AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I bite the inside of my cheek, gnawing as I roll the tender flesh there. “Keep going with the list. Give me some time to digest.”
“Sure. Your homes?”
“Yes?”
“There’s been an offer on your Florida place.”
My fork is suspended in midair. “My house isn’t on the market.”
“I know. A real estate agent reached out on behalf of a young tech millionaire who saw the spread in a sports magazine write-up. He’s made an offer. It’s a generous offer.”
“But that’s my house.”
“You have more than one, lest I need to remind you.” She rolls her eyes. “You are under no obligation. You didn’t offer and you don’t need to counter. I’m letting you know that it’s out there, and you can choose to act on it.”
I pause for a moment, drinking the ice water and trying to think. “Why is that in your top five? Surely there are more pressing challenges that could be top tier.”
Emberleigh sets her pen down and moves her hands into her lap. She stares at them for a beat before rolling her shoulders back and laying it out there. “Because the offer is for twenty-four million dollars, fully furnished. Your career, as we knew it, is on hold. Twenty-four million is more than many make in a lifetime. It’s a significant sum. But with what you’re accustomed to and your age, it’s a strategic time and a worthy offer.” She exhales before beginning again. “Do you plan to maintain two homes still? One here and that one in Florida? If you do, I’d be happy to decline the offer and scratch that from the list.”
“I need to consider that. I don’t know about maintaining two and I don’t know if I were to, if that’s the right one. How much time do I have?”
“You’re in the driver’s seat. The offer is standing with no timeline. But I bring it up because it might be a life raft if you choose not to move forward with the Excel proposal. You need a holistic look at the current situation instead of onesie-twosies.”
“I appreciate that.”
By the time we get to the last two, I’m tired. For a man who has conditioned my body for stamina, knowing that thinking tires me out is yet another blow to the ego.
“Can we forego the last two?”
“You negotiated terms with cake. I get my last two and two additional questions.”
“You’re changing the terms.”
“You can handle it. You’re Layton Ranger after all.”
My brother is a lucky man. Emberleigh Carrington is a good woman. An annoying one, but a good one nonetheless.
“Hit me,” I say, immediately regretting the words.
“The team is insisting on a medical evaluation. You’re on IR and thus, payroll. You know what that means. And with the preseason ramping up, they’re getting vocal in their demands. They—”
“Call George. Have him get with my attorneys to draw up paperwork for an injury settlement. He can present that in lieu of IR. If that can’t work because of how my contract is written, he can ask what options are on the table. He has carte blanche to negotiate on my behalf.”
Of all the things we’ve discussed, this one bothers me the most. It’s a mirror held up to my inability to run, to play, to honor my contract. It’s the end of my career, officially and legally, and I’m letting someone else say the words for me like the coward I am.
Emberleigh scribbles furiously on her notepad, flipping pages, not stopping until she runs out of space.
“Before we get to the last couple of things, what would you like me to do with the lower tier requests? You can see why these were the priorities. Do you want a list? Would you prefer that George and I handle the rest?”
“The two of you can handle them. If they’re major or you butt heads, come to me. I’m happy to offload all the minor stuff.”
She checks a line near a hand-written note. And then flips back a page. “Your insurance company needs a statement from you. It’s highly unusual to wait this long. Most claims are void with this kind of delay, but…”
I tilt my head at her. She wasn’t this uncomfortable discussing the end of my career or my financial situation. “What?” I ask quietly, dreading what could have her so concerned.
“The man who hit you is suing.”
I stand abruptly, leaning forward and hissing, “What the fuck did you just say?”
