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I pulled out my phone and was about to send Shelby a message about it all, but the ride down was a little too short. I reached the first floor to find Max pacing in the lobby, looking at some paperwork in his hands. The guy was in his late thirties or early forties, and he had one of those bellies that would make Santa proud. Combined with the bare spot on the back of his head, his thick glasses, and the sweet smile that seemed to live on his face, he seemed harmless - although I had a feeling his brain was a little dangerous.
"Hey, Max," I said.
He turned and his smile grew. "And here's the hottest rookie in the PBR!"
"So, what am I supposed to do today?" I asked him as I closed the distance between us.
Max shifted his papers to his left hand, then offered me his right. I clasped it and he shook once before letting me go, only for him to gesture to a set of doors at the side. Together, we began heading that way.
"I'll handle most of this for you, but they may have questions. I'll want you to answer honestly, or at least not lie."
I looked over in confusion. "Uh..."
"Like if they ask about a subject that isn't any of their business," he clarified. "Boyfriends, as an example. Don't say you have one if you don't. Don't say you don't if you do. Telling them that you'd prefer to keep your private life private is fine."
I nodded, because he had a point. "Ok. Because that's probably a good call. I really don't wanna talk about boyfriends."
"Noted," he assured me. "And we're not signing anything today. This is just for a few companies that want to learn more about you so they can make their decisions. Easy stuff, Cody. Come off like the bull rider you are and they'll eat it up."
"Thanks," I said just as we reached a pair of wooden doors.
Max opened the one on the right, and then gestured for me to go in first. On the other side, the first thing I saw was a large oval table. There were plenty of people in the room, but most were standing at the back. Belatedly, I realized that was where the coffee and snacks were.
"Afternoon," Max told the group as he gestured for me to take the chair at the head of the table. "If you'd all like to have a seat? This is Cody Jennings, from Spring Creek, Missouri. She's currently sitting at eighteenth in the world standings after only her second event with the Tough Enough series."
I eased myself into the large, well-padded leather chair, aware that everyone else seemed to be wearing suits. Three of the representatives were women, but the rest were all men. Only Max and I were dressed casually, which made me feel a little bit out of place. I tried to convince myself this was expected, but it only helped so much.
"Cody?" a woman asked as she took the chair to my left. "Spelled C-O-D-Y?"
"Yes, ma'am," I told her. "Named for Cody Lambert. My father was a rodeo bull rider, back in his day, and that was one of his heroes."
She chuckled. "So you're his best son, huh?"
I shrugged. "Well, my mom and older brother were killed in a car wreck when she was pregnant with me. That was the name they'd picked, thinking I was gonna be a boy, and he was too devastated to change it."
"I'm sorry," she mumbled softly.
"Which is a great backstory," said a man halfway down the table. "When did you start riding bulls, Ms. Jennings?"
"It's just Cody," I told him. "And I grew up mutton busting. I think I got on my first bull when I was in the ninth grade? End of that year or the summer right after. I don't really remember."
"Any other rodeo events?" another man asked.
I shook my head. "Daddy wanted me to do barrel racing like my mom, but we couldn't afford a horse. So I went from sheep to calves to steers to bulls."
"Her scores have been impressive too," Max pointed out. "In St. Louis, she earned a ninety-one."
"So did everyone else who didn't get bucked off," said a woman at the end. "Three of the stock contractors at that event have bulls competing for the year-end title. It was a hard string."
"It was," I agreed. "I still managed to stay on two of them, though."
"But how long will you be able to do that?" a man asked. "No offense, Ms. Jennings, but this isn't an easy sport, and Tractor Supply isn't interested in investing in a rider who'll spend most of the tour on the sidelines."
"I've been doing it for most of twenty-two years," I countered.
"And you're a woman playing in a man's world," he reminded me. "Those men are bigger and stronger than you, and half of them still don't last. What makes you think you're different?"
I glanced over at Max, who was sitting to my right. He nodded, so I decided to just answer that. "All my life, I've been told that I'm not good enough for this, Mr. Tractor-Supply," I said. "Know what? The ones who said it are still sitting back in Missouri talking about how they'll make it to the PBR one day, but I'm the one who'shere.I also don't have to be anything like the guys, because I'm not one."
