Double Full (Nice Guys 1)

“I’m Sandra Hamilton, here today with Jace Montgomery, owner operator of Cheer Dynasty in Dallas, Texas. Many in the world of cheerleading credit Jace Montgomery for creating the phenomenon known as all-star cheerleading. His top senior team is the reigning, unprecedented four-year champion in the Worlds division. His gym is the largest in the world, competing with twenty-four teams this year, here in Dallas, at the national cheerleading competition. Jace, I’m going to jump right in. I’ve spent most of the evening talking with your team members. They just love you. Both the children and their parents adore you. How do you accomplish this level of rapport in such a strictly disciplined environment?” The cameras swept around them during the introduction until they finally moved in on Sandra and then over to Jace.

“Sometimes they like me, when I say the things they like to hear. The team before the one you watched wasn’t quite so happy with me. They might not have such glowing words right now.” Sandra gave a chuckle while Jace just smiled. She didn’t pause before asking her next question.

“So you have earned your reputation?”

“I don’t know. What’s my reputation?” The question was somewhat of a lie. Jace knew how the cheerleading community thought of him. He worked hard to come off as a big jerk most of the time. He learned early on that his easy-going, light-hearted attitude toward life would be run over in the real world of business. A few well-placed hard stares and moments of silence had the cheerleading world considering him a serious business man, intent on making a name for himself.

“Well, I’ve heard your competitors call you a hard-nosed business man who’s just in it for the money. Your coaches call you a tough workaholic who never stops pushing. Your cheerleaders call you brilliant, and the industry as a whole says you have single-handedly changed cheerleading into a world-wide revolution. You’ve created athletes out of this sport.”

Jace stayed quiet, just looking at the reporter. He didn’t feel like any of that described him at all. Okay, maybe the workaholic described him the best. He did work all the time, mainly to avoid the other parts of his life. He decided he wasn’t really sure where the question lay in what the reporter asked. Jace just stared at her, giving a little smile before saying, “I’m sorry. I don’t really understand your question.”

The reporter’s eyes met his, and she gave a small giggle before leaning in toward him, her body language visually changing. After a brief pause, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I have also been told, over and over, what a charming, nice-looking man you are. I see it and can easily say throughout our conversations over the last few weeks, I believe your reputation has been very well earned on every level. Let’s move this forward, tell me about a day in the life of Jace Montgomery. Is it true you’re a vegetarian?”

“Yes, absolutely. I’m a complete vegan.”

“Why did you become a vegan?”

“I did it several years ago. I liked the health effects. The gym was taking off. I was tired all the time. I needed to make some changes."

“And you work out every day. You still tumble and keep up your skill level?” As the reporter spoke, the camera focused on Jace. He was still incredibly nervous, trying hard to hide his sweaty palms and shaking knees, but he kept the smile on his face and hoped no one would be the wiser. He had been watching the reporter, keeping her as his anchor in his sea of nerves when she looked down over his chest and lower to his stomach and then lower to his lap. It caused a heat to rush to his cheeks and those anxious nerves to skyrocket under her scrutiny.

What? Did she just check me out? The little smile she gave made him stumble just a little in answering this question.

“I think it’s only fair that if I’m asking my kids to be their best, I need to be at my very best as well. I certainly can’t ask anyone to do something I can’t do myself.” The reporter’s eyes stayed settled on his lap while he answered, and her smile grew a little broader before she lifted her gaze to meet his. Seconds later the camera turned back to her. Did that mean they didn’t catch her checking him out? He prayed so. Parents wouldn’t trust their children with him if they thought he put this kind of thing in front of them.

“Is it true the average cheerleader spends about twenty hours a week here in this gym?” she asked.

“Yes, I believe that’s probably true. Well, let me rephrase that. Not every one of the cheerleaders commit full time and it’s certainly not required, but we hold two or three open gyms a week to work on their skill levels. We also have tumbling, jump, and technique classes. Many of them take advantage of those.”

“What do you say to those who feel that’s a bit excessive on a child’s schedule?”

“I would say this probably isn’t the place for them then,” Jace said with a wink. The reporter laughed, leaning in a little closer.

“I’ve been told you’re here all day, every day. Do you ever get a break?” she asked, anchoring her elbow on the arm of the director chair she sat in.

“Of course, when I feel like I need one, I get away,” Jace replied, confused as to how the interview had taken such a personal turn. He didn’t want to talk about his personal life to her or anyone else for that matter. None of these questions were sent over as possible choices in the pre-interview lineup. He wondered if the woman sitting across from him realized he was a completely, one hundred percent gay man. Her body language sure didn’t seem like she got the memo.

“When was your last vacation?” she asked, her smile still on her lips.

“Hmmm.” Jace could only grin, thinking over the question. She had totally called his bluff. In ten years, he’d never vacationed one time. “Okay, I don’t vacation much. Probably my last year in college, I took a long trip to the beach. It was a good time. Some of us from college went. Those were good days. I do have something planned after Nationals this month. I’ve got a vacation planned in Hawaii.”