The Player Gets Coached

by Janet Nissenson

  She’d barely walked a few feet away from her studio when a familiar voice called her name, causing her to glance up and emit an exasperated sigh. Standing directly in front of her was the owner of that voice - one Jordan Reeves - and, not surprisingly, Max Wainwright, his trusty sidekick, hovering nearby.

  “Hello, Delilah,” greeted Jordan cheerily. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  She gave both men what she hoped was an evil glare. “Yes, what a coincidence, isn’t it? Especially since my studio is three doors down. No wonder that sneaky PA of mine was so intent on pushing me out the door. He really has a lot to answer for this time.”

  “Don’t blame Calvin for this,” urged Max. “I can be quite persuasive when I need to be, you know. Though it was really Jordan’s idea to, ah, meet up with you this way.”

  Jordan scowled at his friend. “Hey, you agreed with my idea, didn’t you? Besides,” he added, turning his attention back to Delilah, “we just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes. Buy you a nice lunch, catch up, that sort of thing.”

  “Baloney,” spat Delilah. “Just say what you mean, Jordan, okay? And what you really mean is the two of you want to talk to me about Finn. More specifically, about all the reasons I should forgive and forget and take him back.”

  Max brightened. “Well, then. Now that we’re all on the same page, there’s no further need to pretend, is there? So where would you like to have lunch, Delilah?”

  “I’m surprised you’re letting me choose,” she groused, trying her best not to feel intimidated with one man on either side of her. Jordan was taller than Max by a few inches, though Max was more muscular, and both of them towered over her. “Especially since the two of you don’t seem to have any qualms about twisting my arm into going with you.”

  “No one is forcing you, Delilah,” assured Jordan quietly. “Max and I are your friends just as much as we are Finn’s. And, yes, we would like to talk things over with you, but it’s got to be your decision. If you really don’t want to have lunch with us, then you can feel free to go back to your office.”

  She heaved a dramatic sigh. “I suppose it’s all right. Though this time Finn might have gone a little too far, sending his best friends to plead his case. Are you two supposed to be his secret weapon or something, hoping to succeed where that enormous Teddy bear failed?”

  Jordan laughed. “He sent you a stuffed animal? God, wait until Max and I rib him about that! But Finn doesn’t know about this, Delilah. Oh, we offered to give you a call, talk to you, but he balked at the idea. Said something about how this wasn’t junior high school.”

  “Well, it’s not, you know,” she retorted sharply. “And while I appreciate that you guys have all been friends for a long time, this might be crossing a line somewhere.”

  “We’re just concerned about Finn is all,” Max told her, as they stopped in front of a tapas restaurant just around the corner from her studio. “And you, of course. Will this place be all right?”

  Delilah nodded. “Yes, perfect, actually. The owners know me pretty well. And service is fast, which means we can wrap things up in under an hour.”

  “In a hurry, are you?” asked Jordan knowingly. “But is that because you need to get back to work, or more likely because you want to keep this friendly little chat to a minimum?”

  “Both,” retorted Delilah, as the hostess escorted them to a table near the window. “Though I’m finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel so far as work is concerned. By the end of this month, I’m hopeful things will return to normal. Then I can really focus on hiring additional staff and expanding our offices.”

  “Has that deal gone through then?” inquired Max as he held out Delilah’s chair for her.

  Delilah smiled her thanks at him, then nodded. “Yes. I signed the lease agreement just before I flew out to New York. And before you ask, Max, yes. I did have Gray look it over. He’s more or less taken over all of our legal dealings now.

  “Good to know. He’s a much better fit for your business than your former attorney, and he’ll make sure you make the right decisions going forward,” confirmed Max.

  They ordered several small plates to share, along with the fruit drinks that the restaurant was known for. Delilah took a sip of her refreshing watermelon flavored beverage before arching a brow at the two men seated across from her.

