Marilyn tossed in the bed. “The media is putting enough pressure on us without the Jordan Hyatt story.”
“Don’t let them.” Warrick reached behind his head and pressed the lamp switch. The light winked out and the shadows rolled back deeper than before.
“How do you do that? How are you able to block out the press?”
Warrick rolled his head on the pillow to face her silhouette in the dark. “When you want something badly enough, you make it work. That’s why love is enough for me, Mary. Why isn’t it enough for you?”
He turned onto his side, not waiting for her answer. In the growing silence, he didn’t know what scared him more, that she’d have an answer he didn’t like or that she wouldn’t have an answer at all.
“I’m surprised you went to see Mary yesterday.” Warrick squinted toward the sun as he jogged beside Jaclyn on their regular route along the marina Friday morning. They were nearing the halfway point of their eight-mile jog.
“Why?” Jaclyn sounded a little out of breath, but not enough to prompt Warrick to slow down.
“She doesn’t like you.” He automatically leaned forward and shortened his stride as they climbed the hill.
“She’s not jealous of our friendship anymore.” Jaclyn sounded matter-of-fact. “Besides, she’s a part of the Monarchs family. I should have gone to see her sooner.”
Jaclyn was serious about treating the Monarchs players, executives, staff, and their relatives as one extended family. It was the culture her grandfather and his three franchise partners fostered when they established the franchise almost six decades earlier. Jaclyn worked very hard to continue the tradition.
Sweat rolled down Warrick’s bald pate. He wiped it from his brow without adjusting his pace. “I appreciate your concern, but Mary and I are coping with the situation.”
“Are you sure?”
Warrick felt Jaclyn’s eyes on him, staring as though she hoped to read his mind. He turned toward her and captured her gaze. “Why?”
Marilyn wiped the sweat from her eyes. “Because Mary is depressed. She’s struggling under the strain.”
“And you’re concerned, just like everyone else, that trouble in my marriage is distracting me on the court.” Warrick’s chest compressed with disappointment.
“No.” Jaclyn exhaled as she kept pace with him. “I’m concerned that there’s trouble in your marriage. What can I do to help?”
“Could you get the media to stop stalking me and my wife?” Warrick kept jogging. He led Jaclyn around the loop at the five-mile point of their run.
Jaclyn’s expression was apologetic. “I’m afraid not. I’m sorry, Rick. I know the press is a pain.”
“That’s an understatement.” The marina waters were a brilliant blue this morning. Sunlight danced on their gentle waves. The peaceful scene did nothing to soothe Warrick’s troubled thoughts.
Jaclyn was silent for several strides. “Maybe Mary should stay with your parents while you’re in Miami.”
He gave her a wry look. “If you were me, would you want your spouse to stay with my parents?”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “Point taken. Does she have friends she could stay with?”
Warrick banished Emma’s image from his mind. “We’ll figure something out. And hopefully our marriage won’t fall apart in the meantime.”
“What about after the finals?”
Warrick allowed himself a smile. Jaclyn already had them winning the Eastern Conference Championship Saturday and moving on to the finals. “If we win the title this season, great. If not—I don’t know. But I won’t make a championship title a bigger priority than my marriage. I won’t put one ring above the other.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to, Rick. But I think you should consider your decision about next season carefully.” Jaclyn kept pace with him. She caught her breath before speaking again. “You know as well as I do that most athletes don’t get even one shot at a championship ring. Don’t take this opportunity lightly.”
“I’m not.” Warrick matched his strides to Jaclyn’s, trying to slow his pace. “But this is my marriage. I love Mary. I don’t want to lose her.”
“You’d sacrifice your dream of a championship title for your marriage?”
Warrick flicked his friend a look. “I want to be a good husband to Mary first. I can’t be that when I’m the source of the strain on our marriage.”
“But you’re not causing the strain. The media is. Mary knows that.” Jaclyn’s reasonable tone reminded Warrick of his efforts to explain the media madness to his wife.