Get over yourself, Piper thought with a petulant pout. She flipped the phone the finger.
“I’ll be there in spirit,” she reasoned.
“Big fucking deal,” Levi said. “And where do you get off giving me the finger?”
“How did you…?” Piper’s head whipped around, searching the empty room. “Did you install a spy-cam in my office?”
“I don’t need a hidden camera,” Levi told her. “I know how you operate. Flipping up your middle finger when you’re frustrated is classic Piper.”
Piper could have argued that Levi didn’t know her that well. But since she knew she was wrong, she decided not to waste her breath.
“What’s the worst that could happen if I’m not there?” Piper asked in all sincerity.
“We’ll lose,” he said without preamble.
“Foul! Unfair!” Piper cried. “How dare you use guilt tactics to manipulate me?”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Levi reasoned. “I’ve won, right? You’ll be at the game?”
“I will.” Piper sighed. She always planned to go, but jerking Levi around gave her more pleasure than she liked to admit. Okay, sometimes she could be a bit of a bitch. “Now hang up. I have work to do.”
“One more thing,” Levi said.
“I’m listening.” Now, what? Piper wondered.
“Come to me again tonight.”
Despite herself, Piper laughed and ended the call. She swiveled her chair toward the window. Looking out, she didn’t notice the skyline of downtown Seattle that she normally admired. Her mind was elsewhere.
If only, Piper thought. If only Levi weren’t so charming. So handsome. So funny. So smart. If only he wasn’t the person she wanted to be with, morning, noon, and night. If he were a cad or a jerk. If he kicked puppies or made babies cry. If…
Maybe then Piper could walk away. But one thing stopped her. Quite simply, though she knew in the long run, he would be better off, she didn’t want to go.
Besides, Levi wouldn’t let her go without a good reason. She had a good one, but she feared he wouldn’t agree. How could she explain to someone who was raised by loving parents—who mourned their loss every day—that all families aren’t made of goodness and light?
Sometimes, Mommy was the devil and brothers one and two, her evil minions.
Piper exaggerated—mostly. But for her, family wasn’t a warm, safe place. She viewed her mother and siblings as combatants. She had something they wanted, and they would stop at nothing short of murder to attain their goal.
The cell phone on her desk buzzed. Checking the screen, Piper read the caller ID. Mephistopheles. With a sigh, she answered.
“Hello, Mother.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
PIPER DIDN’T GET football. Oh, she understood the rules. How could she not when her best friend was the Seattle Knights’ general manager? When the person you hung out with since the first grade lived and breathed the game, no matter how many barriers you erected, some of the finer points were bound to seep into your brain and stick.
As Piper watched the crowd file into Knights’ Stadium, she was amazed at the lengths the fans went to show their devotion. The seats were awash in the team’s colors.
Blue and gold face makeup. Blue and gold wigs. Blue and gold jerseys. The combination was pleasing enough in small doses, but a steady diet made Piper feel as though she were out to sea, the waves crashing against her weary eyeballs. The effect was slightly nauseating.
“Try the stuffed artichokes,” Darcy said, pointing to the buffet. “The crab with cream cheese filling is amazing.”
Swallowing against an influx of bile, Piper shook her head and rubbed her stomach.
“Maybe later,” she said.
“Don’t wait too long,” Darcy warned. “Once the other guests arrive, the food goes fast.”
Advantages came along with being the general manager’s BFF. One was access to the owner’s luxury skybox. Piper wasn’t averse to sitting in the stands, but nothing compared to the bird’s eye view of the field from the glass-enclosed seats near the top of the stadium.
Riley Preston inherited the Knights’ from her grandfather. He purchased the franchise when it was at a low point. The former owners wanted to move the Knights to another city. Douglas Preston saved the team, kept football in Seattle, and passed his passion for the game on to his pride and joy, his granddaughter.
Riley was there, as she was for every home game, with her husband and sons. Under her reign as the owner, the Knights had turned the corner from beloved also-rans, into elite contenders. In any given year, all the experts agreed that the team could go all the way. Every season, they topped the polls to win another Super Bowl.
Every year until this one.
“The Knights are underdogs for the first time in forever,” Riley said. Standing next to Piper, surveying the stadium her grandfather built, she thoughtfully sipped from a bottle of water. “Personally, I hate the tag. Professionally, I’d hoped the insult might light a fire under the players.”
For the most part, the occupants of the skybox were dressed in casual, comfortable attire. Piper wore blue jeans and a simple button-down shirt in the color of spring daffodils. Riley’s jeans were well-worn and topped by a t-shirt and white leather bomber jacket. Her shoes—a pair of multi-colored loafers—as always, put other footwear to shame.
Because she was the general manager and, on the clock, Darcy eschewed casual for something tailored and sleek. Pleated royal blue slacks and a periwinkle colored silk blouse gave her a professional, in charge air. Her one bit of rebellion? The pair of yellow canvas high-tops she proudly wore on her feet. She might not bleed blue and gold, but her heart since childhood had been firmly entrenched with the Knights. She wore their colors—in her unique way—with pride.
“All the motivation in the world can’t make up for a sub-par quarterback.” Darcy’s sigh was substantial, but she kept her voice low. “Monte Oliver was bad, Riley. To be concise, he sucked.”
“You won’t hear me argue.” Riley nodded. “I take full responsibility. Harry Coleman pushed hard for the team to draft Monte. I wasn’t sold, but I gave my stamp of approval out of respect for all Harry had accomplished as the Knight’s head coach. I should have listened to my gut. Instead, I was swayed by sentimentality. Never a good thing in any business.”
Piper wasn’t qualified to contribute to the conversation. And her loyalty was divided between management and talent which made her opinion just as torn. However, since the subject was quarterbacks, she decided her opinion mattered as much as anyone's. Maybe more.
“You should have given Levi a chance a long time ago,” she said, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. “He’s ten times the player Monte Oliver will ever be. A hundred times better. A thousand times.”
“Down, girl,” Riley said with a laugh. Her smile turned thoughtful. “I can’t say why Levi fell through the cracks. From the moment he entered the league, he was pushed to the back of the line. Makes no sense, but there you are.”