Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
NOAH
I’m supposed to be working out at Iron Man gym, a small place that most of the Hurricanes prefer to use in the off-season, but I’m having trouble concentrating.
I haven’t heard from Arie yet. Every time my phone rings I dive for it.
I’m shocked Audrey hasn’t accused me of cheating yet.
That’s how cagey I’ve been about my phone.
I’ve been sidestepping questions about Chicago, saying nothing is concrete yet. Which is true.
I try and knock all that aside and focus on my form. I could have called Colin or Wyatt to come spot me, but I felt like being alone. I can’t lie to them, so I’m just not talking. I watch in the mirror as I pull the dumbbell up for a bicep curl. Sometimes it feels nice to go back to the basics.
I startle when my ringtone blasts through my headphones. Siri asks if I want to answer it, and I answer “Yes.”
“Arie?”
“Noah!” Arie exclaims. He’s a salesman at heart, so he’s always overly cheerful.
He’s also great at putting lipstick on a pig.
Which might be why I’m his client now that I think about it.
He might be calling me to tell me there’s nothing he can do, but his tone doesn’t sound like he has bad news.
A little bit of hope creeps into my voice. “Whatcha got, Arie?”
“Great news!” I hold my breath. “You’re staying a Hurricane!”
“How? Did they change their mind?”
“I told them you’d be willing to be tagged for the franchise. This is a traditional franchise tag, so you’ll get the average of the top five tight ends in the league. It gets you one more year with guaranteed money as a Hurricane. Chicago wasn’t coming in higher than fifteen million anyway.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Are you positive you don’t want to talk to some other teams? We could easily get you sixteen million if you stayed on the market. Chicago just isn’t going to have the cap space for that when they draft the first-round quarterback in April.”
“I’m sure. I don’t care about the money.
I just want to stay a Hurricane.” The franchise tag leaves a bitter taste in some people’s mouths because it’s pro-owner.
They get to keep their top talent at a lower rate than market price, and I generally agree with that.
The exception is if the player wants to stay. Then it's a win-win.
“Then it’s decided. I’ll call over to the front office and let them know. This will be pretty straightforward; there isn’t any negotiation to do. The price is set by the NFL.”
“Thanks, Arie.”
“No problem, kid.”
We hang up and I go into full-on panic mode. So much needs to be done—undone.
I grab a wipe and start disinfecting my seat and weights. I grab my water and keys and jog out the door.
I have to get to Audrey before she turns her keys in. I should just call her and tell her to stop packing, but I want this to be a romantic gesture. I was there the other day helping her pack, but she insisted I not skip my workout for her today. Plans change, and ours just changed in a big way.
I’m going to ask her to move in with me.