The Bully (Calamity Montana)

THE NEW GUY on SportsCenter was annoying as fuck.

I grumbled at the screen, the remote clutched in my hand, as he attempted to crack jokes with the other announcer. “Can we just get to the leading story?” Me.

My retirement had been breaking news today, but for the most part, I’d avoided the media. Maybe because I still wasn’t sure if I’d made the right decision. Maybe because if I didn’t hear it reported on ESPN, then it wasn’t real.

“All right, let’s get to the news.” The camera zeroed in on the new guy and in the upper left corner of the screen, there was my face. “Cal Stark is leaving the NFL as a champion. Big announcement today from the Titans. Three weeks after winning his second Super Bowl with the franchise, the star quarterback announced his retirement, ending his ten-year career with Tennessee.”

The camera swung to the other announcer. “Stark has made quite the reputation for himself in the past decade, not only on the field but often with his, uh . . . colorful sideline and post-game antics.”

The new guy snickered when the screen cut his way again. “Colorful is one way to put it.”

Dickhead.

The other announcer came on screen again and started reciting my stats, but the numbers—passing yards, touchdowns throws, sack percentage—faded to a murmur behind the rush of blood in my ears.

Retired.

I was retired.

I’d quit a winner before injury or age could taint my career. But without football, what the hell was I going to do with my life?

No idea. But I wasn’t staying in Nashville, and I wasn’t moving home to Denver either.

My phone rang on the coffee table. The damn thing had been ringing all day since my announcement had hit the wire. I’d declined a dozen calls from my agent. Five from my manager. Two from my mother. And a handful from reporters.

Pierce’s name flashed on the screen.

I didn’t want to talk to anyone but I’d make an exception for my friend. “Hey.”

“How are you doing?”

“Truth?” My voice cracked. “Not great.”

“Give it time to sink in.”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “What’s new with you? How are Kerrigan and Elias?”

“Everyone’s great. Kerr had a checkup today. She’s healthy. The baby’s healthy. Elias is ready to be a big brother.”

“Good. That’s good. I’m excited for you guys.”

“Have you given any thought to Calamity?” Since Pierce had moved to Montana, he’d been pushing for me to consider his small town after my retirement.

So far, I’d resisted because the retirement concept hadn’t been real, just an idea shared with him and only him. Pierce had been my best friend since high school, and I’d told him about retiring before I’d told my agent and my manager. But as of today, the entire world knew I was done with football.

Retired.

But retirement in Calamity? Sure, it would be great to be closer to Pierce. His family was my family. I’d walk through fire for him and take a bullet for his kid. And today, when my entire world had turned upside down, he was the friend—my only friend—who’d called.

Maybe Calamity was the obvious choice, except unlike me, Pierce had other friends. And he’d already convinced her to move there.

Nellie.

The woman who lived to toss those colorful antics in my face as retribution for the wrongs I’d done as a teenaged bully. She’d be moving in the spring to work at Pierce’s new office. Living that close to Nellie was destined for disaster. But where else was I going to go?

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

Calamity, Montana.

Could it be my next play?

I didn’t hate the idea.