This Obsession of Mine (Raine Series #5) (13 page)

“Well Mr. Green, as you know we have had quite a few scouts out there to see what you are capable of, young man. And well…I’ve gotta say…we haven’t seen talent like yours in quite some time. You’re a phenomenal quarterback, and man, you’ve got quite the arm on ya.”

“Thank you, sir.” I had to squeeze Glenn and KJ’s hands tighter with every word this guy spoke, more than anything I needed the reminder that this was all very real.

“So, Mr. Green?”

“Please, call me Joey.”

“Well Joey, what do ya think about coming to play for the big dogs in San Francisco? You feel like you may be up to wearin’ red and gold?”

I was flabbergasted. I was seriously in so much shock that I couldn’t even form the words to answer the man. Everyone gasped and I could tell that they wanted to answer for me.

“Joey, you still there?”

“Yyyeeahhh.” I managed to stutter out.

“Do you need some time to think about it?”

“NO! I mean…no sir. Sorry, I’m just in a bit of shock. It has been my dream since I was a little boy to play for y’all, I guess I’m just findin’ it a hard to believe that y’all are interested in
me.
”

“You should have a bit more confidence, son. You’re the best of the best right now.”

“Well sir, I’m honored, and I would like to formally accept your invitation to come play for y’all.” I didn’t have to look back at Tanya to know that she had a nasty look plastered across her face. She put on a good act, but I knew the minute it came down to it, she would throw a fit about havin’ to move again.

“So they’re going to announce you in the next round. We’ll have you come out on stage, put on a hat and hold your new jersey up, so be ready. We’ll get all the details settled once that happens, but we will make sure we have an apartment all set up for ya until you can get something of your own. You’re married, correct?”

His question caught me off guard, and I sat there silently telling myself to answer him, but the words were stuck in my throat. “Um…”

“Yes, yes he is.” Tanya’s voice broke through my train of thought and I was shocked at how calm she sounded about all of this. “So, we only get an
apartment
?” And there was the real Tanya. I new it was only a matter of time.

“Unfortunately yes, Mrs. Green. But it should only be for a month,
maybe
a little bit longer.”

Tanya let out an audible humph in annoyance and disappointment, but none of us paid any attention to her, and eventually she went stompin’ out of the room.

“Joey Green, I swear if you don’t divorce her, I will be forced to hurt her.” KJ was pullin’ on the corner of my shirt as she spoke, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was a bit jealous.

“I’m sorry about that, Mr. Grady. It will actually only be me comin’ out there at first. I did have a question about my salary though.”

“We’ll go over all of that in just a bit, Joey.”

“Sounds good, Sir. Thank you.”

“I’ll see ya out there, kid. Welcome to the pros.”

The phone disconnected and I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I had no idea how to react, and neither did anyone else. We all sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity before Glenn finally spoke.

“Hell yeah, little brother.”

Hell yeah was right!

Diem

“Come on, it’s starting.” I knew I was only torturing myself by watching, but I had to know if his dreams were going to come true.

“Diem, I don’t understand you.”

“I know I know, but I have to know, Troy.”

“Okay, but I swear if you get all weepy when you see him on that screen, I will kick your British ass.”

“And rightfully so.” I laughed. “Okay, shhh.”

“In the twelfth pick in the 2017 NFL draft, the San Francisco Forty-Niners pick, Joey Green, San Jose State.”

My mouth fell open in shock as Troy started jumping on my back cheering as Joey came strutting across the stage in a three-piece suit. He looked absolutely gorgeous with his San Francisco hat, and that million-dollar smile plastered across his face. He shook the man’s hand, and then held up his jersey in front of him. I watched as he sought out a camera to look into, and then those baby blues were staring directly at me, pulling me in like before.

“Damn girl, I don’t know how you ever let him go.”

“I didn’t.” I whispered as I edged closer to the tele. Everything inside of me wanted to be there with him, holding his hand when he got the call, and waiting as he walked backstage.

“What ever happened with you two?”

“It’s a long story that I don’t really feel like retelling. I’m so proud of him though.” Everything went silent as I watched him smile into the camera, holding up his jersey like he had just won the lottery. I could faintly hear Troy’s voice in the background, but I paid her no mind. Right now, I was in this moment with him, and I wanted to remember it as though I was there.

I stood and clicked off the tele as he walked off of the stage, and headed up to my room. I swore to myself I wasn’t going to cry, and damn it all if I didn’t. I just needed a moment to be alone, to relish in the thought that dreams do come true. When I was done, I came back downstairs and started making dinner. Troy was shocked by my behavior, but didn’t say a single word about him after, which I was entirely thankful for.

The next day I received a strange phone call. It came from a Texas number, but when I answered, there was nobody on the other end. Either that or they just didn’t mean to call me. I sure as hell hoped it wasn’t Joey’s lovely wife trying to threaten me again. I mean for cryin’ out loud, I hadn’t spoken to the man in almost five months. I wouldn’t have thought it was strange at all, but then I got the same call the next day, and the next. At this point, I was just starting to get pissed off. So when the call came through the following day, I finally had had enough.

