In It to Win It

by Ella Jade

  Wade caught her gaze in the mirror, and she held still for a split second before seeming confused.

  She moved her attention to Kim, smiled big, and fingered a few locks of hair. “Do you think this ‘do’ will stay for a while?”

  Kim snickered. “The only way to defeat that much hairspray is with a torch. Why? Do you have a big date tonight?”

  Wade tensed, dreading the answer. He closed his eyes under the direction of the makeup lady, Janelle. A feathery brush went across his forehead, and he cringed. He hadn’t quite gotten used to having to wear powder, even if it was to keep his forehead from beaming rays of light into the living rooms of thousands of unsuspecting viewers.

  “If I can get out of here as soon as possible, I do. He’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever known,” Rebecca replied.

  Wade’s eyes were still shut but he pictured her glowing with happiness about her late-night plans. His core jolted as if he’d been punched in the gut, and he thanked Janelle, quickly leaving the room.

  Wade plopped down at his desk and brought the computer to life. Football highlights, stats, national rankings, top recruits, he didn’t care which subject as long as facts about the game filled the screen. He needed to absorb them, to get his head straight, to stop worrying about Rebecca Ryan. The thoughts of her affected his training more than anything or any person he’d come across. If he hadn’t already worked a deal out with Bo for room and board, he’d scoot out of town without thinking twice.

  Wade went to the Littleton Hawks’ website and pulled up the roster. His name should be on the list, and it would be next season if they were lucky enough to get him. He scanned the athletes’ names. They were listed in order by jersey number, and when he scrolled down to the nineties he grinned. Number ninety-two, his jersey number, wasn’t taken.

  “Dude.” Blaine stood in the door of his office. “Maureen is looking for you.”

  “Ah! The meeting! I’m on the way.” Wade shut the machine down and followed Blaine down the hall. They were late and he could hear his boss’s voice in low murmurs the closer they got to her.

  He and Blaine slipped into Maureen’s office in time to hear her say, “The ratings must come up! Let me hear your ideas. We need advertisers willing to shell out money, but in order for them to do that we have to come up with something unique, something people will want to watch.”

  “We could do weekly segments on storm watching education,” Blaine offered.

  “Health and fitness? I know we have something on our morning show, but if we’re trying to gear toward a younger crowd we might want to think about adding a similar piece to the late news,” Rebecca added, fumbling with the charm on her necklace.

  Maureen nodded. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  “Yes! A male and female point of view,” Dominic said. He clasped his hands shut. “Wade and Rebecca would be great together. I can see it now, the two of them on location at the gym with a personal trainer, shots of them jogging with gorgeous scenery…oh! Doesn’t the county have a spring-summer youth football? Wade could give tips to the kids, and maybe the studio should have an entire segment on what moms need to know about the game. Something like that can be filmed, edited, and shown during all of our shows.”

  “I don’t—” Rebecca started but was interrupted by Maureen.

  “I like the way you’re thinking, Dominic.” She gave him an approving look. “You could always go into producing. Rebecca and Wade, it appears the two of you will be working together quite a bit.”

  Rebecca shot a dread-filled glance at Wade.

  Wade broke out into a sweat and shoved his hands in his pockets to hide their trembling. The plan Dominic and Maureen had conjured was not a good one. He had to speak up, had to find the ideal excuse to get him out of this situation. “Not trying to sound difficult, but I have a strict regimen every single day. It’s nearly impossible to veer off track and get the best results. I scheduled everything around my work hours.”

  Maureen directed her stare toward him, arching an eyebrow. “We all plan our lives around our work, Wade. I can’t imagine what type of agenda you go by that can’t be altered.”

  “He’s preparing to try out for professional football late this summer,” Rebecca informed her. She crossed her arms, looking at him dead-on. “Didn’t you know he’s big time, Maureen? As I suggested, a health and fitness segment is a great idea, and you might consider having the cameras follow him around while he trains and goes through the process of getting recruited. We could be in the presence of KDRD’s very first reality TV star.”

