Lex and Lu(34)

Soon enough, the service was over and people were surrounding them to offer condolences. His mom and her girls had decided to hold the reception at the parish hall so that the house couldn’t be overrun with people. So they made their way next door. Although Lex knew it was hard for people, they kept their comments to expressing their sympathy for his loss even though he knew they wanted to talk to him about his life. He appreciated it. After coming to him during the service, Lu had been scarce. He saw her helping in the kitchen, putting stuff out, generally helping the girls make everything as easy as possible for his mom.

His mom looked to be holding up fairly well. He’d kept his eye on her and Pete, gauging their actions, ready to dole out some comic relief if needed. But neither one of them seemed to be looking for him to step into his role. Pete fed off of Willa, which made Lex happy. They were good for each other. He hoped Pete could keep up with her. And his mom was surrounded by her posse. One of them was always at her side, boosting her up if she needed it. They’d always been like that. The Supper Club girls. They’d been a part of his life since he was eight. They knew each other so well, and it helped him to know that when he left in two days, she’d have the support she needed.

As much as Lex appreciated that they both seemed to be OK, it dawned on him that they didn’t need him. Shocked by the realization, he thought back over the years he had been gone. They had still been a close family unit. Pete and their parents made frequent trips to see him, sometimes together, sometimes individually. Once Pete started med school, his visits became less frequent. But he’d always relied on their unit for his support, love, comfort. Lex felt a little shaken. Perhaps because of how he was feeling, the moment would forever feel like a turning point in his life.

Caroline approached him. “I have to get going soon. Do you have a couple of minutes to talk before I leave?”

Lex smiled. “Of course.” He had a healthy respect for Caroline. When he and his father finally settled on an agent, after an exhaustive search, he’d been very happy with their choice. She’d continued to make him a lot of money without whoring him out to every sponsor that asked. She kept her advice to a minimum. Once she told him what she deemed important, she allowed him to make the decisions, without ever trying to sway him. She also kept him out of trouble. She’d cock blocked him a couple of times for good reason and had saved him from making a number of stupid mistakes.

He knew there were some rooms in the parish hall so he grabbed her arm and escorted her to one. He didn’t notice Lu watching them as they walked inside.

Lex pulled her into a hug. “I really appreciate you coming. And I know you rallied some of the guys to come with you. Thanks.”

“I respected your father a lot. I wouldn’t have missed it. And I couldn’t have kept Miguel away. The others too. I didn’t rally them. Just made it easier for them to get away.”

“Thanks,” he said again, wanting her to know what it meant to him. “What’s up?”

“You have your itinerary?” At his nod, she continued. “I can get you out of Tuesday’s game if you need me to.”

He shook his head. “No. I need to play. I don’t need any more idle time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” he responded. He definitely didn’t need any more time. He wanted to play.

“OK,” she said. They had ended up in one of the Sunday-school classrooms. There were little pictures all over the room of Jesus rising from the dead, obviously left over from Easter. The chairs were small and the tables low. But Caroline walked over to one of them, sat down awkwardly, and patted the seat next to her.

Lex looked at her quizzically but made his way over to the table. Pulling the chair back, he sat down, with his knees spread, trying to get comfortable. “What’s going on?” he asked, sensing that this wasn’t one of their normal conversations.

She opened her clutch and pulled out an envelope. Handing it to him, she began, “Your father left this with me when he and I first worked out the terms of your contract. As you had set him up with your power of attorney, there were some parameters set that were protected by rules of confidentiality. Your father was no fool. He knew that by hiring me, there were some things that could be protected.”

Lex felt the beginning of panic set in. “Caroline, I appreciate the history lesson, but I’d rather you get to the point.”

“Your father had set up a trust. Twenty percent of everything you have earned from playing soccer, not your endorsements, is funneled into the trust.”