Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
“Even Odds Sports Agency?”
I smile at the business cards. “Do you like it?”
“Like it? I love it.” Cade plays with the hot pink card. “It’s a little bit of us.”
“Yup,” I breathe. “It’s perfect.”
The last three weeks have been a whirlwind.
Getting a business up and running isn’t for the weak.
After leaving Permian for the last time, I dove into creating my dream sports agency.
On day one, I chose a name. On day two, I filed for an LLC.
On days three and four, I mapped out the business I wanted to create.
A comfortable place run by a hands-on agent who sees clients as people while helping them reach their goals with happy bodies and minds.
By the end of the first week, I had an EIN, a business email, social media handles, and a business bank account.
During the second week, I finalized my pitch deck that explains who I am, what I do, and why an athlete should work with me.
At the beginning of the third week, I realized I had gotten into the routine of eating meals instead of chugging caffeine drinks, sleeping more than three hours a day, and taking my medicine regularly.
My PCOS thanks me for it every day.
“I’ll be paying you back,” I tell Cade. And replenishing my savings account that is nearly empty these days.
“Whatever you say, Shay baby.” He looks over my shoulder at my running list of tasks on the pink sticky notes that I stuck to the dining room wall. “You’re getting close. What’s next?”
My finger taps a line. Find an office space. Flyers of every commercial office for rent in Clear Lake are spread along the dining table, and I slide my favorite toward him. “This one’s expensive, but the coffee shop downstairs will keep me sane and caffeinated.”
Cade hums at my top choice. He’s probably falling in love with the emerald tile of the small office on the second floor like I did. Then he asks my least favorite question.
“Does it fit your business budget?”
I groan. “Nope. At this point, I’ll be working from home or in a box on the side of the road.”
His hand brushes mine for a reassuring second before an incoming video call pops up. Since leaving Permian, my phone has been too quiet, which is probably why we both jump at the sound.
An assortment of worst-case scenarios run through my mind as I click the green button. “What’s going on? Are you okay? How’s the knee?”
Deshawn snorts. “Jeez, Shay. I’m healthy. Texting is cool and all, but I haven’t heard your voice since everything went down. Can’t a guy call to say hi to his old friend?”
Cade waves before walking into the kitchen to give us some privacy. Talking to my former clients is a cacophony of emotions. Andy’s doing an amazing job, which is all I could ask for, but I miss taking care of them. I receive daily texts, even from Lionel, with updates and GIFs and unlimited love.
“I’m sorry.” I rub the back of my neck. “I’m really glad you called.”
Deshawn shifts, revealing an oddly shaped couch behind him. I remember seeing it in a magazine interview he did in his home. “Saw you started an Instagram for your own sports agency. How’s that going?”
“Slow,” I groan, looking at my list of unfinished tasks. “The good news is that I have the admin stuff done. All I need is a space and some clients.”
And to market myself to death. I’ve got to get my name out there and find people willing to give me a chance.
“How many clients are you planning to take on?”
Propping my phone against a vase of flowers, I grin.
“Tough question. I want the agency to focus on quality over quantity. Like at Permian, my main priority will be taking care of my clients and giving them the attention they deserve, so I think a safe number is eight. Got any teammates looking for an agent?”
This time, Deshawn lets out a full-bodied laugh. “Probably, but I’m actually looking for myself.”
I pause. “Trevor is your agent.”
“Was,” he corrects me. “I’m free now that the shithead was terminated for discrimination.
And to celebrate, I decided it’s time to take my business elsewhere.
You see, there’s an agent who spent a lot of her very limited free time with me at physical therapy.
She sat beside me when I was at my lowest, and I don’t feel comfortable starting my season without her by my side as my full-time agent. Not agent adjacent.”
The air leaves my chest in a very unprofessional wheeze. “You want me to be your agent?”
“I do,” Deshawn says. “I meant what I said. I can’t imagine getting back on the court without you. So, what do you say, Shay?”
“I . . .” I swallow over a lump of emotion. “Welcome to the Even Odds team, Deshawn.”
