Aurora nodded and calmly sipped her tea as Gaby exited the breakfast room, leaving her alone with a still distracted Max. Looked like she had her day's work cut out for her. She smiled. Her favorite kind of work, too.
* * * * *
"So, I can't promise who I'm going to team you up with yet. I may end up using you down in the stands, on the grounds, doing one-on-one interviews with players, their friends, family members, what have you. I want you in the booth, too, don't get me wrong. We'll just see how everything plays out." Alan grinned. "You were right, you are a hot commodity. Our ratings have never been better during the first week. I think if we play this right, we can have a long, profitable working relationship."
Tess tried to keep still in her seat, when what she wanted to do was dance and shout. "Speaking of profitable, Alan," she began, sending him her brightest smile. "You've obviously got me interested, so why don't we talk numbers?" Play it cool, don't be too eager. But it was darn near impossible. This was the answer to all of her prayers, and a few she hadn't even thought about.
Alan pulled his briefcase up and put it on the table between them. They were seated in a small office near the players' lounge that he'd borrowed from the Club so they could speak in private. "I was hoping to get the chance to talk to your business manager, or whoever handles these matters for you."
That brought her up short, but only for a second. "Since retiring, I've handled my own negotiations. Of course, my attorney vets all my contracts." Or would. As soon as she hired a new one.
Alan perked up at that news. Corporate types hated working directly with the talent. They wanted their legal department to work with the people on the other end who spoke the same language they did. "Well, I'll get that information from you and get the paperwork sent out as soon as the event is over and we're all back in the States."
Tess's smile took on a sharper edge. "All wonderful, to be sure, but aren't we jumping the gun here a little bit? I'd like to know what the offer is exactly."
"Certainly, certainly." Alan snapped open his briefcase and pulled out a sheaf of papers. "I had this drawn up, preliminary figures, mind you, just to give you an idea of what we're looking at. Once your lawyer looks over the contract itself, we can certainly discuss any particulars that might concern you, but I think you'll be very happy with our offer." He slid the papers across the table.
Tess kept her game face firmly in place as she skimmed past the part that outlined the various events she'd be expected to attend. They'd already gone over most of that. She'd be on the road at least two weeks out of every month during the season, which lasted almost the entire year. At times she'd have to travel more often, especially in the weeks leading up to and including the four slams. She didn't mind. It wasn't much different than her life before, when she was still on tour.
Surprisingly, it wasn't flashes of her own career highlights that leaped immediately to mind, followed by the inevitable little clutch in her gut. No, the first image that had popped into her thoughts had been one of Gaby, yesterday, leaping around on the court, exultant, knowing she'd just earned a spot in the final four of her first Wimbledon. As hard as it had been for Tess to sit in the stands while someone else was down there fighting it out, there had been something intensely gratifying in seeing Gaby win.
There had been that moment during the match, when she'd come into the net as Tess had instructed her to do, and won the point… then turned and immediately looked up into the players' box and locked eyes with Tess. That small grin they'd shared. Like no one else could possibly understand how great that particular moment felt but the two of them. And in that moment, Tess hadn't felt as removed from the battle as before. She'd felt… she'd felt as close to the game as she supposed she was ever going to feel again.
"So, what do you think?"
Tess blinked and looked up at Alan, nonplussed for a moment, before pulling herself back together. She quickly flashed him her trademark smile, then looked back down at the sheaf of papers. "I've learned not to skim the fine print."
Alan chuckled, but it was the confident laugh of a man who knew he'd closed the deal, so was quite willing to be patient if need be.
And when Tess turned to the next page and saw the number of zeroes on the bottom line, she realized why he felt so sure of himself. She swallowed hard as the excitement of the moment once again threatened to overwhelm her. She hadn't realized just how worried she'd been that she wouldn't pull out a win when she needed it most. But now, seeing the result of all of her planning and strategizing since coming to London, and all the stress leading up to coming here, as she'd sold off everything she had to stay afloat… it was as if she'd just won the biggest grand-slam trophy of her entire life. And perhaps she had.
Somehow, she managed to keep her cool-and-casual demeanor, as if she fielded offers like this every day, Which, in the not so distant past, had actually been the case. "Of course, my attorney will have to go over this and decipher all the legalese and such." She looked up, flashed him a smile. "But unless there's something in here that I'm missing, it looks like we should be able to hammer something out."
