanner, here, said he had a one-on-one practice, so his mom and I thought we would come check it out. But from what I can see, no practice was going on. Why is the kid cleaning the locker room? That seems like a waste of talent to me. Rumor has it you’ve benched the entire varsity team, too. I would hate for the board to find out about this.”
The woman beside him shrinks into herself, and I wonder how much of her habits her son has taken up because when Eric’s stare flips to him, Tanner lowers his head and refuses to meet Eric’s eyes.
“Go ahead and follow through with the thinly veiled threat. There’s a reason that you weren’t offered the position, Westbrook.”
MJ’s hand runs up my arm and squeezes my bicep. It’s a touch of comfort, a way to keep me grounded, but it’s also adistraction—my brain short circuits when she’s near me. Add in touching me, and I nearly lose my mind.
The sneer melts off Eric’s lips, his eyes narrowing where MJ’s hand rests on me, and when he looks back at me, the look on his face is sinister.
“What would Langston have said about you sneaking around? His best friend and little sister—smells like betrayal to me.”
MJ flinches, pulling her hand off my arm and clenching it at her side.
Anger burns hot in my chest.
I ball my hands into fists, and the muscles of my forearm flex.
With one more word, I’m ready to punch him.
Tanner watches me.
What I choose to do next will either gain or lose his respect.
So I release my hands, curling my fingers in and out before I say, “Don’t let me hear Langston’s name come out of your mouth again. Being on the same team in high school doesn’t constitute knowing him. You will not disrespect his sister by pretending you did.”
For once, Eric makes the smart decision and remains quiet.
I look at his wife. It’s the first time I’ve let myself take her in since walking out of the locker room. She has a blonde bob that hits just above her shoulders, and even wearing heels, she’s much smaller than Eric, which is probably what made me think she was cowering from him. She’s older than Eric by several years—though the stiffness of her face suggests she’s had some work done. But when I meet her eyes, there’s a haughtiness simmering in them that I witnessed a million times growing up in this town. It’s the look that says,“Know your place. And it’s not above me.”
“My son needs to be on the field if he wants any chance at scouts looking at him this year. I expect you to coach football,Mr. Miller. Our family donates a lot of money to this school, and as such, we have a lot of influence. Keep that in mind.”
“Bet you don’t have a hospital with your name on it, though,” MJ mumbles to herself, but it’s loud enough for everyone to hear.
Tanner snickers, coughing to cover it up while his mom’s mouth drops open, offended.
“I’m sorry,” I say, stepping forward and offering my hand. “I missed your name.”
She takes it, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “Josephine.”
“Well, Josephine, you’ll find I don’t care what kind of money you have—never have, never will. I recognize that Tanner is your son, and I would be more than willing to sit down with both of you to discuss all of our concerns—specifically these headaches he’s been having. But my practices and the games following are just that—mine. I will run them according to the needs of my athletes, and from what I can see—this is something Tanner needs. I have to wonder, though, if you realize what your son needs.”
Rage burns in her eyes, but I don’t back down. If she won’t stand up for her son and recognize that something is happening with him, then I will.
“The doctor said he was fine. We are done here. Come along, Tanner.”
Taking hold of Tanner’s arm, she drags him behind her. If he wanted to, he’s big enough to put a stop to it, but he follows along with his head down. I wonder how much else he goes along with to keep the peace.
Eric looks to me, then MJ, growling as he says, “We aren’t done here.”
And with that parting shot, he follows his wife and stepson to the parking lot, leaving MJ and me behind.
MJ is quiet until they disappear, and then she says, “What an insufferable—”
“Careful, MJ,” I say with a smile.
She rolls her eyes but smiles back.
It’s the first moment that’s felt like we weren’t at each other’s throats since she came back, and all it took was an impossible socialite paired with the man she almost gave her first kiss to. The absurdity of everything that’s happened in the month she’s been back has me shaking my head.
