The Game Changer

by Megan Ryder

  “Lindsey, order a pizza. It’s safer.”

  She glared at him but grabbed the phone to order their usual, doubling it for Cody’s presence.

  Cody waited patiently, his gaze intense and relentless.

  Dylan sighed. “She made a deal with a guy to get me to be a spokesman for her rescue in exchange for his sponsorship.”

  Over the silence in the kitchen, he could hear the ticking of the clock and the pounding of his own heart. Hearing the words spoken out loud made the whole situation sound stupid and ridiculous. He scrubbed a hand over his face and stood up, needing to move, needing to work off the excess energy that was building inside of him.

  No one said anything for several long moments.

  Finally, Cody scrunched his brow. “So, she promised that you would do something before asking you? Something we do all the time? Shit, man, how many endorsements do we do? I can’t even keep track of them.”

  He stared at him, bleakly. “I know it sounds stupid. If she had asked me, I probably would have done it. But she didn’t ask me. She set me up, tricked me into it.”

  “I get it,” Lindsey said, her voice quiet and small, from the kitchen counter. The two men turned and looked at her. She shrugged. “No, really. If she had asked him, he would have done it. He’s not a complete ass. But when someone uses you to get something, you can never trust if they were with you because they care about you or if they just wanted something from you. And a part of you will always wonder. She was a conniving, scheming bitch who used my brother to get something for herself. I say you’re better off without her.”

  Cody jumped up and stormed over to her, looming over her. “How can you say that? Have you spent any time with her? She’s not like that.”

  Dylan sat in the chair, their words crashing over him like waves, washing away his anger. “You’re right.”

  Both of their heads whipped around and stared at him. “What? Who’s right?”

  “Both of you. Sort of.” He stood up. “Savannah didn’t tell me about the deal. Maybe she made it or maybe she didn’t. Who knows. But she never really lied to me before. And while I do believe she’d do just about anything for her dogs, she does have her limits. Hell, she gave up the one dog who was closest to her for the rescue.”

  Lindsey’s mouth gaped open. “Doesn’t that mean that she’d be ruthless, giving up anything for her rescue?”

  He nodded, slowly, as realization dawned on him. “Well, yes it does. But I think she would have just told me, been up front with me, not slink around my back about it.”

  “You’re a fucking idiot,” Cody remarked, leaning back against the counter. Lindsey whacked him on the back, careful of his bad shoulder. “What? He was.”

  “You don’t need to point it out. I think he knows it now.” She hissed.

  Cody snorted. “So how are you going to fix it? She doesn’t seem the forgiving sort.”

  An idea slowly dawned. “I have the perfect idea. But I’ll need some help.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Savannah moped around the house for a few days, not even getting out of bed. She was every cliché in the book, eating chocolate, drinking tequila, watching sad movies. The only thing that would have made the whole scene more complete was a dog to snuggle with but she gave him up a couple of weeks ago. Instead, she was alone, buying stock in tissue and chocolate.

  Lucy eased onto the bed. “You know, this whole role reversal thing is getting to be a real drag. You’re supposed to be my rock.”

  Savannah laughed, a dry, hoarse sound that only hurt her raw throat. “It’s no picnic for me either.”

  “Maybe it’s time to do something about it. Get a job or something.” Lucy snagged a piece of chocolate and popped it in her mouth.

  Savannah turned her head on the pillow and stared at her. “Are you kidding me? I have a job.”

  “Are you sure? Because, by my calculations, you haven’t done shit for it in days. Instead, me and Colleen have been running our asses off covering for you while you wallow in self-pity.”

  Savannah grinned, feeling as if her face, stiff from dried tears, would crack. “God, was I this much of a bitch to you?”

  “Worse. But it’s okay. I wasn’t this broken up by Ricky or anyone else really. I just thought I was. Damn, that is some good chocolate. Where do you hide this stuff when I’m dying of a broken heart?”

  Savannah grabbed a pillow and smacked her sister in the face. “Call me when you have one for real.”

