“Agreed,” she said.
“What does Rick say?”
Meg showed up and slid in beside her. “Yeah, what does Rick say?”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Juliet said, scooting into her side. “I want the whole scoop.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” she moaned. “He hasn’t returned my texts or calls. He must be seriously pissed off. I never should have given out information about him.” It took great effort, but she didn’t glare at Angelina. It was her own fault and she had to own her responsibility for the consequences.
“Well, the paper made it sound like he’s doing something illegal, and if not illegal, certainly unethical. It said he’s secretly giving certain boys special help off school grounds to make the school more competitive. And it implies that he might be affecting the boy’s chances of getting into college.”
“That’s total bullshit!” Her face had grown hot, as if she was the accused. “I don’t believe there’s any school policy against working off-site. But even if there is what’s the big deal? What, he’s sexually abusing this kid or something? It almost seemed like he was implying that! Jesus, what a mess.” Her stomach had twisted into a tight knot. She felt so horribly responsible.
“That Stan Brown is a real asshole. He should be in politics, because he’s the type who could spin every single positive trait in his opponent into a negative one,” Juliet said.
“Something should be done about him,” she muttered.
The waitress came, but none of them had even looked at the menu. They snatched them up and chose quickly, since none of them had time to make it a two-hour lunch.
“What should I do?” she moaned. She seriously needed her friends to just tell her, because all her gears had locked up.
“Are you asking what can you do about the article? Or what can you do about your relationship with Rick?” Juliet asked.
She drew in a shaky breath. “Well, I care about what happens to Rick. And I feel responsible for this fiasco.” She waved her hand at the newspaper lying on the table. “But really what I’m upset about is…” She drew a deep breath. “Ladies, I really like this guy.”
There. She’d admitted it.
And because they were awesome friends, none of them made her eat crow about not dating or not having a relationship.
“Oh, honey.” Meg covered her hand with her own. “He’s a great guy. I can see why you don’t want something like this to end things.”
End things?
She felt like she’d been hit by a brick in the chest.
Meg thought this would end things.
Tears stung her eyes. “I don’t even know if we’re even at a stage in which there are things to be ended,” she croaked. “But yeah, I definitely don’t want it to be over like this.”
Meg squeezed her hand and five pairs of sympathetic eyes surrounded her.
Fortunately the waitress brought their iced teas at that moment, and she pulled herself together.
“So what can Brandy do?” Meg asked the group. “If you were Rick, what would you want her to do?”
“He might need a little time. I mean, you should definitely apologize immediately, but don’t freak out if he’s not ready to accept it,” Meg suggested. “Have you tried to apologize yet?”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “I tried calling this morning and when he didn’t answer, I texted him. He still hasn’t answered.”
“Okay, don’t panic. Remember that Men are from Mars book? They need to go into their man cave to sit alone with their problems. They don’t hash them out with friends, like we do,” Juliet said.
A wave of gratitude for her friends swept over her. She reached her empty hand out to grab Juliet’s hand and squeeze it. “I’m so glad I have friends,” she said, her smile wobbling.
“It’s going to be all right,” Meg soothed. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Are you sure?” She really just needed them to tell her everything was going to work out. She’d never felt so helpless in her life.
“Yes. It will work out. Don’t worry.” Three voices assured her.
“And what about the article? Won’t it just blow over?”
“I’m not sure. That kid’s mom may be calling up the principal and freaking out right now. Or there might be pressure from the board to do something. But I doubt there’s any way he’d get fired, unless someone can really prove some terrible wrongdoing.” This analysis came from Juliet and Brandy didn’t find it comforting. Not in the least. In fact, it sounded worse than ever.
“Oh God…” she covered her mouth with her hand and slumped down in her seat.
“Aren’t you buddy-buddy with the district superintendent?” Juliet asked.
She stared at her blankly. “Huh?”
“The superintendent. He was at one of my campaign parties and you seemed to know him.”
“Ohhh. That was Justin. Yeah, they’re racquetball buddies. But he wouldn’t have a clue who I am without Justin. Why?”
“I’m thinking Justin should call him up and give him a little legal advice about the situation. Mainly, that it’s no big deal and the district should say no comment to the press and ignore the rest.”
She stared at Juliet, her brain trying that idea on for size. She shook her head. “Justin wouldn’t help. He’s been a total prick about football. He doesn’t want Sam to play, so he probably relishes Rick’s problems right now.”
“I doubt that,” Juliet chided.
She scowled. It was easy to blame Justin for everything, but Juliet was right, Justin wasn’t mean. Although he might be if he knew she and Rick were dating.
“Okay, so I should give Rick some space, but if I can get in contact with the superintendent, I should tell him not to worry.”
Her friends laughed, realizing how impossible both of those tasks sounded.
“Someone tell me something funny?”
“I had sex last night,” Meg said in a small voice.
Three heads swiveled. “Er... with your husband?”
