by Xyla Turner
He finally uttered, “Thanks.”
Diamond:
Diamond could not believe her mouth got the better of her as she was standing less than two feet away from Shane Sinclair. He just showed gratitude for her big mouth, but she had nothing else to say. What could a person say after that? She simply gave him a small smile and he nodded, then went out the door.
When she arrived home, LeAnne texted her.
LeAnne:What did Sinclair say to you?
A camera must have caught the interaction, because the conference was over, but someone was still rolling.
Diamond: Nothing, I just said sorry for his loss
and he said thanks
LeAnne: Well, use that. Heads up, we need to
make cuts. You’re the one hired.
Diamond: What?
LeAnne: Sorry, sp ch. Last one hired, 1st to go
Diamond could not believe what she was reading. How in the world would she ‘use’ that? All she said was sorry and he said thanks, she thought. The woman could sure be ruthless, but she had not made it to the top by twiddling her thumbs.
From that day forward, Diamond was constantly inundated with questions about Shane Sinclair. What he said, how he said it, was he nice, was he a jerk? She could not take it. Even her mother called to inquire about her three-point-six seconds with Sinclair.
“Mom, it was nothing.”
“Oh, honey. It was something,” she replied.
“I said sorry, he said thanks.” Diamond was exacerbated by the entire conversation, “There was nothing earth-shattering about it.”
“Honey.” She cleared her throat. “You know I’ve been around my share of men. Still am. So believe me when I tell you, there was something. You need to see the way he was looking at you. Like he could have eaten you up, literally.”
“Oh Mom, don’t be crass.” Diamond shook her head.
“It’s the truth. I pride myself on the truth and men, but mostly the truth.” Diamond could almost see her mom’s hand on her chest with what she ‘prided’ herself with.
“I swear to you, it was as simple as that.” Diamond sighed.
“Oh, how did I raise such a naïve daughter? When it comes to men, you should take it from me. That was not simple.”
“Okay, Mom. I have to go get some rest. We are all going out after work tomorrow and it’s going to be a long night.”
“Well you have fun dear. You deserve it.”
“Love you Mom.”
“Love you Dye.”
Diamond did her nightly routine and was in bed by ten o’clock. Around two-thirty in the morning, she woke up feeling very warm, her skin was tingling and she was moist between her legs. Then it suddenly dawned on her that she’d had a naughty dream about none other than Shane Sinclair. She wanted to blame everyone, especially her mother for creating the scenario in her subconscious mind. However, she could not deny the pull or attraction she felt for the man. The difference between this and the story books was that there was no way it would happen. It was a dream and his lips, hands and body would never be on hers.
Unfortunately, after the dream, that was all she wanted.
Eddie, Regina and a couple of colleagues from their jobs came out with us to go back to The Pros. Diamond hoped the guy that was talking trash about Sinclair was not there. She did not want another rendition of his foolery. They held a booth and even though she did not have high hopes for the evening, she found herself laughing hysterically at Eddie make an impersonation of one of their colleagues. If the person actually talked and acted like that, working under him would be bad. He must have nailed them, because everyone else was keeled over in tears.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Diamond saw a tall shadow walk in with a woman. She was not sure why she looked, but when she did, it was the man in her dream last night. Diamond did not think it was wise for a professional sports player to be in a bar with a bunch of other sports writers, etc. He did not even have any bodyguards with him or security. She was sure he could take care of himself, but it seemed odd. She also felt a pang of jealousy at seeing him with another woman. Quickly putting that aside, because in the real world one ‘thanks’ and a wet dream did not allow anyone to lay claim to another.
After thirty minutes, Diamond went to the restroom to relieve herself, as the alcohol was running through her. On her way out, she nearly bumped into someone, so to avoid them she jumped to the other side of the hallway. She swiveled her head to look, it was Sinclair.
On instinct, she smiled and said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” he said and proceeded to his destination.
Diamond shrugged off the notion that this was a sign. She went back to her booth and chimed into the conversation again, but this time Regina was telling her horror story of a blind date she had been on. She wasn’t sure if it was the flowing of alcohol or what, but every story was hilarious and they were all in stitches. She needed some water to sober up, because she started to feel a little light headed from all of the laughter. None of the waitresses were in sight, so she went to the bar and asked for two glasses of water.
Unbeknownst to her, on her left sat Sinclair, again. He was alone and he was drinking beer. The only reason she knew it was him, was because he turned around and looked at her. Sign or not, drunk or not, Diamond said, “Hey, we keep running into each other.”
She wasn’t sure what she expected him to say, but it surely wasn’t, “I don’t like reporters.”
Without missing a beat, Diamond responded. “Neither do I. Well, apparently, I’m not cutthroat enough.”
He looked at her again and said, “Well, you stay in there long enough, you will be. Just give it time. Everybody is out for something. Like you, right now. You want something. What is it, an exclusive, what I’m drinking, what do you want?”
Diamond bristled at his words since she didn’t even know he was at the bar. She’d never be so bold as to walk up to Shane Sinclair of all people and inquire about anything.