  * * * *

  So what Rebecca did to Wade was a bitch move, but she heard he got a raise for the added screen time. She did too, and got a free gym membership since they would be filming twice a week wearing the gym’s logo front and center on their tops. Maureen, the sales manager, and the production manager got together to sort out the details. All three of them insisted nothing be put in motion until there was an adequate amount of sponsorship. Five closed door meetings and three weeks later, Rebecca walked into Fit 7, the town’s only twenty-four-hour gym, ready to make her long-term segment debut.

  She found the crew gathered in the free-weights area. Chip, the cameraman, and Kent, the sound guy, fiddled with their equipment next to the shelves of kettlebells. Wade was in the center of the room wearing black, knee-length basketball style shorts and an exceptional fitting red, gym logo t-shirt. He rolled his neck from left to right, right to left, caught a glimpse of her in one of the two mirror-lined walls and turned to face her.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked.

  Rebecca grinned politely, but the gesture wasn’t returned. She went to stand near him so she could speak quietly and maybe start mending the bridge she’d blown to bits. They needed chemistry for the show, or at the very least, they needed to be cordial. “I didn’t think Maureen would pair us. I’m sorry. I know my being in the same room with you causes disdain.”

  “No.” He closed his eyes and continued stretching. “We’re cool.”

  “But I’ve been awful.”

  Wade opened his eyes and caught her gaze. He held the stare for a moment then shifted and rubbed his face with both hands. Grabbing a chin-up bar above his head, he looked at her again. “Haven’t we both?”

  Rebecca peeked, but forced herself not to gawk at the taut skin peeping out from under his lifted shirt. Being friendly with Wade wasn’t such a bad idea after all. She clasped her hands to keep them from traveling across the space between them. The sensation of no control confused her, and she took a step away from him to suppress the impulses. “I’ve been terrible, the worst.”

  He chuckled once, grinned with the left corner of his mouth. “Whatever pleases you, ma’am.”

  “I’ve asked before, please don’t call me that.” Rebecca crossed her arms. Faking irritation, she let out an overstated huff, but she couldn’t help but smile at his teasing.

  “Showing respect to my elders…ma’am.”

  “I’m only twenty-four.”

  Still holding on to the chin-up bar, Wade jumped, and rapidly slung his long legs through his arms, doing a flip. He landed on his feet and began doing the little hops she’d watched him do in the field house right before he rammed the practice dummy. “And I’m twenty-two, so…”

  A frown threatened but Rebecca managed to push through the smidge of disappointment he wasn’t older. She playfully shoved his right bicep. “I hate you.”

  Wade lifted a single eyebrow, his gaze intense. “You wish you could hate me.”

  “Heads-up,” Chip announced, startling Rebecca. She’d forgotten there were other people in the room. The cameraman continued, “I just got off the phone with Maureen. She’s been trying to call you both to let you know we’re taking a different direction today. Apparently there were a few break-ins over the weekend and a couple of women, separate instances, were attacked and robbed at knifepoint. There are a few police officers on the way for self-defense demonstrations. Yo
u two are the guinea pigs.”

  “What about script?” Rebecca asked.

  “You’re doing self-defense tips.” Chip shrugged. “Wing it.”

  “I can’t wing it, Chip.” Rebecca’s breaths shortened, and her pulsed picked up with the anxiety. She hadn’t improvised a segment in a while. And why now? Why when her job, all of their jobs, may very well rest on pairing her with Wade, on airing exercise and health tips only to find out the first of their series was postponed.

  Rebecca brought the manic thoughts to a screeching halt. Panicking wouldn’t help. She closed her eyes, inhaling deep and exhaling slowly. Her heart rate began slowing to normal. All she needed to do was talk to the officer, let him do his spiel, and hopefully there would be no demonstrations.

  “How did your date go?” Wade asked.

  Perplexed by the random question, she looked to her right where he straddled a black padded bench, looking at his cellphone. “Excuse me?”

  He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “Your date? A few weeks ago?”

  It took a moment for her to register he was talking about her conversation with Kim. He’d heard them. “Something came up, so…”

  Wade raised his brows. “Have you seen him since?”

