Shame the Devil (Portland Devils #3) - Rosalind James Page 0,60

Styrofoam trays and plastic wrap.”

“Hang on,” Harlan said. He was grinning, looking more genuinely relaxed than he had since they’d got here. “I’ll see what I can do about your predicament, Dyma.”

He’d just turned away to do—whatever it was—when a man approached in a hurry, with a girl right behind him. He was tall and broad-shouldered, a little puffy around the face, and too intense. He was holding a red Solo cup.

Harlan said, “Annabelle. Hey.” He took a breath. “Hi, Dad.”

Time to be the support system.

18

Return of the Hero

Nobody’d every accused Axel Kristiansen of fading into the background. He said, “Well, well, well. The hero returns. How about that?” All with a big, shit-eating grin.

He was about three-quarters gone, Harlan figured. He’d gotten an early start today, Super Bowl and all, but was still trying to do his just-a-great-guy thing, like he always did in public. Axel saved his ugly face for home.

Harlan said, “Hey, Bug,” gave her a hug and kiss on a cheek, and got her squeeze back. “Surprise visit. Decided if everybody was going to turn out in the cold, I’d better show up for it. Hey, guys, this is my sister, Annabelle, and my dad, Axel. This is Owen, and my friends Jennifer and Dyma, uh …”

He had no idea. “Cardello,” Jennifer said with a smile.

His sister said. “Hi. I can’t believe you came after all. I didn’t think you would. And Owen. Hi.” She blushed a little, and Owen, who’d met her at games in the past, gave her a kiss on the cheek. Everybody’s mom loved Owen, and so did everybody’s sister. Something about him being so big. It should’ve made him seem frightening, but instead, it made him seem almost … comforting. Or maybe that was just Owen. Off the field, anyway.

Axel said, still in that fake-jovial tone, “We were sure surprised to hear you were down here, after you didn’t show up for my event last night. You left an awful lot of people disappointed, but I guess you’re used to that by now. And then your sister and I had to hustle down today without any notice. Good going there. Guess we must’ve missed your call.”

How many little digs was that in a few sentences? “Yeah,” Harlan said. “I decided I’d drop by after all. It was a last-minute impulse. You were right, though. There are people here I owe.” He wanted to ask who’d driven, but he already knew. That would be his dad. Another thing that made him nuts.

“Everyone except your old man, I guess,” his dad said. “And you found some new friends to bring with you. Well, welcome, ladies. Any friend of the star, and if she’s as pretty as the two of you … well, a man can never go wrong with that kind of female companionship, can he?”

He looked Jennifer and Dyma over, and Harlan’s hand clenched around his own red Solo cup. It had been thrust at him by somebody back there, he couldn’t even remember who. He asked Jennifer, “Would you hold this for me?” He couldn’t stand to look drunk for this. Owen had said that thing about not caring what people thought, but still … he couldn’t stand it.

“Sure,” Jennifer said without batting an eye, and took it.

“You enjoy that plane ride?” Axel asked Jennifer. “The two of you? Sisters, huh? Twice the fun. Bet Harlan brought you in a private jet, too, didn’t he? He loves to show up that way. Next thing you know, he’ll be landing a helicopter right on the fifty-yard line. I thought he might be embarrassed about how the season ended and that was why he wouldn’t come today, but I guess it takes more than that. Nothing like the pull of an adoring crowd. Every salesman needs an audience. He comes by that honest, at least.” He checked out Dyma again. “But he didn’t even know your last name. Pretty sad. I taught him better than that. Always learn a lady’s name, right, son?” He laughed. “Not every man could bounce back from taking his team right out of the Super Bowl. Got to hand it to you, this right here looks like a pretty good bounce. Only about the biggest mistake in your life, and not like your damn job isn’t catching the ball, but, hey. Easy come, easy go, am I right? You show up, and everybody forgives you. It’s a gift.”

Harlan wanted to hit him. He wanted to do it so