by Jaci Burton
“I know,” Lachelle said. “Totally my fault. Between Davis and the twins and work, I’m buried. I’m so sorry I had to cancel our girls night out a few weeks ago.”
“Don’t even worry about it. Next time we’ll do a playdate on a Saturday with you and the kids. I want to see them anyway.”
“Sounds like a plan. And then we’ll leave the kids with Davis and we’ll go have margaritas.”
Harmony grinned. “An even better plan.”
Lachelle turned to Barrett. “I’m sorry, Barrett. It was rude of me to ignore you.”
Barrett gave Lachelle a wide smile. “Not a problem. I know better than to get in the way of two friends getting reacquainted.”
“This much is true. Anyway, I’m so glad you came today. The kids are so excited to see you.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing them.”
“Then let’s get started. Why don’t you head to the gym, and I’ll gather up the kids.”
Harmony went with Barrett into the gym. Bleachers were set up and Barrett had a podium with a built-in microphone.
“Nervous?” she asked.
He let out a short laugh. “No. I’ve done this before. And I like kids. They’re always honest and will tell you exactly what’s on their minds.”
She turned to face him. “So you prefer someone being forthright. Telling you what they want. What they’re thinking.”
“Yeah. Makes it easier, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely.”
She was about to tell him exactly what she wanted, but the doors opened and an influx of middle schoolers poured in.
Definitely not the right time. She stepped away so Barrett and Lachelle could take the podium.
Once all the kids had taken seats on the bleachers, Lachelle stepped up to the podium and the microphone.
“Good afternoon. As you know, we often have industry leaders and people who we feel can relate to what you’re all going through. Today, I’m so pleased to introduce Barrett Cassidy, a player with our own Tampa Bay Hawks.”
There was loud applause, and, Harmony noted, squeals from the girls.
She couldn’t blame them.
Barrett came out from behind the podium.
“I speak loud enough; I don’t think I’ll need the microphone.”
He got close to the kids and pulled out one of the metal chairs, sitting down in front of them.
“I’m not going to blow smoke up your asses and tell you all that I know what any of you have been through.”
Harmony looked over at Lachelle, who shrugged at Barrett’s use of profanity.
Whatever it took to reach them, she supposed.
“I didn’t grow up in poverty, or in foster care, or homeless, or in any of the situations I know many of you have faced. I know a lot of you are sports fans, so you know my family name. You know who my father is, who my brothers are, and where I come from. I had it easy growing up. I got to go to great schools and an amazing college here in Florida. But I’ve known a lot of my brothers on the team who did grow up like you. And I learned a lot of my work ethic from them, as well as from my father, who did come from poverty. And he taught all of his sons to never take anything for granted. That it’s not just all about sports and money and how to make a quick buck. It’s about what’s in your head as much as it is what’s on the playing field.
“He taught all of us to pay attention, to learn, that using your head to get ahead is what’s most important. Does that make sense to any of you?”
He got a lot of nods.
“Look, I know it may seem easy to steal, or to want to use your bodies or your hands and feet in whatever way you can to make money. But it’s a temporary thing. If you want to be successful in life, the best way to do that is to use your brain. It’ll last a lot longer than your body will.”
“But that’s not what you did, is it?”
Harmony tracked the voice, someone on the far top tier of the bleachers.
Instead of calling out whoever said it, Barrett said, “You mean because I chose football as a career?”
There were a lot of nods and yeahs from the crowd.
“I can see why you’d think that. But if you look at my background, you’d also know that I graduated college with a 4.0 GPA. I graduated, unlike a lot of athletes, whose only desire in college is to see how fast they can get drafted into their professional sport. My degree is in political science. I know that my body will only last so long on the football field. I’ve known a lot of rookies who got injured their first or second years. Career-ending injuries, and all their dreams died on the football field. I’m smarter than that. I’m investing my earnings and I have a plan for my post-football career.
“It’s important to think beyond who you are today to what you can do with your life. You maybe started out your lives with disadvantages, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay down. You aren’t a product of your past any more than I am. I had a great upbringing and many advantages. So did a lot of athletes. I’ve seen a lot of those athletes piss away those advantages on drugs, bad investments and bad decisions. Bad decisions can cost you your future. You’re at the crossroads of your future right now. You’re in charge of your lives right here. Today. Good choices and smart thinking can turn your lives around. All you have to do is make smart decisions. No one can live your life for you or make those decisions for you.”
Harmony was so impressed. Barrett was doing an amazing job, letting these kids know that their futures were in their own hands, that they could do anything if they wanted to.
“He’s very good at this,” Lachelle whispered to her.
“Yes, he is.”
“You’d be surprised how many athletes come in here and talk smack to these kids about sports, and how they need to be physically fit and get out there and play ball and it’s all bs,” Lachelle said. “That’s not what they need to hear. They need to hear exactly what Barrett is telling them. To use their minds, to think about their futures.”
