8. Lennox
Chapter 8
Lennox
By the end of May, I was restless. Even though I loved the time I spent with the kids, I still hated the stretches of idle time in the offseason. Hanging out at the Youth Center was great, but nothing compared to being on the field and back under center. I was ready to defend our championship and to run the offense down the field like the well-oiled machine we were. Being with my teammates filled the remaining empty spaces inside me that I kept hidden away.
I was lonely, and I knew it.
The governor brought his kids down for a few days and we got to work out with his son, Jack. I knew Evan was into the governor, and by the way Hudson looked at him, the feeling might be mutual.
When they arrived at the stadium, I headed out of the locker room to give them some time to look around. Evan had gift bags for them with Storm merch and season tickets. I told him he was going to get hurt, but he didn’t listen. I hoped I was wrong.
We were on the field waiting for them. When they finally came out of the tunnel, I sent Drew down the sideline.
He took off as I waited, counting off the time before I led him across the field. The skinniest wide receiver in the NFL reached up and pulled it in, just like we’d done at the Bowl.
I threw my hands up and yelled. But when Evan made it closer, I needed to be a dick.
“Nice catch, stretch! You’re gonna give Grandpa over here a run for his money. I won’t be able to decide who my go-to guy is going to be.”
Drew jogged up with the ball, wearing a grin on his face.
Evan shook his head and shot me the bird.
Hudson cleared his throat, reminding us he and the kids were here.
I laughed. “You’re in trouble already, Ellis. You finally ready to play?”
“Always. And if I’m an old guy, so are you, as—,” he said before stopping. He gave Hudson an apologetic smile. “Dummy.”
We laughed at how uncomfortable he was.
Hudson stopped beside Evan, who threw his arm around Erin.
“You all know the governor,” Evan said, “but this is Jack and his sister Erin.”
They smiled as they looked around. The kids at the Youth Center had that same look the first day I showed up. But after spending a couple of weeks there, they didn’t look at me as the Super Bowl MVP any longer. I was just Lennox.
I grinned as Evan introduced the guys. He was being such a good host, and I’d have to bust his balls about playing daddy later.
“You already know Lennox, but this is Mason Kennerly, our center.”
Mason up nodded. “What’s up?”
“And this guy is Drew Jacobs. He’s one of our baby wide receivers.”
“Baby my ass,” Drew muttered, cracking me up.
He finished introducing our defensive captain, Carson St. James, and Will Watson, one of our big defensive ends.
“So, Governor. Have you had a good vacation?” I asked.
“We have. We’ve surfed and relaxed on the beach. I’d forgotten how wonderful the weather is down here.”
“Yeah, it’s a big draw. And Evan has that big house on the ocean. Nice and private.”
Hudson glanced over at him before turning back to me “Yes. It’s fantastic. The kids have enjoyed the surfing.”
Evan gave me an irritated glare.“Are we gonna give this boy what he came here for,” he asked, grabbing Jack by the head, “or are you gonna shoot the breeze all day?”
Jack laughed as Evan pulled him toward the field.
I smirked, clapping Hudson on the shoulder.“Yeah, let’s do it.”
We spent the rest of the morning running drills and putting Jack through our little mini-camp. He was fifteen and reminded me of myself at that age. The kid was uber-talented and would make a hell of a quarterback one day. Maybe I could be his Roger.
After we’d done all we could do, we went out to get pizza before I headed home. I still needed to get some work done on my kitchen.
When Hudson and the kids went back to Sacramento, Evan and I hung out at The Squid. My head was on a swivel, looking for Dane, but he wasn’t there.
“Who are you looking for?” Evan asked as he finished his beer.
I shook my head. “No one. Just looking around.”
“Uh-huh. I know when you’re lying. You’re not picking out someone to talk shit to tonight, are you? I’m not in the mood to talk the Marines down from killing you.”
I scoffed and aimed for the yellow solid ball, missing the corner pocket by a mile. Looking around, I sized up the crowd. Still no Dane.
“More Navy tonight, but whatever, loverboy. I’m surprised I got you to come out.”
He shrugged but didn’t reply. That was a bad sign. Evan was usually happy all the time and flirty as hell, but he seemed almost… sad.
I straightened and looked him over. “You’ve done it, haven’t you?”
His cheeks pinkened. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?”
Evan tried to avoid my question, just like Dane used to do. And when he crept into my mind, I backed off my asshole routine.
