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It’s a different situation, I think. I have to be married to my job, but that dedication comes with perks, too. I think back to my own childhood, and apart from my late teenage years, being the son of someone who played the game wasn’t all bad.
Or maybe it has nothing to do with work at all, and Jeremy is just a dick who made some bad choices in the past when he cheated on Jolene or when he drank too much one night and came home and got into a fight with his wife.
Either way, I want to help. I’ve listened to Jolene as she cried about the weekends when Jonah is over there. I saw the panic on her face when her son called her to pick him up early. If I can just find something on the guy, knowing it’s what both she and Jonah want…I guess then I could use it. And I’m banking on it being the thing that helps me win her back.
“Thanks anyway. Keep digging. There has to be something,” I say, and I cut the call. The pictures come through, and he’s right. There’s nothing here.
I head into my private bathroom and change into my suit, and when I emerge, Jack is sitting in one of the chairs by my desk waiting for me.
“Ready?” he asks.
I nod.
“How are things going with Bailey?” he asks as he stands.
I shake my head. “Not great. We talked last night for the podcast, but she’s pissed. She kept it professional. I told her I hired a private investigator to look into her ex.”
“Did he find anything?”
We head down the hall toward the elevators. “Not yet. The guy’s squeaky clean.”
“But we don’t know what happens behind closed doors,” he says.
“Exactly. I was with her one night when she had to leave to pick her kid up from the guy’s place because he and his wife were fighting and the kid got scared.” I press the button to call the elevator. “It’s not a great situation, and Jolene’s been trying to get him out of the picture.”
“Does he want anything to do with his kid?” Jack asks.
“It’s hard to tell. He pulls last-minute shit on Jo all the time.” I shrug. “He’s not a good guy, but he’s good enough to skate under the radar.”
“I feel like that’s the worst kind.” He twists his lips as we step onto the elevator. “But I have an idea.”
I raise my brows. “Oh?”
He shrugs. “His boss is a buddy of mine, and I’ll talk to him tonight. I’ll let you know if anything comes of it.”
I narrow my eyes at him as I consider whether to tell him to stay out of it. Jack Dalton is a powerful man. He was a powerful quarterback when he was on the field, but now he’s not just a former player. He’s the majority owner of the Vegas Aces. He owns Dalton Developments, a real estate development firm worth a hell of a lot of money—enough that he was able to fork over enough cash to purchase the majority stake in the Aces. He’s a family man now with a wife and two kids, and he’s become a pillar of the Vegas community.
If there’s anyone who has pull to help me protect Jolene from her ex, it’s Jack.
So instead of requesting he stay out of it, I nod. “Thanks, man.”
He offers a friendly punch on the shoulder. “You got it. I need you firing on all cylinders, so I’ll do what I can to help.”
“I appreciate that more than you know,” I murmur.
We take a car together to the event. It’s located at a swanky hotel on the Strip, and we head for the banquet room where the launch is being hosted.
Jack is immediately called away the moment he walks into the room, and a man offers a smile as he walks up to me. “Welcome. I’m Ryan Becker—the B in FDB Tech Corp. We are thrilled to have you here, Coach Nash. Let me show you a little more about our new SmartSports system after we grab a drink at the bar.”
I wonder if he’s the boss Jack knows.
He leads me to the bar first, where we each get the same kind of whiskey, and then he leads me through his individualized presentation. We stop in front of a laptop as he gives me the opening summary. “FDB partnered with a global sports analytics company to bring you the latest technology in sports analysis. As a coach, this tool will revolutionize how you do your job. Our predictive analytics system processes large amounts of data to help you evaluate injury risk, strengths and weaknesses in both your players and your opponents, and even fan behavior for your marketing team. You’ll be able to put together an entire game plan with the information SmartSports can generate for you. We’ve created a comprehensive system for the entire organization, and you’ll be on the cutting edge of technology to plow right through the competition.”
I raise my brows. “That’s quite the introduction. Show me how it works.”
He pulls up the program on a laptop, and he starts with Brandon Fletcher. “This system would’ve been able to tell you everything you needed to know last week as you prepared to face the Packers.” He shows me some data and taps around, and it’s actually quite impressive. “And this week, as you’re preparing to face Detroit, you can look at specific player matchups and game scenarios to determine which techniques will most benefit you this week. You can even drop in your playbook and the system will analyze which plays to run in any given scenario.”
He shows me an example, and to be honest, I’m sort of blown away.
