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“Hey, bro?” Adam passed the man, turning to look at him as he stood next to Austin. “Hey,” he said, scrutinizing the guy. “New friend?”
“Sponsor broker,” Austin muttered.
Adam’s eyes brightened, and he slapped his back. “I told you we made it!”
Bill’s frozen grin turned real again. “That’s right, son. I was just telling your brother that I could negotiate many types of deals for you guys, including commercials.”
“Commercials! You hear that, bro? We could be actors.” Adam laughed. “Tell us more.”
“Adam,” Austin warned, then leaned down close. “The guy’s a sleazeball. He’s a broker, he doesn’t represent one client. He’s like an agent.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Adam asked. “I heard Brodie talking all about his agent. It’s the way it goes.”
Bill nodded, dropping his cheesy grin and looking a tad more normal. “That’s right. Most companies use agents these days.”
Austin peered at him, not sure he liked the idea.
“I’ll get a list of clients that I’ve worked with in the past and let’s meet, say tonight, over a celebratory dinner? My treat?” Bill asked hopefully.
“Sounds good to me,” Adam said.
“We were gonna leave after the ceremony to meet Charlotte early at the next rodeo.” Austin turned to his brother.
“We can head out early in the morning, bro. This is our chance. She’ll understand that, and if not, well, then you’ll know how far her support goes.” Adam folded his arms, but his eyes pleaded.
Austin knew how much this meant to Adam. Though he didn’t trust the guy, Adam could be right. He’d have to do some checking around with the other competitors. “Have you seen Jake?”
“Nah, not here, I don’t think, but you could always call him.” Adam glanced at Bill, who shifted his weight and glanced back to Austin.
“Yeah, I think I’ll do that.” Austin turned back to the slicker. “I’m checking you out, and if you sound legit, we’ll have that dinner with you.”
“Great!” Bill said, his nerves disappearing, which made Austin wonder if he was a little too hard on the guy. “I’ll meet you after the ceremony.” He handed them both a card and shook their hands. “I promise you, I’ll find you the best sponsors around. You two are going big, I can feel it!” He waved as he turned, walking away with a hop in his step.
“I’m not so sure about this guy,” Austin muttered.
“You’re too skeptical. Relax. Call Jake, and I’ll ask around here if anyone’s heard of him.” Adam squeezed his arm. “You’ve got to have faith, bro. Good things are happening!”
“Yeah,” Austin said. Faith had never been his strong suit. Hard work and his own skills had carried him through. Anything else seemed too easy. He didn’t trust easily.
~~~
Jake answered on the second ring. “Hey, man, what’s going on?”
“We’re at Reno.”
“Nice! What’d you get?”
“Three and eight.” Austin had found the scoreboard before calling Jake, feeling confident as he strode away, knowing that they really did have a chance at Nationals if they could remain consistent like they had.
“Woohoo! Guess we’ll be celebrating at Nationals together!” Jake said. “I’m ranked fourth myself.”
“Alright, man! Yet, you go every year.”
“Not every…” Jake said, trailing off. “So, I know you didn’t call me to tell me your score. What’s up?”
“Ever heard of a guy named Bill Holiday?” Austin asked, his stomach feeling queasy as he did.
“Sure. He’s a sponsor scout. I don’t work with him, but I know several others that do. Why? Wait…did he reach out to you guys?”
