And it all went downhill after that.
But what made me smile was the laughter that bubbled out of Zac during the four-minute, long version, video. There was a quick one-minute long video I had uploaded to Picturegram shortly afterward that was more of a highlight reel.
By the time the final product came out of the freezer fifteen edited minutes later, there were tears in Zac’s eyes, and most surprisingly, at one point he slid an arm around my shoulders and was pretty much holding me hostage against his warm side as Boogie choked, “Goddamn, B, this tastes like ass.”
I didn’t need to look at the screen to know that I had been turning red then as I replied, embarrassed like I always was and always would be when something came out freaking atrocious, “How much ass have you tasted?”
But as Zac wiped at his eyes, well… I didn’t mind at all, especially not when he glanced at me with sparkling baby blues and shook his head. “Kiddo, I forgot about that mouth.” One corner of his mouth went up. “You’re adorable.”
Oh.
Well.
I gave him a little smile. I was going to let the “adorable” comment go. “I mean, it all goes downhill from there, so don’t think the rest of them get any better.”
“I fuckin’ doubt that, darlin’.” Zac looked right into my soul then, his arm around me still. “I highly doubt that.”
Zac acted kind of weird the entire ride over to the car dealership. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what he was doing that was strange, especially since I didn’t totally know this adult version of him, but there was a tension there that was similar to the last time we’d seen each other at my apartment. And I was way too much of a chicken to ask what he was thinking.
Instead, I’d settled for asking him what he was going to do at the dealership… but kept the question about why he’d gone to me for a ride instead of someone else to myself.
“I dropped it off a couple weeks ago to have it checked out. There was a problem with the electronics,” he answered. “I need to get it back just in case I have to move last minute.”
Move last minute. Because he signed with another team, I guessed.
“Oh,” I told him, trying to make it seem like I wasn’t nosey as hell about details. “They didn’t give you a rental?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug. “They offered me one, but Trev’s never around, so I use his car when I need it.”
That still didn’t explain why he didn’t ask for a car to get him, or why he didn’t ask CJ or anyone else, but… maybe it was because I seemed like I had the least busy or important life? That was a bitchy thought.
“So….” I trailed off, telling myself for about the thousandth time that his career wasn’t my business, but I was going to ask anyway. “Can I ask how your tryout in Miami went?”
He was staring out the window as he answered. “Fine.”
Fine.
That was what I fucking got. I should have just shut the hell up and put two and two together.
Zac sighed and scrubbed at his forehead. “They weren’t gonna sign me. Knew it the minute I got there. They were just usin’ me as a threat to get their current QB to take less money. It was a waste of damn time.”
I winced, regretting bringing it up. “I’m sorry.”
The shoulder closest to me went up. “It’s all right. At least they paid for my travel expenses, and I got to see some people I know.”
“Well, I hope they suck this year for doing that to you.”
I was pretty sure I heard him snort a little, but that was all he gave me.
So for the rest of the ride, I kept my questions and jokes to myself and instead turned up the radio. The dealership wasn’t close enough for me to bother starting a podcast. It wasn’t until I parked and looked at him expectantly, thinking he was going to get out and I could go on with my day, that he said, “Will you come in with me in case it isn’t ready?”
Well… okay. I nodded.
We parked and headed in. Zac hadn’t even taken three steps inside the service building when a man beelined straight for him. “Hello, Mr. Travis, thank you for coming in. Like I told you over the phone, we would have been more than willing to bring the car to you.”
So then why…?
My old friend took the man’s outstretched hand. “That’s not necessary, but I sure do appreciate it. Is it ready?”
“Yes, sir, we just need you to sign off on the repairs. If you don’t mind, our general manager is going to sit in while I review the paperwork with you… for customer satisfaction purposes.”
For customer satisfaction purposes. Sureee. I’d bet that was normal.
The man introduced the general manager to Zac, and they started leading him to one of the closest offices before Zac stopped. “C’mon, Peewee.”
He wanted me to go in with him? “I need to pee, but I’ll wait for you out here.” I had emails to respond to.
“You’re sure?”
I nodded and returned his smile after he gave me one as he headed into the office, and I didn’t miss how the showroom floor was suddenly filled with employees when a minute ago there hadn’t been anyone. And they were all casually looking in the direction that the three men had disappeared into.
Problems of the rich and famous.
One bathroom break later, I spotted a snack station and crept over to it, grabbing one of the complimentary bottles of water just as I heard, “Hi.”
There was a man and a woman standing a few feet behind me. “Hi.”
It was the woman who smiled and went right for it. “Do you think Zac Travis would mind taking a picture with us?”
The fact they called him by his—mostly—full name made it really hard for me not to smile. It was weird. “I don’t think so.”
They nodded, and I smiled at them, waiting for them to say something else, but they didn’t. And it got awkward. So I pulled my phone out and opened my email app, totally aware that they were both watching me and whispering to each other.
They probably thought I was his assistant, considering the women he’d been seen with in the past.
Pretty blondes.
Pretty redheads.
Pretty brunettes.
Yeah, he didn’t have a type as long as they were pretty. I was still in my work clothes with makeup that had gotten rubbed off from how irritated Gunner made me, and I’d gotten about four hours of sleep last night.
I wasn’t exactly his type.
This tiny ache pulled through my heart, but I ignored it.
Short girls with black hair were some guys’ types though. I’d had five guys ask me to marry them over the years. Four of them I’d never met, and one of them I had actually considered marrying.
And it was right then that the tall Texan came out of the office, leaned to the side like he’d spotted me across the building, and called out, “Peewee!”
Yeah, Peewee. That was me. The girl of men’s dreams.
I frowned as I headed over to him, the two nosey employees following behind, whispering to each other.
“That was fast.”
His smile was knowing. “They made it really easy.”
I raised my eyebrows at him and got two light brown eyebrows raised back at me. “I bet they did, Mr. Special. Excuse me,” I joked, feeling pretty halfhearted about it.