“I’m not sure who this is, but I’d appreciate it if you’d stop calling and not saying anything. Bugger off.”

“I’m..I’m sorry, is this Diem?” The voice on the other end was faint, and I could barely hear what they were saying, but I replied anyways.

“This is she.”

“Hi Diem, this is Kayla. You may know me as KJ, Jo’s friend from Texas.”

I let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, you mean the girl he used to be in love with?”

She let out a hearty laugh, “I suppose that too. Yes. Look, Jo has no idea that I’m calling you, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything, but we’re all in town and I’d really like to meet up with you.”

I was completely and utterly confused, “Why?” I knew I was coming off a bit brash but I wasn’t sure I was ready to be back in Joey’s life, not even a bit.

“There’s a lot that you don’t know, and I think it’s time someone filled you in. I’m just asking for you to meet me for coffee. I won’t take up too much of your time, and if you don’t like what I have to say, we can part ways and Jo will be none the wiser.”

I took a minute to think about it, but in the end, curiosity got the best of me. “Right. Okay. Say about noon tomorrow? I have a break between classes before the weekend. There’s a place called the Brews and News on fifth.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

That night I had a hard time sleeping, and come morning I wasn’t even sure if I could make myself go to class. My mind was full of so many questions that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it through a lecture and pay attention. So I made the choice to skip today, and head straight to the coffee shop. When I got there, I made sure to find a nice table near the back where we wouldn’t be seen, just in case crazy wifey was anywhere to be found, now that they lived in San Fran. I’d never met Kayla, but she looked exactly as I had pictured her, stunningly beautiful.

“Diem?”

I stood to greet her, but when she pulled me into a great big hug, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. “You must be Kayla.” I laughed.

“I am. Oh my god, you are absolutely gorgeous, and your accent…wow. Jo didn’t do ya justice.”

“Thank you, I think.”

“Sit, sit. I don’t have a ton of time before Joey realizes I’m gone, so we have to make this kind of quick. Look, I know Tanya has threatened you, numerous times. I just want to let you know that Joey doesn’t love her.”

“Oh I know. I’ve known about their “situation” for a while now. Unfortunately, that doesn’t change anything. I didn’t just walk away because of her. I walked away because I knew she would never let
him
go.”

“Diem, that’s not true. He has a plan. I promise, it’ll all work itself out.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Well believe it honey. Tanya did some bad shit back home, and now he’s working with the cops to get her put behind bars. Diem, you guys are meant to be together. You should’ve seen his face when he got the call about being drafted. We all knew who he wanted there with him, and it wasn’t Tanya.”

My soul literally lit up when Kayla said it, but I couldn’t show her that. “I’m sorry, Kayla. I’m not sure what you want from me.”

“I just want you to give Jo a chance. That’s all I’m asking. Come out with us tomorrow night, and just see how it goes.”

I wanted to say no, I truly did, but the thought of seeing Joey in person was too much to say no too. “Okay, I will give it a shot.”

“Ah, perfect.” She clapped, “Okay, meet us down at Ray’s tomorrow night at six. Drinks are on us.”

Kayla stood and gave me the biggest hug. It felt amazing to finally meet some of Joey’s family, and I honestly didn’t want to let her go. “Thank you, Kayla. Joey’s lucky to have a friend like you in his life.”

“He’s lucky to have you too.”

Joey

“Alright, alright, next round is on me!” I stood on top of my barstool like the champ I was, and barely keepin’ my balance. I was about to shout out my next pearls of wisdom, but then she walked in and suddenly all coherent thought I had left, went right out the window.

She looked even better than I remembered. Her hair was gold like the sun, and her eyes had a twinkle in them. I slowly made my way off of the stool, and down to
someone’s
eye level. I wish I could say that I was drunk enough to make an ass out of myself and not care, but unfortunately I hadn’t gotten that far yet. I was on my way over to her when Madison caught me by the arm.

“What’s the deal, Madison?”

“Jo, just be careful.”

“Yes, Sir.” I saluted him and kept on truckin’, but before I could reach her, Kayla was already…huggin’ her? “Kayla, what are you…”

“Oh hey, Jo. I’d like you to meet my friend, Diem. Diem this is Jo. See ya.”

I don’t know what came over me, but I was suddenly extremely nervous. It was weird, because I’d never been nervous around Diem before now. I shoved one hand in my pocket, and pushed my other back through my hair so I wouldn’t fidget too much. “How, ah…how ya been?”

“I’ve been okay.”

Man, that voice. “That’s good. Can I get you somethin’ to drink?”

“Sure.”

We started walkin’ over to the bar, and I accidentally put my hand on her lower back. I quickly pulled it back, and looked at her apologetically. “Sorry, old habits.”

“It’s quite alright, Jo.”

“You look good, D. You’re hair got longer.” Seriously, who says that?

“Yeah, I’m letting it grow back a bit. You look good too.”

