Payoff Pitch (Philadelphia Patriots)

by V. K. Sykes

  Her throat was ridiculously dry so she took a quick sip of coffee before continuing. “The groundwater underneath our farms is our most precious asset. If you contaminate the groundwater, you threaten the farms’ very existence. And I can tell you that in my county most of us are worried sick about our water and the impact of fracking on it. Some of my neighbors have already suffered with contaminated wells, and those who don’t are convinced it’s only a matter of time. When your rigs are pumping millions of gallons of water and chemical-laden fracking fluid into the ground, some of that dangerous junk has to be seeping back up to the water table.”

  “You say that, and yet there’s no conclusive evidence of any such thing,” Cade rapped out. The friendly drawl in his voice was entirely absent.

  “Actually, you mean the oil companies dispute the evidence,” Teddy said. “That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

  “Dad, I thought you were going to let her finish,” Noah said sharply.

  “Sure, son, but I’d appreciate it if she told me something other than the same old unsubstantiated allegations.”

  Teddy nodded to Cade. Don’t lose it. Just give him the facts. “Okay, then, you know as well as I do that the EPA and many scientists are continuing to study fracking. They’re doing it because they don’t yet have all the answers. But there is no way that my people are going to believe those chemicals you use can be shot into the ground with absolutely no health consequences. Some of the fluid comes back up through the wellhead to be trapped and disposed of on the surface. But sometimes it doesn’t all go quite perfectly, does it? Sometimes you get spills, and that fluid—full of toxic substances—spews or leaks onto and into the ground.” She leaned forward for emphasis. “You know that’s true.”

  Levi shook his head. “Yes, but that’s a rare case, Teddy. And, anyway, there are going to be accidents every once in a while no matter what you do. All resource extraction involves some level of risk. We do our best to keep it as low as possible.”

  “That’s exactly my point, Levi,” Teddy said. “There are always going to be accidents, no matter what you do. So, why do the oil and gas companies think it’s okay to shoot poison into the ground? How would you like it if somebody did that on your Texas ranch, Mr. Cade? You’d scream bloody murder, wouldn’t you?”

  “Look, we’re not the old Soviet Union,” Adam Cade said acerbically. “It’s a free country here, and nobody put a gun to those farmers’ heads to make them sign the leases. And we follow the environmental regulations exactly to the letter. Folks sign with us because they want the prosperity that gas drilling will bring them. If there is any risk to speak of, those people obviously think the benefits clearly outweigh it. As do we.”

  Teddy hated to admit it, but Cade was right. Times were tough, and all a farmer had to do was put his name on a piece of paper and Baron or one of the other companies would do the rest. Pretty soon the royalties would start flowing into the farmer’s meager bank account. That income was obviously making a huge difference for people in some pretty tight circumstances.

  Her brother fully subscribed to the logic of grabbing as much as you can today and not worrying about tomorrow. But Dalton had never loved the land like Teddy always had. Even as little kids, while she spent much of her time in the fields and barns, Dalton usually hunkered down inside the farmhouse with his comic books, video games and model cars and airplanes. Later, he put all his energy into his love of engines and motorcycles.

  “I admit that’s a fairly powerful argument, Mr. Cade,” she conceded. “Farming is tough and the income uncertain. And I can’t deny that drilling has boosted all kinds of businesses from gas stations to motels and restaurants. If it were simply a matter of economics and living for today, drilling would be a no-brainer, because it does support local communities in that respect.”

  “But it’s about a lot more than economics and living for today, isn’t it?” Noah said before she could continue. “You’ve got to think about the future, too. What the land will be like twenty or fifty or a hundred years from now.”

  Teddy just barely stopped herself from gaping at Noah. After their heated arguments, it hadn’t seemed possible that he would do more today than remain quietly neutral while she debated with his father. Had he somehow had a change of heart about fracking?

  Doubtful, but that didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate his intervention.

  “Absolutely,” she said before Adam or Levi could jump in. “Fracking technology is still quite new, and no one knows the long term consequences. It would be grossly irresponsible to endanger the environment for the sake of short-term profits.”

  Thanks to Noah’s words and her growing confidence, Teddy charged ahead. “Aside from the obvious danger to the groundwater, gas drilling is changing so many things in our valleys. Hundreds of rigs are sprouting up everywhere, along with thousands of extra trucks and cars and temporary workers. You certainly know how many gallons of water have to be trucked to every single drill site, Mr. Cade. Fleets of monster trucks with their loads of water and fracking fluid are grinding across the landscape at all hours of the day and night. The changes are bringing noise pollution and air pollution and disrupting wildlife patterns, too. Fracking is going to destroy a way of life and a heritage that goes back to founding of this country.”

  Cade barked out a skeptical laugh. “Oh, come on, it’s not like we’re an invasion force, Teddy. It can be an inconvenience, no doubt, but the landowners are certainly well-compensated for it. It’s called progress.”

  “Progress?” That was too much for Teddy to swallow. She sucked her upper lip between her teeth and bit down to prevent a stream of heated invective from pouring out. The last thing she wanted to do was get into a verbal brawl with Noah’s father. But, boy, he was pushing all her buttons.