Lachelle was right. Harmony had been surrounded by plenty of troubled kids growing up. She wished some of them had heard Barrett’s speech. It might have saved a few from walking the wrong path.
Then again, she also believed in choice. And some of them were going to make the wrong choice no matter what.
Barrett took questions and there were a lot of them. He handled them all perfectly, and Lachelle stepped in and helped when Barrett didn’t know the answers. Then he surprised all of them with tickets to one of the Hawks preseason games for them and their families. Everyone excitedly cheered.
It took Lachelle a while to get them settled down, especially since Barrett insisted on spending time chatting one-on-one with any of the kids who wanted to, which was quite a few of them.
But eventually Lachelle insisted it was time for the kids to go back to class, and Barrett reminded them to engage their brains. They all waved good-bye to him on their way out of the gym.
“I can’t tell you how much what you said will stick with some of these kids,” Lachelle said.
“I wish it would stick with all of them.”
Lachelle laid her hand on Barrett’s forearm. “You can’t save them all, Barrett. If you reach only a handful of them, it’ll be enough. Trust me.”
“Have you got a few minutes?” Lachelle asked Harmony. “I have a meeting in about a half hour, but I’ve got new pictures of the boys.”
“I wouldn’t miss seeing those. Providing Barrett has time.”
His lips curved. “I have time.”
“Awesome,” Lachelle said. “Follow me to my office.”
Harmony started moving, then realized she felt a little dizzy. It was awfully warm in the community center. She’d noticed it while she was listening to Barrett’s speech. She should probably mention it to Lachelle, but then again her friend was likely already aware of the glitchy AC system.
They made their way into Lachelle’s office. “Sorry,” Lachelle said. “It’s kind of tight in here. We don’t really get spacio
us offices.”
“This is fine,” Barrett said. “I can lean against the doorway.”
Harmony made her way inside and sank into the chair. Now she was feeling nauseous. It was brutally hot outside today, and now that they were sitting in this tiny box of an office, it was even warmer.
She swallowed, fighting back the rising tide of nausea as Lachelle brought her laptop over and faced it toward Harmony. “The one on the left is Marcus, and on the right is Mateo.”
She blinked to clear her vision, which was currently a bit wonky. She smiled at the two adorable toddlers in the photo as Lachelle flipped through a slide show. “I cannot believe how big they’ve gotten since I saw them last.”
“Future linebackers if you ask me,” Barrett said.
Lachelle laughed. “My husband is hoping for point guards or power forwards.”
“Oh, a basketball guy, is he?”
“Indeed.”
“They have long legs,” Barrett said. “I’d say your husband has a pretty good shot at those positions.”
“And he’s six foot six, so I’m hoping they get their height from their daddy, and not from me.”
Harmony was trying hard not to fall out of her chair. Or sweat all over it.
“What do you think, Harmony?” Lachelle asked.
She blinked and lifted her gaze to her friend. “What?”
Lachelle laughed. “Head already somewhere else?”
“I’m sorry. Just staring at these cute babies. I can’t wait to cuddle them.”
She was going to have to make an exit.
“We’ll definitely do that soon.”
Lachelle’s phone rang. “Oh, I have to get that.”
Harmony waved her hand. “I’ll talk to you later.”
She pushed out of the chair, using the edge of the table for support. She turned to Barrett, who suddenly seemed out of focus.
“Ready?”
“Yeah.”
She looped her purse over her arm and followed him out the door, hoping like hell she didn’t pass out in the hallway.
But she only made it to the end of the hall before she felt the walls closing in on her.
She couldn’t breathe, and she was so dizzy she couldn’t move another step. She leaned against the cool wall.
Barrett was right there.
“Harmony. What’s wrong?”
“Dizzy.”
He slipped his arm around her, his strong body giving her the support she needed. “Let’s sit you down somewhere.”
She shook her head and laid her hand on his chest. “No. Not here. Lachelle will see me and fuss. Need to get out of here.”
“Okay.”
He pulled her against him, using his body to support her while he walked her outside.
God, it was so hot out here. She was glad she hadn’t eaten today, so she wouldn’t throw up.
Hadn’t eaten.
Dammit.
Thank God he’d used remote start to cool the car down. She was so hot. Barrett got her into the SUV and hurried over to the other side. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled in her purse.
When Barrett climbed inside and started the engine, she was ever so grateful for his phenomenal air-conditioning system in the vehicle.
“Do I need to take you to the hospital?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Low blood sugar.” She found the energy bar that had been buried in the bottom of her purse. “Need to eat.”
She was afraid she was going to pass out before she could get a bite of the bar into her mouth. Her hands were trembling so badly she couldn’t even unwrap it.
“Here,” he said, his voice calm and gentle. “Let me do that for you.”
He unwrapped the bar and broke it in half. “Eat. We’re heading to a restaurant right now to get some fluids into you.”
“O . . . okay.”
She took a bite, then another, still feeling nauseous. The last thing she wanted right now was food, but she knew it was what she needed most.
