Power Play (Play Makers Book 4) (14 page)

Intrigued, Darcie tried to imagine how that
translated onto the playing field. Johnny didn’t just earn his
mega-bucks by talent, experience and impromptu strategic
brilliance. He inspired everyone else to do the same—to give their
all for the team.

For their QB.

Their leader by example, motivation, and
sheer force of will.

And such a hunk! Darcie hadn’t actually met
many superstars—although apparently her future would be full of
them. Spurling, Bannerman, Tsar Romanov.

And Wyatt “the Surgeon” Bourne.

These men blasted their opponents—male
and
female—into submission with heat, power and confidence,
but rather than feel victimized, the recipients ate it up. And
because of that, Darcie knew she wouldn’t cancel her football
lessons with Wyatt. Not because she saw a future with him, but
because she wanted those last few hot moments with him.

Her wandering mind snapped back to the
dinner table when Bam asked petulantly, “Where’s Deck? We can’t
party without him. Who are we supposed to mock?”

Erica gave him a sympathetic smile from
across the table. “He’s in San Francisco with Kerrie.”

“Again?” He scowled in disgust. “She ruins
everything.
Ow!!”
Rubbing his shin, which had apparently
been stabbed by the toe of Erica’s shoe, he turned to Johnny and
muttered, “Control your woman, dude.”

“Don’t rile her up,
dude,”
Johnny
retorted.

Bam gave Darcie a wink. “Didn’t I tell you?
Gag order.”

She bit back a laugh, uncertain of the
etiquette for this situation, although one thing was certain—Erica
would always have the last word. And why not? Even Murf, who had
confided she was “high-maintenance but worth it,” genuinely seemed
to adore her. So did Bam. And Johnny? Despite his awareness of the
entire table at all times, he never really lost contact with her. A
protective touch of the hand here, a hungry glance
there . . .

The guy was hooked.

“This might be a good time for a toast,”
Murf suggested, raising his martini. “To our new client. Thanks
again for trusting us with your career, buddy. We’ll never let you
down.”

“Yeah, Bam,” Johnny said solemnly. “You’ll
never regret this move. You deserve the best, and Murf and Darcie
will get it for you. Long, long overdue.”

Darcie beamed. “Thanks for trusting me, Bam.
I won’t let you down.”

The handsome halfback shrugged to his feet.
“You guys are awesome. Especially you, Darce. So here’s to you.”
Raising his glass, he eyed her intently, then took a quick sip and
said sheepishly, “I better shove off. Rachel’s waiting, and this is
her night as much as mine. So keep me in the loop, Murf. And Erica?
Don’t wear those shoes anymore.”

“Then don’t rile me up,” she reminded up,
jumping to her feet and coming around the table to hug him. “We
love you, Bam Bannerman. Have fun with Rachel. And give her our
love.”

“Will do.” Bam kissed her cheek, then shook
hands with Johnny and Murf before grabbing Darcie by her shoulders
and saying in an inspiring voice, “You’ve got this, rookie.”

“Thanks, Bam.”

As he strode out of the place, she watched
him fondly, enjoying her new nickname despite the emphasis on lack
of knowledge and experience. At least it was better than
“qualifications,” wasn’t it? Plus, she believed his claim that he
and Rachel had discussed the issue and had decided Darcie was the
right person for this job as long as Murf was around to catch her
when she fell.

So don’t fall,
she instructed herself
briskly. Once again, she knew she should be huddled with Murf at
the Ashton, going over details for tomorrow’s showdown with the
Lancers. And with the guest of honor gone, maybe this celebration
would die a natural death in record time.

Except Erica had other ideas. She didn’t
even re-take her seat, but instead gestured at Darcie and said,
“Come on.”

It wasn’t clear if they were going to the
powder room, the bar, or points beyond. Nor did it matter. Darcie
knew an official summons when she received one. Even better, she
already counted Erica as a friend, so she trusted her to steer her
in the right direction.

Giving Murf a smile, she assured him, “We’ll
be back.”

“Off to solve the problems of the world,
huh?” he asked Erica.

“And maybe gossip a little,” she agreed with
a laugh. “We know you guys want to talk about candidates for our
next coach, so have at it. You can fill us in later.”

