Linebacker’s Second Chance(50)
Mack looks at me with confusion. “You’re not?”
“No. I talked to him last night and let him know that my job had been threatened too. He said it was safe, but I might not get the money for this job or any kind of bonus for a while.” Mack sighs, and I grab his hand. “But that’s okay, because my family doesn’t need a cent. They’re the ones more or less responsible for this whole mess.” Emotion surges in me, a tidal wave of anger rising in my blood. But by God, I’m going to make things better for both of these men. “California is different. I’m not saying things won’t be hard if we all go out there. But I think we should. I think we sell the houses, pack our bags, and we all go.”
“Renata—I always knew you were sorta off your rocker, but I just thought it was because you were smarter than me and Mack put together. Now I know it’s true. You really are off your rocker, aren’t you?” He can’t help but smile when he says it.
“Yeah, I guess. But I know you’re a damn good agent, and I can get you a job at my firm before we get Mack back into the NFL.”
“Hell,” says Mack. “That was mostly just a joke. I’ll probably need to dig up my resume and start applying to Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Don’t get me wrong. That would be great—and if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
“You just need a bit of re-branding. And Wingate—there’s nothing wrong with your record. My firm will want you, and if they don’t, Rich will help you find a job somewhere else. Even if we all screwed up this time, Rich knows talent when he sees it. And he’ll see it when he talks to you.” My heart is beating fast as my words all rush together. I’ll get this together if it’s the last thing I do. I know I will. I know I can.
After a long pause, Wingate lifts his head and nods. “Carolina treated us like shit anyway. If I’m ditching my life here and going on a new adventure, it might as well be with you assholes.”
The three of us stay up into the night talking and eating leftover food from the party, each of our voices a prayer that we’ll be better off somewhere far away from here. I have hope that we will be, because there’s no other way for us to go on. And if I have to use every ounce of energy I’ve got, I’ll get this man into the NFL again, because that’s where he belongs. Of course, he’s already talking about going back to school and finally getting his MBA, but I know better. Macklin Pride is a linebacker, and I’ll make sure that he always is. After a few drinks, even Wingate seems excited.
That night, I go to bed next to Mack, where I’ve always belonged. Come what may, we’ll figure all of this out—and we’ll do it as a team.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“This shit is harder than it looks, Renata. You make it look too damn easy.” I tap my pencil against the GMAT study book. It’s Kaplan brand, just like the ones Renata, Wingate, and I studied with when we were in high school. Given the scores on the tests that I’ve taken, I’m pretty sure I won’t be landing myself at Berkeley any time soon. Naw, I think the University of San Francisco might be calling my name.
That’s just fine. I already have a job at Renata’s sports agency, even though I’m working in a far lower position there than Wingate or Renata. I’m learning stuff, by and by. It feels strange to sit down for a living, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes. And I know I’m as lucky as sin—we all are. For some reason, Renata’s boss, Rich, thinks it’s a hoot to hire a football player with a messy past and a giant scandal that made the national news.
“Nah, it’s not that easy,” she shouts from the back room of our little house. It’s not the gorgeous farmhouse I had built for Ren, but it’s far more suitable than that, somehow. The floors slope slightly to the side, and the wooden floors are worn in some places. But there’s an old marble fireplace, and there are trees around the neighborhood that cast interesting shadows on the floors and walls at all times of the day. “What’s not easy is making sure we have everything for this ceremony.”
I chuckle. “We’ve got everything. I’ve got this suit on, even though I hate suits. Wingate has the rings, and Rich is bringing his little girl to be the flower girl. Even though we’re getting married at the damn courthouse.”
“It’s not like we’ve got family we can invite, is it?”
“We sent them cards. I call that enough,” I say. “They can choose what they do after that. I’m done with it, Ren. I promised your father I’d never marry you, you know. I did it because he was going to throw your name into ruin. And my parents’ and brother’s name, in addition to that.” I shake my head with the guilt and shame of the past. I should never have accepted it--and I should never have left. I didn’t know enough then to fight, but I can make up for it now. Renata’s love is one that’s worth fighting for, and I won’t ever forget that fact.