With an attitude like that, it was no surprise he was still single.
“Maybe your mom and aunt Joan can find you a date for Cole’s wedding,” I suggested, even though I knew it would piss him off.
Jax’s brother was getting married next spring. Which meant he had to go home for the wedding, while the whole town tried to fix him up with every available female in town.
“Maybe I should let them. It might take the pressure off,” Jax said. “Do you know how hard it is to date today? Fucking impossible.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” Ryder tossed a pretzel into his mouth. “One of these days, you both are going to regret making fun of me.”
I laughed despite myself. Whenever the two idiots started dishing out relationship advice, it always turned into entertainment.
Jax’s cat, Salem, jumped onto the table, just in time for me to break off a tiny piece of celery.
“Don’t feed him.” Jax pointed to his cat, who was purring louder with every second that ticked by.
“He looks hungry,” I said, just as Salem put his little black paw on my leg.
“He just ate an hour ago. He’s manipulating you.”
I glanced down at the little black fur ball. Jax was strict about what Salem ate and didn’t mess around, but whenever Jax wasn’t looking, one of us would sneak him a snack because the cat always acted like he was starving.
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket when it started buzzing. I glanced down to see my attorney’s name. I held up my finger and slid out of my seat. “I gotta take this. Be right back.”
I walked into Jax’s kitchen for some privacy. “Hey, Mark.”
“Hey, Nate, sorry to bother you, but your ex-agent, Brian, is being difficult. He came back to the table with a new demand. He’s not satisfied with the latest number. He’s pushing for more money.”
I shut my eyes. Of course he was—same story, different day. Brian has been a pain in my side since I switched to another agent last February. He has convinced himself that he could squeeze more money out of me by letting me know he had leverage over something I wished he didn’t.
“Don’t give him another cent,” I said immediately. “Just hold off as long as you can.”
“He’s being a pain in the ass.” He sighed. “Threatening to drag this out if we don’t respond. He thinks pressure will make you cave.”
“Tell him to go to hell.”
“Alright, I guess that closes the door on any further negotiations. I’m going to soften that response before I repeat it. I understand your position. I’ll take it from here.”
“Thanks, Mark.” I ended the call and leaned against the kitchen counter. Talk about a fucking buzzkill. Nothing like getting reminded of that mess when I was trying to have a normal night with my boys.
Practice had been good today. Our offense clicked. Coach wasn’t screaming at us, and nobody got injured. So much for the night ending on a good note.
I stuffed my phone in my pocket, said goodbye to the boys, and headed home.
The gate opened slowly,and the security guard waved me through as I pulled into my neighborhood. The sun was setting, and the tree-lined streets were silent.
It was the kind of neighborhood where you could walk your dog and sit back and relax, which was exactly how I liked it. I chose this place because it allowed me privacy. Every time I pulled into my driveway, I felt like a normal guy, coming home at the end of a workday.
I dropped my bag on the floor, kicked my shoes off, and headed straight to the kitchen. I pulled out a container of fruit, sat my ass on the stool, and started scrolling through my phone.Messages from my teammates started rolling in, and a group chat that I didn’t bother opening.
My emails were piling up, so I figured I would clean out my inbox.
It was mostly sponsorship requests and team emails. But one subject line caused me to pause.
Request for an interview.
It wasn’t just the subject line. It was the name.