  Why did he care? Rebecca shot him an offended glance then shifted her attention to the door, hoping the police officers would show soon. Wade made her nervous. Talking to him made her insides all fluttery, which was one of the reasons she’d been avoiding him, other than his being a pompous ass the day she’d gone to talk to him at the school. But that day, he basically said he didn’t want to even conversate because he’d be fleeing town as soon as possible. She definitely didn’t want to risk anything more after that, and here she’d gone and set herself up to shoot bi-weekly segments with him getting sweaty, arms bulging, his pale blue eyes tense with concentration. Her cheeks heated and when she turned back to face him, he was standing close.

  They stared at each other for a second before he looked at the gem dangling from her neck. With his index finger he slowly traced the dainty chain to the tiger’s eye. He lifted the jewel and let it fall back against her chest. She completely stopped breathing.

  “So have you seen him since?” Wade asked, backing up and returning to the same spot on the bench.

  Rebecca nodded. “Every day.”

  * * * *

  “The banter between the two of you was perfect!” Maureen proclaimed loud enough to be heard over the band.

  Wade sat next to her in the booth across from Dominic and Blaine, the latter too engrossed in a weather app on his phone to socialize. They hadn’t gone out since Wade’s first day at the station, and Dominic took the liberty of organizing a ‘one-month celebration party’. If Dom had his way, this gathering would turn into a monthly ordeal. Rebecca was absent, probably tangled up somewhere with her new guy. The thought made Wade sick to his stomach

  Dominic smiled with excitement. “Definite chemistry.”

  Wade shrugged, took a few gulps of beer to push away the lingering nausea, and thought about taking off to hit the gym. Maureen and Dominic were talking about the segment, blowing him full of hot air, and he didn’t want to hear their inflated praise. The segment couldn’t have been as great as they claimed, the awkwardness between him and Rebecca was obvious, thanks to his inability to control his impulses. He cringed inwardly, picturing her shocked expression when he touched her necklace, brushing his fingertip across the soft skin beneath it.

  Wade let out a quick breath, strained his head from side to side to pop his neck, then chugged the rest of his beer. “I’ll take your word for it, Dom. I’m not watching that segment, probably none of them.”

  “Why?” Dominic looked at him as if he were crazy.

  “I don’t like seeing myself on film.” Wade frowned, hoping he got the hint to drop the subject. Thank goodness the band announced a break and they wouldn’t have to shout back and forth over the music for a few minutes.

  “But you watch your football playbacks.” The news anchor smirked. He didn’t care about Wade’s silent threat.

  Maureen tapped Wade’s shoulder, saving him from interrogation. “Do you mind letting me out?” She laughed. “I’ve only had one drink and it’s going right through me.”

  Wade graciously obliged and took the opportunity to order another beer from the bar. He made himself comfortable on a stool and stared at the flat screen hanging in the corner across from him, airing a sports channel. Spring football practice was in full swing. What he wouldn’t give to go back five years and be a college freshman again, to start his sports career over and do things differently. He’d train harder, become stronger, faster. He’d make damn sure he was a first-round draft pick. He’d guarantee his place on a pro team. Nothing would get in his way.

  “I’m late, which seems to be my MO lately.” Rebecca’s voice stole his attention from the TV. She stood next to him. Her normally straight hair was wavy, had a little edge to it. Her eye makeup was darker than normal. Her lips were pouty and bright red. She smiled big and he nearly fell off his chair. “Where is everyone?”

  “Hi. You’re here!” He grinned, surprised she showed.

  “I’m here,” she repeated, still smiling, though she seemed uncomfortable. And why wouldn’t she be? He could kick himself in the ass for what he’d done earlier at the gym.

  Wade glanced at the booth where the crew had been, but it was empty. “Dom, Blaine, and Maureen were here a minute ago.” He scanned the crowd. “I don’t know where they went.”

  “Did I miss anything?” Rebecca wedged her small frame between Wade and the guy sitting on the stool next to his.

