“Rodney’s here for the summer. He wants to follow in his uncle’s footsteps. I told him he could work over the summer, but I keep telling him we would prefer him to get that college education so he can be more like you. Right?”
I nodded at Sarah, then looked at Rodney. “Um, yes. School is important. I use my management degree every day. This company isn’tgoing anywhere, and you can always come work here after you retire from the MLB.” He came over and bumped my knuckles, making the explosion motion after it.
“I hear you, Uncle Aaron. You are my hero. You’re opinion matters to me.” Rodney gave me a sheepish grin.
“You always have a job with me. You need to decide what you want. You might find you like dirt better than concrete.”
The door behind me opened, and a delivery guy looked at each of us. “I have a delivery.” Sarah raised her hand, taking the food and giving him a ten-dollar bill as a tip.
“You’re the best,” I told her as I dug through the bag, opening each item to see what was inside. I handed out the things, finding a soup cup with bits of raw bacon and hamburger. I set that aside. On the bottom was my precious. I opened it to find a breakfast burrito, which I had to hold with two hands. I rolled back the foil, biting into it and rolling my eyes.
I ate these so often the little diner knew my order by heart—a giant tortilla stuffed with eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon, and cheese. There was a spicy garlic sauce that was to die for. Damn. I should have had Sarah get one for River. He would love it. Shaking my head, I had no idea why I was thinking about getting him something to eat like we were good friends. Once I finished eating, I went over things with Sarah.
“Rodney, can you feed Daisy, please?” I handed him the cup with raw meat.
“Of course.” He tapped his chest, and she flew over to him.
“Heading over to see that hottie you were with yesterday?” Sarah asked as I stood up. I could feel the heat rise from my neck to my face. “OH. MY. Aaron Gentry, you blushed. You actually blushed! You likehim. I wondered why you were all clean-shaven like you were going to a meeting and looking like a thirst trap.”
“So?” I tried not to look directly at her. She would see how uncomfortable this was making me.
“So? You haven’t liked someone since Stephen. It’s like the angels themselves are coming to bless us. I hope we start seeing that brilliant smile from you again.”
“I smile.” I closed my eyes, knowing there was more coming.
“How long has it been? Five years? Have you dated at all? Oh, my goodness, has there been sex? I mean with a person. How have you gone five years without sex? They do have apps. You could do the anonymous thing.” She was taking a breath, getting ready to start more.
“Sarah, I am not having a conversation about my sex life with you. It’s weird. Stephen has been gone eight years, by the way. Now, don’t you have work to do?”
“Seriously, it’s nice that you have an interest in someone. A lot of time has passed, and you deserve someone in your life.” She got up and hugged me. “Are you taking Daisy with you?”
“I was hoping to leave her here with you and Rose?”
“Rose is in the back room. Rodney will keep an eye on them both.”
“Thanks for breakfast, thanks for watching Daisy, and thank you for everything you do. You can come to the same apartment as yesterday if you need me physically.”
River’s apartment was across the street, so I grabbed the cooler and the crate and walked to his apartment building. When I entered the building, Gary waved and met me at the elevator. He seemed much more friendly today. I guess my name held a little weight.
Running my fingers through my hair, I felt excitement and nerves as the elevator traveled to the penthouse. I wanted River to like whathe saw. The little rainbow on the sleeping pouch he got for Charlie answered my questions about his sexuality. It was unbelievable that I was hoping he would like me. It was the first spark in eight years. I wanted to see where this might lead.
Chapter nine
River
After Aaron left last night, I gathered up Charlie and headed to the bedroom. “Charlie, get down.” He jumped onto the bed.Did he just listen to me?I went into the bathroom and stared in the mirror; I looked like hell. There was a massive bruise on my forehead that spread down my cheek. I could see another bruise on my jaw. I didn’t know how that even got there.
Pulling off all my clothes, I continued to inventory the damage I had done. I gently touched the purple skin on my hip. It was shaped like Africa, running from above my waist to my thigh. “You did a hell of a job, didn’t you?” I said to the mirror. There were bruises on my arm and shoulders, and I couldn’t see anything else obvious.
Having my underwear off was a huge relief. The band had been digging into the bruise all day. I scooped up Charlie and grabbed a clean pair of sweatpants and a tank top from the closet. I was going to skip the boxer briefs. Putting Charlie down on the bed, I dressed and pulled back the covers.
I was exhausted and sore. I took another pain pill and settled in with my tablet, figuring I better check what my clients were up to today. There were always fires to put out when you worked with athletes. A picture in a tabloid showed a football player cavorting with a woman who was not his wife and bar fight for a basketball player. I representedboth as my clients. I sent emails to the sponsors and athletes. There shouldn’t be too much backlash from these incidents.
I read more articles online, finding one that was interesting. Two pro hockey players came out together. They were on rival teams, and I saw this was an opportunity for them and me. They needed an agent to help them navigate the world they had just entered. There were more out players daily, but too often, the handlers in their lives told them to play down their sexuality. I firmly believed they should be their authentic selves, and I knew companies that felt like I did.
Writing a quick email to Cecelia, I asked her to contact both players and find out if they would be interested in a meeting. I was fortunate enough to be in a position where my name was well known in the industry, and a meeting with me changed lives. Knowing that thinking was arrogant, I also knew it was the truth. I had no doubt they would take the meeting; I just needed to decide if I would offer to represent them.
If only that confidence carried through to everything else. In my personal life, I wanted to enjoy a quiet life with Charlie and a man who could appreciate simple things. I closed my eyes, wondering if a confident emerald-eyed man would be interested in that type of life.
