Page 12 of Catch
She wasn’t this self-centered when we first met. “It’s a lot for both of us.” I turned my attention back to the road and got us to the event right on time. I gave the valet my fob and a hefty tip to keep the car close. If things went south, I wanted to get out as quickly as possible.
“Looking good, Coach.” Anthony Quinn, our running back, stopped to introduce us to his girlfriend, Crystal. She was friendly and they looked stunning together.
“You both look amazing.” I introduced them to Lexi who turned up the charm.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you. Sutton talks about you all the time,” she said.
Anthony beamed with pride. “It’s been great having her on our team,” he said.
There was a comfort walking into the hotel with another couple. I was sure they would break off from us as soon as we got to the ballroom, but having Anthony next to me helped me relax.
“Are you excited to talk about your charity? Running Back Packs, right?” I asked him. If I remembered correctly, the organization gave food-insecure children packs of easy-to-prepare food for the weekends.
“It’s near and dear to me.” He emphasized by placing both hands over his heart.
“I think it’s great,” I said. I reached for Lexi’s hand when we found the ballroom.
“Your hands are sweaty, babe.” Her hand grew limp in mine and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before she dropped it.
“Sorry. I’m a little nervous.”
“Sutton, over here.” Brandon waved me over to a table with the offensive coaches. The large table was already littered with glasses of wine, water, and longnecks. I wondered what time everyone arrived. “This is my wife, Tina.”
I shook her hand and introduced Lexi to the table. The men smiled at her appreciatively and the other wives, once introduced to us, seemed snobbish except for Tina. Lexi wasted no time in findinga waiter and ordering a glass of chardonnay. I asked for water. The last thing I needed was alcohol.
The room quieted as Terry made his way to the podium at the front of the room. There were easily three hundred people in the ballroom. I relaxed a fraction when I didn’t see Grayson or Parker.
“Thank you all for coming this evening. As a new team, we are anxious for you all to get to know us and learn about our charities. It’s important for us to spend time with our community and give back. I’m sure you saw the tables in the hallway with the different charities. Please chat with the players and coaches if you have any questions. You’ll find them floating around. Cheers, everyone!”
Just what I didn’t want. Free time. I thought it was an organized event where we spoke briefly about our charities, ate dinner, and left after an hour. Instead, it was an upscale buffet with a full staff behind each station to serve us. Lexi wanted to wait to eat and I was fine with that. I was good sitting in my chair the whole evening with the rest of the room behind me.
Lexi stood and leaned over my shoulder to take my drink order. “Do you want anything to drink? I’m going to socialize and grab another wine.”
“I’m fine with water.” I smiled and nodded. I turned my attention back to Tina. “So, you plant the bulbs in the fall?” I was getting a lesson on tulips and, right now, it was everything to me.
“Well, if it isn’t homecoming queen turned NFL pro.”
I turned when I heard Max’s voice. “Max! What are you doing here?” I jumped up and hugged him tightly. I pushed him away only to pull him back for another hug. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” I’d talked to him on the phone during my first week with the Cheetahs. He was so happy for me. He had just opened his fifth gym in the northeast this spring.
“I wanted it to be a surprise. I have business over in Boston and thought I’d swing by and see how my favorite quarterback is doing.”
“I can’t believe this. I’m so freaking happy!” I took his hand and squeezed. “Let me introduce you to everyone.” He shook mystaff’s hands and had a little something to say about each coach, noting a great call they made during their careers.
“You were great in Dallas. I’m sorry your career got cut short,” Jamal said.
Max had blown out his knee during his third year. He waved Jamal off. “I’m still blessed. I miss football, but I don’t miss the pain every week.”
“How do you know McCoy?” Brandon asked.
“We went to the same high school,” Max said.
“Small world, huh? Grayson Moats is from around your area, too. Do you know him?” Jamal asked.
Max smiled. “We’ve shared space before.” He turned to the table. “It was nice to meet you all, but this one needs to show me her charity.” He locked arms with me and escorted me out into the large hall where tables with information on our charities were available to scan or take home. The administrative staff worked with all of us and were in charge of staging tonight. They did an incredible job. It was hard to get through the crowd to get to my charity, Book Ends, which encouraged kids to read more and also gave them a sense of social responsibility. For every book they read, a book was donated to a school in need.
Max smiled. “Why did you pick this? I don’t remember you reading a lot in school.”
“I love to read. I was too busy in high school but read a ton in college. Now I listen to audiobooks to and from work.”
