OffsideChanceFormat2 (6 page)

The
weight room had no windows and seemed a little warmer than the outer rooms; he
found a weight bench to sit on while Levi laughed a little more.

“What?
I can’t call and see how you are?” Levi practically purred over the line. Jude
didn’t know how to manage his brother when he was like this. He was used to the
surly, angry brother who kept his distance and his secrets to himself.

“You
never did before. So what are you really calling for and why on the house
phone?” He didn’t want to play twenty questions with his brother’s Diva
persona.

“Because
you didn’t answer your cell. And because I’m flying in tomorrow morning. So
yes, I have nefarious reasons for calling I want to see how you are and, oh my
god, ask if it’s cold there.” Levi, the brother he knew and partially respected
answered this time. “But now I seriously must ask, why are you and Slayer
fighting on the phone? Is he bothering you? No lies, Judah, I’ve known him a
long time. He can be a great guy. And he can be an asshole. I don’t like the
idea of him messing with you.”

“He’s
not messing with me. And in case you’ve missed it, I’ve been taking care of
myself for a good fifteen years without your help. I can handle him.” Not that
there was anything to handle. So far William Slater pretty much kept to
himself. They saw each other over food, a few times a week. Usually Will would
carry a heaping plate up to the den and that was about the extent of it. “The
fact that he has really loud sex partners is about the only thing that bothers
me.” And why exactly did that bother him?

“
Oooh
, yeah, I used to live with him. Yeah, he does like
them…okay, I’ll buy you some ear muffs or something while I’m there. But other
than that everything is good?”

“Yeah,
we figured out how to share the place without getting in each other’s way. I
cook a couple nights a week and he pays one of his women to clean. Other than
that neither of us is here that much.”

“You
can cook? Why do I find that funny?”

“It
was learn to cook or starve. Unlike you I couldn’t live on sandwiches and
school cafeteria food. And Mother—“

“Jude,
don’t…let’s not turn everything into a…I don’t know, those years are gone.
She’s gone. It’s…can we just live in the here and now and try to get along? I
called to check on you because I miss seeing you.”

“And
to ask about the weather.”

“Well,
yeah, because if it’s snowing I might have to drive over instead of fly. We were
going to fly in for the game anyway; just now we’re going to watch it on
television instead of in the dome. And Tracy has to be back early Monday for
school.”

“Oh,
yeah, well
it’s
freezing and it is snowing. I’ve never
seen anything like it. But the weatherman says it should clear up by midnight.
Tomorrow is supposed to be clear but really cold still. Do you need me to sleep
in the den for a night?”

“Oh,
no, we’ll stay in Bo’s guestroom. You don’t have to worry about giving up
anything for us.”

“It’s
your house, Levi.”

“It’s
your house, too. And I won’t ask either of you to sleep on the couch when there
are other options. Besides, Bo is closer to the airport and has a car to pick
us up.”

“Whatever,
man.”

“Don’t
be like that, Jude. I was going to invite you out tomorrow night to watch the
game with us. And don’t say you don’t like crowds. It’s going to be a small
party. Most of the team has left town for the off season, and it’s just going
to be guys watching a game. No groupies or cleat chasers. Just us and maybe a
wife or two depending on who shows up.”

“I
don’t know, Levi. I have work—“

“And
all night to get it done. Say you’ll come. I’d love to see you. Slayer is
supposed to drag his ass out. You can ride with him.”

“I
can see me riding across town on the back of his bike… in the cold.” With his
arms wrapped around the huge chest…he shivered…what the hell was wrong with
him?

“Why
hasn’t he gotten a new car yet? What the hell is he waiting for? Snow?” Levi
laughed over the crackling line.

“I
don’t know, not my business. I’ll take a taxi. That’s if I come. I really do
have a ton of work to do this weekend and—“

“You’ll
have it finished by lunch tomorrow. Because that, dear brother, is when I’m
picking you up. Just me and you, Jude. We need to talk or something.”