As they hurried past the restrooms, Erica
asked, “Do you need to use the ladies’?”

“Maybe on the way back,” Darcie murmured.
“Not that I know where we’re going.”

Erica flashed a smile. “We need to compare
notes, stat.”

Following her out the front door and into
the cool night air, Darcie asked, “Do they know who the candidates
for coach are? Or are they just speculating? I’ve been trying to
keep up with all things Lancer, but I haven’t heard a peep about
this, other than the position is vacant.”

“It’s for management’s ears only,” Erica
explained. Then she arched a playful eyebrow. “But they’d be crazy
not to run the names by Johnny first, right? Which means through
Murf, since that’s how Johnny likes it.”

“Interesting.”

“I agree, but it’s not why I dragged you out
here.” She dropped the teasing tone. “Can I ask you something? It’s
a little intrusive, but you’re in the group now. And we’re all in
each other’s business twenty-four seven.”

“There are certain things I’m supposed to
keep confidential, but luckily, I don’t know any of those yet. So
for now I’m an open book. What’s on your mind?”

Erica didn’t hesitate. “What did Bam mean?
When he said there was a gag order?”

“Oh . . .” Darcie rolled her
eyes. “He told me at the fundraiser that he always gets in trouble
when he talked about Kerrie. And now I see why.”

Erica grimaced. “He only said what Johnny
and Murf
wish
they could say.”

Bam’s exact words about Kerrie rang in
Darcie’s ears:
She ruins everything
.

Before she could figure out how to respond,
Erica continued. “They just miss Sean so much. So do I. We always
do everything together. Except lately. And he’s—well, the glue that
holds us together, frankly. You’d think it was Johnny, but it’s
Sean. His ability to take a joke and make everyone feel so
wonderful.” She broke off and laughed at herself. “Listen to me.
You’d think the poor guy was dead or something.”

Which of course was exactly what Erica was
saying. They had lost their favorite friend and were honestly
concerned they’d never get him back.

“I’m confused,” she told Erica carefully.
“Sean said they’re just keeping a low profile until she files for
divorce. Which will happen any minute. Then all will be well,
right? What am I missing?”

Erica started to answer, then seemed to
re-think her first response and said a little too brightly, “You’re
absolutely right! That’s all it is. A temporary setback. She’ll
file soon, and even if they continue the low profile until the
divorce is final, they can start coming to
these
gatherings
at least. Thanks, Darcie. Sorry I was so doom and gloom.”

Darcie could hear the subtext and had to
agree with it. If this group was honestly so tightly knit, why
weren’t Sean and Kerrie here already? Filing for divorce might
matter to the outside world, but to his best friends? On an
important night?

To her relief, Erica tried again. “Kerrie
doesn’t feel comfortable with us yet. Can you blame her? Especially
since Johnny and Bam didn’t react well at the beginning. It seemed
like we were making progress, then she withdrew and they got
discouraged again.”

“They just need a do-over then, right?
Filing for divorce will do that.” Inspired, Darcie added, “Maybe
she filed today after all. And she and Sean are celebrating. That’s
why he couldn’t be here.”

“Then why not celebrate with
us?
It’s
so maddening.” Erica gave a frustrated laugh. “Do I sound like a
hypocrite? I honestly like her, Darcie. She’s incredibly sweet and
generous. And she’s so crazy about Sean, which is obviously all
that matters. We just miss him. But you’re right,” she insisted as
though willing herself to believe. “The divorce will change that.
All she needs to do is show up and she’ll be instantly accepted.
Unconditionally. Even Bam would back off if she did that.”

“I think so too. Especially because Rachel
and Kerrie are already friends. Or at least according to Sean.”

“Rachel’s our secret weapon,” Erica agreed,
again as though willing it to be true. “I hate sticking her in the
middle, but Kerrie trusts her like a sister.”

“And Bam lives to please Rachel. So it’s in
the bag.”

Erica pulled her into a warm embrace. “Thank
you, thank you. I feel so much better.”

“Good.”

“Look how quickly
you
became part of
our group. The guys are crazy about you. So am I. That’s a good
sign, right?”

“You’ve all been very welcoming,” Darcie
agreed, her eyes misting.

“You haven’t had much time with Rachel yet,
so we should fix that. Maybe everyone can come to our house for the
draft.” She cocked a teasing eyebrow. “Have you heard about the
draft yet?”

