Chapter 14
Vee
The NFL consisted of thirty-four teams. Of those teams, only the Green Bay Packers were publicly owned.
Instead of an individual or family, the owner was a nonprofit community corporation made up of over five hundred thousand stockholders.
Like other teams, the club was governed by a board of directors and an executive committee and had an appointed president and CEO.
What made the Packers unique was that no one individual could own more than four percent of the shares.
Their structure was designed to ensure that the team stayed in Green Bay.
The president and CEO of the Packers was on my long list of contacts.
Not surprisingly, Aunt Rachel’s Zoom with all the owners went well last Friday.
My goal was to personally contact each owner throughout this week.
I started by calling an owner and the CEO of the Indianapolis Colts.
Our situations for gaining ownership were similar, and she reached out to me after my father’s passing.
We’d also spoken about my options regarding the Coopers CEO position.
The football operations side of the Coopers franchise had a slightly different schedule this week due to our bye.
Between arriving early with coffee on Monday to meet with Don Tilson, our weekly executive board meeting, and my regular meetings with stadium operations, I didn’t make it out to the practice fields to observe practice.
Tuesday, I continued my calls. The practice field was empty as our coaching staff prepared for Sunday’s game in Tennessee.
Fin and I had fallen into a routine that included his savory breakfast preparations. My mornings of consuming only coffee or a small bowl of oatmeal were forgotten. Fin’s masterpieces included veggie omelets, frittatas, scrambles, as well as avocado toast and smoothies.
Wednesday morning, I stopped as I entered the living room, watching Fin pull a muffin tin from the oven.
The sight of a perfectly toned man with muscles bulging from beneath the sleeves of his t-shirt comfortable in a kitchen brought back other memories of his skill set, making my insides twist and my nipples bead.
Fin’s blue orbs shone as he spotted me, a voyeur. “Are you watching me?”
“Maybe,” I admitted. “I was just thinking how accustomed I’m becoming to your breakfasts.”
His hair was unruly and his face contained evidence of his recent hiatus from shaving. The t-shirt he wore was worn and pulled tight across his chest. The nylon shorts did little to cover his firm ass and muscular thighs. All in all, the sight made my mouth dry.
Placing the hot tin on the kitchen island, Fin did as I’d done and scanned me from my hair to the toes of my shoes. “You’re beautiful.”
“I’m supposed to look professional.”
Leaving the hot pads on the island, he came toward me until he splayed his long fingers over my hips and brought me against him. “Ms. Hubbard, you’re the epitome of professional. You see, I have a problem.”
I cocked my face to the side. “What’s your problem, Mr. Graham?”
“I’m looking at you, your shiny blouse and the way it tents with your luscious breasts, the way it tucks into your skirt, the one that accentuates your waist, and those sexy legs, but I’m seeing more than that.”
“More?”
“I’m seeing beneath all those things to the sexy vixen who had her round ass against me when I woke this morning. It’s totally your fault we were delayed in getting out of bed.”
My cheeks rose. “I’m not complaining.”
“If you have any complaints, you’ll have to take them up with yourself.”
I let out a sigh. “It seems to me that you’re blaming the victim.”
His lips quirked. “Are you a victim?”
“Maybe recipient is a better word.” I pushed up on my toes and peered over his shoulder. “What did you make?”
“Mini frittatas with egg, spinach, onions, peppers, and cheese.”
“I hope you won’t decide to leave me when I gain fifty pounds.”
Fin scoffed. “First off, we’re also feeding me. These are high protein, and second, I believe in equal parts nutrition and exercise.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
I poured myself more coffee as Fin set plates with two frittatas a piece at the stools. “Do you have a cup?”
Fin tilted his head toward the coffee mug sitting by the stove. As I added more coffee to his mug, I asked, “Do all men drink coffee black?”
“I don’t know about all men. Real men.”
My laugh bubbled from my throat. “Dad did. Don does. You do.” I thought back over past relationships I’d had. The overwhelming majority of men I knew drank their coffee black. I needed cream, not that powder stuff, real out-of-a-carton cream.
Sitting next to Fin, I took a bite of the frittata. “Delicious.” I made note of his clothing. “Are you practicing today?”
He pressed his lips together. “Lacy said she wanted another scan. My rib will heal but I’ll probably have radiation poisoning.”
I reached for his arm. “You’re going to Nashville no matter what the report says. Troy went with us while he was on the IR. You’re not on the IR.”
He nodded.
“Fin, what is it?”
“Nothing.”
I laid my fork down. “What?”
Exhaling, he turned toward me. “I didn’t want to say anything to you.”
My curiosity was piqued. “About what?”
