Chapter 32
Vee
I fought shock as Daphne stopped, turned, and hugged me once we were beyond the sideline.
Her voice brimmed with emotion and moisture glistened in her eyes. “This was good. Reid would have liked it.”
Nodding, I held back the words I wanted to say about her ability to move on. Instead, I simply replied, “I agree.”
“Vee, I loved Reid and he loved me.”
My only response was to feign a smile. As Daphne walked away, Leigh stepped closer and hugged me.
“Hayden and I will wait for you upstairs after the game.”
“Thanks.”
“Go Coopers,” she said.
Swallowing my mix of emotions, I smiled and repeated her chant. “Go Coopers.”
The official’s voice came through the speakers. “The Jaguars choose heads.”
On the jumbotron I watched the coin flip into the air and land on the field.
“It’s tails.” The official turned to Troy and Kai. “The Coopers will decide. What will you do?”
“Defer,” Troy answered.
The official’s voice echoed through the stadium. “The Coopers have chosen to defer and will receive the second-half kickoff.”
Even with our pregame commemoration, the time was exactly one p.m. as Holt kicked the football down the field. The Jaguars’ receiver signaled for a fair catch. The ball was down at the Jags’ twenty-two-yard line.
Our defense took the field.
I clenched my notebook against my chest. It was the same one I took to each practice and game, despite rarely looking at my mangled notes.
By the end of the third quarter, the Coopers were up 24–9.
Coach Brown saw the gaps the Jags exploited in our defense during our first meeting and closed them tight.
The Jags’ only scores so far came in the form of field goals.
The cheerleaders were on the field with the game in a television time-out.
Coach Pratt’s voice came through my headphones telling Fin he was going in.
My heart leapt and sank at the same time.
I knew how upset Fin was about the interception in the last game against the Jaguars and how badly he wanted to get back out on the field.
I was also worried. As I told him, he was safer on the bench.
And while I had complete faith in his abilities, what if he had another bad play against the same team?
Biting my lower lip, I hugged my notebook as Fin and the Coopers’ offense took the field.
After a brief huddle, the offense lined up in split-back formation.
Spencer snapped the ball. Fin dished a shovel pass to our fullback, Treshawn Morgan.
Fin stepped back from a defensive tackle as Treshawn ran for six positive yards.
After two first downs, the Coopers were in the red zone with the ball on the Jaguars’ sixteen-yard line. Gripping my notebook, my stomach twisted and my skin prickled as the ball was snapped. Fin shuffled from foot to foot. The Jags’ defense was tight.
I gasped as Fin tucked the ball and ran wide right.
Forgetting to breathe, I watched as he bounced from one defensive player to the next. Being out of the box, he was fair game for any of those giant men.
“Slide,” I said softly.
Fin didn’t slide. Instead, he dove for the end zone with the ball in his extended hands.
Bodies piled on top of one another.
The referee watching the end zone lifted his arms.
“Touchdown, Coopers.” The Big Hurt’s voice was followed by deafening cheers.
I looked up at the jumbotron as players stood from the pile. Sucking in a breath with my heart skipping a beat, we watched Fin roll to his back. Dijon Ortiz offered him his hand, and I sighed with relief as Fin jumped up to his feet.
The crowd clapped and screamed. “Fin. Fin.”
The score was now 31–9.
I didn’t take a full breath until the final buzzer sounded. My concern wasn’t only because the Jaguars had handed us our only loss so far this regular season, but also that Tilson and Pratt kept Fin in for the remainder of the game.
I stood near the tunnel and waited as Fin spoke to sports networks out on the field. When he came in my direction, I grinned. “You played well, Graham.”
His blue orbs sparkled. “Thank you, Ms. Hubbard.”
Entering the upstairs family suite I looked around.
Leigh, Hayden, Lip, Chris, Uncle Darin, and Aunt Rachel were present.
Royce Beasley wasn’t always present in the suite.
Today, he and his wife were sitting near the firepit.
As Leigh had requested for our home games, the buffet was still available, and Brent was behind the bar.
It had been a month since Daphne and Joe Eads’ announcement about contesting Dad’s will.
Yet here we were, the Hubbards and Marshes, in our familiar environment.
“Fin played great,” Leigh said, greeting me.
“I’m so relieved.”
“He’s a good quarterback, Vee.”
“Oh, I know that. He’s been upset since he passed an interception in week twelve. He’ll be easier to live with now.”
Leigh tilted her head to the side. “Are you two living together?”
Warmth climbed up from my neck to my cheeks. “Not officially. I mean, he still has an apartment.” I wiggled my shoulders. “He just doesn’t stay there often.”
My cousin put her arm around me. “Could my girl be overcoming her commitment issues?”
