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“You’re being modest, Griff. I read just this week in Mr. Rich’s column that already they’ve collected thousands of pledges signed by athletes swearing off steroids, et cetera. Including his own son.”
“Jason’s a good kid. He probably wouldn’t get into all that anyway.”
“But others would. Your speeches are making a huge impact.”
“We’ll see.” He grinned at her. “At the very least, I’m chalking up a hell of a lot of frequent flier miles on SunSouth.”
“You should sign up for Select.”
“Can’t afford it. My expenses are covered, and I get a more than decent salary, but I’m not going to get rich, Laura. Ever.” He would never be rich like Foster Speakman. Like her. That was what he was telling her. “But I’m working in sports, on the periphery at least. And I’m doing something worthwhile.” He smiled. “Sometimes, after I give a speech, they even ask me to toss the football a time or two. Give them pointers. Stuff like that.”
“I’m sure those young athletes are dazzled.”
“I don’t know about that. But I enjoy it.”
They were quiet for a time. She glanced out the window, into the fireplace, at the bowl of tulips. “Would you like some more tea?”
“No thanks.”
“How is your friend Marcia?”
He was surprised she remembered Marcia. “Doing good. I saw her just last week.”
“Oh.”
At that Laura’s polite smile wavered just a bit. Or maybe he imagined it. “She’s got one more surgery scheduled, but it’s only for fine tuning.”
“The operations were successful, then.”
“She looks fantastic. Better than ever.”
“That’s good. Is she…has she returned to…work?”
“Full-time.”
“Really.”
“Yep. Business as usual.”
“Hmm.”
If she was wondering about the nature of his visit to Marcia, why didn’t she come right out and ask? He was hoping she would. He could tell her they were strictly friends now, but at least Laura’s asking would indicate she cared about whether he was satisfying his sexual urges with a professional.
Instead, she said, “How were your holidays?”
“Fattening. Ellie cooked like there was no tomorrow. Yours?”
“I went away. Stayed in a bed-and-breakfast in Vermont, drove back roads, read a lot.”
“Sounds nice.” Sounded lonely.
“Would you like some more tea?”
“You asked me that already, and I said no.”
“Sorry. How is your shoulder?”
“Fine.”