“Just barely. It’s when NFL teams pick from
college teams, right?”

“Close enough. It starts on Thursday night,
so maybe you should just stay in town through the weekend. I’ll
postpone my trip to New York and we can party every night. Rachel
won’t come until the weekend, but the three of us will make up for
lost time for sure. And maybe she can even convince Kerrie to
come.”

A wave of panic overwhelmed Darcie at the
thought of missing her first football lesson with Wyatt, so she
insisted warily, “That’s the best offer I’ve had all year. But Murf
has a stack of material for me to study and I really want to please
him. He’d say yes, of course, but . . .”

Erica reached out and squeezed her arm
reassuringly. “It’s your first week in a new job and I’m sabotaging
it. Some friend, right? Plus, I’m supposed to be in New York for a
meeting, so I should just DVR the draft anyway. I’ll save it
though, and when you have time, we’ll watch it together. How’s
that?”

“It sounds amazing.”

“Good.” She glanced at the restaurant. “We’d
better get back before Johnny eats all the bread. Come on.” She
looped her arm through Darcie’s. “Let’s give them a thrill.”

• • •

If Monday had felt like a high point,
Tuesday rocked Darcie’s world as Murf and the negotiating team from
the Lancers had their love-fest in honor of Bam Bannerman. Murf the
showman gave a dazzling presentation, complete with video of Bam’s
awesome contributions during the championship games and culminating
in his prowess during the Super Bowl. On the heels of that came the
grim statistics, proving that the guy was the most underpaid,
underappreciated player in the NFL. By the time Murf was done, the
Lancers were falling all over themselves to make things right, even
surpassing the secret number Murf had confided to Bam and Darcie
for the guaranteed net amount, and then quickly agreeing to each
and every performance incentive and perk ever created.

Darcie never said a word beyond polite
greetings and warm good-byes, but Lancer management treated her as
though she were pivotal to the meeting, thanks to Murf’s
explanation that she was the lead agent at Bam’s insistence. And
while she felt a bit silly with such praise, she had to admit, she
was learning quickly. How could she help it? Murf had just given
this group a clinic on how to be an agent, and because he was the
best, she had hung on every word.

She expected him to be exuberant, and he
probably was, but he also seemed gutted by the effort. Not that he
sounded anything but confident when they called Bam and spoke to
him and Rachel on the speaker phone, regaling them with every
detail of the new contract. Bam’s energy and gratitude burst
through the phone lines as he thanked them, and Murf seemed to get
a buzz from that, but it didn’t last.

Even when he insisted on taking her to
dinner, they mostly chatted about Emily and the children, as though
he needed a fix of what really mattered, prompting Darcie to urge
him to change his flight and leave for Dallas right away. “I’m fine
here on my own, Murf,” she told him warmly. “I just want to tour a
couple of houses on the lake tomorrow for Bam. Get my feet wet, so
to speak.”

“I’ll go with you. Nothing’s more important
than the first non-football favor we do for a new client.” He
rubbed his eyes wearily. “Then I’ll fly home in the afternoon if
you don’t mind. But you can stay as long as you like.”

“Maybe a day or two,” she agreed. “The more
houses I see, the better I can brief Rachel on what’s out there.
And she can tell me what sounds good. Then back to my studying,”
she promised teasingly. “I still have Johnny’s old contract to tear
apart, and you wanted me to watch those championship games,
right?”

Leaning back in his chair, he seemed about
to speak but instead, he just studied her for such a long moment,
she actually felt vulnerable. Had she done something wrong? Was
that
why he seemed so subdued?

Thinking back, she wondered if he
disapproved of the way she took off with Erica for so long at
dinner, especially since he knew for a fact—thanks to Darcie’s
post-meal briefing—that they had been gossiping about Sean and
Kerrie. Or maybe her silence during the Lancer meeting had annoyed
him. She was the lead agent, wasn’t she? Not that anyone would be
fooled by some glib lawyer talk on her part, but staying silent
suddenly seemed just as bad.

Maybe worse.

“Just tell me, Murf. I can take it,” she
told him finally. “I can’t learn from my mistakes if you don’t
point them out. And if it’s really bad, I’m so sorry.”