Now that I’m up and thinking about Julius, I’m too wired to sit back and down to read. I start to get ready for dinner by doing my make-up and hair, all while creating a list in my mind of things I want to ask Peyton about the team. I’m curious now since Julius mentioned the rules. I hadn’t ever thought about them before.
Peyton and I are meeting halfway between our places. It’s a three-block walk, but the evening air is chilly, and I hate that it’s dark out, but am very thankful for the streetlights and the open businesses. I’m still a bit wary of my surroundings, and Aiden’s words still replay in my mind when I’m out at night.
When I reach the restaurant, Peyton is sitting on the bench in the vestibule. Along with her brother and Noah’s dad.
Cue massive freak out.
“Hey,” she says as she stands. “You remember my brother, Quinn, and my father-in-law, Liam?”
“How could I forget?” Literally, there is no forgetting that my one friend here is music royalty. I extend my hand, and we all shake. “It’s nice to see you again. In town for the game?”
“Yes, it’s not often that we miss them,” Liam says.
“Noah must love having you there.”
“He does,” Peyton says.
Her brother excuses himself and goes to the podium to let the restaurant know we’re here for our reservation. Peyton chose an American bar and grill type place for us to have dinner. The eatery looks packed, and it’s loud. A million things run through my mind right now, mostly will we have an enjoyable conversation, or will the noise level make us yell?
Quinn motions for us to follow him and the hostess. Instantly, I notice how he walks—with his head down. I turn and look over my shoulder and find Liam doing the same. I also see they’re both wearing ball caps to try and hide their identity. I wonder if I would’ve recognized them if they hadn’t been sitting with Peyton? I’m not sure I would have. But I’m also not looking for celebrities.
As we walk to the table, I hear my name. There is some finger-pointing, but I ignore it. When a little boy waves at me, I wave back. I had some of this in North Dakota, but not to this extent. Leon Woolworth has gone above and beyond to introduce me to the Rose City, and people have taken notice.
After we sit and the host has left the table, Liam starts laughing. I look at him quickly and then to Peyton, wondering what inside joke I’ve missed. “I must’ve missed something.”
“Not at all,” Liam says. “It’s nice not being the one cat-called and pointed at for once.”
“Oh.” I look around the table, only to see everyone staring at me. “The ratings say I’m popular.”
“She’s fabulous,” Peyton adds. “Noah says the guys talk about the weather all the time now. She’s giving men a reason to pay attention.”
“You’re making me sound like some sort of sex symbol.”
Everyone laughs. “It’s a hard life, but someone has to do it,” Quinn says as Peyton elbows him.
“Not what I mean at all. I’m just saying that people are taking notice of the changes Leon has made. When anchors are retiring, he’s bringing in fresh, young faces. He’s trying to revitalize the news, and he’s doing it in ways that are making people take notice.”
“Believe me,” Liam interjects. “It’s a good thing.”
“Unless you want to have a drink,” Quinn adds. “Inevitably, someone will have their cell phone out, taking pictures and video because it’s important to them. It’s something you learn to live with.”
“Well, I’m going to have wine with dinner. I walked, and I’m not working tonight. If someone wants to post a picture of me being an adult, so be it. I swear people have too much time on their hands lately,” I say.
“I’ll order the bottle.” Liam flags down our server and orders not only a very expensive bottle of wine but five different appetizers.
“Are you going to eat all of the food you just ordered?” Peyton asks.
Liam shrugs. “I couldn’t decide what I wanted to try.”
He couldn’t decide. I’ve barely looked at the menu, and he’s already found five things he wanted to try. The menu is small. American fare with flare is what I’d call it. I finally come across something that sounds enticing—a barbeque brisket and cheddar sandwich. I haven’t had a good brisket in a long time and find that I’m craving it a bit. When the server returns with our wine, Liam is the focal point of the taste test. I watch with rapt attention as he swirls, sniffs, and finally sips the wine. He nods, and the waiter pours the wine into our glasses. The temptation to ask how come the rest of us haven’t sampled is there, but I know it’s not proper. Liam is paying. He’s the decision-maker. Besides, I don’t care that much about wine, and I’m not confident I could tell what is considered a good red or not.
By the time the server finishes with the wine pouring, the food runner sets down a tray filled with the appetizers—my mouth waters. I’m hungry but torn. I could eat a few of the items ordered, or I could wait for my dinner—such a dilemma. Before I can even decide, Liam sets a plate in front of me, with one of everything on it, and tells me to eat up. Liam tells our server that we’ll be ready to order dinner in a bit. It’s then that I realize this isn’t just a dinner. It’s an event for the four of us. Liam is in no hurry to go anywhere. He wants us to enjoy our time. I finally relax, take a sip of the wine, and dig in.
The conversation never stalls. Quinn and Liam ask questions about my work, and while I’m curious about theirs, they don’t allow me to ask. They’re forthcoming with information and liken their rockstar lives to mine. In my world, the two don’t even come close to correlating.
“Did you always want to be in music?” I ask Quinn.
“I don’t know,” he says. “I’ve only known music, and playing comes naturally to me, as does songwriting. Unlike my Uncle Liam, I didn’t dream of being anything else. I also didn’t dream of being in a band or living on the road. It’s weird. It’s a thing I do, and while I love it, if someone told me I had to walk away tomorrow, I’d be okay with that too.”
“With me,” Liam adds. “My father told me what I was going to do, where I was going to go to college. I wanted none of that. I wanted to be able to make my own decisions and definitely make my own mistakes. I chose a college I didn’t want to be at, hated everything about school, and pretty much started resenting everyone in my life.”
“My dad wanted me to be a lawyer, follow in his footsteps and all that. He was sad when I decided on Northwestern over Northeastern.”
“I think my parents thought I was going to go into coaching,” Peyton adds.
“Didn’t you, though?” Quinn asks.
Peyton shrugs. “Sometimes, I miss talking about the game to other people. It’s why I fill in for Aiden when he’s out because being in front of the camera feels good. It’s comfortable.”
“Leon speaks very highly of you.”
“As he does you,” she says. Her words bring a smile to my face, and honestly, the compliment warms me. I want to succeed at my job and someday be like Camden—on national television, where I’m a household name.