Page 107 of The Play

“I don’t want to take advantage. I don’t want to force him into something he isn’t ready for, that we’re not ready for, just because he loves me. That would be taking his feelings and . . .using them.” Grant made a face. “Then there’s the fact that we’ve been on exactly one date. Would you want to crow about a relationship to the world before you’ve ever established that relationship?”

Darcy’s expression turned sympathetic. “I know. But you know what, too? You can lean on people, sometimes.”

“I lean on you, plenty,” Grant argued. Though he knew she was right and that Deacon would agree with her, a hundred percent.

But the problem was that Grant was pretty sure he was also right.

What was the solution then? Something in the middle?

Or continuing to say no comment and hoping that the furor would die down, eventually?

Would it take the rest of the season? Would it spill over into the offseason?

Would they start the next season, even though Deacon would be retired, with speculation still rampant that something inappropriate had happened?

“Yes, you do, but only because I force you to do it.”

“And I pay you for the privilege,” Grant said.

She nodded. “That too. But think about it. Really think about it, okay? Because I’m not thinking Nicole’s statement is going to do anything and I don’t think this speculation is going to go anywhere. People are fascinated by this. It’s never happened before—an owner and a player. And if your friend from college does indeed do an interview . . .”

“You know he’s not going to. We took care of that.”

Darcy waved a hand. “But money talks. He might fold, even though he knows you’d probably sue the shit out of him. Still, you know how people go wild for a good love story. Give them one. Give them all the cheese and the sappy reunion.”

Grant frowned. “It wasn’t a sappy reunion.”

“That’s what you think,” Darcy said. “I saw you two together at the very beginning. It was a sappy reunion, even if you two were too blind to notice.”

“I’m not going to create some narrative, Darcy. This is my freaking life. My life and Deacon’s life.”

“I know,” Darcy said apologetically. “But if you don’t write it, someone’s gonna write it for you, and I don’t know if you’d like not having control over the result. Or what the result is.”

Grant thought about it after Darcy left.

Thought about it as he sat on the couch and pondered grabbing his laptop and actually doing the work he’d told Deacon he’d intended to do. Even considered putting on some sort of mindless TV. Take his mind off the suggestion Darcy had made that kept circling his brain like an overactive toddler hopped up on too much sugar.

Of course, what he did end up doing was turning the TV on but not scrolling to something mindless. Instead, his fingers navigated him to ESPN.

Sunday Morning Football was doing their wrap-up for the day, Neal Fisher talking about the Toronto Thunder’s big win against the New York Giants, and flashing right there, across the bottom of the screen was the headline, endlessly scrolling, Grant Green refuses to talk to media post-Condors win.

Grant made a face, but then he’d asked for this, hadn’t he, by turning this particular channel on?

He was deeply absorbed in what Neal and Drew Brees—the newest addition to the panel—were debating over, when he heard a noise at the front door.

Glancing over, he was both surprised and not very surprised at all to see Deacon walking into his house.

“Sorry, the concierge said I could just come up, and then I didn’t know . . .” Deacon trailed off. Like he’d worried he’d be intruding. Like he’d actually worried that showing up unannounced would piss Grant off.

“No, no,” Grant said hurriedly, muting the TV and standing up. Deacon leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. Too quick, if Grant had anything to say about it.

But Deacon was already looking behind him, at the TV. It might be silent, but it was still speaking volumes, because there was Deacon’s face, right next to Grant’s.

“What are they saying?” Deacon asked, sounding very calm.

Too calm.

“Nothing new, because there isn’t anything new to say,” Grant said hurriedly. Even though that hadn’t exactly stopped anyone from speculating. Even on this supposedly “serious” sports broadcast.

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