The Total Package (27 page)

“Well, it looks like Tyson told you all about my fondness for challenges. A strange, not to mention inconvenient, time to open negotiations, but let’s get down to it.”

And in the spirit of a last hoorah, Marcus once again persuaded Tyson to enter into a most unholy alliance.

TYSON AND MARCUS ARRIVED TOGETHER
to meet the Mavericks chartered flight to New Orleans. They sat alone, huddled with their heads together for most of the trip, quietly talking and making sure that no one else was privy to the conversation. By the time they landed, Tyson was feeling confident, about some things more than others, but confident nonetheless.

As they waited to check in, Tyson heard someone call his name. It was a familiar, warm voice that he loved and he automatically turned to it.

“Hi, Mom.” Tyson wrapped her in a bear hug. “I’m glad you made it early. I’m not sure how much free time I’m going to get, but I could really use a pep talk.”

After all she had been through, Karen Palmer never left the house until her full face of makeup was flawless and her purse always matched her sensible shoes. She never had a hair out of place, even after those first few strands of gray started to appear. The only time she had shown no interest in her meticulous daily routine was when she initially had to come to grips with her husband leaving her. For days she’d barely been able to get out of bed, much less do her hair. That period of grieving had been short-lived, but even when Tyson was in the thick of battle with his demons, remembering how his mom had looked back then had haunted him.

Karen hooked her arm in his and began to move him away from the rest of the team toward the lobby door. “Of course, sweetheart, I’ll be here following you around all week. This place is a madhouse. I’m so excited for you, and proud, so proud.”

They made small talk about how much she was looking forward to seeing the French Quarter, and her plans to take a bayou tour and eat at Commander’s Palace. Tyson carried her bags in from the parking lot. But just before he could tell her what was really on his mind, another person came into view, stalking out from behind a large SUV. It was Douglas Palmer. As soon as he recognized him, Tyson froze, refusing to budge from his spot.

“What is he doing here?” Tyson asked his mother, moving protectively to stand between them.

“I brought him,” Karen told him with a smile. “You did send me two tickets. I don’t recall you giving me any restrictions with them.”

When Tyson sent the tickets, it was with the intention that she bring one of the more upstanding men she occasionally dated. She had told him years ago it was unlikely she would ever marry again.

“But Mom . . .
him
?” Tyson asked with wide, incredulous eyes. He took a quick look over his shoulder to make sure Douglas Palmer wasn’t getting any closer. With all his recent revelations, this was bordering on becoming just too much. He didn’t need any more bombshells in his life right now.

“Don’t worry, Ty, this isn’t a reconciliation, if that’s what you’re thinking. Did you know he spent a fortune on buying a ring for that floozy, and within a week she pawned it and took off?” Karen shot a sidelong glance at her ex-husband. “Guess she got wind that the money was running out. I actually feel sorry for him. I really don’t want to take your father back, but I’d be flat-out lying if I said him tripping all over himself to be nice to me isn’t pretty damn gratifying.”

Not only did Karen Palmer sound positively elated delivering the news, but it was also the first time in all his life Tyson had ever heard her even close to cussing. The closest she had ever come was a rousing
H-E
-double hockey sticks.

“He really wanted to be here,” she added as she took him by the arm to gently turn him back around. “And I think he should be. He’s your father, Tyson, and he loves you.”

Tyson gritted his teeth and took a good look as they made their way over to the spot along the SUV where his father was deep in concentration, shuffling his feet to kick a small rock from side to side. He still wore an expensive suit, but it looked worn and faded, as did he. The bald spot on the top of his head had gotten bigger, and he had forsaken the cheap rug he had purchased to hide it. His skin looked blotchy and burned from all the time he spent in tanning booths in the desperate attempt to recapture his youth. As they neared him, Tyson could see the deep lines in his face. His eyes were red and glassy. His father wasn’t drunk but was more in a state of having a never-ending hangover. Tyson knew that look all too well. He had gotten his comeuppance and then some, but it brought Tyson no joy.

“Hi, Dad,” Tyson said, trying to sound casual. He refrained from calling him Doug because even now, he knew his mother would see it as disrespectful and wouldn’t approve.

“Tyson.” Douglas managed a half-smile while swiping at some bug that had tried to land on his cheek. “You’re looking strong. Big game coming up, hope you’re ready. You likely won’t get another chance.”

Tyson tilted his head and looked at his father with new eyes. The words tumbled forth without any effort.

“I forgive you, Dad.”

Douglas Palmer’s face turned ruddy. Whether it was from embarrassment or rage, Tyson would never be sure. It was probably a combination of both.

“Forgive me? Forgive me for what?” He scowled. “Dedicating my life to you and your career? You never would have got that first deal if it wasn’t for me.”

In that moment, Tyson understood. He finally got it. His father might never understand, but the words would set him free. As he said them, he meant them.

“No, Dad, I forgive you for me. I know you did the best you could. Thank you for that.”

“You and all your self-help bullshit,” Douglas Palmer mumbled.

“Douglas,” came a low yet sharp warning from Karen. “Why don’t you go wait in the car while I talk to our son.”

It wasn’t a request, and after kicking at another rock Douglas Palmer skulked off and disappeared to the driver’s side of the SUV, looking over his shoulder to grumble a parting “Good luck on Sunday.”

Karen watched him with an eye-rolling little shake of her head before turning back to the momentarily stunned Tyson with a wide smile.

“He knows that if he takes one step out of line, he can find his own way back home. Don’t pay him any mind, baby. He’s still letting his pride do most of his talking, but I really think he’s doing better. Now you go back to the hotel and rest up. I’m going to take your father to get a new suit and a haircut. I can’t have him looking like a washed-up degenerate on your big day. Call me if you have any free time, we’ll grab a bite to eat.”