She might have squandered her money once she had it, but she was no dummy when it came to making it. She was going to take this offer, and she was pretty sure Alan knew she was going to take this offer, but there would be some room for negotiation—there always was. So why settle? Neither side expected the first offer to be the binding one.
"I couldn't be happier," Alan responded, Translation: "I have a big legal department, too, fire when ready."
"Great. Can I take this with me?" she asked, picking up the stack of papers and pushing her chair back.
"Absolutely." Alan pushed his chair back, too, and they both stood. He extended his hand, and Tess enthusiastically shook it. "I'm thrilled to have you as a member of our little network family."
"I'm thrilled to have the chance to join in the fun."
"We'll get in touch sometime later next week, once this hoopla is over and we're all back home for a short break."
"I'll be sure to get you the information on my attorney before I leave London." With this contract offer in hand, hiring the best was not going to be a problem.
"Excellent." He walked around the table and motioned for her to lead them to the door. "So, I suppose you have a busy day lined up?"
"Yes, practice session with Gabrielle, then my brother is playing in the doubles semis this afternoon."
"Yes, yes, I noted that he and his partner were still very much in the thick of things here. Well done," he said, adopting the British phrase, despite the fact that he was from Los Angeles.
"I'm really excited for him," she said, as he leaned past her and opened the door.
"One thing," Alan said, stopping her just as she was about to step into the hallway. "Your business relationship with the Fontaines?"
"Yes?" Tess stepped a bit back in the doorway, as the noise coming from the players' lounge next door filled the hallway.
"I assume this goes without saying—and without knowing the exact nature of your agreement with them, you'll have to pardon me if I'm overstepping here—but we'll expect you'll be severing whatever business ties you may have with them before adopting your duties with us. Conflict of interest and all that." He smiled. "Not to mention we'll be keeping you a little too busy to be offering support to individual players."
"Of course," she said. It was something she already knew would be expected of her. "I'm only helping Gaby through this event. So by Sunday, whatever the outcome, we'll no longer be working together." Again, there was that pang. But of course it was natural to feel a little sad. Tess had grown to care about Gaby, and she would definitely be following her career with a bit more personal interest than before. Fortunately, her own new career would provide her with ample opportunity to do just that. If she was lucky, perhaps she'd even get the chance to call one of Gaby's matches in the near future. It was a win-win, really.
So why was there a lingering twinge of m
elancholy at the thought of Gaby being out there on the court, looking up in the stands at some other coach? Of course, Tess would do her best to help Gaby, and Max, select a really good replacement. And yet…
"Excellent," Alan told her. "I'd best get back to the booth. Come up and see us anytime you get the chance."
She nodded as he snapped his briefcase shut and stepped past her into the hallway, With one last hearty handshake, he headed the opposite direction, leaving her thoughts still on Gaby. She stared down at the papers in her hand, and thought about everything this contract would mean to her. "Money issues all solved," she murmured. Still, she wasn't as completely thrilled as she thought she'd be, all things considered.
"Well, well, isn't this a delicious bit of a coincidence. Was that Alan Chapman I just saw leaving you… and with an interesting bit of paperwork, it looks like."
Startled, Tess snatched the papers up and turned around to face one of her least favorite people. "Why hello, Fionula, who let you into the chicken coop?"
As this was typical in tone of most of their off-the-record dialogue, Fionula merely smiled. "And eggs seem to be hatching everywhere today."
Tess kept her expression seamless. "No doubt. If you'll excuse me, I have a practice session to get to. A closed practice session," she added pointedly.
"No comment on your tawdry little public display? Everyone is buzzing."
Tess bit the inside of her cheek, and hoped that it passed for a casual smile. "Only in your world would a sincere expression of emotion and celebration between two adults constitute as anything tawdry. Now if you'll excuse me."
Fionula shifted only slightly, but enough that Tess would have had to get her to move in order to get by her. "Care to comment on your little meeting? Tongues will be wagging."
By which Fionula meant that if Tess didn't explain, she would be more than happy to get those tongues wagging by speculating in print on what had gone on behind closed doors. And it went without saying her speculation would be far more sensational than anything that might have actually taken place. The word "tawdry" came to mind once again.
"No, I don't," Tess said. Alan would hold a press conference at some point, probably at the next event he was covering, to announce her joining the network sports team. He would love to do it here, however with only a few days left, they both needed more than a handshake agreement before making such an announcement. "But thanks ever so much for whatever yellow journalism you'll print to get the revenue up for your, gee, what was that word I was looking for? Oh yes, your 'tawdry' little paper."
