He sighs and taps the screen. "Mum, Dad, you're on speaker. Ophelia is right here."
Oh crap. We're doing this. I didn't even have time to think about what I'm going to say to Xavier's parents. "Um, hi. I'm Ophelia."
Great. I'm not only boring, I'm restating the obvious.
"You'remarried? When did you even meet?"
Before I can speak, Xavier tries to calm his mother down. It's for the best because I don't think telling her that I've only known him for a little over a month would go over well.
"Mum, settle down. I told you about Tony's plan to have me get American citizenship. This is how I did it."
I hear a throat clear and then Xavier's dad speaks. "I guess we didn't figure this is how you'd get citizenship."
"Well, that wanker said it was the only way to fast track so I can get traded in the off-season."
"Seems drastic," Xavier's mom mutters.
Um, I'm right here, lady.
I need to defend myself. "Yeah, well, it might be drastic, but it was Xavier's last chance. It's all good. We get along fine, and we just signed a lease on our new apartment. It's right by the stadium, and it's really pretty, and—"
I'm interrupted by Xavier putting a finger over my lips. It's one hundred percent a shushing gesture, but from the instant he makes contact, all I want to do is to take his finger into my mouth.
This is neither the time nor the place, Ophelia.
I mouth "number one" which makes Xavier pull his hand back. He scrunches up his brows, trying to decipher what I was saying. I take a step back, trying to put distance between us.
"The issue is that Tony's gone. Like literally gone. He hasn't been to work in weeks, and the firm can't reach him."
"Can someone else handle your contract negotiation? You're a client of the firm, not just of Tony's."
Xavier's mom and I are on the same wavelength.
Xavier raises his gaze to meet mine, his phone held out in between us. "This is where it's all buggered up. Tony had conversations with Bjorn and Miller about the trade, but they were phone calls. There's nothing in writing. Nothing in email. There's nothing with the Terrors that we know of either. There are no contracts, and certainly nothing's finalized."
My mouth goes dry.
"I don't know that he ever talked to Camacho or Masters about the trade at all. They may not agree to it. There's certainly no indication that they're inclined to even consider it. Especially considering word on the street is that Camacho is sucking up to Edmund Jones. He definitely won't agree to a trade, if only to punish me further."
After a few beats of silence, Xavier's dad says, "Well, it must be the middle of the night there. Nothing you can do at this moment, other than get some rest so you can make a plan in the morning. Someone else must be able to straighten this muck out."
After Xavier disconnects, it's obvious there's no amount of planning that will let us sleep well tonight.
Chapter 34: Xavier
I can't even look at Ophelia.
I've ruined her life and absolutely mucked all of this up. Not to mention I've all but ended my career in one fell swoop. All because I trusted the wrong person. Again.
I was never the best in school, but I always thought it was because I was more focused on football. Turns out that I'm simply a slow learner.
Ophelia sits there, saying nothing, which indicates how upset with me she is. She's not the silent type, ever. She's the type to fill every ounce of every day with whatever thought streams through her adorable mind.
I wish she would do that now. Prattle on about nothing to push the thoughts out of my brain.
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she clears her throat. "Okay, give me the rundown. How bad is it?"
She wants me to rip the bandage off, so I do. "Most likely the Terrors had no knowledge of a trade, so they're not going to let me out of my contract, even if the Buzzards were willing to pay for it. For some reason, Camacho is committed to sticking it to me. Robert Miller doesn't take risks. He and the Buzzards were only willing to take a chance on me if I came without drama or controversy, considering my past and my relationship with the BSL. It's all a big bungle."
