DONOVAN
After half a day of networking, I decided I needed a break. What better way to take some time off and still get things accomplished than visit my friend Patrick? He was the lynchpin in this entire investment plan. He was the one who would introduce me to his sister, the lovely Petra that Gavin and Cory couldn’t stop talking about.
I understood that Gavin and Patrick had visited the bakery early in the morning a few days ago. Patrick sent me a message saying he would be willing to talk, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it. Instead of setting up a meeting or anything so formal, I decided just to drop by his office.
The corporate offices were attached to the stadium. I wasn’t sure where I would find him. Often, he spent the day with the players on the field or in the locker room, but sometimes, I knew he had paperwork to do. There was also the off season where he limited himself to house calls and visits to private gyms. But I figured I could just wander around until I found him.
There was little security because the team wasn’t there. Either they were preparing for an away game or they had the day off. I didn’t keep close enough tabs on the league to know who was playing who when.
I explained who I was to the guard on duty, giving him my driver’s license as proof. He waved me through after confirming that I had legitimate business. I asked him if he knew where to find Patrick.
“I’d check the administrative office,” he replied.
I knew exactly where I was going; it wasn’t my first time visiting the office. I walked clear across the width of the stadium before finding the hallway that led to the admin department. Inside, the walls were covered with framed photos of team members and historic games. There was a great love for the sport inside these walls, and I had to appreciate their dedication.
Patrick was in the back, in a narrow space he shared with another support professional. He didn’t often work there, and they didn’t see the need to give him his own office. A lot of times he worked out of his car, traveling with the team or jogging from stadium to stadium. When he was filing paperwork, he had a bank of filing cabinets with individual athletes’ records. That’s what he was doing when I found him.
“Hey Pat,” I said, swinging into his tiny space.
“Hey Donny,” he replied, looking up.
“Can I bother you for a minute?” I asked.
“Sure.” He straightened to his full height, depositing a stack of unfiled folders on top of the cabinet. “Let’s go to a meeting room. This place is too small to hang out.”
He led me down the hall to a much larger room. This one had a coffee maker and a water cooler, both installed at one end. The bulk of the space was taken up with a large oak table. A dozen chairs were collected around the edges, each one hand crafted and large enough to fit a whale.
“Do you want some coffee?” Patrick asked.
“I’m good. I just wanted to check in with you about your sister’s bakery.”
“It seems to be all anyone can talk about nowadays,” Patrick complained. “I’m glad you guys are interested in helping her out, but I just wish people wouldn’t be so goddamned invested in her.”
“What do you mean?” I pulled out a seat.
“I mean you’re not supposed to go after a teammate’s sister, you know that,” he said, choosing a seat opposite me.
“Cory texted me a picture of her,” I told him. “She’s hot as fuck.”
“Shut up.” Patrick rolled his eyes. “The three of you better stay in your own lane.”
“Three of us?” I asked.
“Gavin too,” Patrick sighed. “I took him to visit the bakery a few days ago, and he was tripping over his tongue.”
“Must be nice to have such a beautiful woman in your family,” I mused.
Patrick frowned. “She’s my sister, dude.”
“Yeah, but…” I leaned forward, putting my hands on the table. It wasn’t that I was interested in Petra. Of course I wanted to help her revitalize the bakery, but that was just a means to an end. I didn’t know why I was thinking about her. I never met the woman, and yet it seemed like she was becoming central to my work in a way no one else was.
I pulled up the picture that Cory had texted me. In it, she stood behind the counter, her hair coming artistically lose from her bun. She was laughing and it made me realize how much I wanted to set her free. I didn’t want to see her caged behind the counter. I tasted her pastries and knew how talented she was. If the one snapshot was any indication, she could be a real draw for foot traffic. Everyone would want to see the beautiful bakery lady and taste her creative concoctions. That wasn’t all I wanted to taste, and I didn’t mind admitting it.
Patrick was crazy if he thought we were all going to maintain our distance just because he was her sister. It was completely legitimate to date a friend’s sister. As long as I didn’t hurt her or break up badly, why should he care?
I showed him the photo on my phone. “Do you not see it.”
“Shut up,” he said again. “Stay away. You and Gavin and Cory.”