“Baby, his name is Lincoln Hendrix. He’s the GOAT of the NFL.” Lionel looked at me and shrugged like he was trying to apologize.
Hell, I didn’t mind. I liked feeling like a normal dude.
“Yikes. The GOAT. Is that like the booby prize?” Brandy asked.
Brinkley’s gaze locked with mine, and she smiled. The sun was just getting ready to tuck behind the clouds, and those last bits of sunshine made her golden skin shimmer.
Lionel groaned. “He’s the best of the best. The GOAT means that he’s the greatest of all time.”
“Go, Jimmy,” Brandy said as she clapped her hands together.
Now it was my turn to laugh. “How about you show me how you kick the ball? I heard you’re not too bad yourself.”
“From my girlfriend?” Lionel quipped, and his face turned bright red.
“From your stats. I looked you up. You’ve got an impressive record. How about you show me what you can do?”
The next hour was spent watching this kid kick the hell out of the ball. He made every single field goal he attempted. The field lights had come on once it got dark outside, and he went out for a few passes, and I tossed him the ball.
“I suck as a receiver,” he said.
“Hey, I’d suck as a receiver, too. You find your place on the field, and then you work your ass off to be the best at it. You’re a kicker, Lionel. And a damn good one.”
“You’re kidding me right now,” he said as I tossed him the ball, and we walked back toward Brinkley and Brandy.
“You really want to play college ball? It’s not an easy path, brother.”
“I want it more than anything.”
“All right. I’m going to make a few calls. Put your number in my phone,” I said, handing him my cell as he gaped at me. “I’ll see what I can do to help.”
I startled when I saw his eyes water in the light from above us. I knew what it was like to feel as if your dream was impossible to reach. I’d been there once or twice myself.
“I, er, thank you, Lincoln. Even if nothing comes out of it, thank you for tonight. This goes down as the best night of my life.”
I extended my arm to him again, but he lunged toward me and hugged me.
I patted his back because I wasn’t really sure what to do, but the kid didn’t move, so I put my other arm around him and let him just sit there for a minute.
Brinkley was smiling bigger than she ever had before. Normally, it was a wicked smile. Or an evil smile. Or a sarcastic smile.
But this one was a genuine smile.
Not an ounce of hate or irritation there.
He finally pulled back, and he swiped at his face, keeping his head down, and I knew in that moment that I’d do whatever I could to help this kid.
We said our goodbyes, and Brandy was still squealing behind us as Brinkley and I made our way to the car. She hadn’t said anything yet, and once we were both inside and buckled up, she turned to me.
“That was really nice, Lincoln,” she whispered.
“I can’t promise anything, but I can get some eyes on him. He’s a decent player. He hasn’t been coached much, so there’s a lot of potential there.”
She nodded. “Yeah. All he needs is a chance, right? Then it’s in his hands.”
“Yep. Are you hungry?” I asked. Hell, I’d dragged her there. The least I could do was feed her.
“Starving.”
“What do you feel like?”
“Hmmm…” She thought about it. “What if we just grab some burgers and shakes? That is, if you can handle one night of greasy food?”
“Trust me. I can handle it just fine.”
“All right. Head out to Main Street. We’ll grab the food, and I’ll take you down to my favorite spot on the cove. You’ve probably never been there. It’s a secret locals’ place.”
“All right. That sounds good.”
And that was exactly what we did.
She took off her boots and walked barefoot through the sand, leading me to a spot that had the perfect view of the water and the sky.
“This is pretty amazing,” I said after I popped a few fries into my mouth.
“I love it out here.”
“I can see why. It’s so quiet.” The crickets were chirping, and it almost sounded musical in the background.
“Did you like growing up in a small town? Or do you prefer city life?” she asked before taking a bite of her burger and watching me.
I didn’t feel the need to remind her that this was off the record. I knew it was, and I felt comfortable that she knew it, too.
“The town I grew up in was a little larger than Cottonwood Cove, but not a city by any stretch. I liked it back then, and being here has reminded me that I like it more now than I thought I would.”
“And you don’t have any siblings, right?”
“Nope. It was just me and my mom.”
“I always wondered what it would be like to be an only child,” she said before laughing and shaking her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I love my siblings to death. But when I was young, I used to wonder what it would be like to get all the attention.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “Somehow, I imagine you got plenty of attention, sweetheart.”
“Why? Because I’m so hot?” A wide grin spread across her face, and my fucking chest squeezed.
I needed to tread carefully before I got in over my head.
I didn’t know where I was playing next year.
My life was up in the air.
I did not need complications.
And Brinkley Reynolds was becoming a huge complication.
“You’re hot. It’s no secret. Don’t read into it.”
She shrugged. “I think that’s the first compliment you’ve ever given me.”
“Yeah? Well, we don’t want your head to get too big.” I tried to make light of it.
“Don’t worry about me getting the wrong idea. You’re not my type either.” She raised a brow. “I have a hard and fast rule about not dating professional athletes.”
We were both posturing and clearly, we were completely full of shit.
I wanted her.
She wanted me.
But that would be about the dumbest thing I could do right now.
“It’s a good thing that it’s not an option, then. Let’s focus on work and get this story done,” I said.
Something crossed her face that I couldn’t read, but she quickly straightened.
“That’s the plan, Captain.”
Damn.
In another world, I’d come up with a whole different plan for Brinkley Reynolds.
eleven
Brinkley
Don’t mind me. I’ve just boarded a private plane to head to New York on a work trip. #sorrynotsorry
Georgia
Yes! Maddox is thrilled that you’ve lifted the hate ban on Lincoln Hendrix.
Cage
Seeing as the guy tried to get you your job back and then offered you the story of a lifetime—I think it’s fair to say the ban is lifted.
Hugh
And he was worried about you getting home, and now he’s taking you on a trip? Yeah… time to pull out our Hendrix jerseys, boys.
Finn
Are you going to give us any insider news about where he’s playing?
No. He hasn’t actually told me where he’s going to play, so he could still screw me over if he wants to. But he encouraged me to reach out to Football Live and Sports Today, which are two of the biggest magazines out there, and let them know I’d be breaking the story. I’m getting all sorts of offers now.