  “I say again, Mr. Cade, how would you like to have that going on at your ranch or your next door neighbor’s ranch every day, every month, all year long? I doubt you’d see it as a mere inconvenience.”

  Cade glanced at his watch again. “Well, I guess that gives us a good idea of what we shouldn’t do. And I’m afraid that even though I’ve enjoyed meeting you, you’re going to have to excuse us in a couple of moments. But before you go, I’d like to hear what you think companies like mine should be doing. Have you thought that through? Should we just stop trying to find new supplies of oil and gas?” He leaned forward, as if eager for her reply. Whether it was because Noah had stepped in a couple of times or not, Cade now actually did seem somewhat interested in hearing her views.

  She was more than happy to share them. “As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Cade, the state legislature should put a moratorium on fracking unless and until it’s proven to be safe, and—”

  “You can’t prove anything to be a hundred percent safe,” Cade interrupted.

  Teddy refused to let him derail her train of thought. “By proven, I mean that the safety of the practice is attested to by a broad scientific consensus.” She smiled, but it was as insincere as Cade’s. “You know, like the consensus on climate change, though perhaps you don’t believe in that either.”

  You dinosaur.

  Cade merely looked amused.

  “As for your company and all the other oil and gas producers,” she continued, “frankly, I think you should be looking at diverting more of your investment dollars into renewable resources. That’s clearly the future, isn’t it? Why not get ahead of the game now? Why not get in on that action in a big way instead of dismissing it as marginal or for PR purposes only? Green energy will become viable a lot faster if companies like yours get seriously involved.”

  Cade’s silence and stony gaze told her exactly what he thought of her suggestion.

  Teddy fidgeted with her cup as the silence lengthened. She figured Cade was probably trying to decide whether to call her stupid or naïve or both.

  “I don’t see why we can’t do both things,” Noah finally said.

  Teddy swiveled to stare at him. “Meaning wh
at, exactly?”

  He shrugged. “I’m all for wind power and for solar, too—under the right conditions. And biomass and geothermal and hydro and every other kind of renewable energy. But all of that put together comes is just a tiny fraction of what’s needed to drive the country’s economy right now. You know that, Teddy. You know we’re going to need oil and gas for decades to come while we make the transition. So, we’ve got to do oil and gas for the short and mid-term, and plan for the long term.”

  Teddy’s stomach lurched at the thought of having to argue with Noah, too. Just when she thought he might have her back, he’d pretty much weighed in on his father’s side.

  “Even if I were to buy that argument, there’s plenty of oil and gas both onshore and offshore that doesn’t require fracking to get out,” she said, trying to keep dismay from her voice. “You don’t need to flood the ground with chemical-laced water to produce oil and gas in this country. Fracking is all about profits. It’s about greed, not need.”

  Her palms suddenly felt clammy. She grabbed her glass of ice water and gulped down a mouthful.

  Clearly pleased with his elder son’s intervention, Adam Cade gave her a patronizing smile as took the bill from the server. “Well, Teddy, on that rather low note, I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse us. I hope you found our discussion as…uh, stimulating as I did.”

  Hypocritical bastard.

  Adam Cade—and, yes, his sons—had obviously given no serious consideration to what she’d said. But why would they? They were born and bred to be oilmen, just like she’d been born and bred to the land.

  “Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you, Mr. Cade.” She smiled even though it physically hurt to do it. But Teddy refused to be anything less than dignified even though she was seething inside.

  Everyone stood, and Levi and Adam quickly shook hands with her. Teddy swore that Levi’s gaze might even have contained a note of apology.

  Adam Cade gripped his eldest son’s hand and thumped Noah on the back. “Get back to me by the beginning of next week, son. Like I said, time is real tight.”

  From her vantage point, Teddy couldn’t quite read Noah’s expression. She was sure of one thing, though—he didn’t look happy.

  * * *

  Rock, meet hard place.

  Noah and Teddy followed his father and brother out of the restaurant. Teddy was obviously disappointed both in the discussion and in him, as the now familiar tightening of her lovely jaw line made clear. But as tense as he was over his father’s business proposition and the entire situation with Teddy, he still couldn’t help admiring her the look of her ass in that great dress as she marched out the door in front of him.

  Yeah, he had it bad.

  In the lobby, Teddy turned to face him, the irritated glint in her eyes telling him she was about to give him a piece of her mind. But Noah had other ideas.

  “Want to come with me to pick up Toby?” he said before she could get a word out. “He’d be really happy to see you. I’ll bet you ten bucks he’s totally pissed at me for making him stay at the vet’s overnight.”

  She seemed to run into a mental brick wall for a moment. “But my car’s here,” she finally said. “And you hardly need me.” Her tone was decidedly cool.

  “I’ll drop you back here. And no, I don’t really need you. But I’d like you to come, and you’d make Toby happy.”

  Teddy sighed. “Oh, brother. Fine, whatever makes you happy.”

  He knew exactly what would make him happy, but she was definitely not in a receptive mood for that.

