Page 29 of The Curveball
Without a goodbye, Dallas ends the call and holds out his hand. “Marks. Good to see you.”
I shake his hand and give him a nod. “You, too, sir.”
“I’m proud of the season you played.” Dallas doesn’t beat around the bush. He doesn’t ask if I’m handling the loss well, he already knows. No one wants to lose.
“Thank you, sir,” I say.
“Listen, I heard what happened last night.” Dallas’s face hardens. “I hate that I’m being forced to ask this, but you know how rumors get started. I need to hear it from you that you weren’t intoxicated.”
My stomach doesn’t sink. It splatters on the sidewalk.
“What?” The word bites out from between my teeth. “Is that what people are saying?”
“It is on some threads, yes.”
“No. Sir, I swear to you, I had three quarters of a beer and left without even the slightest buzz. I would never get behind a wheel if I was tipsy, and not one of the guys would’ve let me leave if I’d been drunk. It was an accident. The police! Before they took Wren, I even did a breathalyzer since it happened in front of a bar. They’d have the report.”
Dallas nods and smacks my shoulder with the back of his hand. “Then, we’ll get it and put these rumors to bed. I figured, but I wanted to hear it from your mouth. I hate to tell you to brace for it, but there could be some backlash. We’ll put out some statements, plus a police report when we can, so we can get ahead of anything for the sake of the Future All-Stars foundation.”
Now, I lose my heart right after my stomach.
The foundation Parker and I started a few years ago has become a piece of my soul. To help kids across the country realize their dreams of playing competitive sports is amazing. Those teams cost money, and for some families it’s impossible to afford. But the foundation has covered millions for kids. Some of those kids get scholarships, they’ll go to college playing sports they love, and I adore every story we hear about the life-changing impact it has for some young athletes.
If a rumor that its co-founder hit a woman because he was driving drunk mars the good we’re trying to do, I’ll lose my mind.
“Griffin,” Dallas says. “We’re handling it, okay?”
“Sir, I wasn’t drinking and driving.” My voice is hoarse, it’s all wrong. This is a mess.
“I believe you, and we’ll do what we can to smooth things over. Now, get out of here, take a break, and don’t snap a bone in the offseason.”
I force a smile and shake his hand, but by the time I’m in my jeep, I’m crashing into a low. Knowing Wren is at home is a bright spot, but only if I ignore the truth that the woman wanted to sledgehammer my toes when I left.
I still need to make a stop at the tow yard to get her things like I promised, but all I want is to go home. I don’t even care if I spoon her when her feet kick uncontrollably.
This is my life now.
Rumors, accidents, and a woman I can’t wait to see who’s probably switching out my shampoo with hair removal cream.
CHAPTER11
WREN
“I’ll say it again,you would’ve been welcome with us, sugar bean.” Alice Hunt fiddles with her car keys. She’s fierce but small. A walking tornado of energy in a pixie cut, and more than a little irritated I kept her in the dark about my living arrangements.
“Don’t get me wrong,” she goes on, “this place is delightful, and you can’t beat the view of the neighbor, am I right?”
I peek out from beneath my hand serving as a light blocker and frown. “I would be fine if I never saw my neighbor again.”
“Don’t tell me he’s not the peanut butter to your jelly.” She snickers and nudges her toe against mine before slipping her purse strap over her shoulder. “He was right to call me, love bug. You shouldn’t be alone for at least twenty-four hours.”
“Well, we’re at twenty-three point five.”
“More like eighteen.”
“You can go, Ally,” I whine. “Seriously, Andrew needs you more than me. I swear on my life and all my books, I won’t move from this couch unless I need to pee. In which case, I will move because I will not have an accident. Griffin will use it against me and hire more nannies.”
“I do love your melodrama.” She’s teasing, but I note the way she bites down on her lower lip. The woman is torn between duties, but anyone who knows anything about Alice Hunt will know which fight is going to win out.