Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
The bar itself is a long, polished wood counter, backed by a wall of gleaming liquor bottles and a chalkboard menu listing craft beers and cocktails.
It’s nearing nine p.m. and as I take in the crowd, I note it’s a diverse mix of young and old who chat animatedly in the very relaxed atmosphere.
Three people work behind the bar and waiters and waitresses flit about the tables and lounging sections, the staff all dressed in graphic tees with the bar’s logo, jeans and a short white apron tied around their waists. They hustle with trays full of drinks or steaming plates of food. I’d heard this place was popular and it makes me proud that Mazzy is singing here tonight.
I invited my line mates as well as the other new guys to come out tonight. All accepted except for Penn, which is not a shocker, but we’ll keep trying. I told them Mazzy would be here singing with her friend Leo. They all know Mazzy because I’ve talked about her and they’ve seen her in the family lounge on occasion when she brings Bowie Jane to the games. But they have no clue that we’re an item or that we went out on a date. That we’ve got something special going on.
I’m not hiding it, but I haven’t had the opportunity to tell anyone. Guys don’t really talk about stuff like that. There’s no, “Hey… guess what, I’m dating someone,” but I suppose I could clue them in tonight. I imagine she’ll come to team functions in the future, so it’ll eventually be obvious, but not before a whole lot of confusion about why I’m macking on my nanny.
When I was setting up a babysitter for Bowie Jane tonight, I also called the manager of this bar and used a little Titans clout to reserve some front and center tables. She was all too happy to accommodate so I told the guys we have reserved tables under my name.
It doesn’t take me much weaving through the crowd to see the stage area set up for Mazzy and Leo, although they’re not there. It’s a small circular raised stage that sits only about six inches off the ground. It’s got a very MTV Unplugged vibe with two stools for them to sit on. Both of their acoustic guitars are in stands and two angled stage lights sit at the edge to shine on them. It’s odd that the stage is in the center of the room and not up against a wall or tucked into a corner. It means that some viewers are going to be looking at Mazzy and Leo from the back, but I see the guys at two tables stacked together, so we’ll have a front view for sure.
Camden, Hendrix, Atlas, North, King and Rafferty all have half-finished beers in front of them, which means they’ve been here a bit.
“Sorry I’m a little late,” I say as I approach the table.
I’m greeted with fist bumps and Rafferty says, “A waitress will be along shortly.”
“And she’s hot,” North says.
“But she only has eyes for King,” Atlas adds on with a guffaw. King’s good looks and how they make women silly is now our running joke.
“I’ll grab a beer at the bar,” I say and head that way, hoping to find Mazzy to wish her good luck before she goes on.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I pull it out to see Bowie Jane’s babysitter, Janie, calling me. A knot of worry forms quickly in my belly as I answer.
“Hey, Foster,” she says and quickly reassures me. “Bowie Jane’s fine. She just wanted to talk to you a minute.”
Relief weakens my legs. “Sure. Put her on.”
I wait a second and Bowie Jane says, “Hey, Daddy!”
“Hey, pumpkin… what’s up?”
“I wanted to wish Mazzy good luck. Can I talk to her?”
I grin, looking around, but I have no clue where she is. “Sorry, kiddo. I haven’t seen her yet. And shouldn’t you be getting into bed?”
“I am. Got my pj’s on and I’ve brushed my teeth. I just wanted to tell Mazzy to break a leg. She told me that’s what you say in show business.”
Laughing, I continue on to the bar. “That is indeed what you say. I’ll pass the message along. Now you get to bed.”
“Okay,” she chirps.
“I love you, kiddo.”
“Love you too.”
Yesterday I spent all day and night with Bowie Jane as well as today up until it was time to come here. She seems to like her babysitter, Janie, someone I found through a personal referral from teammate Dillon Martelle, as she routinely watches his two kids. It’s been a relief to find someone reliable, especially so Mazzy can take some time off from the grueling schedule required when I’m on extended road trips. I don’t worry about it as much as when she first started, but I don’t want her to be so overwhelmed that she quits, so I work hard to give her that time away.