99. Nate

NINETY-NINE

NATE

"Hello?" A stranger answers the phone.

"Orlando?" I prompt.

"Yes?"

"Sweet. You the guy who owns the studio doing that Savannah Vass fundraiser in a couple of days?"

This time when he says yes, he drags it out into a question.

"Can I talk to her?" I ask.

"Uh, she's not… here."

I roll my eyes. "Can I have her number?"

"I don't, uh, I can't do that."

"Some sort of privacy thing?" I should have figured.

"More of a scary husband thing."

That makes me laugh. "Okay, well, can I talk to her sister-in-law or whoever is in charge of planning?"

"That just makes him the scary brother." He snorts.

"Okay, well, can I have you pass along my number?"

"And why do you want to talk to her?" Orlando asks.

"I just need to talk to someone about the setup." I could probably just tell this guy that Rosie needs a chair to sit in. But I don't want to chance the paying clients showing up and demanding it be removed .

I give him my number.

"And your name?"

"Nate Waller."

There's a pause.

Then Orlando clears his throat. "Like… the Nate Waller?"

I grin. "The one and only." He's definitely gonna pass my number on.

Five minutes later, my phone rings.

"This is Nate," I answer.

"Care to tell me why a famous wide receiver is trying to get a hold of my wife?" a deep voice replies from the other end of the line.

The scary husband.

I bite down on my chuckle. "Is this Mr. Savannah?"

The man chuffs. "It is. Now explain yourself."

My brows lift at his directness, but I played pro ball, so I'm used to being around intense dudes. "I'm reaching out because my missus is catering the event your missus is hosting in a couple days." Missus is close enough to the truth. "But my girl is in rough shape."

"Sick?" he asks.

"No. Hit by a car."

"The fuck?" Shock fills the man's voice.

"My reaction too. And yet she's insisting on working."

The man sighs in a way that tells me his woman is stubborn too. "Christ, man, we can hire someone else."

"Yeah, I can't let you do that. She's excited. A fan of your wife's work. And obstinate."

"I know the type." I swear I can hear him rolling his eyes. "But if you don't want us to hire someone else, what do you need?"

"I need to make sure no one will bother her for sitting or take away the chair I'm going to insist she uses the whole night. And I need to make sure no one will try to kick me out since I plan on assisting her. Most likely against her will."

"No one will say shit to you," he says confidently, and I believe he's telling the truth. "Just make sure to spend some of that game money while you're there."

"Deal."

And after I hang up, I make one more call.