◊◊◊
After dinner, I was studying in my apartment when my phone rang.
“This is David,” I answered.
“I was told to call you,” Bo Harrington informed me.
He was my former personal quarterback coach, former assistant at Alabama, and now head coach at Western Michigan.
“I take it Kevin Heathcott asked me to vouch for him,” I said.
“As a matter of fact …”
“He was dosed. He didn’t take anything knowingly,” I said to cut to the chase.
“So, he wouldn’t be a problem in the locker room?” Bo asked.
“They named him their defensive captain as a junior. Kevin has plans to play in the NFL someday. He would be the last person to take recreational drugs.”
“What about other stuff?” Bo asked.
That was always something I suspected, too. Steroids and other performance-enhancement drugs found their way onto football teams everywhere.
“I wouldn’t know,” I admitted.
The fact was, high-level football teams had come a long way as far as training and proper nutrition go. Many star athletes from years past might not even make it onto the field nowadays. The size, speed, strength, agility, and explosiveness of today’s players were light years ahead of what they had been even just ten or fifteen years ago.
It was amazing to see the transformation of players as they matured in these systems. Many programs put out before and after pics of new athletes as they came into a professionally run strength and conditioning (S&C) program. They used the photos as marketing for what they could do for prospective recruits.
I’d been exposed to a lot of these programs because of my status as a top quarterback. It was one of the reasons Lincoln High had brought in a high-level S&C consultant to help establish our own program. The training had started to trickle down to the high school levels, and I predicted it wouldn’t be long before we saw such training in the middle schools.
With all that said, there were always players willing to take risks to get ahead. Kevin’s upper body looked like he’d had some chemical help to get there. At least, that was what it seemed to me.
“What about the other players Ohio State forced out?” Bo asked.
“I honestly only know Kevin. I suspect he would tell you if he thought they were problems,” I suggested.
“Well, I’m considering offering all of them,” Bo shared.
The difference in the level of recruits that Ohio State would pull in versus what Bo would be able to attract at Western Michigan was stark. An infusion of five high-level players would certainly help.
“I’m a firm believer in second chances. I’m also a trust-but-verify kind of guy,” I suggested.
“Okay, I’ll make Kevin the offer. If he accepts, I’ll talk to him about the rest. I have enough headaches starting a new program without inviting trouble.”
“I think you should be okay. Unless they’re total idiots, they now realize that there are consequences to their actions. I doubt there’ll be a third chance if they mess up again.”
After we hung up, I felt better about the Kevin situation. Bo would take care of him. Plus, Bo had NFL contacts that might be able to open some doors for Kevin when the time came.
◊◊◊ Thursday April 20
Tonight, I played my first baseball game since being shot. I struck out three times, but we won. I came home to find Lexi sitting in my kitchen, talking to my parents and Peggy.
“How’d it go?” Dad asked.
“We won, no thanks to me. I was terrible at the plate. Thankfully, they didn’t need me. We won 4–1,” I said and then turned to Lexi. “I had no idea you were coming.”
“You wanted me to plan your Senior Skip Day,” she reminded me.
“I thought you’d do that from LA.”
“You’re not skipping school,” Mom announced.
Everyone turned to look at her. This displayed all the earmarks of one of our power struggles. If it had been Greg who’d received this comment, I might have gone to make some popcorn so I could watch the show that was about to unfold. I have to say, being on the other end sucked.
“I wouldn’t be a good mother if I condoned such behavior. You miss enough school as it is,” she added.
I glanced at Dad, and he gave a little head-shake to signal that I should ignore my mother and not start a big fight. Lexi looked concerned, which surprised me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“If you’re not there, I’ll have to find another celebrity bartender.”
I blinked a couple of times in confusion, and then both Lexi and my mom burst into laughter. I’d been punked.
Duke came into the kitchen to let Peggy know something was going on with the boys. We heard a commotion in the living room. That couldn’t be good.
“I’ve got this,” I told Peggy and left my mom and Lexi to their evil plots.
“Dave! Coby! What are you boys doing?” I asked as I walked in.
Dave had somehow gotten on top of the coffee table and was holding a toy over his head while Coby tried to reach for it. It looked like Dave had outsmarted his younger but bigger brother. That was until Coby retaliated and pulled Dave off the table on top of him. Not the best plan ever conceived.
What happened next showed why you should only have boys. Instead of tears, the two little brats were a giggling mess. That was until Duke snatched the contested toy from Dave’s grip. Their focus turned from playing keep-away with each other to my trusty hound. Duke ran around the coffee table, showing off his prize. The boys teamed up, and the chase was on.
With Duke’s help, I wore out the munchkins. Peggy told me to get them their baths and to put them to bed.
◊◊◊
Lexi and I had gone to my apartment after I’d put the little ones down.
“Why are you really here?” I asked.
“Kendal took over the management for Chloe, and Kent suggested I needed to take a few days off.”
There had to be a story behind that.
“Don’t leave me hanging,” I prompted.
“Chloe has a new fixation, her costar Chad Dickenson. They found her in his trailer.”
“Hang on. Isn’t Chad like mid-thirties and married?” I asked.
“So?” Lexi asked.
If you asked me why I hated Hollywood, I would bring this up as an example. What I couldn’t figure out was why Chloe being in his trailer was a big deal. It wasn’t like they would have been the first on-set hookup. Even if he was ten or more years her senior and married, it wasn’t anything new. Still, something didn’t add up. Besides, why would that get Lexi sent on a sudden vacation?
“There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“I had to sign an NDA,” Lexi said.
“A nondisclosure? What the heck for?” I asked.
“If I tell you, you have to promise not to say anything to another soul.”
Clearly, Lexi was dying to tell me. It had to be good, so I nodded my assent.
“Chloe had handcuffed him to the bed, cut off all his clothes, used a ball gag on him, and shoved something up his bum. His wife walked in on them.”
“What?” I asked in shock.
This was big, even by LA standards.
“Remember, you can’t tell anyone,” Lexi reminded me.
“Why did you get in trouble?” I asked, trying to piece this all together.
“They had to suspend filming. Chloe’s mom blamed me because I was supposed to be watching her daughter. I pointed out that she was there too, which made her demand I be fired. Kent had to come to the set to smooth everything over. I might have some ‘pent-up anger issues,’” Lexi said, making air quotes.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I let my feelings be known about what a crazy wench Chloe is and that her mom is probably the cause of it.”
“And Kent didn’t fire you?” I asked.
“Hell, no. He had to make a big show in front of the client. Kent agreed with me that they are both batshit crazy. He gave me a few days off for hanging in as long as I did. I think he also wanted me out of town because he told Kendal she had to take them on. Kent’s worried that Kendal might want to do me bodily harm.”