“Nothing official, you know. One even offered my mom a plane ticket home to see her family, but I told him no. I told Mom no. I’ll fly her there myself when I get a contract.”
I smiled. “Hell yeah, you will. I’ll be out there for homecoming and we can hang. I’ve gotten permission to be on the field for the game with you and Dad, and maybe we can work out on Sunday.”
“For sure, man. Good luck with Pharaoh and all that mess.”
“Thanks. Tell my pop I said he’s looking old today.”
Darryl laughed. “Right, so he’ll torture me with burpees in full pads? Psh. You’re on your own.”
“I’ll talk to you soon, man.”
“Take it easy, Tyler.”
I hung up the phone and it immediately rang. Cathy’s voice was on the other end.
“Nike’s on the phone for you, Tyler.”
I sighed. “All right. Send them through.” The phone beeped, and when I heard the connection open, I said, “This is Tyler Knight.”
“Mr. Knight, this is Adrienne Christie, senior rep at Nike. I was just returning your call regarding Pharaoh Carson. I assume you have a good excuse for your player?”
“Depends. Is ‘stupid’ a valid excuse?”
She laughed. “Not really, Mr. Knight. Nike’s not generally in the habit of sponsoring criminals who assault police officers. Unless there’s some mistaking what’s happened, the likelihood of Mr. Carson retaining his contract with us is very slim.”
Worry shot through me at the edge to her words, but I kept my cool and answered confidently, “We’ll know more soon. I’d just ask that you wait until some progress has been made to make a decision on what to do with him.”
She paused for a breath. “All right. I’d like to set up a meeting on Monday with Mr. Jones to discuss the issue. Is that enough time?”
“That’s fair. I appreciate your understanding.” Jack walked in, and I held up a finger. “Thanks, Ms. Christie.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll have my assistant get in touch to set up a time. Have a good day.” The line clicked, ending the call.
I let out a breath and hung the phone back on the cradle.
Jack leaned on the doorframe. “Ms. Christie? As in Adrienne Christie? From Nike?”
“Yeah. She’s giving us through the weekend to figure out what to do with Pharaoh.”
He smirked. “You haven’t met her, have you?”
I shook my head. “She’s not the rep I usually deal with.”
“No, she’s a senior rep, only handles the big stuff. She’s not much older than you, but she’s something else, let me tell you. Talk about a saleswoman. The woman’s a shark.” He shook his head and sighed. “Well, I’ve got to fly to Atlanta. I’m leaving in an hour so I can be there when he gets sprung. Need you to hold down the fort while I’m gone, but I should be back by Monday in time to meet Adrienne. Think you can handle it?”
“Without a doubt, Jack.”
“Thanks, kid. Wish me luck. I’m gonna need it.”
“Good luck. Pretty sure Cathy has a bottle of Makers to send you off with.”
He turned to leave. “God bless that wonderful woman. Remind me to give her a raise.”
I packed up and left a little while later, heading toward the gym in the dusk. The days were getting shorter, the nights longer, but the weather was so great after the blazing summer that I found myself refreshed as I made my way toward the subway station.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a photo of my sister in a pair of bunny ears, nibbling on a carrot.
“Hey, Meg,” I answered, smiling.
“Hey. You busy?”
“Nah, just got off work. What’s up?” I stepped off the curb and crossed the street, deciding then to walk the mile and a half home.
“Just wanted to chat.”
“I’ll be home in a little more than a week, you know.”
“I know, but still. Plus, you’ll be busy and so will I. It’s homecoming, remember?”
I chuffed. “So you’ll be busy drinking?”
“I’m in a sorority. Of course I’ll be busy drinking. How was work?”
I sighed. “Busy. Pharaoh Carson got himself arrested, and Jack and I were busy putting out fires all day. But all’s well — I’m on my way to the gym before heading home to get ready for singles night at Cam’s bar.”
“What’s the theme?”
“Comic book cosplay.”
“Ooooh. I love getting dressed up. Who are you going as?”
“Captain America.”
She busted out laughing. “That had to be Cam’s idea.”
I smirked. “Yeah, it was.”
“Genius. You look the part. Is she on a mission to match you up with somebody, or are you going to troll for chicks?”
“Neither, just going to hang out.”
She sighed. “It’s been a year since Jessica. You’ve got to get back on the horse. Can’t let a slag like her ruin you like that, Tyler.”
“She didn’t,” I said simply as I stuffed my free hand in my pocket. “This isn’t about Jess.”
“Well, then what’s it about? You haven’t dated anyone since.”
“That’s not true. I’ve been on dates.”
“Right, but you haven’t dated anyone.”
I came to stop at a corner and watched the light, struggling to find the words. “I dunno, Meg. I haven’t found anyone I’m interested in enough to go for, I guess. I’m not interested in investing any more of myself into someone until I’m sure about their intentions.”