  Colleen poked her head in the door. “Is she decent? Oh God, it’s worse than I thought. Sweetie, have you looked in a mirror lately? We have a ton of work to do before the big day.”

  Colleen’s words slowly sunk in and Savannah sat up. “Big day? What do you mean?”

  “Bark in the Park. At the Knights Stadium. We’re one of the rescues manning a table there, answering questions about rescue, adoption, you know. We did it last year.”

  Savannah fell back against the pillows with a groan. “We were stuck in an out of the way place. It sucked. Can’t you and Lucy handle it?”

  Lucy yanked a pillow out from under her. “Absolutely not. I’m the irresponsible sister, not you. I’m done covering your ass. Now grow up and deal with life.”

  She stalked from the room, taking the chocolate with her. “Bitch!” Savannah yelled after her, receiving the backwards middle finger salute in response.

  Colleen sat on the bed, her eyes sad. “So, what happened?”

  Savannah sighed. “It was stupid. He heard a message from Tom Clark congratulating me on getting Dylan to be our sponsor. He must have seen a picture in the newspaper from our date. Dylan has a thing about people using him. He thinks I lied and manipulated him, used him to get sponsors.”

  “Oh, sweetie. You would never do that, even though I suggested the same thing. Well, if he thinks you could do that, maybe you’re better off without him,” Colleen said, loyally.

  Savannah was already shaking her head. “No, he’s right. Everyone wants something from him. He could never trust me if he thought I used him. I should have told him what Tom said. Then we could have had it in the open. Instead, I chose to hide it.” Savannah jumped up and paced by the bed. “No, that wasn’t the worst part. He said I didn’t know how to love anyone. I didn’t know how to connect with anyone. He accused me of not even loving Carl because I gave him up. He saw how much that hurt me. How could he say that to me?”

  “Well, hell, Vannie. Neither of us connect with people well. We’re better at sticking to ourselves than trusting anyone else,” Lucy said from the doorway, having returned, probably for more chocolate. “Mom made damn sure of that. Constantly moving, new people in and out of our lives. I don’t need a college degree to understand how messed up we are.”

  “Maybe you are but I’ve put down roots here. I have a house, started a business, have friends.”

  Lucy shook her head, a sardonic smile on her face. “Really? You rent your house. You have Colleen as your friend, no one else came by or called once except about dog stuff. And your business has no real foundation. It’s movable. Yes, you want to have a place to settle your rescue but when given a shot to do that, you refused to talk to the one man who could help you.” She advanced into the room. “Vannie, you don’t even keep any of your dogs. Every foster has at least one foster fail. Usually more than one. It’s not bad to keep a dog. You don’t even have a goldfish. And Carl, the first dog that you got close to, well, you gave him up. No wonder Dylan thought you couldn’t commit to a relationship.”

  The words slapped Savannah, the reality of the statements like a dash of cold water on a hot summer day. Unlike a hot day, the words were not refreshing but insulting.

  And true.

  She stopped mid-step and stared at Lucy. “Do I really do that? Do I really avoid relationships? What was Mark?”

  “A huge mistake?” Both Colleen and Lucy spoke simultaneously. “A horse’s ass?”

  Savannah sagged onto the bed. “You�
��re right. I didn’t trust that Dylan would help me, even as I said I didn’t want to hurt him. I kept a part of me separate from him, from everyone. Now I’ve lost him.”

  Colleen hugged her. “You’ll figure something out.”

  She hugged Colleen back and gestured Lucy to come closer, to get in the hug. “Thank you, ladies. Now, we have an adoption event to plan for and I have a dog to rescue.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Savannah and Colleen parked in the designated area for vendors by the Knights Stadium. Colleen had been acting a little odd for the last day or two leading up to the event, ensuring that Savannah was dressed in the right outfit, looked a certain way. When pressed, Colleen ducked the conversation and avoided it like a fencing champion. Savannah gathered their bags full of informational materials and helped Carl out of the SUV.

