Present
I was dreading tonight. Like on a scale of one to ten, I was at an eleven. Lexi felt my tension even though I tried to hide it.
“Come on. It’ll be fun. I promise to be on my best behavior,” Lexi said.
I smiled because she was charming and I knew she would look good on my arm. “I know you will.” I kissed her softly. “You make me look good.”
She posed and slowly spun so that I could see her amazing dress and heels and how perfect her hair and makeup were. Her auburn hair, when curled and styled, touched her shoulders. Her hazel eyes shifted from blue when she was happy to green when she cried. She was hot, no doubt about it, but I was also getting bored again. I didn’t have time for a girlfriend, but I didn’t know how to tell her that either. Our fights were becoming more frequent.
Tonight, she was being nice. We were going to a black-tie event in downtown Bridgemont where coaches and starters were introducing their charities to the public. It was a big event and tickets were by special invitation only. If you weren’t on the list, you didn’t get in.
“Now, hurry up and get ready. I don’t want to be late,” Lexi said.
I dropped my towel and slipped into the cream-colored double strap one-shoulder fit evening gown that Lexi wanted me to wear. I didn’t have a lot of time to mess with my hair so I blew it straight, applied makeup, and slipped on strappy heels. I stood in front of Lexi when I was ready.
“Well, how do I look?”
She ran her hands down my sides and rested them on my hips. “You look incredible. I’m going to have to fight everyone off tonight.”
“I’ll be the wallflower standing by the bar,” I said.
“You’ll be the one surrounded by all the football players who want to talk shop with you.” She rolled her eyes and smirked. It seemed odd that she wanted to start a fight tonight.
“Well, it is about football. All of this,” I said.
“I’ll just hang back with the girlfriends and wives and we’ll talk about how we never get to see our partners during the season.”
She was in for a rude awakening when she found out the players were home by six or seven. The coaches hung back to talk about the day’s practices and how to improve plays. If we could, we’d stay there all night. A new team was exhausting, but we were all so excited to make this happen. Lexi would never understand.
It also didn’t help that tonight I was most certainly going to run into Parker. It was inevitable. I had managed to avoid all gatherings with her until tonight. As I drove into town, I thought about how I was going to handle seeing and talking to Parker after all these years.
“Is there anybody I should avoid? Or be mean to? Are you on anybody’s shit list? Because I won’t stand for that,” Lexi said. She put her hand on my thigh and gave me a small squeeze.
“Nope. It’s all good.” I hoped that was true. The closer we got to the event, the more I sweated. I turned up the air.
“Oh, babe. You’ll ruin your makeup.” She touched my brow and adjusted the vents to blow on me. “Are you that nervous about tonight? I mean, you’re going to be around your people. If anyone should be sweating, it’s me. I’m going to meet your boss and the owner of the Cheetahs.”
She wasn’t this self-centered when we first met. “It’s a lot for both of us.” I turned my attention back to the road and got us to the event right on time. I gave the valet my fob and a hefty tip to keep the car close. If things went south, I wanted to get out as quickly as possible.
“Looking good, Coach.” Anthony Quinn, our running back, stopped to introduce us to his girlfriend, Crystal. She was friendly and they looked stunning together.
“You both look amazing.” I introduced them to Lexi who turned up the charm.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you. Sutton talks about you all the time,” she said.
Anthony beamed with pride. “It’s been great having her on our team,” he said.
There was a comfort walking into the hotel with another couple. I was sure they would break off from us as soon as we got to the ballroom, but having Anthony next to me helped me relax.
“Are you excited to talk about your charity? Running Back Packs, right?” I asked him. If I remembered correctly, the organization gave food-insecure children packs of easy-to-prepare food for the weekends.
“It’s near and dear to me.” He emphasized by placing both hands over his heart.
“I think it’s great,” I said. I reached for Lexi’s hand when we found the ballroom.
“Your hands are sweaty, babe.” Her hand grew limp in mine and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before she dropped it.
“Sorry. I’m a little nervous.”
“Sutton, over here.” Brandon waved me over to a table with the offensive coaches. The large table was already littered with glasses of wine, water, and longnecks. I wondered what time everyone arrived. “This is my wife, Tina.”
I shook her hand and introduced Lexi to the table. The men smiled at her appreciatively and the other wives, once introduced to us, seemed snobbish except for Tina. Lexi wasted no time in finding a waiter and ordering a glass of chardonnay. I asked for water. The last thing I needed was alcohol.
