Page 48 of Game On

The lady who’d been at Shane’s house this morning—Carly—turned out to be a lot more welcoming than Troy’s brother. She didn’t try to baby him or touch him like every other lady who’d been around him since his parents died. Instead, she’d made him program her number into his cell phone.

“Whatever you need, whenever you need it, wherever you are, you can call me, okay?” she told him. “You’re never alone as long as I am around.”

Then she’d taken them to the Richardson’s. She said they were her family and he could rest there as long as he wanted. Troy wished they taken the big dog with them, but apparently he belonged to the butthead. He could care for a dog, but not his own brother. Carly must have thought Shane was being a jerk, too, because she didn’t even say good-bye to him. Good. His brother didn’t deserve a girlfriend who was so nice. And pretty.

The Richardsons seemed like a nice family. They teased each other a lot, but it didn’t seem like they actually meant it. Troy had always wanted to have more brothers and sisters to hang out with. Instead, it had just been him and his parents. Now it was just him. He dragged in a deep breath and tried not to think about what happens to kids nobody wants.

Molly was in the hallway arguing with her mother. Troy liked Dr. Richardson. She smelled like a mom and she had a pretty smile—the kind that made you feel like she’d keep you safe always. His stomach hurt as he realized his mom would never smile at him that way again.

The voices grew quieter and Troy tried not to think of his parents as he listened for his new friend. Molly was okay—for a girl. Even now, she was trying to get her mom to let him rest on the sofa in the playroom so they could play Wii some more. He didn’t hear what Dr. Richardson said because they’d moved down the hall. But he could tell Molly was the persistent type. Maybe if he just laid here and watched TV, she’d get her mom to change her mind. He really hoped so, because he didn’t want to be alone.

He turned on the TV and Penny reached over to push the hair off his forehead.

“You’re so much like your brother,” she said.

What a bunch of crap! He didn’t look like that a-hole, Shane. Not at all. Troy looked like his mom. Everyone said so. Shane Devlin was a dick and he hoped he never had to see him again. His stomach clenched again. Troy really had thought his brother would be different. When Shane left his parents’ house late the other night, Troy was sure he’d be back the next day to take him to Baltimore. But he never showed up. Instead, his grandparents told him he was going to Florida with them. Troy didn’t want to live with them. And, deep down, he knew it wasn’t what his parents would have wanted.

He needed a new plan, but his mind was really tired and it was hard to think. Maybe if he just watched a little TV, his stomach would stop hurting. Tomorrow, he’d get Tiny to take him to find Consuelo. She could take care of him until he was eighteen. He didn’t care what that stupid lawyer said. No way was he going to live with his grandparents. And if his jerk-faced brother didn’t want him, he’d live with Consuelo.

If he could find her. He gulped back a sob. Why was this happening to him? How come his brother didn’t want him? This all had to be a bad dream. Maybe if he went to sleep, he’d wake up back in his own house. With his mom and dad and Consuelo.

Penny quietly shut the door as she slipped out. Troy tried to concentrate on the Nickelodeon show he’d seen a thousand times before, but his eyes kept drifting shut.

FIFTEEN

Later that night Shane slipped into the Jacuzzi in his master bath and wondered how life could spiral out of control so quickly. His day had been a nightmare from beginning to end. The ninety pounds of petulant twelve-year-old boy the three stooges deposited on his doorstep early that morning proved to be just the beginning.

Once he’d finally arrived at camp, the hordes of media wanted to delve into his feelings about the loss of his father. Shane didn’t bother telling them his feelings for Bruce Devlin weren’t fit to print. Keeping his answers short and sweet, he tried steering the questions back to football.

By mid-morning, he’d finally made it to the practice field. It wasn’t his best showing. His timing was off and he couldn’t quite find his receivers as quickly as he would have liked. Fortunately everyone cut him a little slack and Shane wasn’t above using their sympathy to his advantage. He figured it was about time Bruce Devlin played a positive role in his career.

“Things will go better tomorrow,” he said as much to himself as to his teammates as they trotted off the field. Unfortunately, his stint on the practice turf proved to be the highlight of his day.

Lisa Richardson stood on the sidelines waiting for him. Dressed casually in khaki shorts and a golf shirt, a pink ball cap covering the stubble of hair growing on her head, she smiled as he came near. But thanks to the ball cap, he couldn’t tell if the smile reached her eyes. Carly had taken Troy and his posse to her sister’s home earlier that morning. Shane wasn’t sure what reason she’d given Lisa for Troy being with her. But since the family jewels were still firmly attached to his body, he figured whatever excuse she’d given, it didn’t include details of her sleeping arrangements the night before. Or the night before that.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Shane,” Lisa said, falling in step beside him.

Fiddling with the helmet he was holding, he pondered how to best get to the locker room without insulting her. He’d pretty much had it with people’s condolences for the day.

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

Lisa was having no trouble keeping up with his stride. He slowed a little, realizing he couldn’t escape the inevitable. Obviously she’d honed her skills during her marriage to Coach.

“You and Troy seem to be holding up well,” she said as she came to a stop, strategically blocking the entrance to the locker room. “In case you’re wondering, Troy is sleeping at our house. He was exhausted.”

Her tone put him on the defensive. He wasn’t wondering where the kid was. He’d known Carly had left him with Penny. C.J. told him as much when he and Troy’s posse arrived at the training facility for lunch. This was some kind of test, he could feel it. She was baiting him to see how he’d react.

He put on his best Boy Scout smile. “Thank you for that,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting him to arrive this morning. I appreciate everything you and Penny have done for us. It’s been a rough couple of days.” Playing the sympathy card was becoming easier. He didn’t feel like puking when he invoked it anymore.

Lisa cleared her throat. “As a professional counselor, I want to encourage you to seek grief counseling, Shane. The team has people on retainer who can help you through this.”

Is she kidding? Grief counseling! He wasn’t grieving. The only thing he felt about his father’s death was aggravation. This whole thing with Troy’s guardianship had thrown off his concentration. He needed to get his head back in the game. Furthermore, he needed to get Troy out of Baltimore and firmly ensconced with his grandparents. What he didn’t need was a grief counselor.

“Thank you, Dr, Richardson. I’ll definitely look into that,” he lied. The sooner he got into the locker room, the better.

He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a smirk pass over her mouth before she harnessed it. “Good,” she said. “I’m afraid it won’t be as easy with Troy. Of course, you could both go to therapy together.”

Shane felt his whole body tense. He knew where she was going with this and he didn’t like it. He’d survived the loss of his mother without the help of a shrink. If Troy couldn’t, then his grandfather the reverend would be the one to counsel him.

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