21. Character Flaw
CHARACTER FLAW
“ Y ou didn’t have to make me come twice to keep up with what I did to you.”
“Oh, yes, I did,” he said. “I feel like I need to study some art of lovemaking to keep up with you. What other surprises do you have?”
Emma took a huge bite of her chicken sandwich, some of the condiments she loaded on it falling onto her plate.
“You don’t think I’m going to tell you, do you?” she said around a mouthful. “This is awesome. Having a private chef has its perks. I might have to consider it, but not sure where I’d find someone on the island. Won’t be easy.”
Warren had pulled out a plate of cooked chicken breasts. Some were thick and others sliced thin. She said she didn’t need hers heated up, but he shivered when she started to make her sandwich cold and took the chicken away from her to warm.
She searched out tomatoes, lettuce, some sliced cheese, and slathered mayo on it.
He cringed over the amount she dropped, but her body didn’t mind it, so he shouldn’t care.
“Probably not,” he said. “Unless you hire one of your cousin’s chefs to do it.”
“Hmm,” she said around another mouthful. “That has merit. I might ask Grace if anyone is interested in doing that. I don’t need it daily, maybe just once a week. I’ve got enough freezer space for it.”
“You’ve packed your freezer full of microwave meals,” he said. “Do you know how much sodium is in them?”
“Nope, and I don’t care. I considered having one of those online meal prep places shipped, but with the ferry schedule and all, it’s too much navigation and I’m not sure how long it’d stay cold. No way I’m going over to get it weekly and bring it back.”
She could send a courier over to get it. There were plenty that her family used, but again, too much work and something else for her to keep track of.
“You’re sure you’re okay with checking out the training facility with me tomorrow?”
“Yep,” she said. “I don’t suppose you’ve got any chips, do you?”
“That cabinet on the end past the fridge is for my sisters when they visit. There might be some in there.”
She slid off the stool and went to where he said and opened it.
“Jackpot. There is chocolate in here.” She was moving things around. “Pringles. Perfect.”
It was just a mini container of them, but there were several in there.
“Stacy is addicted to those. When we were kids, she’d eat a whole can in one sitting.”
“And Mr. Healthnut doesn’t want anyone to do that, so you get her proper portions?” she asked.
“It’s more about them not going bad if they are opened and no one eats them.”
She found that funny that he was thinking along those lines.
It’s not as if he couldn’t afford to buy more.
But then she remembered what his childhood was like and maybe it was hard for him to let go of that mentality at times.
His house was stunning and fit his personality, but it was minimalistic. What he had was well made and built to last. She had some upscale brands in her house too.
Quality over quantity had always been how she’d lived.
“Will she be mad if I eat most of that cabinet while I’m here?”
“No,” he said. “I’ll make sure Marcia replaces it. It’s for both of them. Or anyone else.”
“Did Stacy decide about the bar yet?”
“She’s taking it in Massachusetts,” he said. “There are a few law firms that she’s talked to and will start interviewing after she takes it. She doesn’t want to worry right now.”
“And you’ll make sure she won’t have to worry about bills or anything else,” she said. “You’re such a good big brother.”
She could mention something to Roark about Stacy but didn’t want to overstep.
He smiled. “They’d do the same for the family if it was them.”
“I bet they would,” she said. “I like how close your family is. It reminds me of mine.”
“I’m just glad your parents liked me,” he said.
“You know damn well they more than liked you,” she said, giving him a playful shove.
She might have found her family’s reaction to her and Warren’s relationship annoying, but she was happy about it too.
Maybe she needed her eyes opened up a bit to what was going on around her.
She got lost in her worlds and had tunnel vision more than she should.
It was a big character flaw of hers.
“Your cat isn’t the only one that got lucky,” he said.
“Nope,” she said. “He wasn’t. I’m sure your sister can do things on her own, but you probably want her close to you, don’t you?”
“I’d like her to be close by. I’d like my mother and Stephanie to be too, but since I never know where I could end up, it’s not fair for them to move.”
“You’ve got two more years left on your contract,” she said. “Do you think you’ll get another one here?”
“I think I can trust you,” he said.
Her eyes popped open. “I’m a little insulted you just said that, considering what you found out about my mother last week.”
“Shit,” he said. “I’m sorry. I’m just so used to keeping things close to my chest.”
Was she so wrong about him?
Maybe he didn’t want her here, and she was ticked that she rushed to come now after her mother made her feel bad about it.
But he said she hadn’t asked. As if he wanted her to.
“I understand why you need to,” she said. “Or want to.”
He reached his hand over and threaded their fingers together. He got some mayo on him and pulled it back to wipe off.
“You’re a piece of work,” he said. “Listen, Emma. Even if your mother went public with who she was, she’d be in the spotlight for a period of time while the world adapted to it.
Maybe every time a movie came out based on one of her books, she’d get more press, but it’s not as if people would follow her around everywhere.
She might not even be recognized on the street. ”
“I know,” she said. “I’m not either. I’m not as big as her, but people do know who I am. It’s different for you and I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said what I had and I can see you’re hurt.”
