“For you to remember not to call me that,” she said tersely.
“Sorry, I forgot,” I mumbled without looking at her because I knew my dig had hit the mark just as her South Side comment had riled me.
We ate in silence long enough to make things start to feel awkward. I tried to think of something to say to fill the void, but I couldn’t come up with anything that didn’t sound stupid in light of her South Side observation. For a moment, I hated Payton Halas Lasky for making me feel like the kid who’d battled his way out of the Back of the Yards, and wondered if I really wanted to go through with this.
“I am willing to date you in a way that will keep the media focused on you,” she said ending the silence. “But I need something in return.”
“Okay, hit me with your best shot,” I said as I scooped up the last of my eggs.
“We have to get engaged,” she said.
“What in the hell?” I blurted dropping my fork. It hit the plate and made a loud clanking noise that caused the server to quickly come check to see if everything was okay. I waved her away, “We’re fine. Thanks.”
“I need you to agree to be engaged to me,” Payton repeated.
“You’re going to have to explain that one, lady,” I said, pushing the plate away and folding my arms across my chest.
“I already told you that my mother doesn’t want to give me the job I want with the Bears,” she said looking away as if ashamed. “But I didn’t tell you why.”
“And why won’t your mother give you your dream job?” I asked. As she began to speak about her mother, Payton’s expression had shifted from confident to almost miserable. It was painful to watch the change, and I had to fight the urge to reach out and pat her hand in sympathy since I was pretty sure she’d probably smack it if I did.
“She wants me to find a man, get married, and start having kids,” she said quietly. She stared down at her lap for a moment before lifting her chin and defiantly, stating, “If I don’t do what she says, she’ll disinherit me and cut me out of the Bears for good. I told her I’d find my own job and support myself, but the more I’ve thought about it, the less I want to be cut off.”
“And you think that getting engaged to me is going to help you?” I laughed. “Your mother loathes me!”
“I know,” Payton grinned. “That’s what makes this even better. I’ll be doing what she ordered me to do, so she’ll have no choice. Meanwhile, I’ll be building my resume so when it’s finally time to assume a leadership role in the Bears organization, I’ll have the experience necessary to take over the GM job!”
“Whoa, slow down,” I said holding up a hand. “How are you going to build up your resume?”
“You’re going to appoint me the new GM for the Storm, of course,” she said with a note of surprise in her voice that sounded like the decision was a done deal.
“Hold on, lady!” I said, slamming my palms on the table hard enough to rattle the remaining dishes. “How damn dumb do you think I am?”
“I didn’t say you were dumb, Mr. Connor,” she said with one eyebrow raised. “I said we were negotiating a proposal.”
“Do you have any idea what you’re asking?” I asked. As I continued, my voice became louder, “I cannot appoint a 28-year-old woman as the GM of a brand-new NFL franchise! I don’t care if you are the reincarnation of George Halas himself; you are not experienced enough to manage a team!”
“Shhh, keep your voice down, will you?” she said, holding her hands up as if to ward me off. “Look, we’re talking this over. This is why it’s called a negotiation rather than blackmail.”
I ran one hand through my hair as I let out a deep sigh and shook my head.
“Is my age the only thing that’s keeping you from naming me GM?” she asked.
“You’re kidding, right?” I said incredulously. “Your age, your family, your inexperience, and…”
“And the fact that I’m a woman?” she asked with a hint of irritation. “I get it. The boys don’t want girls in their clubhouse. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re worried that we’ll hang curtains and make you clean up your language.”
“Well, that’s a small part of it,” I said with a half-grin. “Most of us hate gingham check.”
“The fact that you know what gingham check is should disqualify you from the boy’s club yourself,” she grinned back. “But seriously, what’s the problem aside from my age?”
“If we’re going to be announcing the fact that we’re engaged, then there will be that problem,” I said. “I think, you’re going to have to decide what you want more, Sweetness.”
“Funny man,” she said pushing her hair away from her face as she leaned down and reached into the bag at her feet pulling out a stack of folded papers. She opened them and handed me half. “Your copies, so you can take notes if you want to.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” I said looking down at the sheet of paper on top. “You’ve got a list of 10 things here. I only need one.”
“Yeah, well, go big or go home, right?” she smiled as she waited for me to scan the pages. I flipped to the second page and stopped.