Chapter 25
Vee
“You didn’t need to address your plans with the executives ahead of time regarding sitting Dennison,” I said as Don Tilson sat in my office early Monday morning. “Speaking for the other executives, we appreciate that you did. Thank you for letting us know.”
He set his coffee cup on the nearby table and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his man-spread knees. “I assume you read Cody Simpson’s medical report.”
“I did. It appears he’s out for the season.”
Don sat taller. “Now what I’m about to say isn’t meant to sound as if I’m against Griffin Graham.”
My eyebrow quirked. “Don, as I’ve said before, my personal relationship with Mr. Graham has no bearing on his play with the Coopers. It shouldn’t affect your decisions either.”
“Graham’s a solid backup. Your daddy and I agreed on some things. One of those things was a deep bench. With Simpson out, Drew and I will be moving Joshua Jackson up from the practice squad.”
I nodded. “He’ll need to learn the plays.”
“He was drafted to the Buccaneers.”
“Seven years ago in the sixth round,” I said, stopping an unneeded explanation. “Tough spot to play behind Brady.”
Don smiled. “Forgive me, Vee. I’m not always as prepared for our conversations as you are.
You remind me so much of your daddy. So, you know Jackson only stayed with the Bucs for three years.
And yes, he wasn’t seeing playing time. He went to Saints for two years where he was backup but did see playing time on the field. ”
“Then he was injured.”
Don nodded. “We picked him up. He’s been on our practice squad since last season. He’s done well there.”
I pressed my lips together. “Why didn’t you look at him instead of signing Graham earlier this season?”
“Jackson isn’t the player Graham is.”
“He’s younger,” I said.
“There’s something to be said for experience. Drew wanted Graham. He thought Graham would be a good mentor for Dennison. Graham has proved him right. God willing, we won’t need to go deep, but having Jackson in the loop on our plays will give us more depth than only one backup.”
“I’m sure you’ll make it work,” I said. “Don, did you hear a rumor before Simpson was injured that we were thinking about cutting either Simpson or Graham?”
He scoffed. “That would go against your daddy’s policy of depth on the bench. That doesn’t mean there weren’t rumors. Hell, for a bunch of men, the players can gossip like church women at a pitch-in.” He laughed at himself. “That was something my dad used to say.”
“I’m confirming you didn’t hear it from any executives.”
“Grant Marsh is always floating one idea and then another. That said, I don’t recall him saying anything like that. He could have been talking to Drew or Noah.”
Inhaling, I feigned a smile.
“Glad we’re in agreement about Jackson,” Don said. “I’ll send you an email with contested calls after we review all the game-day videos.”
“Send it my way. I’ll send it on to the NFL.”
“Don’t be surprised if you see Graham out on the field next week. I’d wrap Dennison in Bubble Wrap if I could.”
“It’s a fine line. He needs the experience, and besides, he’s not fragile. During his time on the IR, he worked with weights. It shows.”
Don lifted his cheeks. “Yes, it does.”
“Offense and defense looked good yesterday.”
“Next opponent will be the Jags.” He took a drink of his coffee. “The team is flying to Florida on Saturday morning. We’ll get in a light practice in Jacksonville and be ready for the 4:30 p.m. kickoff.”
I stood. “Thanks for meeting with me, Don.”
He followed my lead, getting to his feet. “Young lady, it’s a pleasure.”
Young lady.
The small hairs on my arms stood to attention.
Offering him my hand, I gave his hand a firm shake. “Next Monday.”
“I’ll be here at seven.”
As he started to walk away, something hit me. “Don.”
He turned back toward me.
“Did you say you and Dad met every Monday after a game at seven in the morning?”
“Yep. Like clockwork. And just like you, he was always there.”
“The morning of his accident, did you go to his office?”
His expression shifted. “Come to think of it, I did. Doors were locked up tight.”
“The time on the accident report was 7:15 a.m. If Dad was always on time for his Monday morning meeting, why was he still on the interstate at 7:15?”
“I don’t know. It wasn’t like Reid to be late.”
I shook my head. “Thanks, Don. Send me the injury list as soon as you get it too.”
“Will do.”
On my desk, I wrote a note to myself.
Why was Dad late for his meeting with Don?
A knock came on my door, and Jen pushed the door open and stuck her head in. “I saw the coach leave. Are you good on coffee?”
“I am, thanks, Jen. Come on in.”
As she came closer to my desk, I sat in the tall leather chair on the other side. “Have you gotten the numbers from stadium operations from yesterday’s game?”
“I did. And I sent them to you. Also, there’s an email from Roger Nixon. He’s from the commissioner’s office. I think you’ll want to read that before your ten o’clock executive meeting.”
“Thanks,” I said, “I’ll take a look at it.”
Jen closed my door as I fired up my computer. The list of unopened emails had grown since I looked at it yesterday after the game. At that point, I wasn’t ready to tackle any of them. Scrolling, I found Roger Nixon’s name. The subject line was: Will Lexington be ready?
Tugging on my lower lip with my teeth, I opened the email.
“Holy shit,” I said softly. Tears filled my eyes as I peered upward. “Dad, I wish you could be the one reading this.”
Body of the e-mail:
Ms. Hubbard,
I’m reaching out to you as the new owner of the Lexington Coopers.
It is the job of my commission to identify possible Super Bowl host cities. At this time, we are looking to four and five years in the future. Your father provided our commission with a proposal.
In recent years, the NFL has shifted to a different model. We select the city and that city negotiates the terms. Your father’s recent proposal suggested a plan to work with Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council to revitalize the city’s infrastructure in accordance with the strict NFL guidelines.
I would like to make an appointment to tour Crystal Light Stadium and learn more about the plans with the Urban County Council regarding the infrastructure plans for the future.
Please have your assistant contact me with a date and time for our meeting. I’m currently booked through December. I hope we can find a mutually acceptable date in the new year. I look forward to discussing this with you in person.
Sincerely,
Roger Nixon
NFL Super Bowl Planning Commission
I read the email over three or four times, trying to convince myself that it was real. My heart felt as if it would burst. My mind filled with questions. Who had Dad spoken with in the Urban County Council?
Bre gave Aunt Rachel and me Dad’s schedule over the last six months. Yet that didn’t have definitive information on city infrastructure. I could call Aunt Rachel or…
This was going against my attorney’s advice. I used the office phone and made a call. She answered on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Bre, it’s Vee. Can I ask you a few questions about Dad’s bid for the Super Bowl?”