“Yeah.” She blushed. “You guys were right, I just needed something else to do. I’ve been super busy planning Brandy’s Fostering Christmas event and I guess I was cheerful about it. So I was humming in the living room, prepping the stocking bags, and Teddy came up behind me and kissed my neck. He said he was glad to see me so happy. And guess what? Suddenly all our problems didn’t seem that big.” Her smile looked guilty.
Juliet held her palm up for a high five. “Way to go, sister. Good sex goes a long way to fixing a marriage.”
Meg lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she drawled. “I’m not sayin’ things are fixed, but they certainly are better.” She put her lips around her straw, a new spark of life in her eye.
The tightness in Brandy’s solar plexus hadn’t left, but she was grateful to Meg for the distraction. And so very happy for her friend.
At least one thing was right in the world.
* * *
Rick slammed his palm down on Houston High’s principal, Ted Bristol’s desk more forcefully than he meant to. Dave and Phil stood behind him like his wingmen, matching glowers on their faces.
Ted spread his palms, his bald head shining under the florescent glare. “It’s out of my hands. It came straight from the superintendent. You’re suspended until the board can review the ethics involved in the case.”
“What case?” Dave sputtered. “There is no case! A crack pot wanna-be journalist wrote an inflammatory column, and now suddenly there’s a ‘case?’”
“Donald Fleming’s mother called. She’s concerned the allegation may hurt her son’s chance for college recruitment.”
Phil rolled his eyes. “The whole reason Rick was working with him was to improve his chances. Rick is personally delivering Donnie to his pal at Texas A&M, who will be watching tonight’s playoff game.”
Ted shifted in his chair, his oversized belly hitting the top of the desk. “Well, that’s what I told her. The board just wants to meet to di
scuss the ethics of this before it goes any further.”
“How can it go further? This could be the last game of the season?” Phil pointed out.
Dave jumped back in, “Just because some armchair quarterback—whose son happens to play for Coral Heights, I must point out— conjectures the opposite, it’s true? Who are you going to trust? A man who’s been successfully coaching here for the past ten years or—”
“Yeah, yeah. You are preaching to the choir. I told you, it’s out of my hands.” Ted made a pushing motion with his hands, like he wanted to shoo them out of his office.
“No, seriously. It’s no coincidence this article came out on the day of playoffs against Coral Heights. I guarantee you he was trying to screw up our game for tonight, and you’re letting it happen. Do you even care if we take State? Because I’m sure the kids in Odessa will be celebrating this disaster, too.”
“Did you even defend Rick to the superintendent?” Dave asked.
Rick didn’t want to hear any more of this. He turned and pushed past his two defenders and out of the office. “Come on, guys. This is pointless. Save your energy for beating Coral Heights.”
“No working off school grounds, either!” Ted called after them from his office.
Dave actually flipped him the bird. Yeah, so high school coaches could be about as mature as the kids that played for them, sometimes. At this moment, Rick didn’t give a flying fuck.
“So what is our plan?” Phil asked.
The bell had just rung between classes so they walked out to the stares of almost every kid in the crowded corridor. The kids may not read the paper themselves, but their parents had and he had to imagine rumors were running like wildfire about him right now.
Rick stalked out to the parking lot. “Just stick to the playbook, heavy on the pass plays.”
Damn, it killed him to be away from the most important game of the season.
“Yeah, I’ll handle it. We’ll be okay. Will you come and watch? From the stands, I mean?”
“Nothing would keep me away,” he said through gritted teeth. The school was public property, so unless the superintendent planned on getting a restraining order, he’d be there.
Dave clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll get this worked out. Hopefully before the game on Friday. This whole town loves you, with the exception of the King of Douchebaggery. I’ll bet it’s resolved by the end of the day.”
He shook his head, anger burning him up. He didn’t usually let things get to him, but this situation screamed bullshit. He climbed in his Escalade and glanced at his phone. A voicemail from his mom and Brandy’s unanswered texts.
He shot of a single line, Superintendent suspended me pending investigation.
It was wrong of him, but he hoped she felt bad. Of course she hadn’t meant to hurt him. But maybe this was a sign. He’d been getting in way too deep with her. This gave him a reason to back off.
Yes, what he needed was to back way the hell off. Even when this shitstorm finally settled—if it finally settled, he wouldn’t go back to the gym. It was easier this way. Cleaner.
Why did it feel like he’d been stabbed in the middle of his chest?
* * *
Brandy had to sit down when she read Rick’s text. No, more like she would’ve fallen down, but fortunately there was a chair behind her. She slumped into it staring at the words, her brain stuttering and stalling. It couldn’t be. Why would they do something like that to Rick?
And oh, God, it was her fault! Well, it was mostly that jackass Stan Brown’s fault, but still—she was the one who gabbed about Rick’s extracurricular generosity. This was terrible.
“Are you all right?” Jennie’s concerned voice broke through her fog.
“Huh? Oh, um... not really. Listen, something’s come up. I need to go see someone. I’ll be back in time to teach my class, though, okay?”
“Okay, sure. Anything I can do to help?”