  “Work talk,” Wade said. The bartender finally handed him a beer. “Thanks.”

  “Vodka cranberry, please,” Rebecca ordered. She turned her entire body to face Wade and propped her arm on the bar top. He was acutely aware of their closeness; of how each time she took a breath she brushed against him. “Was Maureen upset? I mean she really needs to take into consideration it was a spur-of-the-moment segment. We weren’t prepared for safety demonstrations.”

  Wade shook his head. “She was impressed.”

  “I’m surprised.”

  “I’m surprised you’re here.” He made a point to eye the crowd around them. “And without your old man?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Please don’t. I just need some fun. I need to have a good time, release stress. It’s rare I’m ever out.” Rebecca ran her fingers through the back of her hair, lifting it and allowing the strands to fall back in place. Trying her damndest to kill him. “And, well...we should be friends.”

  Wade swallowed more beer. She was right, they needed to be friends. Friends were simple, and everyone needs a friend. This way he’d have her around enough she didn’t consume his every thought, but not so much…well, not so much that she consumed his every thought.

  Rebecca giggled, dropped her chin to her chest.

  Wade grinned. “What’s funny?”

  The classic rock cover band had taken the stage again and his ears welcomed the noise. The notes filled his head, kept the internal battle about Rebecca Ryan at bay. Her drink arrived, and she took a gulp then shook her head, mumbling something.

  He didn’t hear her over the music. “What?”

  Rebecca’s brows tightened, but her eyes smiled, and she placed a hand on his knee. Reaching up and around his neck with the other arm, she slightly tugged. He went with the direction, as she leaned into his ear. They were cheek to cheek. The warm wisps of her breath on his skin caused a stir in his chest. Screw being friends.

  “It was nothing important,” she whispered, shaking her head.

  Wade drew his head back enough to meet her eyes with his. “Everything you say is important.” He wasn’t sure where the words came from, but with her this close, he didn’t want to wrestle his emotions anymore.

  She laughed. “I’ve never heard that pick-up line, though I have been out of the game a while.”

  Wade
turned his entire body to face her. The move not only placed Rebecca between his knees, it shifted the space between them, charged the air. He could barely breathe. “I’m not hitting on you.”

  She pulled away, teasing, daring him with her gaze as she took a sip of her drink. “I think you may be.”

  “Excuse me.” Someone tapped his shoulder, jerking him straight out of Rebecca’s spell. A woman stood next to him, sporting big red hair and too much makeup. “Are you Wade McKinney?”

  Wade nodded, willing his pulse to slow. He turned up his beer to moisten his mouth, fully conscious Rebecca kept her eyes on him.

  “I knew it! I loved watching you play. My husband…ex-husband…we followed your college career. I can’t believe you got cut from the Hawks. That bastard of a coach wouldn’t know real talent if someone slapped him in the face with it.”

  “Thank you,” Wade said, always cordial to a fan.

  The woman ran a hand down his arm. “You’re staying in shape though.” She bobbled on her feet and caught herself with his shoulder, inebriated. “Why are you in this shitty town working for the crap local news?”

  Wade chuckled and gestured with his hand toward Rebecca. She pursed her lips together, her eyes jumping with laughter. “Have you met Rebecca Ryan, KDRD’s late night news anchor?”

  “Hi,” the redhead said to Rebecca. She handed Rebecca her cellphone. “Will you take a pic of me and my superstar?” The woman stretched an arm across Wade’s back. “You don’t mind, do you, sweetie?”

  Rebecca took the photo and passed the phone back to their visitor.

  The woman tapped on her phone, grinning, then looked at Wade. “Keep your chin up, kid. You’ll play again.”

  Chapter 4

  “Do you think they’ll notice we’re gone?” Rebecca dipped a French fry in a puddle of ketchup and took a bite. She and Wade sat in the end zone of the high school’s football field eating take-out. They’d left the bar not long after the redheaded fan encounter. Wade didn’t want to risk being harassed by his drunkest fan again, even though their interaction was the most hilarious thing she’d ever seen.