But I sure like getting used to it.
The Mercenaries aren’t perfect by any stretch. This team has plenty of problems. But it’s spending on players rather than cutting them.
That means we have a real chance to win. Especially if I have anything to say about it.
And I do.
After I shower and dress, I take one last look in the mirror. Sharp vest, fine shirt, smooth shave. I look like an athlete who cleans up well.
Just what Maddox said the team wanted from me when we talked at the café the other day. “You have the stats, the track record, and you’re in the last year of a contract they’re willing to pick up. Plus, you don’t cause trouble off the field,” he’d said.
“I’m so innocent,” I’d joked.
With a wink, Maddox patted my shoulder and said, “Only your agent and your priest know the truth.”
And Carter had quipped, “And I already heard his confession.”
The team had one other stipulation—no more paddle boarding, surfing or other water sports. Most are low-risk sports, they acknowledged. But theydon’t let their players paddle board in the waves. That was a choice the Devil Sharks made. I get that, but I also got the subtext—the Devil Sharks were lazy. They didn’t care. And—no surprise—they didn’t win. The Mercenaries are changing their tune and caring abouteverything.
I’m just glad paddle boarding was allowed on the weekend that I got hit in the head.
I leave the locker room, looking for Stephen. The team’s EVP said he’d meet me here to give me the deets on the event he wants me to attend. I find him quickly—he’s got a Humphrey Bogart cool to him with slicked back gray hair and a chiseled jaw.
He stands across the hall, his head bent over his phone. When the door shuts with a snick, he lifts his face, slides his phone in his pocket, and strides up to me.
“Hey, Drew,” he says, parking a hand on my shoulder. His eyes match his hair—they’re almost silvery. “All set for the youth sports fundraiser tonight?”
“Absolutely,” I say. “It’s a cause near and dear.”
“Great. Really appreciate you doing this so last minute. Almost as much as I appreciate you being on our team.”
“I’m psyched for the chance,” I say. “I’ve been wanting to do some work with a local charity that supports underprivileged youth sports.”
“Great. Lots of folks from the organization will bethere, so I’ll make sure you meet everyone and that they all know our new quarterback,” he says with a quick smile. “And you’ll smile for the cameras. Get some Instagram posts, make a few comments to the sports sites. You know the drill. I’ll introduce you to the press department and some of the front office people you’ll be working with.”
“Can’t wait,” I say. This is what I want in a team. A front office that gets behind its players. That supports them. That works with the community.
“I have to take care of a few things here. But I’ll meet you in the lobby of the hotel. I texted you the address.”
“I’ll be there.”
The fact that the EVP himself is looking out for me tells me all I need to know about the Mercenaries—they’re ready to take a chance this season at going the distance.
This is my chance too, and I plan to make the most of being a Mercenary in every single way.
I also plan to have some good, clean fun tonight after the event. There’s nothing wrong with seeing a woman who saved me from a deadly paddle board oar. Hell, that’s a good-guy story right there. And when we’re done with tacos and ice cream, we’ll go to her place, close the door, and leave the world behind.
Yup. My luck in football and romance is turning around.
I catch up on messages in the back of the Lyft on the way to the event. First, I click on a text from my buddy Milo in New York. The fucker sent me a link to a new dating column his girlfriend writes—The Virgin Club Alum, and the article is titledTop Five Signs You’re Doing It Wrong.
I groan, but hats off to him.
Milo:I’ve learned so much about women from this column, but maybe you need to read it more religiously. I mean, just a thought from the headline. Does seem up your alley.
Ha. Like he can pull a fast one on me. I’m the guy who figured out who his new lady was well before he did.
Drew:Bookmarking this to read tonight AFTER my smoking-hot date. Wait. Make that…a tomorrow read.