The Tight End (Red's Tavern 6)

As we walked, Brody’s phone made a little sound. He slipped it out of his pocket, his eyes quickly scanning the screen.

“Whoa,” he said, stopping in his tracks. I stopped, too, turning back to look at him.

“Everything okay?”

He was staring at the phone, his mouth slightly open, in silence. “They—this is—”

He trailed off again, and I cocked my head to one side, moving in closer to look at the screen.

He had an email open, and I read the small text, squinting in the bright sunlight.

Good afternoon Mr. Bryant,

It was wonderful meeting you last week for your interview at Flare Athletics Foundation. Our director, Chuck Birman, was very impressed with your skills, and your personality seems like a wonderful fit for our team.

We are pleased to offer you a position as a Junior Community Outreach Organizer. Our HR Director, Kayla Suzuki, will be reaching out to you later today with a formal offer letter for you to evaluate.

Thank you for considering our company, Brody, and again, it was wonderful to meet with you.

Best Regards,

Tina Mayland

A smile slowly spread across my face with every word I read.

“Holy shit,” I whispered.

“Holy shit,” Brody repeated, turning to look at me. “This was the third place I interviewed. The non-profit. The place I loved the most. They offer after-school athletics to kids in underserved areas.”

“The place you thought would never hire you, and I told you to give it a shot anyway?”

“Yes,” he said, breaking out in a huge smile. “They’re fucking offering me a position, baby. Oh my God.”

Pride surged through me like sun coming through the clouds. I still remembered when Brody had found the job listing. He’d said it sounded “too good to be true,” and that there was no way they’d want him because of his lackluster grades in the first couple of years of school. But I’d known the job would be a perfect fit for him. He had an incredible passion for athletics, and he’d slowly started to turn his grades around.

I’d had an inkling that if he made it to the interview stage with Flare Athletics, he’d have a great shot at getting the job.

And now he had.

“This is amazing!” I said, tackling him in a huge hug so quickly that he almost lost his balance. “I love you. I love you so much, Brody.”

“I would never have even considered applying to this place if you hadn’t pushed me,” he said. “I love you to the end of the Earth, Logan. I actually got an offer. Oh my God.”

“Well, we’re certainly celebrating tonight at the tavern,” I said. “Drinks on you, Mr. Hot-Shot Startup Employee To-Be.”

He laughed, a clear, bright sound gently echoing down the street. “I’m so fucking happy.”

I kissed him, deep and slow. For the first time, when I thought about my future, I wasn’t just picturing myself totally alone.

And it felt really, really good. I wasn’t just a loner, destined to be on my own forever.

I had someone I loved. And the future seemed fucking awesome.

“Tequila shots on me,” Roman called out, raising a hand in the air from his seat at the edge of the big, rounded booth we were all sitting in.

We’d definitely brought the party right to Red’s Tavern, and as we passed nine o’clock, it showed no signs of stopping.

“To my little brother,” Roman said when Sam brought the shots over, holding up his little glass. “May you kick ass out there in Chicago in your new job, even though I’m going to miss the hell out of you here in Kansas.”

“Hear, hear!” Vance called out, and all of us raised our glasses high in a toast.

“To the graduates!” Roman said as we all tossed back our shots.

Danielle and Henry were also across the booth, already a few drinks in.

“You’re going to have to visit us, too, you know,” Brody told Roman. Roman took a deep breath, leaning back in the booth, raising his thick arms up onto the back.

“I’ll visit you when I have time off work,” he said with a nod. “Hell, it’s not like I have anything going on around here.”

“What do you do?” Henry asked.

“I’m a night security guard on campus,” Roman told him. “You’ve probably walked by me many times at night, but I just tend to blend into the background.”

“That means you’re doing the job right, I guess,” Dani said.

“I do try.”

“Roman’s great at his job,” Brody said. “I hope you know you’re one of my biggest inspirations.”

“Oh, please,” Roman said.

“It’s true. You’re amazing at what you do.”

Roman looked across the room, getting a faraway look in his eyes. “I still want something more, someday. But I’m grateful for the job I have.”

“What would be your dream job?” Henry asked. “Did you want to be a football star like Brody?”

Roman let out a soft laugh. “No. As for a dream job… I’m not sure. Something in security, for sure. Maybe somewhere in corporate, or for some hotshot. Being personal detail, or a bodyguard, is really the dream, though.”