“I thought adults were too old to behave like this,” he said as he spied the sign for the airport, putting on the indicator. “I get not being happy with certain things in life, but to act like this? I don’t get it.”
“It’s just a mentality we can never get out of. We have to let out our frustrations somehow.”
“Well, I hope they get it all out of their systems soon. The pre-season is almost over, and I don’t want to have this going on while we’re trying to focus on the team getting ready.”
“Maybe it’s always going to be there. And, just maybe, things will die down and everyone will come to accept that you’re the boss around here.”
Jason snorted. “But there’s no specific timeline on it, is there, Mom? That’s what is the most frustrating. I’ve got important things to worry about, and this is not it.”
“I did warn you this came with the territory,” Sarah reminded him. “Do you think it’s time that you listened to me now?”
“Mom…”
“I’d better let you go. I just wanted to remind you not to forget to pick up your new…staff member.” His mother’s tone turned sly towards the end. “You don’t want her getting lost on the way to Wenstown, do you?”
Jason groaned. “Mom, that’s not funny. I just said that I would greet her myself. It was only fair.”
“And not because she’s pretty?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m sure you don’t.” Sarah was now laughing. “I’ll let you go. You don’t want to be on your phone when you meet the girl.”
“Mom!”
Sarah’s laugh was ringing in his ears as Jason hung up. She seemed to find all of this amusing. Jason didn’t see anything amusing about it. When he had gotten the call from Elena asking if he was still giving her an offer of a job, he had decided to make sure she didn’t change her mind. He was going to be the consummate guide.
And try not to drool over her at the same time.
No, that’s not going to happen.
Lincoln Airport was busy as Jason pulled in. It seemed to take forever before he found a parking space, annoyingly at the farthest point from the airport. The wind was picking up as he locked up and made his way to the entrance, shoving his hands into his pockets. It wasn’t even cold yet, but the Nebraska wind was threatening to make it so.
There was a reason he preferred California and Florida; it was nice and hot more than not. Jason hadn’t missed the Midwestern weather at all.
The airport was pretty big, and he hustled to find the arrivals gate for the flight from Seattle. Elena had given him an estimated arrival time when she gave him the flight information, and if he was going by that, Jason was going to be late. Just the first impression he wanted to give Elena, he thought grimly.
He could only hope that the flight had been delayed a little bit.
Jason reached the arrivals gate and looked around. There didn’t seem to be any sign that the Seattle flight had come in. Maybe he was lucky? He leaned against the wall and checked his phone. There were a few text messages, most of them from unknown numbers and calling him rather colorful names. He didn’t dare open up his emails; the names were probably going to be worse.
When were people going to realize that he wasn’t a bad thing? Just because he had billions in his account didn’t make him an evil person. He used to be a local himself; how had everyone forgotten that?
He couldn’t wait for the day when the fans stopped treating him like a piece of shit and saw that he was actually here to help.
“Excuse me?”
Jason looked up, and did a double take. There she was, standing before him with a backpack over one shoulder and clasping the handle of a suitcase on wheels. It was Elena Duncan, and she looked even prettier than the picture.
She barely came up to his chin, her long blond hair loose and falling about her shoulders to frame an oval, olive-skinned face with big brown eyes. There were some curves on her athletic body, her jeans and T-shirt fitting her well enough to show everything off without openly flaunting.
Jason couldn’t take his eyes off her. He just stared, taking in those dark eyes that watched him warily, that soft-looking mouth, the way her T-shirt cupped her breasts and showed a tapered waist with flared-out hips in her jeans.
Oh, wow. That he hadn’t been expecting.
“Excuse me? Hello?”
Jason jumped when something waved in front of his face. Then he realized it was her hand. Had he just been caught gawking at her while she was watching?