Tyson took a deep breath. His chest had begun to feel tight. Telling her she was now a grandmother could wait; she already had her hands full. She reached out to give him an encouraging squeeze on his arm that turned into Tyson pulling her to him in a life-affirming hug.

“I love you, Mom. Thanks for making this sacrifice. Thanks for making all of them.”

Karen Palmer hugged her six-foot-three-inch baby tight and rubbed his back before pulling away and reaching up to brush a lock of hair off his forehead and into place. Even when Tyson was a kid, she was way too classy to make use of the spit hairspray technique.

“Sweetheart, I would sit with Satan and present a united front if it helped you. That’s just what mothers do.”

CHAPTER 20

THE AUSTIN MAVERICKS
did win their championship rings, but neither Tyson nor Marcus had much to do with it. Both men, while not exactly sloppy, were a bit off kilter. But the defense stepped up and scored twenty-one points to beat the Boston Blitz 31–14.

Once the ring was on his finger, Marcus actually decided to stay on with the Mavericks. After all the threats, Clinton Barrow offered him another deal. Tyson wasn’t really surprised; it just reinforced what he’d already figured out: it was always about the bottom line. Barrow couldn’t risk Marcus going to another team, and now that the trophy greeted Barrow every time he entered the stadium, he found it easier to be forgiving. It was the Greens of all people who encouraged Marcus to change his mind. The pastor figured that God-given talent like the kind Marcus possessed shouldn’t be wasted. By now he felt confident that Marcus was savvy enough to keep from being drawn into the dark side of fame and fortune. Money wasn’t the root of all evil, greed was. The pastor was willing to lend his guidance in helping Marcus put his millions to good use, starting with a lovely spacious house Marcus started building a little ways down from the church where Pastor Green preached . . . and officiated at his daughter’s wedding.

DANI PULLED HER CAR UP
around the back of the house and cut the engine but took a minute before going inside. To say the last week had been tumultuous would be an understatement. After fleeing Austin and heading home, she was faced with the long overdue task of coming clean with her family. Once again she had to sit her parents down and tearfully tell them the truth about why and how she left her job. But this time it was the whole truth. The sadness and confusion in their eyes was piercing. The only thing worse was the genuine worry on their faces that followed.

“If this man wants to fight us for custody, he probably has the resources to completely annihilate us.” Danza looked with panic-stricken eyes at her husband.

“Relax, Ma,” Dani murmured with her head still hanging in shame. “He didn’t stick around long enough to find out whether he had a son or a daughter. I don’t think he’s interested in fatherhood.”

She couldn’t even blame Tyson anymore. In the end, she mentally declared it a no-win situation and thought it best to try and move on. She couldn’t live in fear of what Tyson might do. And he wasn’t going to do anything, it seemed.

Her parents didn’t stay angry with her for long, but after a few days it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. The depression that followed her return to Ardmore overrode everything else. All her misery was brought on by her own actions. She had no right subjecting anyone else to it. Dani managed to drag herself out of bed every day. She forced herself to smile and laugh and take Brendon to the park, but it was all a facade.

That year was the first time in Carrino history that no one watched the Super Bowl. The television stayed on Nickelodeon the whole day. It was as if by their ignoring the reality, it would go away.

Dani entered the house through the back door and walked into the kitchen. Her mother was there, bustling about with her usual happy hum. The steam from her various boiling pots competed with the cold water humidifier she insisted prevented them all from getting nosebleeds in the winter.

“What’s cooking, Abbondanza?” Dani asked, lifting a lid and finding the stewed prunes that Brendon enjoyed. She looked into another pot and found minestrone. The humming had stopped, but her mother didn’t say anything. She glanced over to find her mother staring at her, looking incredibly pleased.

“How was your job interview?” Danza asked.

Dani couldn’t decide if the job interview went well or not. On the one hand, the office manager at the accounting firm in Philly thought the famed chicken girl would make a nifty little surprise to any client walking through the door. On the other, she would be spending day after day answering phones and filing. It was all she could do to keep from yawning during the conversation.

Dani shrugged. The house was quiet. “Who knows? Is Brendon napping?

“No.”

“He go somewhere with Dad?”

“Sort of.” She continued to stare and added a hint of a smile. “Dad’s here. They’re in the den.”

Dani grabbed a cookie out of the jar on the counter and headed in the direction of the sounds coming from the television set in the den. She had just caught sight of her father’s slippers sticking out from his favorite Barcalounger when she heard it, the whooshing sound of Brendon’s Little Tikes cars, followed by the sound of Brendon’s happy squeal.

That was followed by more laughter. But this laugh was deep and robust. It made her hair stand on end and her heart flutter.

Dani tiptoed down the hallway on feet that felt weighed down by lead, until she was standing in the doorway of the room.

Brendon didn’t notice her arrival. He was too busy pushing his car across the carpet.

And sprawled on the floor next to him, with a car of his own following closely behind, was Tyson Palmer.

Dani’s sharp intake of breath alerted them both to her arrival. Two pairs of striking blue eyes. Then Brendon added his cheerful smile. “Hi, Mommy.”

Tyson presented more of a smirk with a thoroughly raised eyebrow.

“Hi, baby,” Dani managed weakly.

“And I thought I was good at running,” Tyson said with a wink before standing up. He crouched down until he was eye level with Brendon and rumpled his hair. “I’m going to go have a little chat with your mom. But don’t forget, you promised to show me all your Transformers later.”

“I’ll go line them up in a row! I’ve got lots!” Brendon broke away and started sprinting down the hall, nearly knocking Dani over to race up the stairs.