Chapter 28
Fin
“We should invite Jackson to meet with us for weights tomorrow,” Troy said as we walked toward our position meeting, our last meeting of the day.
Tomorrow was our day off, the day Troy Dennison and I utilized Maker’s Mark’s weight room.
“Good idea.”
While the long road to bring Josh Jackson into our quarterback fold was on my mind, I couldn’t help worrying about Vee and even, surprisingly, Preston Clark.
Last evening, the guy seemed strange, stranger than normal.
Now that I told Vee Clark’s far-fetched story, I wanted her to keep her eyes and ears open.
If her uncle and cousin were out to get their hands on the Coopers they felt they were owed, there was no way to know what extreme measures they would try.
If they had anything to do with Reid Hubbard’s death, they already proved to be extreme.
Coach Garcia nodded as we walked into his office. Our quarterback meeting was a smaller gathering than, say, the offensive line with the starters and backups.
“Cody will be with us next week,” Garcia said. “He’s through surgery and taking some time to recover.” He met Troy’s and my stare. “You know about Joshua Jackson.”
We both nodded.
“Fin and I are going to invite him to lift with us tomorrow,” Troy said.
Garcia nodded his approval. “Barring something horrific, he won’t see playing time. We still need him to be able to run the plays in practice. Jackson has the experience. We need him to learn our language.” He opened his tablet. “Let’s talk specifics about yesterday.”
Troy reached out and patted my back. “Our man Fin was on fire.”
A grin curled my lips. It was good to hear that Troy had gotten over his anger at being benched, even if it was for his own good.
“You’re starting in Jacksonville,” Garcia said to Troy. “And Graham, be ready.” He narrowed his eyes. “Any visits to the trainers? Aches? Pain? How’s the rib.”
I shook my head. “No aches or pain. The trainers wrapped my torso pretty tight yesterday. I’d say this old man is healing.”
Coach Garcia laughed. “I’m not that much older than you, Graham. Don’t be calling me old.”
We shared a smile. My gaze went to Troy and back to our coach. “I have no doubt Troy will get us far enough ahead of the Jags for me to see the field.”
“Simpson’s injury…” Garcia prompted.
“He didn’t set his foot,” Troy said matter-of-factly.
“Graham?”
“I agree. Simpson has a habit of sashaying in the pocket. It was terrible timing the way the nickelback came down on him.”
“Officials called the play clean.”
I nodded.
It was Troy who spoke. “I don’t blame Cody for wanting the call reversed. But man, things would be different if he just set his damn foot.”
We spent the next forty-five minutes dissecting specific plays from yesterday’s game. After three weeks of listening to Garcia and Dennison, it was nice to be back in the conversation.
Approaching the end of a career was a weird thing.
One day as I soaked in bath salts, I was ready to hang up the pads, cleats, and stop the abuse my body endured.
The next day, I was told to get out on the field, and all my reservations disappeared.
I was where I wanted to be—on the field, in the spotlight, and doing what I always loved.
We all turned as there was a knock on Coach Garcia’s door.
“Come in,” he called.
Joshua Jackson entered.
I’d done my research. He was younger than me by eight years.
At the same time, he was five years older than Troy.
I remembered when Jackson was drafted. It was after I left the Bucs.
While making the draft was an honor, sixth round and getting signed as a third string behind the likes of Brady wasn’t exactly where anyone wanted to land.
The small lines near Josh’s gold eyes told of experience. He wasn’t a rookie by any means. His wide shoulders and ripped forearms showed that he maintained his body even after his injury while at New Orleans. This was his second season on the Coopers’ practice squad.
Troy and I stood, each offering to shake his hand.
“Welcome aboard,” I said.
Josh’s smile was ear to ear. “I know I’m down the totem pole, but at least I’m on it now. I won’t let any of you down.”
Garcia responded. “Beasley and Coach Tilson have faith. That means we all do. You have some serious cramming to do.” He lifted a playbook similar to the ones he’d given Vee and me.
“I’m here to help.” Garcia looked at Troy and me.
“These two are your go-to. They’ll help you understand the plays.
By Friday morning, I want to see you running any of the first fifty plays in that book. ”
Josh looked down at the binder and back to Garcia. “I’ll be ready.”