  “Okay, guys. Give it your best shot,” she challenged. “Now that you’ve more or less strong-armed me into being here, might as well get this over with. Though I’ll warn you both now - you’re probably not going to tell me anything Finn hasn’t already said a couple of dozen times already.”

  “You’ve spoken to him then?” asked Jordan in surprise.

  “No.” Delilah gave a firm shake of her head. “I’m sure he’s already told you that I blocked his numbers, and that I delete his emails the second they hit my in-box. But he’s not one to be easily dissuaded, and I’ve lost count of all the flowers and plants and sweets he’s sent to the office, each one accompanied by a little card telling me how much he loves me and wants me back. And then of course there’s the letters. The most recent one was a real doozy.”

  “We might have heard something about that,” Jordan admitted. “I assume you’re referring to the one where he offered to quit his job plus give up the vodka deal. I still can’t believe he did that, and that he was dead serious about it, too.”

  “I still can’t believe that Finn wrote an actual letter,” commented Max dryly. “Several of them, apparently. But in all seriousness, Delilah, Jordan is right. He and I were dumbstruck when Finn told us what he’d offered to do. I don’t think we have to tell you how much he loves that job. Or how good he is at it. Growing up in England, I’d never really watched American football, of course, not until I attended university at Stanford. Jordan and I and our other fraternity brothers would attend all of Finn’s home games, and later watch him on TV when he turned pro. And as good of a football player as he was, I believe he’s even better as a broadcaster. As I’m sure you’re aware, Finn can be extremely charming, and very charismatic, both qualities that make him very good at his job.”

  “I’ve watched videos of him on YouTube,” Delilah admitted. “And while football isn’t really my thing, either, there’s no denying Finn is great at what he does. Not only is he charming and energetic, the camera loves him, too. And there’s no way I would ever ask him to give that up for me. I couldn’t do that to him.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, Delilah,” replied Jordan earnestly. “Somehow, I couldn’t imagine that you’d ever let him go through with giving up a job that he loved. Even if it meant you wouldn’t have to worry about trusting him when he’s out of town. Trusting that he won’t get up to his old tricks and screw things up like he did in Vegas.”

  She grimaced. “Guess that makes me sound awfully paranoid, doesn’t it? Though I will admit I definitely have issues with trust. Has Finn told you anything about my parents? In particular, my father?”

  Max swallowed a bite of the Spanish-style omelet from one of the shared dishes. “You mean the fact that your father was a womanizer of the worst order, broke your mother’s heart, and abandoned both of his daughters to marry his pregnant mistress?” he asked blandly. “He might have mentioned it in passing.”

  Delilah couldn’t help herself from laughing. “I guess that pretty much sums it up, yes. But since you both know about my background, I hope you can also understand why it’s so difficult for me to put my trust in someone. And why it hurt so badly when Finn betrayed that trust.”

  “Of course we do,” assured Jordan. “But you should also understand that unlike your father, Finn never intended to hurt you. In fact, he’s been beating himself up on a daily basis about how badly he screwed everything up. Say what you like about Finn, but he’s probably the most kindhearted person I’ve ever met. And given the fact that he’s crazy about you, Delilah, you should know that hurting you was the very last thing he would
have wanted to do.”

  “Oh, there’s no denying that he can also be an idiot,” added Max. “Jordan and I can regale you with two decades worth of stories to prove that point. But I can truthfully say that neither of us have ever known Finn to care about a woman the way he does for you, Delilah. Beyond the fact that he’s never really had what one could reasonably define as an actual relationship, the longest he’s ever dated the same woman before was maybe a month.”

  “Maybe,” chimed in Jordan. “And that was a rarity. A week or two was more like it. So that in itself should prove to you how special you’ve been to him, Delilah. But it’s more than that. Much more. Finn has changed in a lot of ways since he started seeing you. He dresses better, takes better care of himself, and actually reads books and takes an interest in things besides sports and booze. He told us the other night that he never realized until he met you how lonely he really was.”

