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I pressed my palms against my eyes to stop the hot prick of tears that threatened to overtake me. I didn’t want to cry. I didn’t wantanyof this.
Except for Joanne.
She was all I wanted in the end.
The time I’d spent with Joanne had made me momentarily forget about moving away, about any potential money from selling the shop—I’d even put aside most of my hurt and bitterness left over from losing my dad.
Now, though? Joanne hated me, thought I was a liar and a coward, two things I had never, ever been up to this point.
I was in the NFL, for God’s sake. I’d seen tons of conflict and hard games and willingly faced tough hits over the years in places I didn’t know and could barely pronounce… only to have my life derailed by a goddamn flower shop and a hot girl.
A hot, sexy, sweet, smart, funny girl.
A woman I was going to regret ruining my chances with for a long time if I couldn’t find a solution.
That’swhat I needed. A solution. A plan of attack.
A plan and…money.
I picked up my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found the name of the one person in town who could possibly help me: Will Whitley.
I didn’t even hesitate to dial, and even though I didn’t knowhowmy friend and banker might help, I already felt better just by thinking about it—just bydoingsomething about my situation.
“Hey, Brady.” Will’s voice was quiet and shaky, and I could immediately tell something was… off. “Can I call you back? This isn’t the best time…”
“Sure, but—” I grimaced. It wasn’t the best time for me, either, so I totally understood where Will was coming from, but… this was important. “I’m sorry, man. I don’t wanna interrupt, um, whatever it is you’re doing, but… I reallycan’twait until later.”
There were a few long moments of silence on the other end of the line, then finally a soft sigh.
“Okay.” Will sounded tired. Defeated. Whatever it was he was dealing with, it had clearly drained him of his usual lively, upbeat personality. Any other time, I would be able to sense the smile in Will’s voice, tofeelthe other man’s happiness, even through the phone. Now, though, it was completely gone.
“What can I do for you?”
“Are you okay, Will?” Iurgentlyneeded some business advice, or some relationship advice, or…something. But it was clear that whatever Will was going through was pretty damn important, too. “You don’t sound so good.”
“No, I’m really not okay.” Will barked out a short, harsh laugh, but there wasn’t a trace of humor in his tone. “I’m not okay at all. Jamie left me. Or… I guess I left her. Whatever. Shecheatedon me, Brady. I didn’t even see it coming.”
Will’s voice broke on the last word, and even though the sound was muffled, I was pretty sure my friend had started crying.
Fuck.
I didn’t know what to say—I’d called to talk about myownfucked-up relationship, after all. I certainly wasn’t in any position to give out dating advice.
Icouldstill be a good friend, though.
“Thatfucker,” I shook my head as I spat the word.
Will was one of the nicest guys I knew—not to mention the fact that he was a good-looking and successful man in a town that wasn’t exactly overflowing with them.
“You’re too good for her anyway, Will. I mean it. Do you want me to go talk to her? Rough her up? Break her legs?”
Will laughed, but his voice was so full of pain that it didn’t seem like my sort-of-joke had helped much.
“No, I don’t want to eventhinkabout her again. It’s just not fair, you know? You think everything is going great. Everything is wonderful andperfect, and then…bam. Right out of the blue, it all goes to hell.”
I sighed and nodded my head, then remembered that Will couldn’t see me, didn’t know just how close to home his words had hit. “Yeah, buddy. I knowexactlywhat you mean.”
“Well, anyway,” he sniffled and cleared his throat. “I didn’twantto put all that out there, but I guess I do feel a little better now that I’ve vented. So, tell me what I can do for you. I assume you weren’t calling just to check up on me.”