Picking up my beer, I took a swig before calling his name. “Ev. It’s okay. You know I just don’t want you to get hurt. He’s straight.”
He smiled. “I know, Lennox. And I appreciate it. But it’s too late. We’re going to give this thing between us a try.”
I stood with my mouth hanging open in awe of his powers. “You’ve worked a gay miracle. You’ve turned a straight guy gay.”
Evan’s face split into the first real grin all evening, making me smile. “I wouldn’t say that to Hudson. And what do you know about gay miracles, dumbass? Ever think he might be fluid.”
“I only know what I’ve heard you talk about. I know it’s rare for straight guys to fall for gay ones. What is this fluid you speak of?” I asked, being stupid. I wanted him to keep laughing, even at my expense.
“Oh lord, Lennox. It just means your sexual attraction can change over time or in different situations.”
I considered that thought as I studied the table, looking for my next shot.
“So you’re saying a person can be attracted to one sex and think they swing one way, but can also swing the other way if the right person came along?”
Evan grinned at me. “Yeah. In football terms, it’s like loving the game, not just the offense or defense. It’s the best of both worlds.”
I raised my brows as I thought about that scenario. Hudson had been married for a long damn time to a woman, and now he was into Evan. I’d seen it with my eyes in Sacramento and at the stadium. The way they looked at each other was familiar, like the way Dane looked at Daniel.
We ordered some food and switched to water as we finished our game. When we headed out of The Squid, I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him.
Evan glanced back at me with confusion in his eyes. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I just want you to know I hope this works out for you, man. I’m happy for you. But don’t think for a minute your ass is leaving me on this team. We have another ring to win.”
Evan threw his arm over my shoulder. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
A week after the governor left, Evan took off to Sacramento and was off falling into icky love. Now my best friend was off the market.
It made me shudder to think about it. Relationships weren’t for me. I’d been conditioned early on to avoid any entanglements. My parent’s constant fighting had made that happen. And when my mom remarried and had more kids, it sealed the deal for me.
So here I was, driving around in my Porsche with nothing to do. Carson was off visiting his family in Colorado, and Mason wouldn’t say where he was. Fucker.
That meant I was left to my own devices, and I knew what that meant. Time to poke the bear if he was here.
So pool in Coronado it was. Even before Camille had dropped the info that Dane frequented the place, I’d been there enough for the bartenders to recognize me. But somehow, we’d never run into each other.
There was no time like the present to make contact again. I’d given him weeks to recover from seeing me at Camille’s and I was feeling lucky. The hothead should be cooled off by now.
But I was wrong. He wasn’t cooled off.
After parking my car outside the Slippery Squid, I strode into my new favorite dive.
Walking toward the bar area, I made eye contact with Brett, the bartender. He was a California surfer dude and enjoyed talking crap with Evan. Not my thing.
“Hey, QB. How’s it going? Enjoying the offseason?”
“Can’t complain.”
Brett reached for my favorite beer, then popped the cap off before sliding it over. “But I’m ready to get back to work. We have another Super Bowl to win.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” he said, wiping at the bar. “Where’s your friend?”
I snorted, knowing he was talking about Ev.
“He’s on vacation.”
“Someplace fun?”
“Sure, if Sacramento is fun.”
Brett narrowed his eyes. “Vacaying at the capital? There’s no surfing.”
I took a swig of my beer and huffed out a laugh. “He’s there to see someone.”
He nodded slowly, then shrugged. He had a thing for Evan.
Brett glanced toward the back where the pool tables were set up.
“Looks like there’s a table open.”
Swiveling on my stool, I surveyed the bar. There were two groups of people here. Ladies sipping cocktails and clean-cut military types.
My eyes roamed over the crowd until they stopped on a very familiar face.
Bingo.
I took a deep breath and turned back to Brett. Tipping my bottle back, I finished off the contents.
“Want another one?”
“Yep. Better start me a tab.”
He reached into the cooler, pulled out another bottle, and popped the cap off.
“Here ya, go.”
Picking up the bottle, I straightened to my full height, then started for the back.
There was no time like the present to ruin his night.
And that just made me smile because I was an asshole like that.
Weaving through the high-top tables around the room, I strolled to the back of the bar where Dane stood with his back to me. We were the same height, but I was bulkier. The broad expanse of his shoulders indicated he worked out.
Good for him.
I stopped a few feet behind him as he studied the arrangement of the balls on the table. Crossing my arms over my chest, I watched as he bent over to line up his stick along the cue ball.