“I wouldn’t rush to any conclusions.”
“Vee,” Uncle Darin said, coming closer. “Today’s remembrance was well done.”
Aunt Rachel joined us. “Reid would have approved.”
I nodded. Inhaling, I felt my nostrils flare at the missing usual attendees. “Daphne didn’t stay?”
Aunt Rachel pursed her lips. “She said she had a headache.”
“I should have known she was ill. She hugged me after we stepped off the field.”
Leigh laughed. “Grant offered to take her home.”
“So is Joe out and Grant back in?”
Uncle Darin shook his head. “Grant isn’t interested in Daphne like that.”
“Dad’s probably right,” Leigh said. “It’s difficult for Grant to be interested in anyone except himself.”
A laugh bubbled from my throat.
“Ms. Vee,” Brent said. “A cosmo?”
“Yeah, I’ll have one for Dad.”
After I made myself a salad, Leigh, Hayden, and I sat at the bar. The post-game wrap-up was on the large television. Dennison stood and Fin took his place. The closed caption was on. I was about to read what he was saying when a hand came to my shoulder.
Craning my neck and looking up, I met Royce’s stare. “Good game.”
He nodded. “We’re essentially in the playoffs now.”
“Officially we have week eighteen.”
“The Texans are 15–2. If the Coopers lose next week, we’ll have a tied record.”
I set down my fork. “We won’t lose.”
“If we do, one of us will get the number-one seed. The other will have to play a wild-card game.”
“We’re not going to lose,” I said again. “You’re the general manager. Don’t you have faith in our team?”
“I have faith, Vee. I know how much Reid wanted a Super Bowl win. I know you want the same thing. It’s been a hell of a season. I’m glad we signed Graham. He’s been solid. The next six weeks will be our marathon.”
I tried to recall. “Didn’t the Coopers play in the Super Bowl your first year as general manager?”
He nodded. “Played, we didn’t win. I’ve been thinking, it would be nice to come in on a Super Bowl appearance and leave on a Super Bowl win.”
Leave.
What?
I stood and stared into Royce’s eyes. “You want to retire?”
“I think it’s time. I’m seventy-five, Vee. I was hired by Carroll, worked with Reid, and now you’re the owner. I know you’ll make your granddad and dad proud. I think it’s time to let a younger man handle this position. I already spoke with Darin and Rachel.”
Shit. I couldn’t say I was sad to see him go. I also didn’t want the responsibility of finding a new general manager. Offering Royce my hand, we shook. “I’d appreciate your insight regarding a new hire.”
“Or you could look within.”
I straightened my shoulders. “You just put more work on our plates, Royce.”
“Welcome to the big office, Vee.”
After he stepped away, I retook my seat, lifted my drink, and turned to Hayden and Leigh. Whispering, I said, “Well, that came out of nowhere.”
“He told the family after the moment of silence for Uncle Reid,” Hayden said. “He’s been around a long time.”
“I used to think it was too long. Now I wish he would stay another year. That’s a lot of change for the Coopers.”
“How did Fin enjoy Christmas Eve dinner at Mom and Dad’s?” Leigh asked.
I laughed. It was his first true plunge into the shark tank that was my family. “He survived. I’m pretty sure I warned him enough that he wasn’t expecting carols and hot chocolate.”
“More like backstabbing and innuendos,” Hayden chirped in.
Leigh elbowed her husband. “Not everyone.”
Hayden smiled at me knowingly.
“Was Joe here?” I asked, realizing he was also absent.
Leigh shook her head.
“You said Grant drove Daphne home. There’s something brewing with that whole situation.”
“Aunt Daphne claims she and Joe are just friends. She told Mom that the kiss at Thanksgiving wasn’t a kiss,” Leigh said, exaggerating the word. “It was only a kiss.”
I took another sip of my cosmo. “That clears everything up.” I remembered a call I’d received late Friday afternoon. “I have a meeting with Cammy tomorrow after the executive meeting.”
Leigh lifted her eyebrows. “Is there something legal with the Coopers.”
“There’s always something. Cammy said she discovered something she thought I should know. Trish can’t make it to Lexington, but she’ll be with us via Zoom.”
“Do you want me to see if I can attend?”
Shaking my head, I lifted my drink. “I’ll let you know if it’s anything big.”
“Okay. I’m happy to try to clear up legalese.”
A smile curled my lips. “You’re my favorite attorney.”
After finishing my salad, I took the last sip of my cosmo. “I should get home.”
Lip was now standing near to my stool. As I stood, he bumped his shoulder with mine. “Go reward that handsome quarterback you have hanging around. He deserves it.”
Despite the warmth that was undoubtedly turning my cheeks pink, I grinned. “He does.”