By the time Barrett pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, she felt marginally better—at least better enough that she wasn’t in danger of passing out. But she was still shaking.
He put the SUV in park and turned the vehicle off, then leaned over to her. “You okay?”
“I’ll be fine now.”
“You wait right there while I come around to your side to help you out.”
She nodded, undoing her seat belt while he came around. He opened the door, then reached both hands around her waist and hoisted her out of the SUV.
“I’m going to set you down on your feet.”
“I’m really okay, Barrett.”
“Yeah, sure you are. I’m still going to hold on to you.”
Her lips curved. “I’m really not going to mind if you do.”
She was still feeling a bit off balance, and she knew if he hadn’t been with her back at the community center, she’d have slid down the wall into a heap.
That wouldn’t have been her finest moment.
He kept his arm firmly around her waist as they entered the restaurant. To anyone else, they looked like a couple in love who couldn’t keep their hands off each other. To her, right now Barrett was her lifeline.
Fortunately, the restaurant wasn’t crowded, so they were seated right away. Their waitress came over.
“What can I get you two to drink?”
Barrett looked over at her.
“I’ll have a large orange juice.”
“Iced tea for me,” Barrett said, fingering the edges of the menu in kind of a nervous fashion.
He continued to do that until the waitress came back with their drinks.
“Are you two ready to order?”
“We’ll need a few minutes,” Barrett said.
The waitress nodded and wandered off. Harmony took a couple of long swallows of the juice, already feeling a lot better now that she’d eaten half the energy bar.
But Barrett continued to stare at her as if he expected her to fall on the floor and die on him any second.
“I’m really okay.”
“Are you sure? I could still take you to the hospital.”
She shook her head, then took another sip of juice. “I’ve had low blood sugar my entire life, Barrett. I know how to manage it. It was just a stupid thing on my part today. I was running behind because I had to deal with some e-mails before I left the house this morning, and I totally forgot to eat or drink some juice. I know better. And then I went along with you to your event, and I completely forgot I hadn’t eaten. This is entirely my fault. Thank you for being there for me.”
He raked his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath. “Christ, Harmony. You scared the shit out of me. The way you were shaking, and sinking down that wall. And I had no idea you had hypoglycemia.”
She appreciated his understanding of the terminology. “It’s not something that tends to come up in idle conversation.”
“Yeah, well, maybe it should. So people who care about you can . . . you know, care about you. And for you, in case you forget to eat.”
She couldn’t repress her smile. “Thanks. For caring. And for the suggestion.”
Their waitress came by and she ordered food. Now that the crisis had passed, she was hungry, so she ordered a chicken salad and bread.
“You should have something more than that.”
“Trust me, it’s more than enough to sustain me.” She studied the look of concern on his face, the way he watched every sip of orange juice she took.
So she was very grateful that their food arrived fast. She wasted no time digging into her chicken salad while Barrett had a double cheeseburger and double order of fries.
“Good thing you can work all that off, huh?” she asked as she took a sip of the water she’d asked the waitress for.
“Good thing. How’s your chicken salad?”
“Fantastic. Would you like a bite?”
He shook his head. “I think I’ve got en
ough to handle over here. And you need to eat all of that.”
Once she’d plowed through her salad and eaten it all, she set her plate to the side and took another few sips of water. She felt good now—great, actually. There was nothing like the relief she felt once she got past a particularly rough episode.
She knew better than to skip breakfast, but every now and then stupidity reared its ugly head. She wouldn’t let it happen again.
She made a mental note to replace the energy bar in her purse.
“Better?” Barrett asked after he’d polished off the last of the fries.
“Much. Thank you for taking the time to feed me.”
“It was either that or the ER, and you didn’t seem too happy about that idea.”
“They would have just hooked me up to an IV. The chicken salad was much tastier.”
Their waitress brought the check. Barrett pulled out his wallet and paid.
“You ready?”
“Yes.” She stood and followed him out the front door. When she slid into his SUV, he turned to her.
“What’s on your agenda the rest of the day?” Barrett asked. “Any meetings?”
“One. And a wild amount of paperwork, e-mails and phone calls.”
He turned his key in the ignition, then slid on his sunglasses. “Cancel them.”
She shot him a look. “Excuse me?”
“Cancel them all. I’m kidnapping you.”
She laughed. “I don’t think so.”
“You’ve had a rough morning. I’m going to give you a relaxing afternoon.”
Now that was a tempting idea. The meeting was with a supplier, and could easily be shuffled. She could answer e-mails in the car on the way to . . . wherever it was he was taking her. And the phone calls she could shift off to her assistant.
“Done.”
His lips curved. “I like a cooperative captive. We’ll stop by your place so you can pick up a few things.”
She shifted in her seat to face him. “Are you sure I won’t call for help?”
At a stoplight, he drew his sunglasses partway down, those gorgeous eyes of his offering up such sexy promise it was all she could do not to self-combust with an orgasm right in the passenger seat.
“Now why would you want to do that?”
Oh, it was on.