Page 23 of Go Deep

“Have you given any more thought to my request? Having you appear at a couple of rallies with me will definitely shine a light on your company.”

“I’ve, ah, been really busy, Dad. You know my schedule is crazy, and that I’ve only pulled back lately to be around for you and Eva. My calendar is filled with conferences and meetings and?—"

“You have a brilliant financial mind. This will set you up for the future. It’s one step closer to becoming Chairman of the Fed. Just think about it — eventually we can both be in Washington D.C. together. But for right now, you need to be open to the possibility and start showing your face. People need to hear your name and to see it in black and white. You need to highlight your successes and your clients.”

“Well, I’ve signed a few new ones lately, one who’s gotten quite a bit of attention for himself over the past few months. Gabe Kelly.” I don’t know why I picked that second to drop the bomb, but I’m desperate to get my dad off my ass with this whole political thing. It’s his dream, not mine. I don’t want to be Chairman of the goddamn Fed. Hell, I don’t even want to be talking mutual funds. I want one thing, one that I’ll never get back. Everything else is just a means to an end.

My dad looks up from the paper, and a shadow darkens his expression. “The football player?”

“Yup.” I take another sip of coffee to keep my mouth occupied.

“Didn’t he just recently announce to the world that he’s…gay?”

“Mm-hm.”

“And you’re going to name him in a press release when you announce your newest clients for the quarter?”

I avoid his eyes by staring straight at his half-eaten omelet. “That’s usually how it works.”

Dad scrubs a hand down the front of his face. “I think you need to reconsider taking him on.”

“What are you saying? Dump him for being gay?”

“I’m sure you can come up with another excuse. But once you’re out in public with me on the campaign, how do you think it will look if one of your famous clients is a gay man?”

“What he does in his personal life doesn’t matter to me, Dad.” My throat tightens as the many possibilities loop through my mind, possibilities that had roared to life after our lunch the other day. Good God, if my father knew half the shit going on in my head right now, he’d have another heart attack on the spot. And this one would most definitely kill him.

“It should. Don’t you realize you’ll be losing business because by signing him, you’re acting against us on the right?Do you think it’s smart to alienate all of those dollar signs? And for what? Because he’s a big football star?”

“Look, it was a favor to Neil, my friend and his agent. And I don’t discriminate against potential clients. If others are sitting on the fence and they don’t like whose money I manage, they can find another company and risk their assets taking the plunge.”

“This is very irresponsible of you, and I am asking again for you to figure out how to release him from the contract before this campaign kicks up again. Think about the damage it will do to everything we stand for.”

“Dad, I love you, but is your stance against gay marriage all you really want to be known for? Aren’t there other parts of your platform you want people to support? Is it really all about the hate?”

A shudder runs through me. I didn’t want to get so heated. I didn’t want to raise any flags. And I definitely didn’t intend to lash out against my dad over this…over a guy I barely know but want to know so much more intimately.

“Vince, do you realize how much it costs to win an election?” Dad says quietly. “It is extremely expensive, and the people who are feeding me that money expect certain things. That includes focusing on the parts of my campaign that they strongly support. That means you do the same for me.”

I toy with the crust on one of my pieces of toast, my stomach roiling at the thought of eating.

Did I really think telling him about Gabe was going to go over well? As if he’d suddenly jump off his soapbox and realize his legacy could be so much more impactful if he played up some of the other parts of his campaign rather than bashing the queer community.

Never going to happen.

Exactly the way my infatuation with Gabe can never become reality.

Chapter 11

Gabe

Iturn on the hot shower spray after another grueling day of training camp. The rush of water flows over my sore muscles, but at least I’m still in one piece. We’ve been running new plays for weeks, and Coach Greaves isn’t thrilled with our progress. I can’t help thinking that I’m one of the reasons why we’re choking. That maybe more of the guys agree with Jase Maxwell’s narrow-minded beliefs than I realize.

And I’m not the only out player on the team, either. Lucas Bentley, one of the top right tackles of last year’s draft, is starting his first season with the Crusaders. It’s got to be a lot for the team to handle. The press is having a field day with two out players on one team, so the guys constantly have it thrown in their faces, whether or not they agree with our lifestyle.

All the distractions are going to make Coach blow a gasket if we don’t get our offensive line in shape for our first game against the Washington Sentinels in a few weeks.

My jaw tightens as I soap up my body and push those thoughts to the dark corners of my mind. It’s been about six months since I went public with my sexuality. And certainformer fans are definitely still angry, so what makes me think my teammates would feel any different? It’s not like I built any deep friendships with these guys. Ever since I was drafted, I pretty much kept to myself because of the secret I carried with me.

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