After scheduling a meeting and a quick goodbye, I hang up before releasing a scream so loud that it shakes the whole house. Cade rushes back into the room and falls to his knees in front of me, gripping my hand so hard, it’s the only reason I’m sure I’m not dreaming right now.
“You have a client.”
My head lolls backward. “I have a client.”
“A professional basketball player. And he wants you beside him.”
“He wants me,” I whisper.
In an instant, Cade pulls me out of the chair and starts spinning us in circles around the room. The pink walls are blurred, but his smile is abundantly clear as I look down at him. Wrapped in his arms, I’m sure this is the kind of happiness people spend their whole lives searching for.
And I’m lucky enough to say I’ve found it.
When he finally stops, his eyes glitter. “Now let’s get to Slim Jim’s.”
It’s been too long since I’ve seen my friend.
People may find it weird to consider a man in his fifties a friend, but Jimmy was the first friend I made after moving to Clear Lake for college. It didn’t matter that all we did was hit baseballs.
When he hugs me, I squeeze him a little tighter than usual.
“How’s school going?” I ask, dropping into the seat.
“Either the kids keep getting crazier or I’m getting too old for this.” Teaching world history to a bunch of hormonal teenagers can’t be easy. It’s only the second week of September, but his sigh tells me he’s already counting down the days until Thanksgiving break.
It’s rare that he’s at the batting cages on a Tuesday afternoon, and I couldn’t miss my opportunity to see him when he texted me.
“Definitely the former,” I say. “Why is the closed sign on the door? Is there a private event happening?”
“Something like that. Congrats on Even Odds. What’s next?”
I look down. “An office, but if I’m being honest, I’m thinking about being completely virtual at this point. Most deals are made over the phone anyway, so why should I find a space and spend all that money? I can work from home or in a coffee shop.”
“That’s definitely cheaper. What do you want out of a space?”
After spending years in an office where I felt suffocated and where I couldn’t stand staying for too long, I know what I don’t want.
“I need somewhere comfortable. Where I don’t dread coming into work every day.
I would love a shorter commute. I know Charlotte is probably the best place to have an office, since it’s the heart of so many North Carolina teams, but I’d rather be here in Clear Lake.
I think it would be nice to show athletes how special our little town is, you know? ”
This place is my home. With a professional athlete family and divorced parents, I was always on the move. For so long I thought that was normal, but now, I’ve made myself a home and found people who make leaving seem impossible.
“What’ll you do if Cade gets traded and leaves North Carolina?”
Thinking of him leaving makes my chest tighten, but a trust we didn’t have the first time thrums between us now. “We may have failed at the long-distance thing before, but we won’t let that happen again. If staying here is what’s best for my business, I will. Cade will always come back.”
Opening his arms wide, Jimmy smiles. “So work here at Slim Jim’s.
That room became your office the moment you claimed it.
Couldn’t rent it out to anyone because that would mean you’d stop coming by.
Nobody loves this place like you do, Shay.
And if you’re here, I’ll be able to keep a close eye on you and make sure you’re getting rest. But you’ll have to buy new furniture. That stuff in there is junk.”
Renting the spare office at Slim Jim Batting never crossed my mind. It may not come with a coffee shop nearby, but it has Jimmy, which makes it my dream location.
“Tell me how much rent is, and I’ll start decorating immediately.”
Our extended hands shake in agreement. “Wonderful, partner. Now, I think your guy is waiting for you.”
I turn to find Cade’s cheek pressed against the glass.
After giving him one last hug, Jimmy leaves us alone in the office, and I glare at Cade. “You knew that would happen, didn’t you?”
The smug man doesn’t even have the decency to look guilty.
“I may have had ulterior motives in bringing up a space this morning, yes. But only because I knew you hadn’t thought about here yet.
Jimmy was waiting for you to bring it up, so I pushed it.
” His hug is warm and grounding. “You know I’m incredibly proud of you, right? ”
I look up at him. “Hmm. Not sure. Maybe you should tell me again.”