  Max nodded in agreement. “Hard as it was to believe, given what a social creature Finn has always been. But he admitted than even though he was surrounded by people most of the time, he often felt alone. You changed that for him, Delilah. Though it’s all been different since your - ah, disagreement. I’ve known Finn for more than twenty years, consider him and Jordan the brothers I never had, and I’ve never once seen Finn depressed. Until now.”

  Delilah couldn’t help feeling both worried and guilty at this revelation. “Try as I might, I just can’t picture Finn being depressed. No matter what the circumstances,” she argued weakly.

  “It’s true,” confirmed Jordan. “Finn’s been a real mess since Vegas, can barely drag himself down to L.A. once a week to do his show, and he flies back here as soon as he’s done. And one of his co-hosts on the show told me that Finn’s been a complete hermit when he’s in town, goes right back to his room after taping the show and refuses to even go out to dinner, much less clubbing or partying. Everyone on the set has noticed how down he is, too. And that just isn’t the Finn we’ve known all these years. I barely recognize him anymore.”

  She worried her bottom lip, knowing instinctively that Jordan wasn’t exaggerating. “I - I never imagined he’d take it this hard,” she admitted softly. “Or that he cared that much about me. Finn - well, I always assumed that he cared more about himself than anyone else.”

  “Not true,” declared Max. “Not even a little. Oh, I’m well aware that’s the impression he gives off, but for the few of us who know the real Finn - well, I’ll give you an example, shall I?” At Delilah’s nod, he continued. “Finn knew that I didn’t have any family here in the States. Hell, that I didn’t have any family anywhere. So every year for the Christmas holidays he’d insist that I fly back to Colorado with him and spend the time with his family. For the first couple of years of college, he even bought my airline ticket, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to scrape up the money. Same thing during Spring Break. He couldn’t stand the thought that I’d be all alone, told me he had a big family, and that there was always room for one more.” Max smiled faintly. “That first time in particular - it was the happiest Christmas I’d ever spent, Delilah. And if I’m being honest, the only happy Christmas I’d ever known. So you see, Finn might be a total arse at times, and hasn’t always made good decisions over the years. But beneath that dimwitted playboy image the rest of the world knows, he’s got a heart of gold. And after everything he’s done for me, I can’t bear to see that heart broken.”

  Delilah sniffled, and blinked back the tears that began to well up. “Drat you, Maxwell Wainwright,” she cursed softly. “You, too, Jordan. Between the pair of you and my sister, I feel well and truly ganged up on at the moment.”

  Max gave her a satisfied look. “Mission accomplished then, I’d say. You know, I think I speak for Jordan when I say that the pair of us had more or less given up on Finn ever settling down. But when he met you Delilah, and we could see how happy he was, I was happy, too. Not to mention relieved. And I’d very much like to continue feeling that way.”

  “So you’ll talk to him, then?” urged Jordan. “Or at least think about talking to him?”

  She hesitated for a few seconds before giving a reluctant nod. “Fine. Like Max just said, mission accomplished. But,” she cautioned, holding up a hand in warning, “it’s going to be when I feel ready to get in touch with him, and definitely going to be on my terms. I need a little time to think this through, figure out the right way to approach him. So don’t you dare say anything to Finn in the meanwhile. Promise?”

  Both men nodded, and the look of relief on their faces was almost comical.

  Jordan gave her hand a squeeze. “Thanks, Delilah. This means a lot to us. As it will to Finn. He’ll be pissed off when he finds out Max and I had lunch with you today, but I’m willing to bet all will be forgiven if and when things work out between the two of you.”

  “That is not something I can guarantee,” warned Delilah. “One step at a time, okay? But I will call him over the next few days and agree to have a meaningful discussion. That, however, is all I can promise right now.”

  “That’s more than enough,” assured Max gently. “All we could ask for, in fact.”

  Jordan was about to reply when his phone buzzed, indicating an incoming text. He pulled out his phone, then sighed after reading the message.

