Page 58 of The Baller

“Okay then,” I replied, because what do you say to that? I focused on Radley again. “Let’s go and workout.”

We pushed through the main doors and into the foyer for the New York Lions executive entrance – a vast atrium which stretched to the upper floor of the stadium. Along the left wall hung framed jerseys of players past and present, while along the right was a detailed timeline of the Lions history, starting from their inception in 1920. On the floor, a vast Lions logo was laid out in the marble, the golden flecks of the mane caught the sunlight and bounced off the surfaces.

During the season, the eleven-acre site bustled with hundreds of Lions staff, from security and the groundskeepers, to PTs and players. It was noisy and vibrant. Multiple daily tours took fans around the grounds, and there was always a line around the block before the Lions store opened at ten a.m.

It was a stark contrast to the offseason where everyone – maintenance staff included – was given a well-earned break. Tours still ran and the store was open, but the excitement of the season didn’t filter through the air. Most of the players had families and houses around the country or in warmer climes, and didn’t want to stick around in the New York cold. But the boys and I weren’t in the family stage of life yet.

Every day since the season ended, we’d walked through the doors, cracked a few jokes with Pablo, who was always behind the main reception desk, as we made our way to the gym or went for a massage, or the batting cages for a swing.

But the thing about Pablo – he might look like a harmless grandpa, but nothing got past him, and I meannothing. He caught it all, and Penn Shepherd would be informed before we’d even made it to the locker rooms. If I wanted to get my guests through without Shepherd hearing about it, I needed to do it as quickly as possible.

Pablo leaned across the counter as we approached. “Lux, I told you, you gotta rest those muscles, my boy. We can’t have you tired before the season begins.”

I threw him my best grin and winked. “Ahh, you know I can’t stay away. How else are we going to get to the World Series?”

Next to me, Radley scoffed quietly.

“That’s what I like to hear. Always thinking,” Pablo tapped a thick finger to his balding head.

“I’ve brought some friends to work out with me today.”

Pablo stood a little higher as he scanned over the three of them, while I did my best to block Radley. After what seemed like forever, he heaved the weighty sign-in book onto the counter and handed me a pen.

Elizabeth Bennett and the Joes had been officially admitted.

“Welcome to the best place in the world.”

“Thank you, sir,” Ethan nodded with a one finger salute, and followed me down the corridor to the locker rooms.

I stopped in the entrance before we headed into the main locker rooms. All three of them looked around, eyes wide as they took in the big screen TVs, couches, and comfy chairs for down-time, the wall of fridges filled with any approved drink we wanted, or the shelves of snacks for when we were hungry.

“You guys are welcome to sit in here and chill, or…”

“We stay with Radley,” interrupted Ethan.

“Or…” I continued, grinning wide at the seriousness on Ethan’s face. Yeah, this dude was definitely one who’d take a bullet for you and beam with pride as he did. “You can work out.”

“We’ll come into the gym with you,” he corrected.

I looked down at Radley and winked for the sole reason I knew it would make her smile. “Follow me then.”

I held open the door and they walked through. I wondered if Ethan and Meg had practiced the synchronization of their heads scanning slowly around the room, though ‘room’ was an understatement.

Three thousand square feet of fitness equipment, separated into zones designed for each muscle group. Along the right-side wall was a hundred-meter sprint track, next to a dozen battle ropes and weighted sleds. Along the left was the stretching and floor work area, which led through to the PT suites. Treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and a couple of other contraptions I’d never bothered with were all in the center.

“Guess Penn Shepherd really doesn’t mess around when it comes to making sure you guys stay fit.”

I leaned into Ethan, with a lowered voice. “Does that mean it’s good enough for someone who runs alongside moving cars?”

Ethan chuckled quietly. “It’ll do.”

“Go nuts,” I replied, taking hold of Radley’s hand as the two of them moved off to give us our space back. “Goldilocks, you can use anything in here. Where would you like to start?”

Her eyes slid up to mine. “This is where you work out every day?”

“Yup.”

“No wonder…” she started before the familiar biting of her lip took over. I reached out and pulled it loose.

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