Is that what she was feeling?
She hadn’t realized a man could hurt her.
Which was a stupid thought, but she’d never let herself open up to anyone as she had with Warren.
“I’m just confused. Everything with you makes me confused.”
“Join the crowd,” he said. “I plan on retiring when my contract is up. I promised my mother. She hates that I’m still playing after my concussions last year.”
Emma had read about his injuries last season. For most of his career, he’d been free of anything major.
He had missed no games until last season when he was pulled out on the concussion protocol.
She wondered if he would have played through them in the past before that policy was enacted.
It was best not to think about that or how many more he’d had in his life.
“Does she have a reason to be worried?” she asked.
“It’s always worrisome with a head injury,” he said. “It’s not a good feeling having your bell rung, let me tell you.”
“Why do you still do it then? Is it the love of the game or something else? Are you one of these people that needs the thrill?”
“I do it to provide for my family,” he said. “It’s my job.”
“Warren,” she said sarcastically. “You’ve got more than enough money and you know it. I don’t know your net worth other than if I look it up online. I can see what your contracts are worth, but you’ve got a lot of sponsorship money.”
She knew his three-year contract was a hundred million dollars. That was more than her personal net worth. A lot more. But she had trust funds she wasn’t counting, and everything else she’d inherit at some point.
“I have invested my contract money,” he said. “It’s always been that way. I used it to buy my mother’s house. I got sponsorship money early in my career and it’s only increased. That is what I use to live on.”
Which she knew was millions more.
Plenty enough that he didn’t have to keep playing.
“I’m not sure I understand,” she said. “You had a lot of money before this contract.”
“And I was injury-free mostly,” he said. “I wanted to keep playing and figure out what to do with my life. If it was a two-year contract, I would have been fine too, but three was better. I’m here for two more unless something happens and I can’t finish out my contract.”
“Something like you get hurt?” she asked. “I’d rather not think of that.”
“Me neither, but my injury clause pays me a guaranteed amount if I can’t finish. Sixty percent of my annual contract amount for each year that I can’t play. As you said, it’s more than enough and I won’t push my luck. I’ll be thirty-six and it’s longer than most quarterbacks get to play.”
“I’m glad I’ve got a career where I don’t have to worry about that,” she said.
“But I also know that things are dynamic. I could lose my publisher if I don’t sell enough books.
Maybe they don’t like what I’m writing anymore.
Or they don’t have the space for as many authors.
There are many things and it’s why I make sure I’ve got another source on my own that I work hard at. I’ve got one full-time PA.”
“PA?” he asked.
“Personal assistant. She works remotely. She sorts through my emails for me, does some posts on social media, creates those posts for me, and runs my ads. There are lots of things she does I don’t have time for, but I see the important things before they go out.”
It’d be nice if it was someone close by that she could have doing her shipments too, but it was hard to find someone with the knowledge of the industry and the understanding of things on social media and how it relates.
“I’m glad you’ve got help,” he said. “I’ll admit I didn’t realize everything there was to being an author.”
“It’s a lot,” she said. “My mother doesn’t write as many books as I do a year.
She doesn’t need to with the size of her contracts and publicity, but she’d built that for decades.
Right now she’s doing two a year. Maybe in thirty years, I’ll be that way, but I doubt it.
I’ve always written more than her, but the world of publishing is much different now. ”
“You can do it,” he said. “I know it.”
“Things are going to blossom when the Netflix series comes out,” she said. “My mother has another book in the works for a movie. She’s considering going public. Or as I pick on her about, coming out of the closet.”
“Wow,” he said. “So that is why she told me?”
“Now you look hurt,” she said.
“No,” he said. “I’m not. I’m honored she felt she could trust me with it.”
“You should be,” she said. “Few are told. Not even other’s spouses in the family know.”
“It’s hard to keep it from the world if too many people are aware,” he said.
“Which is why I used my name. There is no reason to cause confusion. I’ve got nothing to hide. Back to my mother. She’s slowed down a lot. I think it’s time she does this. I know once it’s out she’s my mother, my sales are going to skyrocket.”
“You don’t want that, do you?” he asked.
“Yes, I do,” she said, laughing. “But not that way. I know I can’t avoid it.
I made my name on my own and even got a TV deal out of it.
So yeah, I want her to do it for her.” She took the last bite of her sandwich while he continued to eat.
“If it gets out we are dating, it could bring some media on you. You should know that.”
“I don’t have a problem with it,” he said. “Because it will get out we are dating and once that happens, you’ll be in the spotlight. Will you be okay with that?”
“I love the spotlight,” she said, laughing.
“Says no hermit ever,” he said, closing one eye at her.
“Being a hermit to me is more about the fact I’m a homebody. I have everything I need on the island. I don’t need to go out and rub elbows with people. I interact with them on my time and schedule in the comfort of my house. It’s a great place to hide, let me tell you.”
“Everything you need on the island?” he asked.
She got up and moved closer to him, her hand dropping to his crotch. “Not everything. Or not all the time.”
He laughed. “That’s what I thought.”