  He still hadn’t quite gotten over his ecstasy at being back with her. His family had been good to him but he had been depressed and lonely without her and they had been contacting her and Colleen with their concerns. He rebounded immediately when Savannah went to pick him up. Anyone who said dogs didn’t love knew nothing about them. Now, she was counting that love between people didn’t die either. If only she could get close enough to Dylan to prove that she loved him.

  She headed for the vendor entrance but Colleen steered her toward the players’ entrance. “Wait, we’re supposed to go in the vendor entrance.”

  “But if we go in the player’s entrance, you might see Dylan. Isn’t that the goal?” Colleen said, not even pausing.

  “Not if we get arrested.” Deep inside, she got a thrill. Maybe they would see him and resolve this whole conflict.

  Colleen walked ahead of her and gave her name to the security guard who miraculously let them in. An auburn-haired woman waited just down the hall and greeted them with a big smile.

  “Colleen Hart and Savannah Monroe? I’m Stacia Kendall, head of publicity and promotion for the Knights. We’re so glad you could join us today. Please, follow me and we’ll get you settled.” Carl advanced upon her and greeted her in the time-honored tradition of all dogs, right in the crotch of her khaki pants.

  Savannah juggled her bag and tried to drag Carl back but Stacia squatted and started to love up on Carl who soaked up the attention with a pure doggie smile of bliss. “Who’s a good boy? With such a pretty scarf. You’ll steal all the attention. Is he up for adoption?”

  “Absolutely not.” Savannah resisted the urge to yank Carl back to her side. The possessive edge hadn’t quite gone away yet. She hoped it never would.

  Stacia stood up and wiped her hands. “Okay, so you’ll start out on the field for the pre-game ceremonies. We’ll have a few speeches and the parade of dogs.”

  Savannah held up her hands. “Wait, I’m a little confused. We’re just one of the adoption groups running one of the tables for the event, aren’t we?”

  Stacia looked taken aback. “Of course not. You’re our chosen charity for the whole event.”

  By the time Savannah had regained her wits, she was sitting on the cement floor of the tunnel her bag on the ground next to her, Carl licking her face and Stacia handing her a glass of water. Colleen was conveniently nowhere to be found. She’d deal with her later.

  “I’m so sorry. I thought you knew about this. Your treasurer and I worked out all the details.” Stacia peered at her worriedly. “Are you going to be okay for this? We really don’t have a lot of time. We’re supposed to start in fifteen minutes.”

  Savannah nodded. Stacia helped her to her feet. Savannah fixed her khaki pants and red polo shirt, brushing off the dirt. “Who set this up?”

  Stacia cocked her head. “It was Dylan Prosser’s idea. Of course, we checked you out before approving you. You’ve accomplished so much in such a short time. We’re thrilled to sponsor you. Now, are we ready to continue?”

  Savannah swallowed thickly. Of course, it was Dylan. Despite everything, he stayed true. She should have known he would have done this. She blinked past sudden wetness, tears that hadn’t been too far beneath the surface for so long. She took a deep breath. She still had a chance with him. She picked up Carl’s leash and smiled at the other woman.

  “I’m ready.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Dylan stood out on the field by home field, nerves making him twist his hands and sweat worse than any tricky pitcher or any high intensity game time situation. Yes, the Knights were in a playoff run and struggling for every win, without their best pitcher and, yes, he shouldered some of that blame for bringing the injury to light. But no one wanted Cody’s arm to fail or his health to suffer for one season and the possibility of a playoff shot. No, the team fully supported the decision and Dylan, just as they were behind him here in this moment. Only this time, he didn’t have his catcher’s gear on or his bat. He was completely vulnerable, hoping for a second chance with the one person who meant more to him than anyone ever had before.

  He rubbed his sweaty palms on his uniform pants and cleared his throat. Time was ticking and he still didn’t know if Savannah was going to show. Colleen had been very cool to him in their brief discussion, preferring to work with Stacia, not trusting him with this situation or her friend’s heart. But Stacia had been optimistic.

  He took a deep breath and looked at the dugout and the tunnel for any sign, blinking in the bright sunlight. Damnit, where were they?