“I’m so”—a kiss to my forehead—“proud of”—one to my nose—“you,” he breathes, before pressing his lips against mine. “Not only are you the best agent, but you’re the greatest person I know. I love you so much, Shay baby.”
“You better,” I whisper. “Because it’s you for me.”
“And you for me,” he finishes.
Our arms brush as we make our way down the hallway to the cages, and for a second, it feels like those first few visits to Slim Jim Batting all over again.
Back then, I was a bundle of nerves about being with him without our best friends as a buffer.
The first time his hand grazed mine, I told myself it was an accident.
Then I found out he had been doing it for weeks, trying to get my attention.
Just before we reach the door to the cages, he tugs on my hand and brings us to an abrupt stop.
“Now don’t be mad, but I have a surprise for you.”
That alone triggers fear because I hate surprises. But when the cackle I’ve heard during countless phone calls, voice memos, and voicemails rings out from the cages, I break into a run and push open the heavy door. Hands pull me in before I can make sense of what’s happening.
The person closest to me smells like she ate a handful of sour candy and bathed in leftover sugar, and I soak it all in.
“I missed you,” Holly chuckles into my neck.
“I missed her more!” Brett hollers. “I need a hug too!”
“Squeeze her extra hard for me, Brett!" Delilah laughs.
My eyes bounce between the six people smiling back at me. Holly, Victoria, Lionel, Brett, Deshawn, and Delilah—who’s joining on a video call—are all watching me with the same excited glitter that has been in Cade’s eyes since this morning.
He was hiding this all along.
Draping a muscular arm over my shoulder, Victoria laughs. “We couldn’t let you open a sports agency without celebrating you!”
Guilt cracks my broken heart. “I didn’t want you to think I was trying to replace you guys, but I couldn’t go back to—”
“We don’t want you to ever go back to Permian,” Brett chimes in. “Like ever. Actually, we’re here to tell you that we’ll all be needing new representation soon.”
Hope replaces the guilt. “What?”
“You see,” Lionel says, pointing over my head. “Your boyfriend brought a very long pattern of discrimination to light, and we agreed that none of us would be re-signing our contracts when they end.”
“What about Andy? You can’t—”
“Don’t worry about me.” The man himself steps through the door with pink tulips in hand. “They’ve never been mine, Turner. I’m just taking care of them until they can re-sign with you.”
I rush to my friend and give him a hug. “What about your job?”
“I’ll be fine. Once you get them back, I’ll build my clientele.”
Holly leaps into the air. “Delilah said she wanted to be first, but absolutely not! Me first! I have to be your first client!”
Pursing my lips, my eyes dart to Deshawn. When I don’t smile back, her face pales. “Actually . . .”
“Please don’t ruin my day, Shaylene. My mascara isn’t waterproof.”
“Deshawn was my first client. We made it official this morning.”
Like a rabid animal, Holly leaps at him. “Judas! You knew we would all be here today to surprise her, and you just wanted to beat me! I expected that from Victoria, but not you.”
He takes the beating with a smile, and I know he’s going to be a great addition to the team. They already treat him like a brother.
Smoothing her ponytail, Holly collects herself. “I guess second place isn’t too bad.”
“That’s the mindset of a loser,” Brett whispers in her ear. “First loser can’t feel good, Holls.”
I laugh. “Give me a little bit to get settled, and then we can all talk. Go play some baseball. There’s plenty of room for everyone!”
For the first time ever, I feel joy at the place where I work. It’s full of happiness and people who care for and respect each other. I’m not afraid of negativity around every corner.
This is my dream.
Cade drapes his arm over my shoulders as we watch Brett and Holly fight over the same bat. Lionel, Andy, and Deshawn are by the mural, taking selfies with Cade’s face. Victoria applies purple lipstick in the phone’s camera, smiling as Delilah gushes about the color.
“So, this is how it feels,” I say.
Cade looks down at me. “How what feels?”
I lean against him and smile. “How it feels to have it all.”