Page 164 of Off Season

“I like to sit here and plot ways to keep you away from my sister. Instead, I’m forced to put in my earphones to drown out the sounds of the nightly orgasms you give her.”

He cracks a smile. “How about a drink, Kamryn? We can have a chat, man to man.”

Color me intrigued. We’ve never once done this in the nearly three months we’ve been living together. “You’re on. I can scratch my balls just as well as the rest of you.”

He sighs, as he often does around me, before pouring us two glasses of whiskey. I notice that mine is double the size of his. Nodding at it, I ask, “Trying to get me drunk?”

He shakes his head. “Your sister doesn’t like it when I drink too much. I’ve cut back significantly.”

“I imagine it’s because our biological mother was an alcoholic.”

“I imagine you’re right.” He sits in the chair next to me and hands me my drink. Clinking his glass with mine, he says, “To the one and only thing we have in common. She’s nothing short of a miracle.”

I nod as I pick up my glass and take my first sip. Fuck, that burns going down. I don’t know how people drink this shit, but I do my best to act like one of the guys. I even manspread.

He smiles as he notices my reaction, but I narrow my eyes at him. “Why is this happening? I can’t imagine you want extra time with me. You must have an ulterior motive.”

He takes a slow sip of his whiskey before placing the glass down on the kitchen counter with a small clank. “Something interesting came across my desk today.”

I shake my head. “Nope. I’m not doing any modeling right now.” I’ve cancelled everything I have this off-season. “Thank god I insisted on the cancellation clauses. My shitty agent would have had me locked in.”

He lifts an eyebrow and sarcastically replies, “Yes, it wouldhave been a true shame for you to have to leave us. We would have missed you terribly. My daughter wouldn’t have told me that the bag of Doritos I packed her for lunch today was a chiptease.”

I can’t help but smile. I taught her that a chiptease is a bag of chips that looks full but is mostly air. I hate it when that happens.

He continues, “Or that when two boys at school were fighting the other day, they got a dudevorce.”

I can’t contain my laugh this time. “Ha. Admit that it’s funny how she always uses these words in the right context. That’s the genius.”

He doesn’t emote at all. “I will admit no such thing. Back to this tidbit that found me today.”

He’s up to something. “What do you have up your gray-haired sleeve, Montgomery?” He looks down at his arms, which only have dark hair. His beard and chest hair have a little gray though, and I enjoy playing on his insecurities.

He narrows his eyes at me again before reaching for his glass and taking another sip. He lets the silence fill the air for a good ten seconds before he continues, “As I believe you know, I’m growing my women’s division. I’ve been searching for nearly a year, hoping to find the right woman to lead that division, but apparently female lawyers with deep knowledge of athletics and a steel constitution are harder to find than I imagined. I had a thought recently. Since the right lawyer doesn’t seem to currently exist, I decided to reach out to an old law school professor of mine to see if he knew of any budding superstars. You might know him. His name is Byron Burke.”

My eyes widen in realization. He was my contracts law professor.

He gives me a knowing smirk. “Why doesn’t anyone know you’re in law school, Kamryn?”

“It’s no one’s fucking business. And Cheetah knows.”

“Why not Bailey?”

I gulp my whiskey, letting the amber fluid burn a hole in my throat. Anything to avoid having to answer. I’ve considered this alot throughout the years. “Because I needed something for me, and I’ve never been quite sure what I want to do with my degree. Playing with my sister and two best friends in the Olympics is my priority. What happens after that remains in the air.”

“Why law? You don’t do anything without purpose. What is it you want to do?”

“Something that makes a difference. I honestly don’t know what. I initially applied with an altruistic notion of representing kids with shitty parents. I can relate. But then I realized that I’d have to work with kids, and I suck at that.”

He shakes his head. “You don’t suck. You’re just…different. Kids respond to the fact that you don’t treat them like kids.”

“Harper is the only kid on the planet that I like. I suppose I can also tolerate Andie and Dylan, but Harper is like a little adult. I don’t see myself working with kids on a daily basis. I’ve also come to realize that it wouldn’t be good for my mental health to continuously come across those terrible home life situations considering what I suffered throughout my childhood.”

He looks like he wants to ask follow-up questions but holds back. “Byron tells me that you have the brightest legal mind he’s come across since he had me as a student.”

“Well, I’m pretty fucking smart. You know that. Honestly, law school has been easy for me. I have perfect grades, and I rarely need to break a sweat. What are you getting at, Tanner?”

“I think you know what I’m getting at, being sofucking smartand all.”

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