The room quieted as Terry made his way to the podium at the front of the room. There were easily three hundred people in the ballroom. I relaxed a fraction when I didn’t see Grayson or Parker.
“Thank you all for coming this evening. As a new team, we are anxious for you all to get to know us and learn about our charities. It’s important for us to spend time with our community and give back. I’m sure you saw the tables in the hallway with the different charities. Please chat with the players and coaches if you have any questions. You’ll find them floating around. Cheers, everyone!”
Just what I didn’t want. Free time. I thought it was an organized event where we spoke briefly about our charities, ate dinner, and left after an hour. Instead, it was an upscale buffet with a full staff behind each station to serve us. Lexi wanted to wait to eat and I was fine with that. I was good sitting in my chair the whole evening with the rest of the room behind me.
Lexi stood and leaned over my shoulder to take my drink order. “Do you want anything to drink? I’m going to socialize and grab another wine.”
“I’m fine with water.” I smiled and nodded. I turned my attention back to Tina. “So, you plant the bulbs in the fall?” I was getting a lesson on tulips and, right now, it was everything to me.
“Well, if it isn’t homecoming queen turned NFL pro.”
I turned when I heard Max’s voice. “Max! What are you doing here?” I jumped up and hugged him tightly. I pushed him away only to pull him back for another hug. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” I’d talked to him on the phone during my first week with the Cheetahs. He was so happy for me. He had just opened his fifth gym in the northeast this spring.
“I wanted it to be a surprise. I have business over in Boston and thought I’d swing by and see how my favorite quarterback is doing.”
“I can’t believe this. I’m so freaking happy!” I took his hand and squeezed. “Let me introduce you to everyone.” He shook my staff’s hands and had a little something to say about each coach, noting a great call they made during their careers.
“You were great in Dallas. I’m sorry your career got cut short,” Jamal said.
Max had blown out his knee during his third year. He waved Jamal off. “I’m still blessed. I miss football, but I don’t miss the pain every week.”
“How do you know McCoy?” Brandon asked.
“We went to the same high school,” Max said.
“Small world, huh? Grayson Moats is from around your area, too. Do you know him?” Jamal asked.
Max smiled. “We’ve shared space before.” He turned to the table. “It was nice to meet you all, but this one needs to show me her charity.” He locked arms with me and escorted me out into the large hall where tables with information on our charities were available to scan or take home. The administrative staff worked with all of us and were in charge of staging tonight. They did an incredible job. It was hard to get through the crowd to get to my charity, Book Ends, which encouraged kids to read more and also gave them a sense of social responsibility. For every book they read, a book was donated to a school in need.
Max smiled. “Why did you pick this? I don’t remember you reading a lot in school.”
“I love to read. I was too busy in high school but read a ton in college. Now I listen to audiobooks to and from work.”
“Do you sleep?” He moved closer and lowered his voice. “Is Lexi still around?”
I shushed him as I looked around in case she sneaked up on us. “She is. She’s even here tonight.” Max had met her once when we first started dating and told me to run the other way. He got bad vibes. Hayley felt the same. She’d helped us move here but was completely perplexed about why I was okay with Lexi moving to Connecticut with me. Lexi overheard and they got into a huge fight. Hayley ended up leaving early and now we only talked on my lunch breaks or on my way home, never when Lexi was around.
He pulled me close. “I don’t want you to freak out, but Parker and Grayson are here.”
My back was to the crowd which gave me time to prepare myself. “How does she look?”
He raised his eyebrow and paused. “You look better.”
“Shit,” I muttered.
“Uh-oh.”
My heart stopped and the blood in my veins turned to ice. “What does that mean?”
He smiled and nodded. “She’s coming over,” he said through clenched teeth as he kept a smile on his face.
“I’m not ready.”
“Not an option.” He turned me slowly to face Parker.
I held my breath, knowing she would take it away if I didn’t. I knew she would grow into a beautiful woman and I’d seen a few photos, but I just wasn’t prepared to see her this close and in person.
“Hi, Sutton. Hi, Max,” Parker said. She looked stunning. She still had the brilliant eyes that could sear right through me. She was wearing a short black dress that clung to her and landed right at the knee. She accessorized with gold jewelry including a small brooch of our team’s logo pinned to her dress. Motherhood had given her nice curves. She was cute in high school, but as an adult, she was a knockout. Her long blond hair was highlighted and pulled over one shoulder.