  Sadie nudged him with her nose and he absently bent down to stroke her head. Thank God for Sadie. After he had stopped being a bear with a sore paw, she started coming around again. In fact, she inspired this whole plan. He had been all for heading straight over to Savannah’s house but Cody and Lindsey had laughed and said he had to grovel a bit more before Savannah would deign to forgive him.

  Which led to him standing here, stomach roiling, feeling like he was going to hurl what little food he’d been able to choke down that morning, waiting to see if she’d show up.

  Finally, one of the attendants gave a nod to the announcers and they started the speeches. Dylan barely heard the words, so focused he was on the tunnel, waiting for Savannah to emerge. Stacia stood on the top step, directing the whole event, lining people up for their part in the play.

  Finally, he straightened. Savannah emerged from the tunnel and walked the three steps to stand next to Stacia, doubt and uncertainty on every inch of her face. Sadie spied her at the same time he did and stood, her body quivering with excitement but he held the leash firmly, eyes fixed firmly on Savannah.

  Savannah’s hair had been pulled back but the wind blew the deep blond strands free to whip around her face, hiding her expression from him. Stacia pointed toward home plate and gave Savannah a nudge. Her eyes fixed on Dylan and she stared, brushing her hair back, expression unreadable. She gave a quick nod to Stacia and stepped onto the field and fully into the light and his heart leapt.

  Carl walked by her side.

  He fisted his hands around the leash, telling himself not to read anything into it, and he waited stiffly. She walked slowly across the field, eyes wide and looking a bit shell-shocked by the whole event, until finally she was standing in front of him. He resisted the urge to touch her, to stroke her cheek, touch her hair.

  She tilted her head to look up at him, expression still cautious. “Dylan, what’s going on?”

  He smiled. Step one achieved. She hadn’t slapped him, stormed off. She had shown up and was participating.

  He gestured next to him. “Please stand here.”

  Carl and Sadie were getting reacquainted, as much as their short leashes would allow. The announcer gestured to the jumbotron and everyone turned as videos played of each player introducing their dog and saying something about owning a dog.

  Dylan then stepped up to the mic, with Sadie. “Thank you all for coming today. I had never really thought much about animal rescue until this sweet little girl crawled out of the woods, abused and scared. I tried to hand her over to the shelter where I was exposed to the realities of
shelter life for dogs and cats.”

  “Animal rescue workers, like Savannah Monroe with Soul Paws, work very hard to rehabilitate animals who are not wanted or have been abused, and find them loving and forever homes. But who is really saved? I would say, and I know my teammates would agree, that the humans who adopt these wonderful animals are the ones who are saved by the unconditional love that these animals give to us.”

  “Today, we want to show off some of these animals who need loving homes, to show you a little bit about them. Take a look on the field as they’re escorted by your favorite Knights players. Each of these dogs are available for adoption and information will be on the jumbotron and at the various adoption tables throughout the stadium today and on the website. But if you don’t find a connection today, check out some of the other rescues and shelters. There are plenty of animals who needs good families. Let the parade begin.”

  Colleen now stood on the top step with Stacia, and Cody was the first player on the field in this unique fashion show of dogs. Each dog was escorted by one of the Knights players and they paraded around the diamond, and information was on the jumbotron about the dog, including a picture in a goofy pose, all designed to show the dog’s personality and attract attention.

  Dylan stepped back from the microphone, letting the announcer run the show a bit, and stood next to Savannah who stared at the line, then up at him, shock mirrored in her eyes. “You arranged all of this? For the rescue?”

  “No, for you.” He glanced down at Carl. “Is he joining the parade for adoptions?”

  “No, he’s part of my family,” she stated firmly.

  He nodded slowly, hope growing inside. “Adoption didn’t work out?”

  “He should have never been given up for adoption. He belongs to me.” She took a deep breath. “You were right. I ignored how much he meant to me, so scared of getting close. But I’m done with that. He’s home, where he belongs. Forever.”