Page 24 of Playbook
“What? No, of course not. I just need to live vicariously through other people now that I’m off the market.”She refocuses her attention on me.“Hair color?”
“Brunette,”Archer answers.
“Dark brown, just a hint of red to it,”I clarify. Brunette sounds too boring to describe anything about London.
“Long or short?”Avery is leaning forward, taking in all my answers.
“Long-ish.”It came down past her titsis on the tip of my tongue. Instead, I motion to about where it hung.
“Eyes?”
Hendrick laughs. “Do you have a picture? Might be easier.”
“Sorry I didn’t think to snap one while she was yelling at me. And her eyes were this stunning shade of green. Like a four-leaf clover.”
“Like grass? Her eyes were the color of grass?”Knox smirks.
I flip him off. “It was the first thing I thought of.”
“Maybe don’t use that line on her. Or do. It’s fun when girls turnyou down.”He turns to Avery.“Your eyes are the color of the sky on a sunny day.”
He’s clearly making fun of me so I continue to flip him off.
Avery shakes her head.“All I heard him say was that her eyes were stunning.”
“Back up,” Hendrick says.“She yelled at you?”
“Oh yeah, she gave him an earful,”Archer says, and I swear he sounds a little too happy about it. I think he enjoyed it more than I did. And I fully enjoyed staring at her perfect face while she chewed me out. But I’ve enjoyed her letters even more. She’s feisty as hell. I swear I can hear her voice when I read her words.
All the attention suddenly has me hoping for a subject change.“Anyway, how are things with you guys? How’s the bar?”
Hendrick waits a beat like maybe he wants to keep pressing me but relents finally.“The bar is doing great.”
“We hung your jerseys up on the wall in the game room.”Jane beams at Archer and then me.
“Awww. I’m touched.”Arch holds his pointer and middle finger out in half a heart and Jane does the same, bringing her fingers to his.
We spend the next hour catching up. Hendrick wants to make sure we’re being smart with our money and not blowing it all on dumb shit. In truth, I haven’t spent that much. I bought a truck and some things for the apartment. The only stupid thing I’ve done was giving a chunk to my parents. They reached out after the draft. I hadn’t been in contact with them in years and I knew they were only talking to me to get some of my signing money, but I guess I hoped it would be different if I made a gesture of good will. That was fucking dumb. I didn’t do anything wrong that should haverequired me to make a gesture. I don’t think. Unless being a kid who wants his parents to want him is something to apologize for.
Not a word since I sent the money, but I know they cashed the check.
Archer bought a ridiculously expensive sound system and also got a vehicle. We probably could have done with one between the two of us since we work and live together. We shared one all through high school and college, but it was fun to pick out matching trucks. His is silver and mine is black. Everything else is identical.
Knox fills us in on how he’s spending the motocross off-season and praises Avery, telling us about how she’s going to dominate again this year. And Jane tells us about some upcoming concerts she’s going to do with pop star Penelope Hart.
I glance around the table in awe. If you’d told me as a kid that this would be my life, sitting around a table with a former pro baller, a famous TV actress, a motocross rider and his Olympic gymnast girlfriend, with my best friend and fellow professional football player…I would have looked at you like you were out of your mind.
By the time the conversation starts to die off, it’s after midnight and Knox says they should head back to Valley.
“You’re welcome to crash with us tonight,” I tell him. “I can take the couch. We just got a new sectional big enough for an orgy.”
“And with that, I think I choose sleeping in my own bed tonight,” Knox says.
“We’ll be back next month for the Seahawks game,” Hendrick says. “Take care of yourself. You’ve got a long career ahead of you. Proud of you.”
“Thanks.” My throat tightens.
I hug each of them goodbye, and Archer does the same.
