Page 86 of Game Plan

“What’s going on?” Mom asks. “You never call me this late.”

“It’s not late. It’s nine thirty.”

“You still don’t call me at nine thirty.”

Fair. I probably don’t.

The pasta we had for dinner sloshes in my stomach. It’s not something I expect her to be upset over, per se. I just worry that we’ll both be reminded of the last time I called with engagement news … and how that ended.

I fear she’ll think I’m making another bad decision, and I don’t want to hear that in her voice.

Might as well get it over with.

“You’re right. I do have something to tell you,” I say.

“So tell me.”

I take a deep breath. “Do you know my friend Finn that I’ve told you about?”

“The football player who you seem to spend a lot of time with but refuse to let me meet?”

I roll my eyes, grinning. “Yes, that one.”

“What about him?”

“Well, earlier this week, an article was written that he’s engaged. It’s not true. But as soon as it was released, he started getting a ton of endorsement deals. Because I’ve been talking about starting a foundation like I talked to you about when I was visiting, Finn offered me half the money if I’d play along.”

“As his fiancée?”

“Yeah. As his fiancée.”

Mom is quiet, and my pulse starts to race.

“It’s just until football season is over,” I say, feeling the need to fill the silence. “And it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a situation where we spend time together and get paid for it. It’s really no big deal at all. I don’t want you to worry.”

She sighs, the sound slipping through the phone. It does nothing for my rising anxiety.

“I never know what you’re going to say when you call,” she says. “And I always think that you can’t surprise me at this point after all of your shenanigans. But I have to say, you’ve proven me to be a liar because I’m shocked.”

Fuck. “Good shocked or bad shocked?”

“I’m not sure. How do you feel about this?”

I flinch. How do I feel about it? That’s not what I was expecting.

“This is a good thing, Mom. Really. Finn is … he’s great.”

“Why?”

She asks the question pointedly with all the confidence in the world because she knows that she’s finally gotten me in a corner. There’s nowhere for me to run.

I move slowly around the room, letting my mind drift to Finn. “Layla’s father-in-law had a heart attack,” I say.

“Oh no. Is he okay?”

“I think he’ll be fine. But she and Branch went to Tennessee and left Sunny with Finn and me.” I pause to take a breath. “Today, I had to work, and Finn had meetings, too, because training camp starts Monday. I stayed home with Sunny and did the whole stay-at-home-aunt thing, and holy shit, Mother. This is not for me.”

She laughs. “I would’ve paid big money to see that.”