Page 62 of Pretty Broken Promises

“Spoiling Tessa?” I ask.

Jo looks to make sure her daughter is still preoccupied showing the movers where to put the entire household worth of furniture. “She deserves it, don’t you think?”

I nod. “More than anyone else I know.”

Jo takes a deep breath, and the question I’ve been waiting for arrives. “She was sad when she came here her senior year. I know that was because she had to leave you behind. There’s something more there now, isn’t there? Is she okay?”

It isn’t my place to share Tessa’s secrets. She’ll tell her mom if she wants to, when she’s ready to. I hate to leave her with nothing though, so I give her the best answer I can. “She’s getting there. Any more than that is up to Tess to tell you.”

“You’re a good boyfriend,” she praises me.

“Tessa makes me a better man. Anything good about me is thanks to her.”

* * *

“I already hate this,”I whisper to Tessa as I hook my finger in the collar of my dress shirt and try to pull it from my skin.

“You hate anything that requires you to wear a tie,” she whispers back.

She’s not wrong. I’m wearing my only suit to this dinner while she’s dressed in this body-hugging black dress with a zipper running up the entire back. I lead her into the room, and maybe it’s paranoia, but I can feel all the eyes in the room turning our way.

“Are they all looking at us?” I ask her.

“You’re a star QB. You should probably get used to it,” she says.

Coach Greer breaks through the crowd and slaps me on the back. “Good to see you again, kid. There are some people I need to introduce you to.”

He starts to steer me through the crowd, and I hold onto Tessa’s hand to keep from losing her. Coach sees what I’m trying to do and stops. “This isn’t really a meeting to have with your girlfriend in tow.”

Then he turns his attention to Tessa. “I promise I’ll get him right back to you.”

I shake my head. “No thanks. She doesn’t know anyone here, so if I have to leave her alone, I’m not going.”

“I wouldn’t say she doesn’t know anyone,” a voice says behind me.

If I could have made a list of the top five people I’d least like to run into at this event, I’d have put his name at the number one spot. I turn around, and sure enough, Bennett Richards is smiling at my girl.

“Bennett,” I greet as neutrally as I can.

He gives me a tight smile in return. “Ford. You can go on and meet the bigwigs. I can keep Tessie company.”

“It’s okay, Ford. I’ll just catch up with Benji,” Tessa tries to reassure me. Every time she uses that stupid pet name for him though it reminds me how close they are, and how much closer he wants to be.

“Let’s go, Shaw,” Coach demands, reminding me why we called him Coach Hard-Ass in high school.

“I didn’t know you knew Bennett Richards,” he says as we move through the room.

I nod, not really wanting to talk. That doesn’t deter Coach, and he keeps rambling to fill the silence. “That’s really good. I’m glad you’re already making friends. Richards just transferred from the University of Washington. They have pretty much every program there, but Cascade has smaller class sizes, so we managed to snag an Olympic hopeful.”

The pattern of who they trotted out for this party is starting to become clear. Olympic hopeful, check. Future professional football player, another check. I wouldn’t be surprised if the tall guy in the corner is already being scouted to play pro basketball.

Greer stops in front of a distinguished looking man in his late fifties. He’s tall, with wide shoulders, and a nose that looks like it’s been broken a couple of times. “Ford Shaw, this is Nelson Jones.”

The man takes my hand and gives it a firm shake, the kind where it’s obvious the other person is trying to assess something about you. “Coach Greer has been talking you up for a while now. A few of us went to the championship game you played. We’re real happy to have you here. I hope we get a championship of our own before you go pro. Have you gotten representation yet? Once the rest of the country sees you in action, you’re going to be inundated with offers for your endorsement.”

“My head is still spinning just being in Seattle getting ready to play D1 ball. Endorsements haven’t even crossed my mind,” I tell him honestly.

He digs a card out of his jacket pocket. “I started my own agency after my pro career ended. I was with the Evergreen Bay Knights in the nineties.”

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