Nikki didn’t look happy, but she got up and followed Mick to the door.
“And cut!”
◊◊◊
“How did your soap go today?” Alex asked when David got home.
“They got me to show my butt again. My character is a total man-whore.”
“So, like real life?”
David flipped his roommate off.
“When will your man-whorishness be on display? I’m asking for a friend.”
“Monday, I bare all,” David said.
“You mean the full Monty?” Alex asked.
David shook his head ‘no.’
“They aren’t paying me, so only my backside.”
Cassidy had told Tracy and Pam about Monday so they could DVR it. Somehow, all his girl friends had sent him snarky messages over the weekend. Cassidy might not get her fancy cupcake after all—and if she kept it up, she might be staying in Illinois.
“Speaking of which, Wren asked about you, and she wondered if you were ever free to … uhm … study.”
David gave him an annoyed look.
“Don’t be like that. Once she gets started … let’s just say she’s frisky,” Alex said to plead his case.
“Then why don’t you ‘study’ with her?”
“She shot me down. Wren said that she would rather study with Big Cat,” Alex said. “Come on, man, say you’ll do it.”
“No,” David said without even having to think about it.
“Fine,” Alex said and then brightened. “I heard a rumor.”
“I probably don’t want to know.”
“This, you do. It has to do with your pet, Emily.”
“Just tell me.”
“She’s about to wear out that vibrator you gave her.”
David smiled, knowing he’d done a good deed.
“Now Chloe wants to go into your room and look at your sex-toy drawer,” Alex added.
David thought it would be worth it to give Chloe the strap-on. Alex would regret being a smartass. Well, his ass would probably smart, anyway.
“Only if she lets me pick something out for her.”
“Deal!” Alex said.
David rubbed his hands together and did his evil mad scientist laugh.
“Oh, crud,” Alex said.
“Lube is your friend,” David said.
It was Alex’s turn to flip David off.
◊◊◊
After he dropped Sadie off at school, the light bulb came on. He knew what he could use Lexi for.
“David?” Lexi asked with worry in her voice.
“How are you settling in?”
“Fine. The view from my balcony is spectacular, and everyone is so friendly,” she said, more assured.
“Good. I have a job … no, two … for you. Cassidy is returning to LA on Sunday, and I still have a lease with that fancy car dealership where I got the Porsche. I want you to have them send over the safest vehicle they have that she can handle with one hand,” David said.
“I remember them. I’ll call and get that taken care of.”
“The second will take a little more work.”
David explained Sadie’s situation and her mother’s money worries.
“I’ll talk to her mom and get everything set up. I’m sure a GoFundMe page would do the trick if I could use your social media to make the ask,” Lexi said.
“While you’re at it, talk to Cassidy. She said her dad was spending money on her care. I also have a list of other charities I’ll send over,” David said and then had another thought. “If using my name isn’t enough, I’m sure some of my friends could be persuaded to help. I’m thinking Halle, Ben, Isabel … oh, and Crazy Pants.”
“You’re still mad at me, aren’t you?” Lexi asked.
David didn’t think that needed a response.
“Focus on Sadie and Cassidy first. Tell Megan when it’s all set up because I need some write-offs. I might as well donate to people who really need it.”
Okay, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure that Cassidy needed it, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t both appreciate and accept the money.
“I bet that Megan might have some other causes she thinks are worthy. If I remember right, she acts as your gatekeeper for all the hat-in-hand requests,” Lexi said.
“This might turn into a new option for you. You could work with charities to find new sources of funds. I bet that if you approached Holistic Wealth Management, they have clients who need to donate to offset their tax bills. Instead of giving it all to the local opera house, they might give some to worthy causes that actually do what they say,”
David said.
“Would you support it if I did?” Lexi asked.
He knew what she was asking. Lexi was in Monaco without a net, so to speak.
“If you do a good job with Sadie and Cassidy, I’ll have Megan hire you so you have health insurance and the like.
You can also stay in the condo,” David promised.
“I’ll get right on it,” Lexi said and hung up.
Tami was right that he should cut his ties to Lexi. But, if directed, she could be a force for good. He didn’t need a Lexi who hated him and had too much time on her hands, and who knew way too much and who could cause him real problems. Tami would just have to understand.
◊◊◊
This week’s guest on Trojan Inquirer was Amy Stackhouse. Tracy had begged David to get her because she was the only female football coach in the Pac-12. David introduced Coach Stackhouse to his friend.
After the opening introductions, David let Tracy do the interview.
Tracy: “How did you get into football?”
Amy: “My father is the owner of the Arizona Cardinals.
Growing up, I was a tomboy and went to work with my dad.
When I became a teen, I told him I wanted to get involved in the business. He told me that I had to find my own way and that football wasn’t in the cards.”
Tracy: “But you are now coaching. Something had to change.”
Amy: “I became a psychologist and opened a practice focused on helping athletes. My dad’s team had some players who weren’t performing as they felt they could, so I asked if I could help ‘fix’ them.
“That’s where I met Coach Merritt. He’d been a player for my dad, and when his career ended, he was hired to coach defensive backs. He remembered what I did when he got the USC job, so he hired me.”
Tracy: “Your job is special teams and helping troubled players? I bet David’s a handful.”
Amy looked at David with a big grin.
Amy: “I’m starting to think he’s unfixable.”
Then she got serious.
Amy: “Quarterback is the most complicated position in football. If it were just a matter of throwing a ball, well, there are a lot of players who can do that. The really good ones are hard to find, so most teams have to develop them.
It takes a mixture of raw athletic talent, a focused determination with attention to detail, and leadership. A quarterback has to be a vocal leader who makes everyone around him better.”
Tracy: “And David?”
Amy: “He’s a work in progress who shows promise. I will have to say that I’m quite impressed with his work ethic. I predict our fans will be pleased before he’s done here at USC.”
The two of them talked for another twenty minutes, but it was the first part that would end up on the Pac-12
Network on Saturday.
◊◊◊
Crystal was printing her paper due in her afternoon class when there were screams from downstairs. It sounded like an intruder was killing her sorority sisters.
Without thinking, she sprinted from her room and bounded down the stairs.
As she reached the first floor, more blood-curdling screams erupted.