by Jillian Dodd
“Yeah, you’re right. I guess tonight will be interesting.”
“Our life always is,” she says, kissing him.
Their kiss is interrupted by a ringing phone that Phillip answers, so I come out of the laundry room.
“I heard you were still here,” Jadyn says very matter-of-factly. She doesn’t seem mad, but she also doesn’t seem happy.
“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t address that with you before. Danny and I had an argument the other night, and I said it out of anger. If I’m being honest, I wanted him to think that because I was hoping it would sort of spur things along. But it was dumb of me. I swear, I never would have left without thanking you for your incredible hospitality. I don’t have a lot of friends, so I really”—my voice cracks as I try to hold my emotions in check—“appreciate it. And I’m sorry if I haven’t told you.”
She nods and then gives me a hug. “That’s good to hear.”
“There was a ticket left at my door from Danny. I don’t know how it got there, since I thought he was at a hotel with the team.”
“He came back home this morning to see the kids off to school before heading to the stadium.”
“Were his kids home alone last night?”
“Although they are probably old enough, especially with us being next door, they either stay with us, his mom, or their part-time nanny comes over.”
“That’s good. So, I wasn’t sure of what to wear. Do I look like a lumberjack?”
Jadyn laughs. “You look cute, but if you’d feel more comfortable switching to a team jersey, you can borrow one.”
“Are you wearing what you have on?” I ask her, taking in her red tailored dress with matching blazer and black heels.
“I’m going to change into something a little more comfortable, but the box is often used for business. Phillip has clients coming tonight, but it’s also the boys’ first Monday night game.”
“Does Dani get to go?”
“Danny said no since she’s grounded.”
I think about the boy who has been texting her and offer, “Wouldn’t it be better to have her at the game than home alone?”
“That’s exactly what I said. Why don’t you text Danny and tell him you’re coming to the game? As of a few minutes ago, he didn’t know if you were.”
I instantly feel bad. I should have told him I would be there. With freaking bells on. “I guess I had visions of surprising him, showing up on the sideline.” I hold up the pass.
“Okay,” she says, glancing at the clock. “You call Dani, tell her to get over here. I’ll let Danny know I’m bringing her.”
“Thanks,” I say.
Ten minutes later, Jadyn is back in the kitchen, looking completely pulled together in a black silk blouse, dark skinny jeans, red wedges, a Burberry plaid scarf, and the red blazer.
I’m reconsidering my lumberjack look when she pulls a glittering red jersey from behind her back. “This might look cute under the shirt,” she offers.
I slip into the bathroom, quickly changing, and discover she’s right. The rhinestones that make up the team logo coordinate perfectly with the plaid and make me feel adorable—or it might be that the name Diamond is blazed across my back.
When I make my way into the kitchen, the babysitter has arrived, and the older kids, including Dani, are getting loaded in the car.
“Let’s go!” Phillip says.
I’ve always loved football, but I haven’t been to many games. When we went to the Super Bowl that year, it was all about being seen for most people, not really as much about the game. Corporations seemed to have most of the skyboxes, and Troy and I were invited to one by a company that handled distribution for his production company. I never really stopped to think about what going to a game week after week would be like. Do the families sit in the stands? Do they go to all the games? What’s it like to know and love someone playing on the field week after week?
Know and love.
Do I love Danny? Have I always loved him?
The traffic getting to the stadium isn’t that bad for us. The parking lots are already packed full of tailgaters even though a cold front blew in this afternoon, bringing the temperature down to a cold-to-me forty degrees. Team flags are flying. Fans are decked out in team colors. Grills are smoking with barbecued food, causing my mouth to water the second we get out of the car.
We enter the stadium through doors indicating something called a Signature suite, and soon, we are in a box with an amazing view of the still mostly-empty stadium.
I find myself passing by the private restroom, fully stocked bar, and delectable-smelling buffet before standing in front of the glass.
The calm before the storm, I think.
“It’s really beautiful, isn’t it?” Dani says, coming to stand next to me. “My dad isn’t sure about my love for football sometimes, but he has no idea what it’s like to watch him take a hit. Even so, this stadium has always been an almost magical place for me. My mom didn’t let me come to games much when I was a kid. Said it wasn’t a place for children. Of course, Phillip and Jadyn didn’t have a box back then. When I did get to come, I was always a really good girl because I wanted to come back.”
“Is it hard, being his daughter?” I ask her.
She nods. “Sometimes. Like, if he has a bad game, which thankfully isn’t that often, the kids at school complain about him. It’s not always directed to me, but I still hear it. Sometimes, it feels like a lot to live up to. Like, I have no idea what I want to do with my life.”
“You’re only fourteen. You don’t have to know that yet.”
“Chase and my brother know what they want to do,” she says with a sigh. “They know where they want to go to college. What they want to major in. Well, Damon says he wants to major in the female anatomy.”
“And what about Chase?”
“He wants a business degree. Of course, they both hope to play in the professional league someday, but Damon isn’t as concerned about having something to fall back on as Chase is.”