“No thanks. I—only I can do this.”
She got in her SUV and pulled out of the parking lot.
This was terrible—for Rick, for the kids he coached, for Sam. And yes, for herself. Because despite what she’d been insisting all along about not wanting a relationship, she’d been lying. She wanted Rick in her life on a permanent basis. And that may be impossible. He may never even speak to her again after all this, but she owed it to him to fix this problem. And she owed it to herself to at least clear the obstacles she’d laid in their path.
If Rick still wanted nothing to do with her, that would be his decision.
She drove downtown, weaving through the heavy noontime Houston traffic. After pulling into a parking garage, she grabbed her purse and headed for the elevator to the Anderson, Jacobs and Henze Law Firm.
She needed Justin’s help.
With her purse clasped before her, she stood in the elevator, drawing deep breaths. There was only one way to recruit Justin. It wasn’t through arguing her case, because she had never, in the history of their relationship, won that way. No, she’d have to do something she should have done a long time ago—forgive him.
She exited the elevator and opened the glass doors to the reception area. The receptionist’s brows shot up.
“Hi Carol, how are you?”
Carol was still getting over her shock at seeing her here, post-divorce. “H-hello, Brandy.”
“Is Justin available? He’s not expecting me.”
Curiosity shone in Carol’s eyes, but she picked the phone up and hit a button. With her head lowered, she said in a low tone, “Yes, Brandy is here to see you.” Justin must have been as incredulous as Carol because she said, “Brandy Anderson—or, um… yes, your ex-wife.”
The door down the hall opened and Justin’s tall, lanky frame leaned out. His brows were down as he surveyed her.
She forced a smile and offered a small wave.
He beckoned her back with a short, authoritative curl of his fingers.
Screwing up her courage, she stood and walked back to his office.
Do not be defensive. Let it go. You loved him once.
“What’s going on?” he demanded, still holding the door open for her.
She walked into the office and sat down on the client side of his huge, mahogany desk. “Did you see the paper today?”
Damn, that wasn’t how she meant to lead this conversation.
He walked around behind the desk and sat down. “Yeah, the coach thing? I knew it wasn’t a good idea for Sam to go—”
She gave a sharp shake of her head and held up her hand. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Well, that and a bunch of things, really.”
He pursed his lips. “I don’t understand.” He was a good-looking man. She’d lost sight of that in their last, ugly year, but looking at him now, she remembered why she’d found him attractive. He’d certainly contributed good genes to making their beautiful children. For that, she would forever be grateful.
She blinked, not sure how to start. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say. All she knew is the outcome she needed from this conversation.
“First of all, I just wanted to... apologize.”
Okay, she surprised herself. She hadn’t been planning on that.
Justin’s face remained impassive.
“I... I know I was the one who changed in our relationship. You were a good husband and a good father and we had a good thing going.”
A flicker of some emotion crossed Justin’s face. “I don’t know where you’re going with this.” That was his defensive, lawyerly side. The one she didn’t want to be talking to.
“It’s just something I’ve been thinking about. I guess I blamed you for not wanting things to change. I felt like you were holding me back. But it’s not your fault that I became a different person than the one you married.”
Justin blinked at her.
“So, I’m sorry. I mean, I’m not sorry for moving on and pursuing my dreams, but I am sorry that it hurt you. You didn’t deserve that
.”
Something definitely moved behind Justin’s mask. He stood up and paced to the window, staring down. “You want me to greenlight Sam’s football career.”
Damn, he made her sound so manipulative when he put it that way.
“I don’t want our past challenges to affect decisions about the kids. It’s not fair to them.”
Justin was silent for a long time. “Sam really wants this?”
She heard the concession in his voice. “He does. I didn’t push him into this, although I obviously support his interest.”
Justin turned back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Okay.”
Her heart rolled over. She tried not to look too thrilled. “Thanks, Justin. It means a lot to Sam.”
“But we don’t even know if Morehouse will be at the high school next year.”
Here goes.
“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. You see, this whole thing is my fault. I told Angelina about him working with the student at my gym, and she wrote an article in Houston Magazine. Then that stupid columnist twisted it around into something bizarre and wrong.”
Justin nodded. “Yeah, it sounds like nothing more than a tempest in a teapot if you ask me.”
“I heard Dr. Perricone, the superintendent, suspended him while they look into it.”
Justin lifted his shoulders as if to say, “So?”
“I’m responsible for all this getting started in the first place. I feel terrible that his career and reputation may be on the line, not to mention concerned for Sam’s sake. I was thinking maybe Dr. Perricone just needs a little legal advice. You know, you could tell him this is nothing.”
Justin chuckled. “Oh, now I see where you’re going with this. Well, I don’t know if I can do anything—”
“Will you try?” She gave him puppy eyes. It was like old times, now, the rancor and defensiveness between them gone, at least for the moment.
“Sure, I’ll try.”
She jumped to her feet. “Really?”
Scoring With Santa: Book One in the Second Chance Series Page 12