Page 38 of False Start
“You’ve been spending too much time with my neighbor,” I muttered.
Christian’s snort was drowned out by the final whistle, and I breathed a sigh of relief that we were almost done for the day. The visiting team went wild for their win, while disappointed Engines fans were more subdued as they filed out of the stadium. Fuck. I hated letting the fans down.
We made our way down to the locker rooms, and I took my time in the shower, setting the water as hot as I could stand to burn away the conversation I’d had with Christian.
The problem was, I knew he was right.
I’d been hiding from my feelings for Georgia for a while, and when she left, it was easier to let her go than take a chance that maybe the reason she left was because she was as scared of wanting more as I was.
I had a support network, but what did she have?
I knew from covert questioning that none of the girls had heard from her in the last two weeks, and it wasn’t like she’d be asking her mom for guidance, so who could she go to?
An idea formed in my mind as I pulled on my street clothes and headed for the door.
“Naylor. You got a minute?” Coach Laudner called from the door to the friends and family room.
“Sure, Coach.” I ignored the way my heart hitched in hope that maybe Georgia was behind the door and pasted on a smile.
“I’d like you to meet Wayne Desmond,” Coach said, indicating a dark-skinned man with shaved head and height and bulk to match my own. Of course, I knew of the man, he’d been one of the greats when I was playing in college, and had established a successful career commentating in recent years.
“It’s good to meet you, sir,” I said, shaking his hand and throwing Coach a curious look. I appreciated the introduction, but wasn’t sure why it was happening.
“You too, son. How’s the shoulder?”
“Good as new,” I lied and followed him over to one of the sofas.
“Good to hear. You must be wondering why I’ve asked to meet with you. I’ll be honest, I’ve been looking into mentorship opportunities, and I recently met someone who put your name forward.”
I glanced at Coach, whose creased brow told me he was as confused as I was.
“I have a daughter,” Wayne said, sitting back and kicking an ankle onto his opposite knee.
“She’s mad for all those daytime TV shows. Anyway, we were touring a set earlier this week and were able to meet some of the cast.”
My stomach started to crawl as I reached a conclusion that sounded insane. Had Georgia advocated for me? Why? How would that conversation have even come about?
“That girlfriend of yours is something else. I don’t even know how we started talking about the mentorship, but before the end of the tour, I’d already agreed to meet with you. I’ll admit, son. I knew your stats, but it wasn’t until she made the suggestion thatI really looked into you. She was right. You have the experience and the connections in the league to be a great commentator. I don’t want to jinx your season, but if it’s something you’d consider when you’re looking at the big R, have your people call mine and we can set up another meeting. What do you say?”
I stared at Wayne Desmond like he was speaking a foreign language. A career shift to commentating had never crossed my mind. There were only so many positions available, and those who had them rarely left except in instances of retirement or death. It was a dream position, and the fact that Georgia seemed to be the catalyst made it difficult to compute.
“When did you meet her?”
Maybe this had happened a while ago, and he’d only just been in a position to make the offer. These things would take time to research and confirm I was a good candidate, right?
“Last week. I know it seems sudden, and please know I’m not expecting you to leave the league tomorrow and take up the mic, but I wanted to test the waters off the record before we started writing up contracts.”
Last week.
After Thanksgiving, then.
I needed to see Georgia. Ask her if she was as miserable without me as I was without her, but I stopped. I’d left her alone for two weeks without a word because she’d pushed me away and hurt my feelings. I needed a plan. But first, I needed to get out of here.
“Thank you, sir. I have no intention of retiring before the end of this season, but I’m interested in discussing this further down the line.”
The rest of the discussion was a blur as we exchanged numbers and Wayne wished us well for the rest of the season. I excused myself as soon as I was able and packed up my things,ready to head out and call an emergency meeting of my nearest and dearest.
We had under two weeks until Christmas, and I needed to lift my game and prove to my fake girlfriend that our connection was real.