“He sounds very mature for his age.”
“He is in some ways. Like, he’s not afraid of anything. I still can’t believe he walked into a high school party like he did. But then, with other things, he’s kind of naive.”
“Like what?”
“The way the world works. The way high school works. He thinks he can just show up and study, and it will all fall into place. He says I shouldn’t be concerned about what people think of me. And maybe I’m shallow, but I do care. I want people to like me.”
“I always wanted people to like me, too. I think that’s part of why I wanted to be an actress. I like to entertain. Because my father was an alcoholic, I often had to pretend like I was okay when I wasn’t. I acted most my life without even realizing it. It became second nature to me.”
“Kind of like football is with my dad. He was good at it when he was young, and he loved the game. There was really no conscious choice on his part. He says it was just always his goal to be the best that he could be, regardless of the level he was playing at. I’m friends with a girl whose dad played. He hurt his knee one too many times, had to retire, and became depressed. I was worried about that when my dad hurt his shoulder, but he took it as a challenge.”
“Sounds like you respect your father,” I state.
“I do. I still don’t understand what happened with him and Mom. How Mom could just leave him for Richard. Now, that he took really hard. He tried to put up a front for us kids, but I think he was more worried about us than himself. I’m glad he’s redoing the house. It feels better now. More like the kind of home you want to run to rather than run away from.”
“Do you not get along with your mom?”
“She’s very demanding,” she says, looking up at the sky, searching for the right words. “She likes things to be perfect. The problem is that I’m not perfect, no matter how hard I try. My back handsprings are never straight enough. My grades are never up to par with what she
got when she was in school. She’s going to go ballistic if she hears about this weekend. And I’m sure she will. Being a cheer mom is one thing she’s really good at. It’s like she’s living her life again through me. Only this time, it’s going to be perfection.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I know she got good grades in school, but she wasn’t a cheerleader. She didn’t hang out with the popular crowd.”
“So, she pushes you to do that?”
“Yeah. She told me I should stop hanging around with my brother and Chase all the time. And it’s not like I didn’t have friends. It’s just that they were all cheer-team friends. When I made varsity, they decided I was too good for them. I don’t feel that way at all.”
“Have you told them that?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t matter. Today, at school, they were talking behind my back, totally knowing I could hear them, about how my eighth grade boyfriend dragged me out of the party.”
“They didn’t think that was cool?”
“Are you kidding? He took me away from the guy they all crush on. The guy I crushed on, too.” She shakes her head. “Whatever. I keep reminding myself, it’s just high school. But I’ve also been looking into self-paced study programs and private schools. I’m not sure I’m cut out for all this drama.”
“There’s drama in life everywhere,” I tell her. “You just have to remember what’s important to you.”
A big voice booms from behind us.
“That would be Tripp,” Dani says with a laugh. “I should be polite and go say hello to him. He’s been around a lot since he’s been working with Auntie Jay. Plus, I’m starved.”
I stay in my spot, watching the seats fill up and the inside of the stadium become abuzz with energy.
Jadyn comes up next to me and says, “I’m not mad at you.”
“What?” I say, not sure how long I’ve been standing here. “I was just watching everything.”
She wraps her arm around my shoulders and stares out with me. “It is pretty cool to watch. I miss being down in the stands, all bundled up against the cold. The team should be coming out onto the field shortly. Would you like me to take you down there, or are you okay with going with the kids? They know the way.”
“With the kids. I didn’t know Tripp would be here.”
“I called him about the hotel. He said we needed to talk about it—tonight. Great guy, but he can be a little demanding. I told him I was busy. He invited himself. Not that he doesn’t have his own box, but whatever. I can watch the game and chirp in his ear about what I want to do.” She looks in his direction and laughs. “Maybe ply him with a few drinks and get him to sign on the dotted line.”
I meet up with the kids and follow them down to the field. They walk the sideline, stopping along the way to give a high five or get a pat on the back from different players and staff members. None of them stop long enough to be introduced or chat. I recognize the players’ looks; it’s what I call being in the zone. When I’m shooting a movie and really into the character, it’s hard for me to stop and talk to people as myself. Even though the director yells cut, I’m thinking about the next emotion, the next scene, the next line. I assume they are doing the same.
Now, I sort of wish I weren’t down here. I should have told Danny I was coming. Not surprise him right before the game.
But then I spot him. He throws a warm-up pass and then turns in my direction. I should say our direction, but when I saw him out there, throwing the ball, I stopped in my tracks to watch. I think the kids kept going.
Our eyes meet, and it feels like time stops, the noise of one of the loudest stadiums in the country fading away. I’m rooted in my spot as I watch him stride toward me. He’s dressed in his uniform from the waist down, those tight-fitting pants filling my mind with dirty thoughts. Covering his broad chest is a compression shirt that shows off all his muscles.
“Hey,” he says as he comes to stand in front of me.
“Hey is for horses,” I blurt out, causing him to laugh.
