She broke me a long time ago, and if I didn’t already know how flexible she could be, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Ty’s band finishes their last number then bows to thunderous applause from the audience. It’s a packed house, so it’s considerably loud. The first annual Marching Miners Sing Out fundraiser has done better than our wildest dreams. We had to abandon plans for ticketed entry when we sold out of tickets within the first week of advertising. To accommodate the larger than planned crowd, we begged and pleaded with State’s administration to let us use the student union ballroom instead of the band auditorium.
I don’t know how Dr. Kimball got them to agree, but he really came through for us in a pinch.
The section leaders pulled together with the planning phase, too. They canvassed out and got donations rolling in from every local business within a twenty-mile radius of campus. Free food, free soft drinks, decorations, raffle and Chinese auction prizes, stage setup, and equipment. You name it, and we got it at no charge.
Frankly, I think the businesses who donated are looking to get on the radar of some very specific founding members of Sing Out. A quick plug on social media as a thank-you for their contribution by some famous NFL players is just good for business. I don’t really care about political science, but understanding simple economy has its perks.
And I have connections I didn’t hesitate to use for this event.
I scan the perimeter of the ballroom but still no sign of the surprise I’ve secured for Sophie. I know they won’t be using the main entrance though.
Shannon takes Sophie’s empty chair and puts her feet up on the table. She’s been running her ass off tonight, acting as Sophie’s right-hand woman, so I don’t doubt she needs to take a load off for a few minutes. “Can you believe this? It’s awesome.”
“It is,” I agree. It’s going to get much more awesome soon, which is why I kept this surprise under wraps. If I had advertised it, we would never have been able to keep this first-time event from getting too out of control. Still, I’m getting antsy. “Hey, I never did get to thank you for dragging Sophie to that secret drum major meeting during camp.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes. “I told you it wouldn’t be hard. All I had to do was imply you were up to your old tricks, and she was champing at the bit to get to that meeting.”
“I can’t believe I pulled that off.” It was one of my crazier plans. Way too much room for error. And it almost exploded in my face.
“I can’t believe you waited until the summer before this year to ask me to help you. You really went down to the wire.”
No kidding. “You wouldn’t have helped me before then anyway.”
“You’re right.” She grins. “I wouldn’t have. If it wasn’t for you getting piss-faced drunk and spilling your sad heart out about your unrequited love that summer night, I would have just as happily helped her hide your body as helped you win her over.”
Huh. Sophie hasn’t confessed to murder plans. I can’t say I’m exactly surprised though.
“Wait a minute.” Shannon studies me. “You pulled one on me! You weren’t drunk at all that night, were you?”
“Nope.” It’s my turn to grin.
She shakes her head, but she’s smiling, so she’s not that mad. “You really are devious, Jimbo. I expect your first child to be named after me as thanks.”
“I was only kidding when I told her parents she was going to have all my babies.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
Shannon smiles as we both watch the woman of the hour work her way through the crowd, making sure everyone is having a good time and reminding them to bid on the raffle prizes. “Be good to her, Jim. She trusts you with her heart, and she doesn’t trust just anyone with that.”
“I will,” I promise.
Shannon gets back on her feet, ready to work again, too. “You’re damn right you will because, otherwise, you’ll answer to me.” She points at herself, and honestly, she intimidates the hell out of me. I don’t know how Jake does it. Maybe he wasn’t joking about that domme fetish.
Just as I’m getting ready to push back from the table to see what else needs to be taken care of, a rough clap on my shoulder precedes another body filling the empty chair.
Third time’s a charm because my dumb brother grins at me.
“How the hell did you sneak in here without anyone noticing?” How did he sneak in without me noticing?
He knows exactly what I’m asking, so he shrugs and stretches his long legs out in front of him as he slouches in his seat. “You’ve had your eyes glued to a certain blond bombshell. It wasn’t all that hard to sneak up on you.”
Damn. I didn’t even realize I was doing it.
“So, that’s her, huh?” Alex raps the table with his knuckles as he stares in Sophie’s direction. “She’s beautiful, Jimmy.”
“That’s her. And, yes, she is.”
He nods before turning his gaze back to me. “Does she know we’re supposed to be here?”
“No. I wanted it to be a surprise, and I’m glad I didn’t say anything yet,” I hiss, leaning closer to him. “You’re two hours late; they’re not here at all. Are you the only one showing up?”
He laughs. “You didn’t say anything because she still doesn’t like me, huh?”
“No,” I answer automatically because fucking with my brother is almost as fun as fucking with Sophie. “She still thinks you’re a slut.”
“She really doesn’t follow football at all, does she?” Alex laughs again but raises his eyebrows like he’s got a secret. In some ways, he does. “Your niece says hello by the way. She’s mad at me because I wouldn’t bring her. And Rob and Evie have a kid they didn’t want to drag from California this late at night, too. They’ll be here. Security’s probably running facial recognition before they let them in.”
I cannot imagine living that kind of life. Everyone thinks it’s a crock I don’t play ball like Alex, but frankly, I think it’s a blessing. “Is Mike still coming?”
Alex checks his very expensive watch. “His flight just landed. He’ll probably be here in about an hour. Give us a break, will ya? It’s not easy for us to get away on a Friday night in the middle of the season.”
“Yes, it is,” I argue. Everything I learned about arguing and competition, I learned from my brother. “You guys do all your charity events and public engagements on Friday nights.”
“Yes,” he concedes slowly, “but we also keep those events closer to home during the season.”
“Bullshit,” I call. “You told me last week how you, Rob, and Mike all flew to Vegas a month ago. That was during the season.”
He chuckles. “That was another charity event. One we collectively agreed was worth the travel time.”
His admission brings up something I’ve been meaning to talk to him about. Alex has never given me bad advice even if I don’t always ask him for it. “How do you do that?”
“Fly to Vegas?” he asks, deadpan. “It’s pretty simple, Jimmy. Buy a ticket, board a plane, drink champagne in first class …”