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“Oh, I know, but you’ve mentioned how excited you are about it, and how they have to pull out all the stops to impress you, so…” She loops her arm in mine and kisses my chest. “I figured that I should tag along and give you an unbiased point of view.”
“You hate football meetings, Tully.”
The smile on her lips gives that away.
“Okay, fine.” She laughs. “This is like, the last free Thursday I’ll have for a while so I decided that I’d rather come see you do this instead of going to Scarlett’s recital.”
“Scarlett has a recital today?”
“Yeah she’s playing the Nickel Panini Capeesh or something.”
“The Twenty-four Caprices by Niccolò Paganini?”
“Yeah, that.” She shrugs. “It sounds boring as hell no matter how you pronounce it.”
“Is your mother going to watch her?”
“Probably not.” She shakes her head. “This new Whimstery thing is going to take over our lives for a while, so she’s out auditioning stylists for me.”
I nod, still thinking about the fact that Scarlett has a recital today.
Why the hell didn't she tell me?
“You’re here a full hour early?” A guy in a crimson polo shirt and khakis walks up to us. “I’ve heard that Easton Rush is punctual, but damn, son.”
I force a smile as the guy extends his hand. “I can’t help it, sir.”
“Hey, me and Coach Saban will never ever complain about you being early,” he says. “And who is this lovely lady?
“His girlfriend.” Tully smiles. “Tully Crane.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Crane.” He shakes her hand. “I’ll be sure to show you where our guys’ girlfriends sit during the games and see if that impresses you. Would you two like something to drink before we begin?”
“Lemonade.” Tully speaks before I can tell him I’m good.
“Right this way.” He gestures for us to follow him.
“Mr. Vaughn, you should also know that I’m the one who you really have to impress today,” Tully says. “I’m the deciding factor in his decision.”
“I see…” He looks somewhat intimidated. “What schools are on your list, Miss Crane?”
“Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Florida.” She spouts off the three places that are dead last on my list. Three places that Scarlett and I have talked at length about and listed all the many reasons why they’ll never work for us.
“Us”…Why the hell didn’t she tell me about this damn recital?
“Well, I’m confident that when we’re done today, Alabama will blow all three of those schools out of the water, Miss Crane.” He holds a door open and I check the time.
It’s only nine the morning but it already feels like this day has gone on for far too long.
* * *
Three hours later
Tully is carrying a customred Birkin bag that bears “Roll Tide” on the handles. Apparently, the staff keeps five of these thirty thousand dollar bags on hand for the top recruits every year, and of course, no one will ever mention anything about it.
We’ve been treated to brunch in the head coach’s office, shown around the stadium, and escorted through every inch of the state of the art practice facility.
“We pride ourselves on this state of the art spa,” the offensive coach says. “It’s ranked in the top three in the nation.”