  They waited in silence until the valet delivered Noah’s BMW. But a few seconds after Teddy buckled her seat belt, she shifted her body to look at him. “It’s none of my business, but I can’t help wondering about what your father said to you as he was leaving. About what it is you’re supposed to get back to him on next week.”

  Shit. Noah wished his dad could have kept his mouth shut. Now, he either had to tell Teddy the truth or make her think he was keeping something important from her.

  “Don’t try to tell me it wasn’t important, Noah,” she said, echoing his thoughts. “I saw how you reacted. If you want to tell me to buzz off, I get it. But I can tell you weren’t exactly thrilled about whatever it was.”

  Noah stared straight ahead, weighing options as he stopped at the light at 17th and Arch. The narrow street was jammed ahead and at this rate it was going to be a long, slow trip south to the vet’s. As much as he loved having Teddy with him, he didn’t look forward to this conversation. One thing he wouldn’t do, though, is lie to her.

  “It’s a long story,” he said, drumming his fingers on the console.

  His gaze involuntarily went to her slim, bare legs since her snug dress was hiked up fairly high on her thighs. She always looked fantastic, but in that dress…well, his cock had been trying to do a number on him since the moment she walked into the restaurant. While everybody else had been prattling on about fracking and the environment, at least half his brain had been engaged in thinking of ways to get her alone and naked.

  She reached over and tipped his chin back up. “Eyes on the road, mister. Besides, it looks like we’ve got a while.”

  The light turned green. He crossed the intersection only to have to brake behind a delivery truck that had barely moved an inch. Morning traffic in Center City—what fun. “You’re not going to like it.”

  She sighed. “I suspected as much.”

  Teddy was nothing if not intuitive.

  “Okay, then. Baron and a bunch of other companies are mounting a state-wide campaign to make sure those tougher regulations you want are never implemented. They’re going to put a lot of money into it.” He glanced over with a little smile. “I guess your people got them good and scared.”

  “Huh. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, not when the industry’s national campaign has been successful. But what’s all that got to do with you?”

  The muscles in his jaw were so tight they started to ache.

  “What is it, Noah? What’s going on?” she asked in a worried tone.

  “Believe it or not, Dad seems to have convinced the other CEOs that the best public spokesman for the campaign would be…uh, me.”

  Teddy’s eyes bugged wide, almost as wide as her gaping mouth. “You’re serious?”

  “Dad is dead serious.”

  “Okay, but you couldn’t possibly agree to that,” she scoffed.

  Noah put the car back in gear, finally moving again. Though he gave a casual shrug, her response pissed him off.

  A scowl marked her pretty features and made her look a bit like an old-fashioned schoolmarm—a really hot schoolmarm in a tight dress.

  “Really, Noah, how could you do it even if you actually wanted to? And would the Patriots even allow it?”

  “The team can’t tell me what to do,” he growled. “Anyway, who knows how much longer I’ll be in baseball, anyway. The way things are going, I might be looking at a career change a whole lot faster than I thought.”

  “A career at Baron Energy,” she snapped. “Swell.”

  Now he scowled at her. “Why the hell not?”

  Teddy thrust out her stubborn little chin. “Because I don’t believe you really want that. You shouldn’t let your father pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.”

  “You don’t know anything about it,” he snapped. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of—a confrontation instead of a discussion. Heat instead of light. “Christ, Teddy, you zip about my relationship with Dad and Levi, so don’t pretend you do.”

  Shit. That sure wouldn’t de-escalate things. He’d let his anger get the better of him.

  Surprisingly, her eyes went soft and kind of misty, almost as if she were on the verge of tears.

  “Then try to make me understand,” she said gently. “You’re a good man, Noah, and I think you get how truly dangerous fracking has the potential to be. How dangerous it already is. So, how could you possibly go in front of
a camera and say it isn’t?”

  “You know the jury’s still out on all that, Teddy,” he responded quietly.

  Blinking rapidly, she turned away, her lush mouth pulling into an unhappy line. God, he liked it better when she was glaring daggers at him and giving him hell. When she started to get soft on him, he just wanted to wrap her in his arms and tell her everything would be all right.

  But it wouldn’t—not until they found some way through this big problem.

  “That’s taking the easy way out,” she said. “You need to get off the fence. Come down on one side or the other.”

  Easier said than done.

  Noah gripped the wheel harder. He’d try a different tack. “Teddy, I’ve listened to the way you talk about your family. About your dad. I’m pretty sure you’d do just about anything for him, right? If he asked you?”

  She nodded. “Yes, of course. But if it was something that my conscience couldn’t live with…well, I don’t think I could do that.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “But if it wasn’t all that clear? Wasn’t all black and white?”

  “But this issue is black and white, Noah. At least to me.”

  Noah sighed. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, this is going nowhere good. “I haven’t made a final decision, but I won’t dismiss Dad’s idea out of hand. Mostly because I’ve never really done a damn thing for my family. Like I told you, Dad’s supported my career from the beginning, and he’s never asked anything from me. Nothing. Now, just this once, he wants me to be there for him and the company. He’s made it personal, and so has Levi.”

  When he glanced over at her, she was staring out the window. “It’s nowhere near as simple as you think it is, babe,” he added.