“Your shoulder never separated, right?” Tyler asked. “Neither time?”
“No. Level two.”
Tyler nodded confidently. “It’ll be all right.”
It shouldn’t matter. Tyler was a retired quarterback, not a doctor. But it did. Somehow his confidence mattered.
“Right, so, here’s what I’m thinking.” Tyler set his fork down. “The last time anyone saw you, you were being carried off the field.”
Xander didn’t need the reminder. He’d finally had his shot during the playoffs in January, and he’d performed like the phenom he’d once been.
Until three hundred pounds had slammed into him and hurled him to the ground. He would never forget the sickening reality that had crashed over him as his cheek lay pressed to the turf…that everything he’d worked for had just gone up in smoke.
“If you do the show, you’ll replace that image with a new one. They’ll see you strong, confident, on top of the world. Let them see you having a great time.”
“I want them to see me playing football, not doing a cooking show.”
“You got another plan?”
Shit. Fuck. “No.”
“I’m asking you seriously. Has your agent had any luck getting you try-outs? Has anyone shown interest in you?”
Fear slipped into his bloodstream, burning like acid.
If no one offered him a contract by June, he’d become a free agent.
And, with a second injury to the same shoulder, he might never play again.
If I don’t, I’ll have flamed out before I ever had the chance to prove myself.
“Hey.” Tyler clapped a hand on his shoulder. “None of this is your fault.”
I know that. That’s what makes it so maddening.
“You won that game, and everyone who matters saw your performance. But that doesn’t change the fact that there will always be a whole class of young, healthy kids coming up behind you.” Tyler shoved the plate away. “If you do this show, if you interview football players, you’re going to have coaches, owners, players…everyone’s going to watch. Let them see you’ve recovered. Be carefree, fun. Show them you don’t have a care in the world.”
Cassian barked out a laugh. “You want Mr. Intensity to be carefree? He doesn’t even hang around his teammates. The only reason he came to Maui was because his agent told him to be seen with the team.”
Was Tyler seriously suggesting he do a TV show?
“Look, if it resets your image in the minds of NFL coaches, I think you can fake it for the cameras. Besides, just pretend you’re talking to the guys. Block out the lights, the crew.” Tyler pushed away from the bar. “You’ve got an opportunity here—unusual, sure, but it could keep you on the radar.”
“It’s nothing but a concept right now. Who knows when it’ll air?”
“What’s the cost? If you get a contract, you’ll have wasted a month of your life.” Tyler shrugged. “But if you’re still unsigned in June, the show will give you visibility.”
“You can make it a stipulation in the contract that you want ads going out right away.” As the franchise quarterback of the top team in the league, Cassian did a lot of endorsements. He knew his contracts. “You’ve got the power—there’s no show without you—so ask for what you need. In fact, don’t most of those shows start with a montage? Let’s get the guys together and play some ball. Get footage of one of your sweet spirals.”
Xander smiled. “You guys are good.”
“At what?” Cassian asked.
“At giving a guy hope.”
Chapter Four
Xander’s tires crunched over gravel, as he eased his rental car into a parking spot. Thanks to volatile spring weather, April and May were off-peak seasons in the Tetons, which was the only reason he’d been able to get a cottage at The Homesteader Inn. Normally, the high-end suites were reserved a year in advance.
He’d booked a few nights, since he didn’t have to check into the training center until the day after tomorrow. Headlights flashed on his cabin tucked deep in the woods. The freshly painted red door stood out against the dark logs. He killed the engine.
His mom would love this place. The reviews he’d read were right—its romantic setting and world-famous cuisine rivaled Café Akasha.
Growing up in Tiburon—a ferry ride from San Francisco—he was used to a small town with an outdoorsy lifestyle. But Calamity—sitting in the valley between the Teton and Gros Ventre mountain ranges—was a whole other world.
Getting out of the car, he pocketed his keys and breathed in the crisp air, scented with pine and sage. Damn. It was cold as balls, and he hadn’t brought any winter clothes.
The soft yellow glow from solar lamps lit the walkway to his cabin, and the soles of his boots thudded on the cobblestones.
“You sure I shouldn’t stick around?” A male voice carried from the looming main lodge.
“Positive.”
His body recognized the voice before his mind did, triggering a jolt of awareness.
“I don’t want Chef to be pissed,” the man said.
“He won’t, I promise. I’ve cooked in his kitchen since I was fourteen.”
“Oh, I know. He talks about you all the time. Lulu this, and Lulu that. He thinks you’re the greatest thing since sliced cheese.”
“Maybe I am.”
Xander grinned. He headed toward the voices, crossing a patch of dew-covered grass and a small employee parking lot to find the hourglass silhouette of a woman framed in the light of the kitchen doorway.
Attraction flickered to life at the base of his spine.
“I don’t know,” the man said. “It’s just…he expects me to lock up.”
“Totally get that, and you’re welcome to hang around. I shouldn’t be much longer.”
The man hesitated, glancing over his shoulder. Moonlight glinted off the rearview mirror of a truck. “No, it’s okay. I gotta get home. Just don’t forget to double lock the door, okay? He gets pissed if you only lock the bottom one.”
“You think I’d let down a guy who thinks I’m as awesome as individually wrapped cheese slices?”
The guy let out a huff of laughter. “Yeah, okay. ‘Night.”
“’Night.” She was about to shut the door when her gaze jerked over to where he stood.
He realized how intimidating he must look, so he stepped into the light of a solar lamp. “Hey, it’s me. Xander.”
“Xander?” She straightened. “What’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in Maui?”
“Nah.” He came closer. “I start physical therapy at the training center the day after tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
It was fun watching her try to keep herself from asking the obvious question. He could read her like a book. Finally, he broke out in a smile.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
He climbed the steps onto the porch. “You’re dying to ask me why I bothered flying all the way out to Maui, if I knew I had to be in Calamity.”
“You can’t read my mind.” She had the most beautiful smile.