“Accept call,” he instructed, and the ringing stopped. “Derek?” he said, eyeing the name on his dashboard.
“You answered. I was beginning to think you were ignoring me.”
Cam bit down a smile, because he’d been doing exactly that. “I’ve been busy.”
“So Brian told me. You made it to your hometown, then. Thanks for letting me know.”
“I sent an email.” Cam merged onto the highway. According to the GPS, the dealership was two exits ahead. “Didn’t you get it?”
“A round robin email. I saw your housekeeper was on the list, too. I can’t do my job if you don’
t talk to me. I’m hanging on a limb here.” Derek huffed. As long as Cam had known him, he’d been dramatic. And demanding. But he was one of the best agents in the business. If you had Derek representing you, you tried not to piss him off.
“I’m here now,” Cam said lightly. “What’s up?”
“I want to know what your plans are. I asked Brian how long your lease is, but he said it’s a family deal. Your brother? I need to know how long you’re gonna be hiding away.”
“I’m not hiding.” Cam inhaled sharply. “I’m thinking.”
“Okayyyy…” Derek huffed again. “How long is the thinking gonna take? Because I’ve got the Bobcats breathing down my neck wanting to know what’s going on. You can’t just leave town and not expect a backlash.”
“Marty told me to take a break.”
“He told you to think. Then you either need to get back on the field or tell them you’re retiring. The sooner you do it, the easier my life will be.”
Cam almost wanted to laugh. “I can’t make a quick decision just to make your life easier.”
“Yeah, well while you’re staying in your nice house overlooking the creek, I’m being hounded by Marty asking me whether he needs to buy a new safety or not.”
Cam licked his lips, his gut clenching at the mention of the Bobcats’ owner. Marty Landsman had always been good to him. He treated everybody working at Freedom Field like family. He owed it to him to be honest.
“I’ll make a decision soon,” he promised.
“Could you not think in Boston? Come and watch some games, show some team spirit? They want you there, you know that.”
The memory of that bar in Boston flitted into his brain, and Cam swallowed hard. Watching his teammates on the field while he was on the sidelines physically hurt. He couldn’t even be around Boston, let alone sit at Freedom Field while they were playing.
“I have things to do here.”
“What things?” Derek was puffing. Probably walking on his treadmill. At almost seventy, he was a fitness freak. “You helping your aunt bake her cakes? Or maybe you’re writing a few new songs for your brother. Dammit, Cam, what on earth do you have to do in Nowheresville that you can’t do here?”
Sometimes it felt like Derek knew more about Cam’s life than Cam did. But that was his job. He’d been Cam’s agent for years, and was good at what he did, even if it felt like he was paying twenty percent of his income to a Rottweiler at times.
Cam frowned. “Why can’t I just be taking a break?”
“Because breaks are for pussies. I can’t tell Marty you’re in Virginia because you need the fresh air. Let’s see, maybe you can be there because somebody needs you. Any problems with your family?”
“I’m not using my family as an excuse for being here, Derek.” Cam shook his head. Sometimes his agent was an ass. A clever, money-making ass, but an ass nonetheless.
“How about business? No wait… I got it.” Derek snapped his fingers, the sound echoing through the car speakers. “Charity. You’re doing charity work. Giving back while you recover from your injury. That sounds good. We could even get a Sunday supplement article written. Photos of you surrounded by good deeds. Keep up your profile.” Derek sounded almost smug.
“Charity work?” Cam echoed. “What kind of charity work?”
“I dunno. Is there a food bank there?”
“I don’t think so.” The exit ramp was ahead. Cam merged into the right lane, and followed it, turning into the feeder lane for the dealership. “There’s not a lot of homeless here. There’s a church that helps out people in need.”
“Maybe we should call there. Wait. Is there a high school nearby? You could do some volunteer coaching. We can get the press involved. High profile community work. It’ll go down well with the team.”