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His brows draw together as he clarifies his question. “The porn star.”
To be honest, it’s not much of a clarification. I have no idea who he’s talking about. “How the hell would I know?”
He picks his phone up off the bench where it’s perched beside him and scrolls a little. “Don’t you know her?” He flashes his screen at me, and sure enough, it’s me kissing some blonde woman’s cheek. Her chest is most definitely naked and also most definitely blurred in the photo.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I breathe, taking the phone from his hand to study it.
I zoom in—not for a better view of the tits, but for a better view of the photo. I try to piece together how there can be a photo that is so realistic that even I believe it when I know it never happened.
“My ex is apparently a Photoshop whiz, and she’s trying to ruin my life. I’ve never met Fiona Heat before in my life,” I admit. I hand the phone back to him.
“Jesus,” he mutters. “That’s…really something. She’s got it out for you?”
“She’s my wife’s sister.”
He bursts into laughter. “Your ex is your wife’s sister?”
I nod, not joining in his laughter at all. “It’s a long story, but yeah. I was actually once engaged to my sister-in-law.”
“I take it she’s out for revenge since you married her sister?” he asks.
“Something like that,” I say dryly. I think about confessing the whole truth about the winery, but I also realize that the more people who know, the more likely it’ll get blown out of proportion.
“I need a wild one like that,” he mutters.
“Trust me. You don’t want anything to do with her. I thought she was just a wild one, but as it turns out, she’s pretty much a complete sociopath.” I shrug.
“Well, best of luck with that, man.” His tone is both teasing and joyous, but I can’t muster up anything resembling joy over Amelia Newman.
I sink down onto the bench in my locker. “It’s not the worst thing that I was called to a new city after the breakup.”
“Well, we’re happy to have you here.”
“Even you?” I ask.
He nods. “Especially me. I already know it’ll be you and me starting, and I also know you’ll push me to a new level. I needed a challenge, if I’m being honest. It’s the only way to improve.”
“The other wide receivers are challenging,” I point out, and I think through the roster. Apart from the two of us, we have Zach Moore, Sam Collins, Trey Clark, and DJ Evans. Of those four, Trey had the most receiving yards on the Storm last year after Clay. DJ was just drafted last month, so he hasn’t had a chance to show who he is yet, and Zach was traded from Houston, so, like me, he’s new, too.
It’s a season of rebuilding—a nice way to say that the leaders decided it was time for a complete overhaul—but that also means OTAs and camps are the time where I can show what I’m made of. It’s my opportunity to prove to the Storm why they’re lucky to have me…and also to prove to the Vikings that it was a huge mistake to release me.
We start the day with a team meeting for those who showed up, and then we split off for different tasks. The defensive line heads outside for drills, and the offense heads to the weight room for conditioning.
We switch an hour later, and then we’re given a working lunch as we sit through more team meetings.
So far, I’m impressed with how things work here. It’s not so different from how it was in Minnesota, really, but I like how Coach puts his own spin on things. He’s engaging when he’s talking, and I can see how motivating he is to this team.
I’m excited to work with him, and instead of dreading the change, I’m working on a mindset shift to allow me to be eager to get to work.
I put all my focus into learning and growing when I’m at the training facility, but as I walk into my empty apartment, I see Grace everywhere she was when she was here with me.
I give her a call, but she doesn’t answer.
I get a text from her a few minutes later.
Grace: Sorry, just finishing up on a conference call, and then I have a few other things I need to take care of. I’ll call before bed, okay?
I glance at the clock. It’s already after eight in Minnesota, and she’s still hard at work. I love her work ethic. I love her dedication. I love that she wants the winery.