“For your information, I did not come up to you. The only reason I knew who you were is because you turned around and second,” she grabbed her waters off the counter and finished, “that’s a horrible outlook on life. Everybody does not want something and sometimes when they actually do, it’s not for them, it could be for you.”
Diamond walked away as gracefully as she knew how and returned to the booth where more laughter had commenced, but this time she did not chime into the festivities. She stewed over the troubled man’s accusation of her. Diamond had never wanted anyone to think that she was using them or taking advantage of anything. This was one of the reasons why she left California. She would make her own way or she would not make it at all. This was a hard line for her and that drove her ex-husband crazy. She was sure this was one of the things that drove him away. That was old news. Now, she took great offense at what the NFL player insinuated. She did not want a thing from him and she would make sure, if they ever crossed paths again, to make that crystal clear.
6
Myrtle Beach
The pre-season had yet to start and Shane was back to his normal routine. He looked good, felt good and was playing good during the scrimmages. The new running back was able to get some play time as well, which did not hinder any of Shane’s statistics. He found that when he was rested up, he could exert more energy. The press room was buzzing and lately asking more “Shane” questions to Matthew. To the point when Matthew said to him, “I wish you would stop being Switzerland. Can you at least talk to them in Morse code?”
Shane erupted in laughter at Matt’s comments, but finally responded with, “Man, I just can’t do it. I thought about it long and hard, but I just can’t. They are like vultures.”
Matt looked at him and said, “I think you didn’t take heed to my warning early on and got burnt, yet never got over it.” He patted Shane on the chest and said, “Some things you got to let go.”
Matt and Shane did not really have the heart to heart conversations, but he r
espected the guy as a leader and veteran of the sport. He also understood what he meant, to the point where he actually thought about how to rectify the situation.
After their final scrimmage, Shane, Matt and Raymond, the new running back, were at the center table on stage. They all immediately started asking questions, so Matt, being the leader he was, calls on one reporter who had a question for Raymond. Shane spotted the lady reporter that rebuffed him at the bar, he bent over to Matt and said, “Call on the lady reporter in the red shirt.”
Matt looked at him and gave him a knowing smile. Shane shook his head and waved him off. When Raymond finished answering, Matt pointed to the lady and said, “You in the red.”
Her hand was raised, but not in a way that looked like she wanted to be called on. Shane briefly thought, maybe she was right about not being good at the job. When Matt called on her, she looked surprised and caught off guard. She quickly recovered and announced, “Hi, um. I’m Diamond Reeves from WUSA. My question is what do you guys do for fun besides these awesome press conferences?”
People laughed and even Shane smiled at her wit. He made a note that he liked that. When the room died down, Raymond answered first with, “I sail. It relieves stress for me.”
Matt said, “I hang out with my wife and kids.”
Nobody seemed to think Shane would answer, so when he slid the mic from in front of Matthew, the whole room seemed to turn and face him. Cameras flashing, and extended microphones included. They never even gave him his own microphone anymore.
“In my spare time, I work with a few charities and work on my Spanish. But what’s your real question?” Shane asked her, while moving the microphone back in front of Matt.
Diamond stood with her mouth wide open as did the rest of the room.
Again, she recovered and said, “Well, Mr. Sinclair, since you asked. I know you and Austin Daniels from the Falcons are good friends, but after that move you put on his team.” She shook her head. “You saw the play and ran right past him. You, Matt, saw the opening, passed the ball to Shane for a touchdown, then y’all had the nerve to go for the two-point conversion and Raymond gets the extra points. How the hell do you remain friends? I wouldn’t be your friend anymore. Showing them up like that.”
The entire room erupted in laughter at what Shane thought was her cuteness, keen expertise of the game or just her wittiness. Shane even laughed out loud and slid the mic from in front of Matthew and answered, “That’s funny. Well, to answer your question. Despite this being called a game of football, it’s still a business. And these,” he gestured to his other teammates, “are my business partners, so even though we may not always align or agree and we might have to run each other over, at the end of the day we know it’s our job to do so. That’s why we push each other on a daily basis. Austin is a longtime friend and he understands the job very well. So, while it’s a game to you guys, this is our business.”
Diamond smiled at Shane, then nodded her head in approval, agreement or just acknowledgment. Shane couldn’t tell, but he nodded back. No sooner than his head came back up, the other reporters started to fire more questions at Shane. To address all of their questions, he moved the microphone back in front of Matt.
He was done.
Diamond’s fame was heard around the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. People were speculating that she was the reason why Shane started talking. They sought her out to ask about the nature of their relationship. She explained that they didn’t have one. Her mom was calling her daily to see if she had seen Shane. LeAnne was all over this, because WUSA was getting huge ratings because it seemed they had the inside scoop.
It was becoming a bit much for Diamond, as it was a luck of the draw. She did not know Shane and the handful of times they had met, there was nothing extraordinary about their conversations. Actually, the last time they met, he insinuated she was trying to use him. At that point, Diamond had nothing else to say to the man. When Matthew Cunningham called on her, she could have peed her pants. She noted that Shane leaned into him, but there was no reason for her to worry, because the man basically called her a user. She was a reporter, not a user. This truly rubbed Diamond the wrong way.