“Hey,” Troy said, “Fin and I meet here every Tuesday morning, lift weights, and talk plays. We’ll be here at nine. You’re welcome to join us.”
Josh’s nostrils flared. “I’ll have questions ready for you.”
We both grinned.
“We’ll have answers,” Troy said.
Later as we were leaving Maker’s Mark, Troy slapped my shoulder. “Don’t get all caveman on me. I’m just thinking. You and I helped Ms. Maeve learn these plays. I’m sure we can teach Josh.”
“I’m not all caveman,” I said with a smile. “Vee told me how much you helped her. She and I weren’t actually speaking much at the beginning of the season.”
“You weren’t?” His voice fluctuated with surprise. “That changed.”
“For the better. Like I said, we met each other in college. We had some shit to work out. So, during those first weeks, you helped her more than I could.”
“Naw. She didn’t need help. I was just there to reinforce what she figured out.”
My cheeks rose. “She’s like that. She’s fucking brilliant and beautiful and sometimes doesn’t know it.”
“Keep reminding her. And remind her that the players see all that she’s doing. We’re behind her.”
My heart did a little squeeze thing. I wouldn’t admit it, but it did.
Vee was spectacular in so many ways. I liked hearing that the players were in her corner.
I’d been on enough teams to know that admiration wasn’t given out by dedicated athletes like participation medals.
A person had to earn that respect. The same rule was true of each coach, player, and executive.
Vee was held in esteem by the Coopers’ players, in some ways, even more so than Reid had been.
Reid Hubbard was revered as owner.
Vee was different. She made herself real and accessible. She wasn’t a person in the big office who watched weekly from a suite high above. That was only part of the reasons they respected her.
Thursday morning, I woke to my usual morning erection probing Vee’s lower back. She moaned as I wrapped her soft body in my arms and whispered near her ear. “This is your last chance to bail on Thanksgiving dinner at my parents.
Vee wiggled her tight ass. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to go to Daphne’s?”
Vee rolled toward me, bringing her emerald-green stare into focus.
“I’m sure. I don’t think she wanted to invite me in the first place.
She only mentioned it when I went to her place Tuesday afternoon.
” She shook her head. “I still think it was weird that Joe was at her house on a Tuesday at three in the afternoon.”
“I guess that’s better than Grant.”
Vee scrunched her nose. “If I didn’t know better, I would say there’s been a shift in their relationship.”
She lay back, staring up at the ceiling. “Maybe it was better that Joe heard what I had to say, telling Daphne I didn’t mind sharing the estate. I wouldn’t fight her on that.”
“She didn’t mention the Coopers,” I prompted, recalling what Vee said a few nights ago.
“Either she’s keeping her cards close to her vest or she’s clueless.
Before Dad died, I would have opted for clueless.
” She turned to me. “I’m starting to believe she could have only played dumb.
I’d bet money on the fact Joe is feeding her ideas.
And she didn’t want to talk about Bre. I couldn’t very well ask her in front of Joe if Dad had a vasectomy. ”
Vee leaned closer, melding her softness to my chest and brushed my lips with hers. “Your parents are all right with me joining them?”
I kissed her nose. “They’re both good with it. Mom’s a little more than good. So fair warning, she may be a little overexcited.”
Her sigh filled the air.
“What are you thinking? Are you changing your mind?”
She shook her head. “I’m thinking about my last visit, a Thanksgiving long ago. I remember thinking your family was what a family should be. You and Zane joked with one another. Your dad, Theo, was kind and had a hearty laugh. It was your mom, Lisa, who made me feel welcome.”
“If she overdoes it, we should have a secret signal for me to rescue you.”
Vee’s laugh filled the air. “My hero. I don’t expect to need rescuing from your mom.”
“Tap the top of your head. I’ll see that and intervene.”
She sat up, the blankets falling to her lap and exposing her sensual round breasts and tapped the top of her head with her palm. “Like this?” Pink bloomed from her chest upward.
It was my turn to laugh. “Too obvious?”
“You think?”
Sitting up, I covered her lips with mine and gently pushed her back to her pillow. All too soon, I had her wrists in my grasp above her head as I sucked one darkened nipple and then the other. Vee squirmed with my ministrations until she called out my name as we came together.