I waved over the bartender, and ordered her drink without even askin’ if that was still what she drank. “Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t assume that’s still your poison.”

“It’s okay. It still is. Jo?”

Her hand fell to my arm, and I flinched a bit, “Yeah?”

“Just relax. I won’t bite, well unless you ask me to.” She started to laugh and I finally felt normal around her. There was somethin’ about that laugh.

“So…I see you know Kayla already. I’d love to introduce you to everyone else. They’re all here because of-“

“The draft?”

“Yeah, how did you…did you watch?” My stomach started to turn in anticipation of her answer.

“Of course I did, Jo. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

I was shocked. “I honestly thought you wouldn’t watch it. I looked into the camera, hoping you were watching.” I was suddenly embarrassed by my admission of my feelings. “Sorry, I’m probably makin’ you super uncomfortable.”

“Jo, stop worrying so much. Let’s go hang out with your family.”

She looped her arm through mine and grabbed her drink as we made our way over to the table of my cohorts. “Everybody, this is Diem. Diem, this is Kayla, Madison, Glenda, I’ll explain later, and this is Cami. I think that’s everyone.” I pulled out a chair for Diem to sit, and Kayla and Cami immediately came over to chat her up. I had to admit I was a bit jealous, but I decided to go hang with the guys instead of bein’ a girl about the whole thing.

“They don’t waste any time, do they?”

“Uh, no. Have you ever met those two?”

“Oh, Madison gots jokes. Does he?” I laughed.

“I do, Jo. And don’t you forget it.”

“Ah, whatever. I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with you two sissy’s anymore.” I pretended to wave them off as I finished my pint of beer. “So when do you guys go back overseas?”

“Got a show in two weeks in Ireland.”

“Man, what a life.” I propped my feet up on the chair next to Glenn, and he just started laughin’.

“You realize you just went pro, right? In the NFL. You just landed your dream job, and you think
we
have it made?”

“Well yeah, not only do y’all have your dream job, but you have your dream girls too.” I pointed at Cami and Kayla chattin’ up
my
dream girl.

“Jo, you know you can have her too. All you gotta do is finish this shit up with Tanya.”

“Don’t you think I know that, Glenn? But she won’t give up what the detective needs.” I could hear myself shoutin’, but my brain didn’t realize it until Madison threw his hand over my mouth.

“Dude, you gotta keep that shit under wraps. You’re gonna get your ass into trouble before it’s even saved.” Madison was right. I had to watch my tongue.

I shook my head that Madison was always right. Stupid asshole, man I wish I could actually hate him. I glanced over at the girls, smilin’ that they were all gettin’ along so well. I couldn’t help hopin’ that one day this was how it would be
all
the time. I was about to go over and talk to Diem, but she stood up and made her way back towards the bathrooms so I sat there and continued to bullshit with the guys. We were in the middle of a riveting conversation about absolutely nothin’ when Kayla came over, mad as hell.

“Y’all are not gonna believe this shit.” She threw a cell phone down on the table, and I was completely confused.

“KJ, why am I lookin’ at some old guy on a cell phone?”

“That’s my fucking dad.” She pointed at the phone angrily.

Madison was instantly out of his chair and at KJ’s side, and Glenn and I were still completely lost, starin’ at each other like idiots. “Kayla, sorry for bein’ so dumb, but why is a picture of your dad such a big deal?”

“BECAUSE IT IS ON DIEM’S PHONE!”

“Glenn and I looked at each other in horror. Shit was about to hit the fan. “KJ, just take a breather, hun. Let her explain at least.”

“Oh, she better explain alright, especially given the fact that it says DAD when his picture shows up.”

That was new info.

Just then Diem came walkin’ back from the bathroom, completely oblivious to what had been goin’ on. I ran up to her before KJ could get to her, but I was just a few seconds too late. Luckily Madison had a hold of Kayla.

“HOW DO YOU KNOW MY FATHER?”

“Kayla, babe, calm down and give her a second to think.” Madison always handled KJ with kid gloves.

“HOW?”

It was time for me to intervene. “KJ, settle your ass down, and sit down. We are all adults here, so let’s act like it.”

“Look at Jo bein’ all adult like and shit.”

“Shut up, Glenn.” I pointed right at him, and then turned my attention back onto Kayla. “SIT!” Her and Madison both took a seat as I reached for Diem to come sit by me. “Now KJ, try askin’ her calmly.”

“She doesn’t have to, Jo. I got it the first time. I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but that man on my phone is in fact my dad. Why is this such an issue?”

“That’s
my
dad.” Kayla sat there with tears streamin’ down her face, pointin’ at the phone that still sat on the table.

“Kayla, I honestly had no idea.” I knew Diem was tellin’ the truth, and I knew deep down, Kayla did too.

“Maybe the two of you should talk this out without all of us interfering.” I placed a chaste kiss to Diem’s full pouty lips, ad when I pulled back, I smiled my first genuinely happy smile in months. “I’ll be right here when y’all are done talkin’.”