  “I’m afraid I need to eat and run,” he apologized, setting his napkin on the table and pushing his chair back. “One of my patients was just admitted to the hospital, and given how close apart her contractions are occurring, it looks like her baby is going to arrive within the next couple of hours.” He bent and pressed a quick kiss to Delilah’s cheek. “Thanks again for letting us shanghai you. But it really does mean a lot that you’ve agreed to at least talk to Finn. When you’re ready, that is.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him, but followed the gesture up with a smile. “Say hi to Aubrey for me. I’ll give her a call soon.”

  Jordan nodded, then dashed off after Max assured him he’d take care of the bill.

  Delilah leaned back slightly in her chair, fully prepared to take advantage of this opportunity she’d been hoping for. “I didn’t know that you always spent Christmas with Finn’s family,” she began.

  Max nodded. “It’s become something of a tradition now. The few times I’ve attempted to use work as an excuse for not attending resulted in a rather irate phone call from Susan, informing me that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She’s a wonderful person, you know. And certainly one of the kindest women I’ve ever met.”

  “Kinder than the woman who broke your heart, I imagine,” observed Delilah, turning the statement into a question.

  The corners of Max’s mouth quirked up slightly at her very pointed comment. “Ah, I was wondering when you might get around to bringing that subject up. You do know, of course, that I have never discussed - her - with anyone. Not even Jordan and Finn, the two men I think of as brothers.”

  She shrugged. “I’d heard something about that, yes. But I’m guessing they wanted to spare your feelings, and not force you to dredge up bad memories. I, on the other hand, don’t particularly give a damn if I piss you off. Especially after you and Jordan practically kidnapped me a little while ago.”

  “Tsk, tsk,” scolded Max. “Kidnapping is a bit of an overreach, isn’t it? And you have to admit that our intentions were noble.”

  “I suppose,” she muttered grudgingly. “But don’t think you’re going to worm your way out of this one, Max. Look, you don’t have to tell me any details. Not even her name. But it’s pretty obvious that you’ve never gotten over this mystery woman, and that she broke your heart badly. So why haven’t you been able to get over her after all this time, huh? I mean, you’re a very good looking man, Max, not to mention something of a genius, rich, successful, yada yada. And you can even be charming when you set your mind to it. So just how badly did she break your heart, considering that you’ve never had a serious relationship since?”

 
; She fully expected him to be furious at this line of questioning, and then to tell her sharply that it was none of her business. Instead, Max merely regarded her with a sad, almost poignant expression, and his reply startled her.

  “Why,” he asked quietly, “do all of you automatically assume that she was the one to break my heart? On the contrary, Delilah, it was very much the other way around. She loved me deeply, would have done anything I asked of her, and she was the sweetest, kindest woman I’ve ever met.”

  She stared at him wide-eyed. “What? Then - then why, Max? I mean, didn’t you love her?”

  He smiled fondly. “It would have been impossible not to love a woman like her, even for a supposedly heartless bastard like myself. And the reasons I broke her heart are too complicated to get into right now. Suffice it to say that at the time I convinced myself it was the right thing to do for her, that she was too young and too innocent for someone as hard and jaded as myself.”

  “And now?” asked Delilah. “Do you still feel that way?”

  Max didn’t answer for long seconds, staring out the window of the restaurant as though he was a million miles away. Or perhaps, thought Delilah, only about eight hundred miles away - the approximate distance between San Francisco and Seattle.

  When Max spoke again, his voice sounded hollow, and so sad that Delilah’s heart ached for him, and at the pain she saw reflected in his eyes.

  “What happened in Seattle continues to be the biggest regret of my life,” he murmured. “The only real regret of my life. And I’d hate like hell for you to have that same sort of regret one of these days, Delilah. So, please. Talk to Finn, hear him out. And don’t make the same sort of mistakes that I so foolishly did.”

  Chapter Twenty-One