Page 26 of The Underdog

“Delaney, I don’t care if we get twenty views or twenty thousand views. We’re not selling this team with sex. It’s ridiculous.”

She picks up on the unamusement in my tone, causing her shoulders to drop and her eyes to narrow in on me. I know this look. She’s not giving up. She’s got another plan.

“You know what?” Her eyes dart back down to the phone as her delicately manicured finger swipes over the screen. “Let’s compromise. How about this one instead?”

She turns her phone back in my direction, and instead of seeing one of my players shirtless, I’m greeted with some montage footage of the stadium at sunset. It’s a surprise, to say the least. Not only is sunset my absolute favorite time of day, but it’s what I believe to be one of the most beautiful views of all time.

Believed.

I question my internal use of the past tense as an eerie silence fills the room. Yet, it’s the way Delaney’s face lights up in delight that makes me drop the thought altogether. Clearly, my eyes have just given it all away.

“I thought you’d like this.” She’s awfully amused with herself as she peels the phone back, and a playful smirk cascades along her face. “So?” She subtly bites down on her lower lip. “Does that mean I can post this?”

I narrow my eyes, fold my arms across my chest and lean back into my armchair. I hadn’t noticed I was leaning across the desk this whole time. “Have you ever taken no for an answer?”

Delaney follows my movements, honing in on my biceps. It’s a sad attempt at an anatomy class, the way we’re both intricately assessing one another—the worst part is we both know we’re doing it. It’s the elephant in the room, one I refuse to acknowledge.

I see her swallow before her eyes meet mine. This time, as she leans across the desk, I’m compelled to move forward but remain frozen, still. She’s the one making me cower.

“One thing you should know about me is that I’m persistent. I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t. I want to help, I do. I just…need you to trust me.”

Trust.

A simple word with a big ask. How can I place trust in anyone but the person who reflects back at me in the mirror? Trust, when it comes to Crawfield, is obsolete. Hell, I can hardly trust anyone to complete the administrative duties for the team—that’s why I’ve been glued to this desk chair for the past few days.

Although the task is mundane, tedious, and every other adjective in the book that describes tortuous repetition, I know that if I don’t do it, or if I leave someone else to, all of my time in turn will be spent worrying.

Worrying if a mistake was made.

Worrying about what's going on without my knowledge.

Worrying that the utmost standards aren’t being upheld.

Trust.

I trust that no one can operate this team better than me, and I’m unwilling to take my chances.

“Trust…trust is asking a lot, Delaney.” I close the notebook that rests in front of me, finding enough strength to step away from my desk and work my way toward the door.

“Where are you going?” She turns around in her seat, her hair whipping across her shoulder. “I have other things I need to show you!”

“To get some fresh air,” I mutter, my hand colliding with the door handle as I swing it open, leaving both my troubles and her frustrated expression behind.

I was right.

I always am.

Sunset over the stadium really is the most beautiful view ever to exist. There’s nothing quite like watching as the sky absorbsthe sun and feeling the anticipation of the night sky that's to come.

I’ve traveled to almost every major city in the heart of Britain, and after living in most of them for an extended period of time, you almost forget what the stars look like. How they sparkle, shine, and light up the darkness of night. But out here in the countryside, you’re reminded how hard this kind of view is to forget.

On nights like these, I’m reminded that we’re only here for a moment. A blink of an eye, and just how quickly life can flash by. That’s what keeps me up at night—not the fear of death, but the fear that when that time comes, I’ll look back and regret it. Regret that I didn’t do everything possible to make a difference here.

In this stadium.

With this team.

With my boys.

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