Page 145 of Tight Ends & Tiaras
The girls get dragged away, but Krud is still yelling at Winston. Let me say, for someone who’s been on the receiving end of Krud’s ire since training camp started, I’m rather enjoying this moment.
“Do you have any idea who’s in attendance tonight, you moron?” Krud’s breathing so hard, we can hear it in the front row. “I got hired to do two things—finish the funding for the renovations and win games. Your father isn’t paying me enough for this crap. He swore up and down that your talent alone could carry the offense, which is bullshit and you know it. If he wants me to promote you while keeping Rodriguez off the field, he’d better double those payments.”
Frozen, I replay those words back in my head.
What. The. Fuck.
I look around the table, speechless.
“Holy shit.” Olly’s eyes are wider than the dinner plates on the table. “Did you just hear what I think I heard?”
My heart is pounding, and I can barely hear anything but the sound of blood pumping in my ears.
“Get out of my sight!” Krud yells at Winston before our sweaty coach pops out from behind the curtains. “Sorry for the disruption, ladies and gentlemen! We’ll be kicking off our silent auction soon, so get those pocketbooks ready.”
I shake my head, disgusted, because knowing my luck, this won’t change a damn thing.
Alex clears his throat. “So... Rodriguez. That’s you, right?” He motions toward me.
I hold up my drink. Take a drink. “Yup. Cheers.”
Damn, I wish I could talk to Sienna tonight. She’d make sense of this for me. Help me figure out what to do.
All of a sudden, I understand that old eighties movie where the guy stands beneath that girl’s window with a boom box.
Would Sienna talk to me if I just showed up out of the blue?
People are getting up and leaving even though Krud is begging them to be seated.
“It’s been a pleasure meeting y’all.” I get up, hoping I can book it out of here, but the exits are getting backed up.
When I get near the door, one of the security guards eyeballs me. He’s wearing a black suit and is wired up like he’s Secret Service. He brings his wrist to his mouth and turns toward the wall, but I can still hear him.
“Eagle and Osprey are on the move. Sparrow has checked in for the night. Over and out.”
I finally make it out to my Rover when I remember how Melvin calls Sienna his little sparrow. I smile at the memory. I’d never think of her as something so diminutive. At the same time, I understand that protective thing he has for her. I’m glad my girl has someone looking out for her.
As I’m pulling out of the parking lot, I think about Fowler and that look on his face when I opened the door to Sienna’s house. That dumbass had better not make a move on her. She’s mine.
Or at least I hope she will be again.
I grip the steering wheel and head for home even though every bone in my body is telling me to head to Maggie’s house and stand under Sienna’s window and beg the woman to give me another chance.
I’m at a light when I freeze.
That wasn’t a butterfly on that bracelet Fowler held out to me.
Somewhere in my brain, the puzzle fits together.
I pull a U-turn that has the traffic behind me honking, but I don’t give a shit.
Maybe I’m wrong about this. I fucking hope I am, but I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I don’t know for sure.
