AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My eyebrow twitched. Did these people read from the same playbook? I glanced around her office, half expecting to find a book on a table, open on 'Fancy Talk 101'.
"Right. The way forward," I echoed. "What form does this plan take?" See, she wasn't the only one who could talk fancy.
She seemed relieved that I wasn't arguing with her. For now.
"Public appearances," she said. "Carefully curated ones, not just going off the bar after a game."
"Really? Cos that's my favourite kind of appearance. Outside of games that is." I sat back and grinned at my own joke. Damn, I was funny. For some reason, she didn't seem to think so. Who understands women anyway? Sometimes I think I do. Then at other times, they make me feel pretty fucking clueless.
"What we need right now are meaningful appearances, not just you hanging out with the guys. However much fun that might be."
"It really is," I agreed. "I get to make fun of the guys for letting themselves be tied down."
Suckers.
"You should come out with us some time. We'll show you what fun is."
"I know how to have fun," she replied. "I don't even need to get into a fight to do it."
"It was one time," I insisted. "And in no way was it my fault." Except shoving the guy, but he had it coming.
"And the rest of the time, you're shooting your mouth off, and clowning around." Her teeth were clenched again.
I slid down in my chair and crossed my arms. "Not all of the time," I said to my chin.
"Enough of the time." She exhaled again and rubbed her forehead. "Look, I'm not your mother, or your keeper. I'm just here to help you, but you have to let me do that."
I wanted to say I didn't have to let her do anything, but at the end of the day, this was her job. There was a slight chance she didn't want to be doing this at all. She might be happier organising Ollie's appearance in some future movie, or as the next Bachelor. That would be fun; building on the positive stuff, not trying to fix my screw up.
I sat back up and crossed my legs at my ankles.
"I know and I appreciate it, I really do. I just?—"
She cocked her head and gestured for me to go on.
"Legit, it was one time. I never even got in a punch. Why do we have to make such a big deal out of it?"
"Because you might have gotten in a punch, if you had the chance," she said.
Okay, she had me there.
"And because it's stuff like that which is expected of guys like you."
I sat forward. "Guys like me? You mean because I play football, and have money in the bank, means I'm an instant asshole?" Sure, plenty of football players were, but not me. Not my friends either. If you wanted to talk assholes, there was Pinky Innocenti, the Rapids’ tight end, and his friends. Walker, Stringer and Fridge weren't the biggest fans of Hawk, Chase, Ollie and me. Pinky in particular. There was a guy whose face I'd rearrange if he looked twice at my sister.
Grace hesitated. Her tongue darted over her lips.
I have to admit that was sexy as hell.
I wanted to slap my own brain. Focus bro, I told myself. She is the last person you want to get involved with.
"Fame comes with certain assumptions," she was saying when I tuned back in again. "Some fair, many not. But you would know that."
"Yeah." I slid back down in my chair again. "If people don't want a piece of you, they want to point their fingers at you. Doesn't matter how good a guy you are, they'll still assume you're not."
"Right. So we need to prove to them that you are as good a guy as you see yourself," she said.
"That's great, until the next time someone films me doing something they don't approve of," I said sulkily. "What happens then?"
