“I am motherfucking awesome. In fact, I’ve never been better. I’m hanging with Jako tonight,” he says, naming one of his best buds in the business, another skater on his team. He sighs contentedly. “So whassup with you?”
I laugh. “Nothing was up, my man. It’s three in the morning. Wassup with you?”
“Not much. Just chilling. Munching on some sunflower seeds. Man, if you could get me a lifetime supply of these, I would be the happiest cat ever.”
“I’ll make a note of that. Also, do me a favor. Call me again in the middle of the night to tell me you’re awesome and nothing is going on but snacking.”
He snaps his fingers. “Shit, I just remembered why I called. I need your friend.”
I furrow my brow, trying to figure out who he means. Then again, I’m always trying to figure out what Zane means. A few too many hits on the joint when he was in high school have made his reaction times less than top-notch when he’s outside the skate park. In the skate park? The dude kills it. No clue how that worked out, but I’m glad it did. He’s been making bank for both of us for more than a decade.
“Sure. I’ll help you out. But help me out first. Which friend?”
“You know. Let’s throw another shrimp on the barbie. That one.”
“Jay. Jay, who’s from Sydney,” I say, using the fake name Jason set up for this ceremony.
“Yes! You’re like Stephen Hawking. How do you do that? Do you do brain exercises? Is that how you’re so sharp?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
“Anyhoo, that’s him. He’s cool. I like that accent. Ooh. Idea! Can you do a little g’day, mate accent when you intro me to Monster Energy Bull Rider Drinks, or whatever that sponsorship is you’re getting for me?”
“No. I love you, man, but I’m not pretending to be Australian.” I’ll go to the ends of the earth for my clients and their deals, but I’m not going to perform like a trick monkey for their amusement.
“Fine, have it your way. But you rock! Never forget that. So, the bad news is I lost Jay’s number. And I need it. Because guess what?”
“You want to hear him say g’day, mate?”
He cracks up. “No, but I’ll add that to the list. Along with the dingo ate my baby. But I have to talk to him, because he needs to be my best man now.”
“I thought Jako was doing the honors?”
“No, man. I’m at the hospital right now with him. Didn’t I tell you that?”
I roll my eyes. “You told me you were with Jako. You didn’t say you were at the hospital. Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
“I do. I need a new best man. I’d ask you to do the speech, but that’s not cool. I love you and all, but I gotta have some boundaries. That’s what my fiancée keeps telling me. Boundaries. Anyway, Jako broke his leg doing a gazelle flip. That’s the other bad news. And that means he can’t do me the honor of being by my side next weekend. He’s so fucking bummed. He wrote a speech too. Well, half of it, and you know how Jako is. He hates writing. He hates words.”
“Words can be little devils.”
“But no worries. We came up with a plan in the ambulance. He’ll FaceTime from the hospital bed in his cast, and Jay will deliver his speech. It’s going to be rad. Can you hook me up with Jay-man and he can do the speech?”
“I’m on it. One tip though. Don’t call him Jay-man.”
“Right. Thanks. Jay-boy it is.”
The next weekend, the wedding goes off without a hitch. Jason’s buddy Troy has taken over his business. He has zero problems pretending he’s Jay-man or Jay-boy—and brings his guy Sully along to fill in as the extra groomsman—and in his role, Troy delivers the first half of Jako’s best man’s speech and the second half of what, I presume, he wrote.
It’s stellar, and it makes Zane smile like he’s won a lifetime supply of sunflower seeds. The wedding is everything my longtime client could want, and that’s what matters most to me: happy clients.
After the reception winds down, Zane claps me on the shoulder. “You’re the man. You know that, right? I’d be nothing without you.”
I’m not saying I want him to think that, but I do like that he does. So I keep my reply simple. “You know I’m always happy to help.”
That’s my goal: go the extra mile. Then another mile. This business is insanely competitive, and being an agent, a negotiator, a therapist, a sounding board, a dartboard, and a fucking wedding planner, along with an occasional Uber driver, is par for the course. It’s how I stay ahead, and I always need to be ten steps ahead, given the way the competition is breathing down my neck.
Zane smacks my chest. “Man, you did more than help. You saved the day. You always save the day. I owe you like ten million presents. Want me to send you a new car? I want to get a new Jeep. I could get two. One for you, one for me.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “I’m all good. Also, I hope you like your gift. I got you a little something.”
His eyes sparkle. “Dude. You did not have to get me a present.”
“I know. I wanted to.”
I don’t have to stick around to know he’ll be over the moon when he receives his lifetime supply of a certain snack food. “Anyway, glad it all worked out with the new Jay. And congrats again.”
When I leave the wedding and hop into an Uber, my regular line rings. Private. Could be anyone—team owner, publicist, potential client.
“Summers here.”
“Hey, man. It’s Lorenzo.”
I sit up straight, a burst of possibility flaring in me. “Lorenzo. How the hell are you?”
“I had two RBIs tonight, and we won, so I’d say I’m fantastic.”