Trudy, Bridget and Diamond went to Myrtle Beach before summer was officially over. Diamond had never been there before, so it was a treat. The hotel, La Pierla, was definitely high end, because Trudy worked in the hotel industry. Not only was she able to get really cheap rates, but she had first dibs on everything from the five-star hotels to the low-budget ones. Each of the women had their own room, as they all had different sleeping habits. Trudy snored loudly and liked to keep the room extremely cold. Bridget was a light sleeper and kept the temperature at seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit. Diamond did not have any sleeping tendencies that she knew about, but did not like the room to be too cold or too hot. Therefore, they were all on the same floor and definitely had different rooms.
Diamond swore she saw a few famous people at the hotel, but she wouldn’t dare approach them. This was their vacations too and even though her day job was as a reporter, she did not need to be one twenty-four-seven. It was bad enough, one of her old high school articles had just blown up like she said it would. She needed to finalize the follow-up piece during her vacation.
One morning, Diamond was running on the beach and she thought she saw Shane Sinclair. She quickly brushed it off as a figment of her imagination. This was her vacation, not fantasy land. Later that day, she, Trudy and Bridget were lying on the beach, sunbathing under their mesh tent. The women were so excited about getting away, their tent included anything one could ever need if they were wrecked at sea or going overseas for an extended stay. It was mainly Bridget who had brought a portable hair dryer, a blow-up lifeboat and two cases of ‘double A’ batteries. Trudy joked that she did not get out much.
After bathing in tanning lotion and Bridget tying up her short afro, so she did not get sand in her hair, the women attempted to soak up what little sun they could get until a shadow came over them. Trudy was the first to take off her glasses to see the tall man. Diamond took hers off as well and thought she saw Sinclair again. She figured the news cycles were getting to her about the reporter and the sullen player. Until she heard Trudy ask, “Oh my God, is that Shane Sinclair?”
Diamond blinked her eyes and confirmed that it was indeed Mr. Sinclair. He had on a pair of red, loose, mesh shorts that stopped an inch above his knee, white socks that were beneath his ankles and black Nike running sneakers. His upper half was missing its garment revealing a tight, chiseled, sweaty chest, a six pack and a smidgen of fine hair under his navel. He had on a pair of Ray-Bans with a sporty contoured wrap fit. This caused him to not be as noticeable, which would explain why he had no security or bodyguards. Only a guy who hung back, looking just as bulky and sexy as Mr. Sinclair.
Many thoughts started to assault Diamond’s mind as she stared at everything but his face. Why was he here? Did he change his mind and quit the team? Who was the guy he was with? She had not checked the pre-season schedule since she was away on vacation, but what were the odds that she would run into Shane Sinclair?
“Ladies,” he greeted them.
Bridget started to breathe heavy and was on the verge of hyperventilating, while Trudy said, “I'm going to repeat myself. Is that Shane Sinclair?”
He answered for the other women, “Yes.”
“What are you doing here?” Diamond inquired.
“This is a public beach. The last time I checked it was actually called Myrtle Beach. I'm allowed here,” he retorted in a snarky tone.
“Yeah, you're allowed here, but what are you doing here in front of us?” Diamond fired back.
“Well, I saw you and thought I would come and say hi.” He smiled.
Bridget inhaled loudly, as if trying to gain control of her breathing.
“How are you ladies enjoying the beach?” Shane asked them.
There were no words from Bridget, as her breathing started to regulate. Trudy,
on the other hand, responded, “We’re having a lot of fun, thank you.”
Diamond simply looked at him, so he turned his gaze to her and asked, “Are you enjoying yourself Ms. Reeves?”
He knew her name, Diamond noted. “Yes, I am. Thank you Mr. Sinclair.”
“Great. I thoroughly enjoyed your questions the other day. They were quite entertaining.” Shane’s attention remained on Diamond.
“Yes, I was completely caught off guard,” she explained.
“I could tell. You looked like a deer in headlights.” He laughed. “If you did actually want to make it in this field, you might actually want to raise your hand like you really have something to say. You are quite the shining star.”
“Thank you so much for the advice, Mr. Sinclair. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I have more advice if you’d like. Would you like to join me tonight for dinner?” he asked.
Without missing a single beat, Diamond answered, “No, actually I'm quite busy tonight. Thank you for asking.”
Shane looked a little surprised, but he quickly masked it by smiling. Trudy hit her on the thigh and Bridget stopped hyperventilating to pinch Diamond on the arm.
“Owww,” Diamond yelped.
“No, I just have a deadline that I must meet this evening and it is going to take me a long time. That's why.” She glared at her cousins.
Shane nodded and said, “Well, maybe next time.”
Diamond confirmed, “Yes, maybe next time.”
Although, she knew she had no intentions of meeting with Mr. Sinclair for dinner so he could further insult her and then ask what is it that she wanted from him. She was adamant about this, there was no way that would happen.
Shane tipped his imaginary hat and said, “Have a good day, ladies. I’ll see you around Ms. Reeves.”