“Blah blah blah. Football, football, throw the ball, catch the ball,” Hayley said. We laughed at her theatrics. She knew football almost as well as I did, but nobody knew that except me, my dad, and her husband.

I tuned out the conversation for a moment. Parker’s vegetarian lasagna was amazing. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal. I was a DoorDash VIP and that wasn’t something I was proud of.

“Sutton?” Parker asked.

I jerked my head up and looked directly at Parker. “What? Yes? What’d I miss?”

“Have you had any time for yourself? I know the Cheetahs have you working seven days a week. Will that slow down for you?”

I wiped my mouth and took a sip of water. “I don’t want it to slow down. Once I’ve proven myself and Grayson and I take the team to the playoffs, then maybe I’ll settle down. Until then, I don’t want to.”

Hayley shoulder-bumped me. “During the summer, she spends about a month with me and her dad in Rhode Island. He has a beautiful house on the beach. He’s so good with the boys. I make sure Sutton tunes out the world and just relaxes. The NFL gives their coaches time off right before training camp starts.”

“So, if you just broke up with Lexi, was there anybody else that you had a long-term relationship with?” Grayson asked.

Why would Grayson Moats be interested in my love life? This conversation was taking a weird turn and I didn’t know how to handle it. “I’ve had a few girlfriends but nothing serious. Lexi is the only woman I’ve lived with and that was more out of convenience.” I could feel the sweat starting to form in the small of my back.

“I remember you dated that one girl in college who worshipped the ground you walked on. What was her name? Kristin? Katherine?” Hayley asked.

“Kristin.” I shook my head. That was a terrible time in my life. “I wouldn’t say she worshipped me, but she was a bit much.”

Hayley looked at me. “Seriously? The girl planned everything from your wedding to finding a donor for your four children.” She looked at Parker and Grayson and thumbed in my direction. “After that fiasco, Sutton took a step back from the dating world. And she got off social media.”

“I got off social media because people were saying terrible things about women in the NFL,” I said.

“That totally sucks because you’re amazing, but you’re also missing out on fun platforms. Instagram is great. And I can’t even begin to tell you all the amazing things you could do as a coach on TikTok.”