“Hi, Parker. It’s good to see you again,” I said. I wished I would’ve had that glass of wine.
“Hey, Parker. It’s so good to see you again after all these years,” Max said. He leaned forward and gave her a stiff hug. I didn’t move. It took my stomach ten seconds to stop quivering. Once my body relaxed, my anxiety at seeing her again after so many years vanished. I knew it was my brain protecting my heart. We had all moved on, but my guard was still up.
“Congratulations, Sutton. I always knew you would make it big. If anyone could break the glass ceiling at the NFL, it would be you,” she said.
After fifteen years, that’s what she said to me? I forced a smile. “Thank you. It’s always been my dream.” I was going to say something likewise, but I knew nothing about Parker’s life on purpose. Bits and pieces of hers popped up only because of Grayson.
After a long awkward pause, Max spoke up. “What’s Grayson’s charity?” he asked Parker.
She pointed behind her to the obnoxiously large Keeping in Motion banner. The organization donated bikes to kids to promote exercise and health. There was a crowd around Grayson in his booth. He looked happy and handsome as he flirted with the press.
“It’s getting a lot of attention. The idea is to get kids away from electronics and back to nature. You know, exercise and adventure.” Parker stared at me the entire time. It was unnerving. I tried to look bored, but not rude. I had no idea what to say.
“I think it’s great,” Max said.
“Max! What are you doing here?” Lexi swooped into our conversation and looped her arm around Max’s shoulder. He was nicer about my relationship with her than Hayley was.
“Hey, Lexi. Good to see you again.”
Lexi reached her hand out to Parker. “Hi, I’m Lexi. I’m with her.” She gave me a small hip bump and waited for somebody to introduce her to the sexy woman standing close to me.
“Hi, I’m Parker Moats, Grayson’s wife.” Parker shook her hand.
Lexi held Parker’s hand with both of hers. “Wow. Nice rock.” She studied the giant diamond ring embarrassingly hard. “I’m so glad to meet you. I need a friend to sit with during the home games.”
The absolute last thing I needed was for my girlfriend and my high school ex-girlfriend to be friends.
“Hey, Coach. Congrats on your charity,” Grayson said. I hadn’t even seen him slip up behind Parker until he put his arm around her shoulders. There wasn’t any animosity in his body language or his demeanor. Apparently, I was the only one who still harbored any anxiety over the situation. “Max, right?” Grayson shook Max’s hand. “Good to see you again, man.”
I felt Max tense. Maybe not the only one.
“Congrats on signing with the Cheetahs. You have the best coaches in the league.” Max bumped his shoulder gently against mine.
“No doubt,” Grayson said.
He seemed so charismatic and friendly and the longer we stood chatting, the more it seemed like I was being the childish one. Lexi held my hand which didn’t go unnoticed by Parker, but nothing on her face gave me any indication that it bothered her. Parker asked Lexi questions about her therapy practice and seemed genuinely interested in everything she said. She turned those deep blue eyes on me and opened her mouth to speak when we were interrupted.
“Coach McCoy, Grayson Moats. Would you mind if we did a quick interview?” Grayson and I turned to find a local TV reporter poised and ready to film with a cameraman three steps behind her. I’d seen her on the ten o’clock prime time news. She was blond and attractive. Grayson looked at me and I nodded. The reporter wasted no time in directing us to a more private place away from the traffic by the tables.
“You two used to play football against one another, right?”
“She destroyed me in high school.” Grayson was being overdramatic, but it was done in jest and we all smiled. “I’m so fortunate to be on her team this time.” I was impressed with his acting skills. The reporter turned to me.
“I’d say it’s mutual. Grayson is an excellent quarterback,” I said.
“Are there any hard feelings between you two?” she asked.
Grayson put his arm across my shoulders. He made it seem friendly rather than invasive. “Not a single one. I’ve admired her for a long time. First in high school then in the NFL. I can’t think of a better offensive coach to take us far our first year.”
I smiled through my nerves and almost convinced myself I was having a good time. “Even when we were teenagers, Grayson was a powerful leader. I can’t wait to see what he does with this team.”
“It sounds like you two have a great history.” The reporter moved to my other side so the cameraman could get a shot of the crowd behind us. “So, tell us about your charities. Let’s start with you, Coach McCoy.”