“That’s a stupid move,” I goated, trying to hide my smile. It wasn’t. He had a clear shot to knock the purple-striped ball into the corner pocket.
I studied him as realization took over. He straightened up, squared his shoulders, and turned to face me.
Dane still looked like the boy I’d known in high school, but his face was thinner and his frame a bit taller. The way he clenched his jaw was very familiar. I was already under his skin and I hadn’t even tried yet.
Dane narrowed his brown eyes as he stared at me.
“The only stupid move I’ve ever made was thinking you were my friend. So do me a favor, Lennox, and get the fuck out of my face.”
I held my ground as I stared at him. He seriously hated me.
“I don’t even know what I did to piss you off!”
The fire in his eyes grew hotter as he clenched his fists. Was he going to punch me?
“Why can’t you let it go, Dane? We were in high school. It was a million years ago.”
He took a step closer. Maybe if he punched me, he could get over it quicker.
“I’m warning you, Lennox. Get out of here before I hurt you.”
The memories of all the times we’d wrestled and he’d tried to get the better of me filled my head. I could smell his cologne and the faint whiff of hops on his breath.
Taking my own life into my hands, I reached up and used a single finger to tap his taut jaw muscles. “Better be careful. You’re gonna grind those teeth to dust.”
Before I could move, he slapped my finger away and then grabbed my wrist on the way down.
We stared at each other like two cowboys in a shootout until a hand landed on his shoulder.
“Back off Ace,” the guy said. “He’s not worth being grounded over.”
I smiled as the word brought back memories. Running my fingers over my lips, I battled with myself to hold back all the jokes I could make at his expense, but I’d done enough for the night.
Dane continued to glare at me, so I did something very uncharacteristic of me. I backed away, then glanced at the other guys. They were obviously in the Navy, and I was sure they were trained to kill with their bare hands.
Holding up my own, I looked at him. “It was good to see you, Dane. Maybe next time you won’t run from me and we can have a conversation. Like grown-ups.”
He jerked toward me, but the other guy caught him around the waist. It brought back memories of when I used to be the one who kept the hothead out of trouble.
“Fuck off, Lennox. The next time I see you, I just might hurt you.”
I smiled and dipped my head. “I understand. But your son doesn’t understand why two people who were like brothers aren’t friends anymore. At least that’s what he said yesterday at the Center.”
His face contorted into something I didn’t recognize.
“Stay the fuck away from my family. They’re mine. Not yours.”
That jab hit the mark, and he knew it.
I huffed out a sardonic laugh and shook my head.
“Yeah. Maybe you’re right. I’ll let you tell him why you don’t want me to talk to him.”
I turned to walk out but stopped to look back over my shoulder. “Sorry I ruined your evening, old friend.”
As I turned, I heard him growl.
I was a few steps away when I heard his friend. “You know the quarterback for the Storm?”
“Hell no,” he replied loudly as I walked away.
He wasn’t wrong. He didn’t know the real me anymore.
I sidled up to the bar and pulled out some cash to cover my beers and the tip.
“That was fast,” Brett said. “Didn’t want to play?”
I chuckled and looked back at Dane. “Nah. I changed my mind.”
Brett turned his attention to where Dane and his friend were playing. The loud crack of the pool balls smacking into one another said everything.
Glancing over my shoulder, I could see the firm set of his jaw. Getting under his skin had been way too easy.
“How often does the angry guy come in here?”
Brett glanced at the pool tables where the balls continued to crash loudly into one another.“The pilot or the WSO?”
I was impressed he knew the difference. “Yeah. Him.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Once or twice a week.”
That was all I needed to know.
I tapped the bar and turned to leave, but had an idea.“Do me a favor, would you?”
He regarded me warily. “Uh, okay. Whatta you need me to do?”
“Send me a message on social media the next time he comes in.”
Brett looked over at Dane, then back to me. “You’re not gonna cause problems are you, Lennox? I know you’re reputation on the field.”
I laughed. “No. I’ve known him for years. We grew up together. Used to be best friends.”
Brett swept his surfer boy blonde hair back out of his eyes as he gave in.
“Yeah, okay.”
Tapping the bar, I stepped back into the familiar feel of soft breasts and warm hands.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”
I needed some time to figure out how to get Dane Calloway to talk to me again. And if that didn’t work, I’d just pester the fuck out of him until he exploded.