Page 12 of How to Prevent a Fumble

He thinks for a minute. “If I have anything important that needs to be done during the day that I can’t do, I’ll ask you. I may occasionally ask you to cook dinner if I’m running late,but most of the time I just pick up a pizza. I won’t lie to you, there may be a couple of fires you may have to put out. Otherwise, you’ll just help me organize my life. I have training camp during the week, and pre-season is starting soon. There’s going to be a lot to deal with and I need a bit of help.”

Okay well, that doesn’t sound too horrible. I’m a little concerned about themultiple firespart, but if it doesn’t happen too often that’s not that terrible, right?

“And I can bring Elara with me when I need to?” She’s going to be going back to school soon, which will be great, but if we’re living here most of the time it may become an issue. I may have to look at transferring her, and if I do that, I’m going to have to look for an apartment here in the city for when this little deal ends.

He nods. “Anything else?”

But I don’t think I have any other questions. I know that this is probably going to be a hard job. There’s no doubt about that.

“I think that’s it for now.”

“Then we have a deal?”

“We have a deal.”

The problem is, the deal was made with the devil.

4

BRIAR

“What are you telling me right now?” Zara asks.

“Leo Warner.”

“Yes?”

“I’m working for him.”

“But… why?”

I can hear the displeasure of my friend from through the phone. She’s never really liked football, and definitely doesn’t like Leo.“You know what a conceited prick looks like? Leo Warner, that’s who. Ignore that man, Briar,”she told me one time I dragged her to a game and Leo dared to wink at me afterward.

Not that I ever thought of him like that anyways. Leo Warner wasn’t ever anywhere near my radar. Me and athletes? I’m good.

“Because you know I need the money, Zara. I don’t want to move back out of the city again. I don’t want to ask Tony for more money. It’s just going to lead to so much shit I just don’t need in my life right now.”

Things with Tony were always bad. It was bad all throughout our marriage, and it’s bad even today, as hescrews the woman he cheated on me with in our home, ignoring his daughter until it’s convenient to get back at me.

I don’t want anything to do with him, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t let me live in peace.

“That piece of shi?—”

“Exactly,” I say, rearing back as I sink into the cool, cracked leather of my old Ford Explorer.

I’m sitting in a parking garage, my phone held between my shoulder and my ear as I reach back to hand Elara a small water bottle. She has her headphones on, connected to my old Walkman I gave her when she was small. I’m not sure which CD she has playing, but I can tell from the way she bobs her head that it’s something good.

I look around the garage, watching as cars rev their engines, backing out of their spots carefully, narrowly avoiding being hit by someone zooming around the corner before making their way down the winding exit in the middle of the structure.

“He’s an okay guy. He has some issues, sure, but that’s why I have you.” I sigh, knowing that she’s either going to love this or hate this, and I’m really not quite sure which one it’s going to be.

“What do you need?” She sounds defeated, like she knows my mind is made up. And she does. Izara, or Zara as she likes to be called, and I have been friends for well over a decade. She was the only one in the room with me when I had Elara, as Tony was away for a business meeting and couldn’t get there in time. Or, well, so he says.

Elara was originally going to be named Zara, if I had my way, but of course I didn’t. Instead I went with Elara.

She was the maid of honor at my wedding, and the lawyer who helped me find the best divorce lawyer I could find. Sure, I didn’t get exactly what I wanted out of it. I could be a whole hell of a lot more well off right now, but I have Elara, and that’s what matters to me.

Now if I could only hold a job, which is why we’re here.

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