Page 11 of The Maverick's Homecoming

“That day at the Grizzly, I didn’t know that I was pregnant, either. I didn’t even consider that I might be pregnant until a couple of days later. That was when finally I went out and bought a few tests. And when the stick turned blue I still didn’t believe it. I took a second test just to be sure.” Her voice was softer now. “I should have been honest that day you called me. I should have told you the truth, that I’d just learned I was pregnant, that everything had changed for me. However, in my defense…” There was a long silence.

Had she hung up? “Kenzie?”

“Right here—and it just occurred to me that I sound completely self-absorbed.”

“No, you don’t.”

“It’s nice of you to say that, but still. You don’t need to know every little thing I’m going through.”

“Maybe not,” he said. “But Iwantto know about it—if that counts at all.”

“Oh, Finn…”

“Come on. Lay it on me.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.” He was grinning again now. “Talk to me, Kenzie.”

“Alright. But remember, you asked.”

“I did ask. And I’m listening.”

“Well, the truth is, I’d only gotten the test results from my doctor the day before you called. And then, I’d talked to my ex. That wasn’t fun. Truthfully, that day you called, I was still kind of reeling from all of it, if you know what I mean…”

“Yeah. I can understand that.” He resisted the urge to say bad things about her ex and instead added mildly, “I appreciate your filling me in.”

“Sure—so we’re good, then?”

“We are. We’re solid.”

“I’m glad.” She sounded pleased, which made him feel better about everything.

“Me, too,” he said. “And I have a question…”

“Sure. Fire away.”

“I’ve been wondering about Oscar Abernathy…”

* * *

Kenzie stared at the flat screen mounted over her fireplace. Before taking Finn’s call, she’d muted the sound. Now, she pointed the remote again and the screen went black. “Oscar? What about him?”

“Well, for one thing, I think that kid might know more about football than I do.”

“Not possible!” She was faking extreme shock for all she was worth. “Nobody knows more about football than the great Finn Monahan!”

“Yeah, well. I couldn’t believe it, either…at first. But I swear, that kid has a firm grasp of DVOA.”

“DV-what?”

“Defense-adjusted value over average.”

“Well, that really clears things up for me…not.” She laughed and then added more seriously, “Okay, I’ve heard of it. But you should explain it to me, anyway.”

“Fair enough. It’s essentially a system that puts statistics in context. DVOA can predict outcomes more consistently than simple stats like total touchdowns or rushing yards.”

“And you’re saying that Oscar understands this system?”