He stops laughing and then takes my hand like he’s shaking it, meeting me for the first time. “There are a lot of cameras around,” he stresses. “But I’m really glad you decided to stay.”
“I’m sorry for what I said the other night. It was just me being silly, remembering what I said that night we met. I don’t want you for just one night, Danny. I want so much more than that. And I’m sorry I threatened to go back to LA. I was hurt and sort of lashing out.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. Can we talk about it tomorrow when I can focus?”
“Depends,” I say with a grin.
“On what?” he says, letting go of my hand.
“On if I get to see you tonight after the game.”
“It’s a date,” he says as the kids join us.
He gives them high fives while they offer words of advice.
When they take off, I lean in and whisper, “And be sure to watch your backside. I know I will be.”
The game is exciting, exhilarating, and slightly terrifying.
Danny was bragging about his offensive line when we watched the film, but the defender he was worried about the most has broken through the line for two sacks already.
After a vicious third sack, Danny lies on the ground for a few seconds, not moving.
“Is he okay?” I ask Phillip, grabbing on to his shirtsleeve in a panic.
He watches the replay. “Yeah, looks like he got caught in the ribs with the helmet. Probably knocked the wind out of him.”
“Will he be able to keep playing?”
“Danny? Uh, yeah. If you’re around tomorrow and, you know, not going back to LA, maybe he’ll show you all of his bruises.”
“I’m not going back,” I say. “Will he be sore?”
“Oh, yeah. It will be hard for him to get out of bed. He’ll probably spend the morning at the stadium, being treated.”
“But I thought Tuesdays were his days off.”
“They usually are, but since they are playing tonight and then again on Thursday, it’s a short week. Hopefully, they figure out a way to stop that guy.”
“Yeah,” I say as Danny finally pops up off the ground in what was probably the longest ten seconds of my life.
At halftime, I decide to eat from the buffet that’s set up. And the food is delicious. I really should have eaten earlier, but I was nervous. I’m shoving food in my mouth when Tripp sits down next to me.
“I hear you don’t think I should tear down the hotel. Do you really think that Jadyn can make it a place that will attract you? Make celebrities like you want to stay there?”
“Have you ever been to her house? Have you seen what she’s done to Danny’s house?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Not even her office over the garage?”
“No. But I have seen a lot of her commercial work.”
“If I had your money, Tripp, I would tell Jadyn to make the hotel feel like her home. Let her make it personal. Warm, inviting, and luxurious. The kind of place where you can curl your feet up on a chair, look out the window to enjoy a few moments of peace from your chaotic life, and sleep like a baby in the most comfortable bed you’ve ever felt. Tell her to throw in the delectable and healthy warm cookies she gives her kids before bedtime, and everyone in the world is going to want to stay there.”
“I asked her to fly to LA with me tomorrow to present her new ideas to my board. She refused. Apparently, tomorrow is Halloween. Trick-or-treating and all that.”
“That’s a big holiday for kids. Didn’t you go get candy when you were young?”
“Yeah, we’d run around the neighborhood with pillowcases until they were full and then go home and eat candy until we were sick. She’s coming on Wednesday instead. I have a favor. Would you consider joining us? Talking to the board about what celebrities are looking for. Really, if you would repeat what you just said to me, I think we could convince them.”
“Does that mean y
ou are considering a renovation?”
“I can’t believe that I am, but yes.” He glances back at Jadyn. “She’s hard to say no to. It’d be tough to be her husband.”
“Phillip seems pretty happy,” I counter.
“Yes, he does. It makes me hate him a little. I’m trying to buy his company.”
“Because you hate him?”
“No, because he understands how to run a good business, values his employees, maintains a healthy bottom line, and has only fulfilled a portion of its potential. That’s what I do. I take good companies, infuse them with cash, make them great, and then reap the profits.”
“Sometimes, it’s not about reaping the profits,” I mutter as Danny throws a beautiful pass straight into the arms of a receiver for a touchdown. “Sometimes, it’s about the beauty of the game.”
Tripp slides his hand on top of mine. “I understand you’re newly single. Would you have dinner with me sometime?”
“Like a date?”
“Yes, like a date. My favorite restaurant in the world is in Paris. I’d love to take you.”
“Um, I, uh,” I stutter.
I haven’t been asked on a date in a long time. With Danny, it’s different. I can’t tell him I’m seeing Danny. I mean, I want to be seeing Danny, but I have no idea what we are doing. I guess we had a date last night.
“Jennifer,” Jadyn yells out, motioning for me to join her.
I excuse myself from my seat without giving Tripp an answer and take the stairs up to the lounge area of the suite.
“Was Tripp hitting on you?”
“He wants to take me to Paris for dinner. He also wants me to go to LA with you and talk to his board from a celebrity’s perspective.”
“I told him you were going through something personal and that I wasn’t going to ask you to do that.”
“It’s the least I can do,” I say, the guilt washing over me. “I should probably go back and deal with life there, too.”