Grayson and I said wonderful things about each other’s charity and it was easier to relax once I had something else to talk about. Grayson was engaging and the reporter was obviously smitten. She thanked us for the interview and moved on to find Jamal to do a segment on his athletic program for children.
Grayson leaned closer. “I wasn’t lying. I think you’re one of the best.”
It amazed me how different he was now as an adult. He was almost too nice. “Thanks, Grayson. I appreciate it.” I didn’t know what else to say. He either really took what Terry said to heart, or he meant it.
We walked back to our partners and Max. The moment he was visible, people started calling Grayson’s name. “Well, I hate to break up this reunion of sorts, but I need to get back to the table. Parker, I want to introduce you to a few people. Excuse us.”
“It’s so good to see you again, Sutton,” Parker said. Her voice was a little more mature, and I still got a chill when she said my name.
“You, too.”
“Come on, babe. I need food so the wine doesn’t go to my head,” Lexi said.
“You two go on ahead. I’m going to talk to a few of the players I know,” Max said.
Lexi and I slipped back into the ballroom and got in line for the buffet. The thought of food wasn’t appealing, but I had to keep up the pretenses. I ordered a white wine and welcomed another in-depth conversation about tulip bulbs and mums with Tina. I ended up eating half of what was on my plate.
Just like I was always able to do back in high school, I immediately felt Parker when she stepped into the room. I watched as she and Grayson weaved through the tables until they sat with the other quarterbacks and their dates. She didn’t engage in conversation with the wives. Every time I glanced her way, she was staring at me. Her attention released feelings I had buried. Was she happy? Was she living the life she wanted? Did she finish college? Why was I so invested?
“I think I’m going to go. That’s okay, right? If I don’t leave now, I’m going to eat all the dessert,” Lexi said. She sounded bored. She didn’t know anyone and she lasted longer than I expected.
I was freaked by the rebirth of my fascination with Parker, but I remained outwardly calm and even managed to give Lexi a smile. “That’s fine. I need to find Max and see what his plans are.”
“Maybe I should take a Lyft home. I don’t think you should leave yet,” she said.
I wasn’t going to fight her. “Do you want me to order you one?” I pulled out my phone, knowing the answer already. “It’ll be here in six minutes. By the time we get to the lobby, it will be out front.” I stood and held out my hand. We took the long way around the room, careful to avoid running into Parker again.
“I won’t be out too long.” I kissed her as she slipped into the Lyft. “Let me know when you make it home.” I stayed outside for a few moments before going back inside. I needed fresh air.
“Oh, good. I thought you left without saying bye.” Max walked out on my way in.
“I was putting Lexi in a Lyft.”
He put his hands on my upper arms. “How are you doing?”
I walked right into his arms for another hug. “It’s been an emotional night. What are your plans?”
“I’m going to hang out with you. Let’s promote your charity.” He escorted me inside and walked me to my charity table. He took a couple of photos and posted them along with a link to my website that asked for donations.
“Sutton, can I talk to you a minute?” Parker asked.
I turned and found her about five feet from me. I looked at Max.
“I’m going to grab a beer. Do either of you want anything?” he asked.
My mouth was dry and swallowing was impossible. “I’ll take a water,” I said. Parker shook her head and Max slipped away quickly. “What’s going on?”
“I’d like to sit down and chat with you sometime if that’s all right. I know it’s been a long time. If you don’t want to, I understand.” She touched my arm briefly but pulled her hand away when I looked down at her fingertips on my skin. As though she recognized my waffling, she added, “I want to know what your life has been like since high school. It sounds like it’s been an amazing ride.”
My anxiety was at a ten when I first arrived and now I couldn’t feel anything at all. Maybe the initial shock of sharing space with her was over. Our relationship was half a lifetime ago and maybe we really could be friends. It would be good for Grayson, the team, and honestly, good for me. I loved her deeply a long time ago and I did want to know about her life since we split.
“Yeah, that sounds nice. I’d like to hear what you’ve been up to as well.”
She found a pen on the table and wrote her number on one of my charity flyers. “I know you’re busy with the season starting up, but let me know when you’re free to have coffee or lunch.” She turned as Max approached with a beer and a tall water. “Bye, Max. It was good to see you again.”
He handed me the water as we watched her leave. “How do you really feel about that?” He faced me and waited for my reaction.
I felt defeated when I looked at him. “I honestly don’t know right now. I’m too overwhelmed. But we both know I’m going to call her anyway.”