That was . . . descriptive . . . and unexpected. Yeah, def owe Quinton an apology. After I yell at him for telling me to get into a confined space with this lunatic, that is.

“My only job is to help Quinton make his point. If, by making these off-the-field accomplishments, he feels like he can stand on the field again? Well, that’s up to him. I’ve never insinuated otherwise and quite frankly, Donny, fuck you for implying I would and that I’m just here to do Mr. Mahler’s bidding.” Alright, so maybe I am just here to do Mr. Mahler’s bidding, but I can’t tell Donny that. I really do want to help Quinton; I can’t have them thinking I’m the bad guy here.

Silence fills the midsized sedan before Donny’s—unsurprisingly loud—laugh takes over.

“Well, hell!” He finally takes off his sunglasses and looks at me. “I might like you after all.”

“Lucky me.” I deadpan before moving my attention to the moving cars outside my window.

“Yeah, lucky you.” He focuses back on the road. “I don’t know what Q told you about me. It’s my job to make sure my clients are covered. And unlike some of the fuckin’ hacks out here doing this job, I actually really do care about all of my clients. All the guys I represent are stand-up guys, but Q? I’ve known him since he was a kid. He’s on another fuckin’ level and he’s got enough shit goin’ on in his life. I’m not going to let the fuckin’ Mustangs ruin his career.”

“So what you’re saying is that you think I’m out to ruin his career?” What has Quinton told this man about what we are working on to give him these outlandish ideas about me?

“Never said that, babe.”

Babe? Is this guy serious?

“Call me babe one more time and I will jump straight out of this car, Donny. Swear to god, don’t test me.”

He raises a hand in surrender. “Right, sorry.”

“Thank you.” I’m honestly shocked he knows how to apologize, so I focus back on the topic at hand before he revokes it. “Why do you seem to think I’m intent on bringing Quinton down? Has he told you he’s unhappy with the direction his foundation is going or the community outreach I’ve been working on? Or that any of the press I’ve set up for him has been counterproductive?” There was a local host who was a bit of a jerk, but Quinton handled it perfectly.

I want to be annoyed that I’m asking these questions, but then I think back to my outburst in the restaurant and fight it back. We haven’t exactly earned each other’s trust yet.