“About
what? Mother is—“

“Damn
it, Jude. That, because that. It’s just business with us. We used to be actual
brothers, now we’re barely even business partners. I just want to spend some
time with you. I don’t want to talk about our parents or our shitty childhood
or money. Or…I just want to try to be what we once were.”

“Did
the shrink you’re seeing tell you to make peace with me?”

“No,
goddamn it. No one told me to make peace with you. It’s that there
is
peace to be made when we have all
that shit back there eating us alive. You are all I have in this world.”

“What
about Tracy? Is the honeymoon over?”

 
“Why the fuck do I even bother? I swear to
god, Judah. I’m trying here. I give up. Just stay there. Alone and miserable. I
don’t care anymore.”

Jude
didn’t know what to say, he couldn’t close his mouth or open it wide enough to
get out one word. This was a Levi he’d never met before. Ever. Really angry.
And hurt. He’d seen him play hurt. He’d seen him take a beating and get up like
it never happened. Jude pictured his brother on the other end of the phone
line; he’d be shutting down right now like he did after everything in his life
that had knocked him down. The “don’t care” stare that he’d worn for most of
Jude’s life would be there and this time he would be the one to put that look
in Levi’s eyes. “Levi,” he shouted thinking Levi had hung up. “I’ll…lunch
tomorrow, it sounds nice.”

The
line was silent for a long moment. Jude could hear the radio in the background
but Levi was quiet. Too quiet. When he finally answered his voice had lost some
of its verve from just a moment before. “Yeah? Okay. I’ll call you when I leave
Bo’s place. You can pick the restaurant.”

“Okay,
sounds good. See you then.” He must have smiled or something. When he looked up
Will was standing in the doorway looking at him strangely. He held up a hand
while Levi said goodbye, and then he hung up. For the first time in years he
felt something. A spark of…what?

Hope?

“So
you got a hot date lined up?” Will shifted on the balls of his feet, his hands
tucked into the pockets of a pair of jeans so crisp they had to be brand new.
In fact everything he was wearing looked new. Jude had only seen him wearing
the same few clothing items since he’d been here. “You look… thunderstruck.
Must not happen often.”

“Yeah,
not every day one gets asked to lunch by his brother. Huge date. Big. He’s this
big deal football star. Maybe you heard of him? Oh my god what will I wear?”
Jude stood up and did a little jog feigning excitement until coffee sloshed
over his hand.

“I
bet if you look in that wardrobe upstairs you might find an evening gown or
something to go with that tiara you’re wearing. But it might not fit you as
well as it fits Livy, he’s got bigger boobs than you.” Will stifled a laugh,
but he didn’t hide the smile that stretched his face. A couple of killer
dimples popped from his cheeks and Jude nearly swallowed his tongue.

“If
you’re saying I’m flat chested… you’d be right. What size is it you wear? A
forty-four double D?” Jude shot back feeling childish but strangely relaxed at
the same time.

“Hey,
I work hard for this girlish figure. You keep that up you’re going to give me
body issues. Because I am not fat!” The huge ass football player pulled a pout
that Levi would have been proud of.

“There
doesn’t seem to be an ounce of fat on you…this is true. That’s
all
muscle.” The look that passed over
Will’s face stopped Jude in his tracks. He’d just stumbled over that line
without realizing it.

“I
have food downstairs if you’re hungry,” Will said, his dimples gone now. “And
if you’d like to see my new car I could show it to you before it gets dark.”

“I’d
love to. Let me grab a jacket.”

“And
shoes. It’s freezing out there.” The smile was back. And they were back on
stable ground. No more flirting. Because that felt too much like flirting. The
guy must think he and Levi were cut from the same cloth. He’d have to watch
himself from here on out. Even when Will started it. No sense giving him the
wrong ideas.

*
* * * *

Full
dark fell while he was upstairs waiting for Levi’s brother to slip on shoes and
a jacket. The street lights were good but he really wanted Jude to see the car
in the daylight. He needed to show someone today or bust a gut.

“Hurry
up, dinner is getting cold.” He rushed Jude down the last few stairs past all
of the shopping bags he’d carried inside and left in the entry way.

