11. Lee

CHAPTER 11

LEE

Poor Mac. Lee chuckled as he pitched his phone onto the couch cushion before following it down, bouncing on the thick foam. His mom had scored big-time finding his furniture. He picked up the remote, meaning to turn on the TV but ended up fiddling with it as his thoughts wandered.

He pictured Mac hurrying up and down the aisles between the rows of tables at the diner. The morning they'd met had been the craziest. Lee had occasionally helped his mom's catering company when they were short-handed or when she had an intimate affair that required no more than the two of them, and him mostly to fetch and carry. She even paid him, which he hated. He loved her, and she'd provided so much for him over the years that he'd often felt as if there was nothing he could do or give her to repay for all she'd done.

The funny thing was that it had been his Aunt Beth's ex-husband, a man Lee barely remembered, who had brought him to his first football practice. Halfway through the season, he was gone, but Lee's love for the game remained. His mom and aunt had teamed up to make sure he made every practice and every game. Someone was always there rooting for him, making sure he had all his gear, and shelling out dollars for new cleats, workout clothes, jockstraps, and the cups he slipped inside them, as he grew.

When his signing bonus had hit his bank account, Lee wanted to spend it on her. Pay off her business loans, buy her a new car, and then do the same for his aunt. Whatever they needed, he wanted to give them. They had other plans, though, and stopped him before he could do any of that.

The women in his life were fierce. They embodied the smart and independent female ideology. They had their lives together without needing a man's help, other than the occasional use of his powerful muscles when schlepping was required. Help he was more than glad to give, even if he wanted to give more financially.

Mac seemed of a similar mind. A sensible businessman with a loving family that he supported as they had supported him. But how the guy didn't weigh three hundred pounds surrounded day and night with all that food… Maybe he was sick of it after growing up eating it? Lee remembered hating pepperoni for a while after his mom had bought too much and he'd eaten it for a week straight. Funny how he never got tired of pizza, though.

He should take Jakes to the diner. Katy would be thrilled to have another bottomless pit of a football player to feed, and it wouldn't hurt to have a wingman for her flirting. Or Yowie…? Lee grinned manically. Did Yowie ever stop talking? His defensive captain was a trip, for sure.

Running through the guys on defense, the contracted players versus those who'd been invited to try out, Lee realized he had some holes in his knowledge. Sliding his laptop off the side table, he powered it on and pulled up the names of his teammates and the hopefuls to learn more about them.

An email notification popped up from Caitlin Cole, one of the Troopers' PR peeps who handled most of the fundraisers. She was responsible for assigning players to the various ones run around the city. Lee wasn't surprised to see he'd finally been assigned Bathtub Duty. All the veterans talked about it as one of their favorites. The event took place at a restaurant/bar/distillery called Bathtubs and Blossoms. It was a meet and greet event, mandatory suit and team tie, a fancy white and gold striped tie with their team logo. His mom had also bought him the more casual one—can you call a tie casual?—with the adorable police dog mascot on a field of gold.

The event was scheduled for the Monday after their first preseason game. Lee expected he'd play for the first half before they subbed him out for the three walk-ons vying for a roster spot. He'd watched them whenever he took a break, silently critiquing their form or eyeing them for moves he could copy. He liked Andrew "Anders" Anderson. Maybe it was because he was another East Coaster, an undrafted player from UConn, or maybe it was how versatile he was on the field. Could be because he was also a rookie. Regardless, Lee hoped Coach Mike picked him to stay.

Scanning the rest of the email, he found he'd been paired with Jakes, and Yowie was to accompany them. Chaperone them? Lee snorted. More like they'd be the ones chaperoning Yowie.

Clicking over to the distillery's website, he scanned the menu and the alcoholic choices. He was a social drinker, unwilling to waste calories on empty ones, but he couldn't deny that his interest spiked seeing the choices of non-alcoholic gin available. He hadn't known there could be such a thing.

He checked out the charity they'd be there supporting, loving that it would be for disadvantaged youth. He'd lucked out in life. Having a single mom could have been a make-or-break deal that might not have allowed him to have the chance to play. If his aunt hadn't been there to support them both… Toggling back to the email, he reread it, hitting on the fact he'd be expected to make a donation. Auntie is going to love this.

Lee texted her, but instead of replying, she called. Thirty minutes later, Lee's head was spinning with more information about charities and tax write-offs than he knew what to do with, but at least he'd multi-tasked while she'd talked and had dinner ready to go by the time they said goodbye.

As he ate, he looked over the page of notes he'd written, wishing he had Jakes' number, knowing his fellow rookie would appreciate the heads up. Lee made a task note in his phone reminding him to ask the next day at practice. He'd ask Yowie, too, and Anders—even if he didn't make the team, Lee had a good feeling Coach would pick him for the practice squad.

A yawn took him by surprise, and Lee chuckled, blinking tiredly. He poked his phone to see the time. "Sheesh, it's only eight." Nine o'clock back in Jersey. He jabbed the contact for his mom, touched the speaker option, and then carried his plate to the sink while it rang.

"Hello!" Mom sing-songed. "What's shakin' bacon?"

Lee shook his head. "Not this bacon. Too tired."

"Early bird gets the worm?"

"Yeah." Lee rubbed his eyes. "I'm beat. Long, but good day."

"Tell me about it as you get ready for bed."

"Okay." Lee loved their nightly ritual when they could do it. All his life, whenever his mom was home in the evenings, she'd stand in the doorway as he got ready for bed, peppering him with questions about his day, or listening to him moan and groan about whatever had been bothering him.

"I went to the diner this morning. Place was packed. Got hit on four times."

His mother laughed. "Of course you did. I hope you turned the ladies down nice."

"The ladies, yeah…"

"Lee! You sly dog."

Lee brushed his teeth, slipped off his clothes, and slid into bed, all while regaling her about Drew and Mac, how he "accidentally" outed himself to Yowie, and how much he liked his coaches and teammates. By the end, with his head comfortable on his pillow, he was yawning every other sentence.

"Time for bed, sweetheart."

"Yeah. I still need to tell you about the fundraiser, though."

"Auntie mentioned it, but you'll tell me tomorrow. Get some rest. Love you, Lee."

"Love you, too, Mom. Night." Lee didn't bother hanging up because once his mom sang her crazy "go to sleep" song, his phone would turn off when she disconnected… Meanwhile, he'd be out like a light.