“Oh, don’t be so silly.”
Jason chuckled and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Thanks for this. You’re a star.”
“Well, I thought you might need something before you started.” She went to a nearby chair, dropping her bag onto the cushions before shrugging out of her coat, revealing the simple red sweater over denim jeans. Simple, but still elegant. “It’s your first day, and I know things aren’t going to be easy for you.”
“I’ve owned plenty of businesses before. And I was fine.”
“But this is your father’s favorite team. This is a bit more personal than what you’ve owned before.” Sarah turned to him, her expression softening. “I remember your dad bringing you for the first time when you were a toddler. You were so enraptured that you didn’t take your eyes off the field, not even when the halftime performance was on.”
Jason smiled. “That sounds about right. A lot of my better memories are of football games.”
Sarah nodded and took her coffee cup from him. “Your dad would be really jealous if he saw that desk. He would love it.”
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Jason sighed. “I’m just not looking forward to what’s sitting on it right now.”
“Bad news?”
“More than likely. I won’t know until I open them.” Jason sipped his coffee and smiled. “You really are a lifesaver, Mom. I’m going to need this to get through.”
“Well, it’s better than a bottle of something.” Sarah frowned. “Are you sure you’ll be okay with this? I know you’ve owned businesses before, but this is something closer to your heart. What if it goes wrong?”
“Goes wrong? What could possibly go wrong?”
“Well, it could. I know your dad would be happy to know that you bought his favorite team, but I worry that things are going to go wrong.”
Jason chuckled. “Mom, you’re such a pessimist.”
“I like to think I’m realistic.” Sarah brought her cup to her lips and took a delicate sip. “I know you want to make your father proud, but I do wonder if you’re taking too much on. After all, you are coming in at the time when the regular quarterback is out with an injury, and their playing hasn’t been great lately.”
“I’m not here to coach them.”
“That’s not the point. You’re in charge of everything now. Anything that happens that the fans don’t like is going to be on your shoulders. You will get the blame.”
Jason was aware of that. He wasn’t naive. And he wasn’t about to admit to his mother that he did worry that he might have bitten off more than he could chew.
He gave his mother a smile and raised his coffee. “Don’t worry about me, Mom. As long as I’ve got plenty of coffee, I’ll be fine.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “You might as well inject the stuff into your veins.”
“I would if I was capable.” Jason grinned. “Now, would you like a tour of the place?”
“Haven’t you got work to do?”
“That can wait.”
Sarah snorted. “You’re just trying to get out of it. I’ll have a wander around on my own.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. You get started, and I’ll explore the place alone.” Sarah gave him a little wave and headed towards the door. “I’ll be back for my things later. You don’t want your mother distracting you, do you?”
“I don’t know about that.”
But she was right; he wasn’t going to get anything done if he was focusing on his mom. Jason just didn’t want to ruin his mood going through what was more than likely hate mail.
He had to do it sooner or later, though. Jason wasn’t looking forward to it either way.
CHAPTER2