Fin stood from his stool and lifted his coffee mug. “Simpson said he’d heard a rumor that one of us would be sent to the practice squad soon. Something about too much money on three quarterbacks and financial concerns that no one knew about until Reid was gone.”
My molars came together with excessive force. “Where did Simpson hear that?”
“It was a rumor. You know how rumors are.”
“And you didn’t want to tell me.”
Fin’s nostrils flared. “It seems like cheating that I can come here at night and have direct communication with the owner when other players don’t have that advantage.”
“If you’re thinking of sharing, no. One football player is all I can handle.”
Fin quirked his lips in a lopsided grin. “I wasn’t suggesting a team/owner orgy.”
“Good. As for this rumor, I’m going to find out who started it. No one is getting demoted. Grant said something to me a few weeks ago and I shut it down.”
“It’s just that with this rib…”
I stood and walked to him. Reaching up, I cupped his prickly cheek. “Look at me.”
His blue orbs stared into my gaze.
“The Coopers need you. It’s because of you that we didn’t end up like the Vikings this season.
I also respect Simpson. We already let him go and rehired.
The three of you are safe on our roster for the rest of the season.
And” —I emphasized the word— “if that changes for any reason, you will not hear it through the grapevine but straight from me because we’ve asked one thing of each other. Communication.”
Fin exhaled. “I hate to bother you. You have so much happening.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t work that way. Communication is a two-way street. Don’t keep things from me and expect me to be honest with you. I need your openness too.”
He nodded. “I am just upset I’m not cleared to play.”
“Then heal, Mr. Graham.” I brushed my lips over his. “I need to get to the complex.” The kitchen caught my attention. “Just leave everything. I can clean it up tonight and cook for you.”
“You don’t have—”
I placed my finger over his lips. “I want to.”
On my drive to Maker’s Mark, I thought about the rumor Fin heard. If he heard it, so did others. The last thing the Coopers needed was a rumor about the financial solvency of our franchise.
“Call Aunt Rachel,” I said to my car after pushing the call button. I was finally back in my car. The dealership delivered it to Maker’s Mark yesterday.
“Vee,” Aunt Rachel said after one ring.
“Are you in your office?”
“No, dear. I’m on my way to Maker’s Mark. Do you need something?”
“I want to talk with you. Please have one of your assistants inform Jen when you have a spot today to talk.”
“My schedule is alarmingly full.”
“So is mine,” I replied. “We’ll make it work.”
Once at Maker’s Mark, I told Jen to secure a time for me to meet with Aunt Rachel. After a check of my emails, I put on a Coopers pullover sweater, gathered my trusty notebook, and made my way to the offensive practice.
Compared to the temperature last Sunday in Chicago, Lexington was unseasonably comfortable. I looked up to the blue sky sprinkled with fluffy white clouds. The light breeze blew loose strands of my hair around my face.
“You’re here,” Coach Pratt said with a smile.
“I’m not sure for how long, but I am.”
“It’s good to see you.”
The field was filled with our starting-lineup offense and our practice-squad defense.
Farther down the sideline, Fin and Ramel Patel were standing in street clothes.
No longer dressed in nylon shorts and t-shirt, Fin was wearing a nice pair of blue jeans and a dark blue pullover sweater. His hair was windblown yet styled.
“Have any of the injured players gone to see the trainers yet today?” I asked.
Pratt looked down at his notes. “Rhodes and Martin will be out as defensive ends for the Titans game on Sunday. The jury is still out on Patel and Graham.”
“No announcement needs to be made before four p.m. Saturday. They’re all going to the game with the team.”
Pratt nodded. “That was always Mr. Hubbard’s policy.”
“It’s still the policy. The Coopers are a team. They can support one another even if they’re not listed to play.” Before I could ask about the rumor mill, Coach Garcia called Coach Pratt out onto the field.
“Glad you’re here. Grab your earphones and let me know what you see.”
Arron, a young man in an orange hat, came my way carrying earphones. “Ms. Hubbard,” he said with a smile. “Glad you’re here. I’ve had these ready for you.”
“Thank you, Arron.”
We were about half an hour into practice when I saw Fin coming in my direction. I lifted one side of my earphones. “What are you doing?”
“I figured Dennison helped you during practices. I could too, since I’m not going to be out there.”
Warmth filled my cheeks. “It’s not the same.”
“Are you afraid we’ll start a rumor?”
“I think we’re past the rumor stage.”
Fin stood by my side, dwarfing my stature, not my presence. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was beside me as both reassurance and protection. I appreciated the first and didn’t need the second.
“Tell me what you hear and what it means. We’ll see how far you’ve come since playing checkers in your office.”