The
lights from the small courtyard lit the Land Rover enough for Jude to see and
appreciate. “Isn’t she gorgeous? I bought her a couple of weeks ago and the
call came in early this morning that the dealer had taken delivery. So what do
you think?”

Jude
walked around the sleek black sport Rover and climbed in the driver’s seat.
Will opened the passenger side and leaned in to watch as the man ran his hand
over the steering wheel and along the console. “This is gorgeous, Will.
Absolutely gorgeous.”

A
blossom of warmth bubbled up from strange places. “Isn’t she? I had everything
custom installed. Including a very sensitive anti-theft system, so you don’t
have to worry about someone trying to drive off with her in the night. If the
alarm doesn’t make ‘
em
shit themselves and run it
won’t go but a mile before it locks down tight as a virgin on prom night.” Jude
glanced his way with a gleam in his eyes. He seemed to be trying not to laugh.
But all Will could think was how the glow from the dash lit up his already
stunning eyes. “You are really pretty… for a guy…I mean, oh shit…forget I just
said that. I uh, you sort of look like Levi but really he’s not…I have no idea
what I mean.”

Jude
laughed this time, and leaned back against the seat staring at him. Will
shifted his weight from one foot to the other while he waited for the sarcastic
comeback.

“Yeah?
You’re not so bad yourself…I mean for a quasi-Neanderthal and all. I can see
why you have women fighting to clean your house.” The smile that accompanied
those words wasn’t anything like he’d ever seen Levi do, or any woman either.
He stepped up on the curb and ran his hand over is hair and shivered.

“It’s
cold out here, man. And I have a bag full of Cajun food getting cold.” He had
no idea what the fuck was the matter with him. The rushing upstairs to drag the
man down to show off for him only to hear him making a date…and what the hell
was that anyway? Even if it hadn’t turned out to be his brother, the sick twist
in his gut had scared the shit out of him.

“Gumbo?
Tell me you brought home gumbo, and I’ll love you forever.” Jude climbed out of
the SUV and stood on the other side waiting for Will to answer, but Will was
trying to get his body and his brain to work as a team. Really? What the fuck
was wrong with him?

“I
got a vat of gumbo and some sandwiches and other things. I didn’t know what
you’d like.” He took a moment to trigger the locks and the alarm before heading
back inside the gate.

His
knees felt as if he’d taken a hit from a three hundred pound linebacker and he
struggled to make them go in the direction away from Levi’s brother. Far away
from Levi’s brother.

“You
had me at gumbo. I’ll heat it up if you want to carry your shopping up to your
room or change or something.” Jude closed the gate behind them and was on the
step just below him while Will fumbled with the door knob. He should not know
what the man smelled like. His dick should not be thinking it smelled something
it liked. Seriously, what the fuck?

“Yeah,
that sounds great.” He left Jude with the takeout bag and gathered up the
clothes he’d spent the afternoon picking out to replace everything he’d lost in
the fire. “I wish I hadn’t left my team jacket at home over Christmas. I can’t
really replace that.” The thought came on suddenly. He really missed that
jacket.

“You
protected your valuables and papers right? I mean, your birth certificate,
insurance and you know, all that stuff?” Jude
would
think of that shit. Jude gathered up the few bags of food
from the market next door to the restaurant. They’d have food and more
importantly beer for the next couple of days. “Your financial statements,
contracts, you know stuff like that?”

“Yeah,
I had everything along with my Super Bowl rings in a safe. Fire didn’t touch
that.

I
have everything sorted. I’m good.” He didn’t know whether the man’s obsession
with his legal business was cute or just plain annoying.

“It
took me years to get Levi to make sure his ass was covered. I finally just took
everything away from him and put it in a safe deposit box at his bank. I don’t
know where he hides his rings. Probably upstairs in that wardrobe along with
the other diamonds and…the man has a Rolex just lying around. He just doesn’t… I
swear it’s like talking to a—“ Jude had walked away while talking, his voice
trailing off the farther away he went. Will had the opinion that it was
probably an old rant, and that Jude was used to no one listening to him.
Especially Levi.