"I'd hardly consider Good Day tawdry. We have a circulation of over a quarter of a million copies."
"Then I suppose we both need to reconsider our definition of the word, don't we?" Point to Tess, game over. She didn't wait for Fionula to move, but brushed past her and kept on walking. Well, she thought, that was going to make for interesting reading tomorrow.
This morning's interesting reading floated through her mind. She'd loved seeing the picture of a beaming Gaby, fists clenched in victory. She wasn't sure how she felt about the other picture. Hell, she still wasn't sure how she'd felt about the kiss itself. Or Max.
She hadn't expected it, which, along with being caught up in the moment with everyone else in the stands, was probably why she'd kissed him back. In some ways it had been over so fast, it was like she'd done it in a dream or something. But in other ways, when she let them, little things filtered into her consciousness. The way his mouth had felt on hers. Warm. Confident. Dedicated. And there was that thing he'd done again, tightening his hold on her, keeping her where he wanted her when she might have shifted back. Or would have, probably, if he hadn't been holding her so tightly. She might have clung a little, too. She had a distinct memory of digging her fingertips into his back, which was more muscled than she'd have thought. But that had merely been for balance, because he'd caught her off guard and all.
Christ. Who was she trying to kid? She'd enjoyed every last second of it. And it was pretty much all she'd thought about since. She just didn't know what in the hell to do about it. In a few days the tournament would be over and they'd all go their separate ways. She would miss Gaby. More than she'd realized, if her reaction a moment ago had been any indication. And she'd miss Max, too. She felt like maybe she was just finally starting to get to know him. But that was life, right?
So, as per her usual modus operandi when it came to personal matters she didn't feel like dealing with, she'd just avoided the whole thing. Unfortunately, it wasn't like the old days when she could escape by hiding out on a court somewhere. Even when said court was in a stadium seating ten thousand screaming fans. She knew how to solve any problems she encountered out there. It was the off-court problems that gave her a little trouble.
Dinner had been a study of awkward discomfort. They'd both gone out of their way to not even make eye contact, much less small talk. And yet she couldn't keep from darting looks at him when she thought he wasn't looking. Wondering what he was thinking, had he regretted the kiss that would surely be splashed across a front page or two… or did he maybe want to kiss her again?
She was being ridiculous, really. Like she was Gaby's age again, or something. But still… She hadn't even planned on going out last night, but heading back to Wexley, knowing Max was under the same roof thinking God only knew what kind of thoughts… she'd taken Vivian up on her offer to do the town. And then there was her morning meeting, so she'd avoided him at breakfast, too. But now it was practice time. She thought she'd have her act together by now and the whole matter firmly sorted out in her mind.
It had merely been a nice little interlude while it lasted, burned off a bit of that sexual tension they'd somehow managed to build up despite sniping at each other all the damn time. And yes, it got all of England and perhaps half of Europe absolutely convinced they were shacking up at Sir Robin's place. But since she'd be walking out of his life in a few days, all the buzz would die down, no doubt replaced by the next salacious bit of celebrity gossip, and they'd both be free to continue on with their lives as if it had never happened.
As it turned out, it wasn't Max who greeted her at the practice court with Gaby, but Aurora instead.
"What a nice surprise," Tess told her as she encountered the two of them waiting just inside the building doorway for the security escort through the fans to their practice court.
"I'm getting all the behind-the-scenes scoop today," Aurora bubbled. "It was so nice of Max to arrange for my pass." She took Tess's arm. "He was sorry he couldn't be here, he had some other business to attend to." She held Tess's gaze for a moment, in a meaningful way that Tess completely ignored.
"Good," Tess finally responded.
Aurora looked a little disappointed at her lackluster response. "So, what brought you down here so early today?"
Tess debated briefly about telling her, but Gaby was hovering and it really wasn't the right moment. "Oh, just a bit of business that came up. Good news, actually." She sent a telling look past Aurora's shoulder to, where Gaby stood, chatting with the cute young security guard. "I'll tell you about it later."
Aurora smiled. "That would be lovely. We need to do a bit of catching up, you and I."
Tess wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but she was anxious to get through the gauntlet and out to the practice court. "Sure. No problem. I promise."
"I was hoping that perhaps you could find a way to finagle me a spot in the box with you during Bobby's match today. I would so love to see him play. And that would give us more time."
Tess's brow furrowed. Aurora seemed awfully intent on something. More than likely something about Max, given that Aurora had been almost as bad as the teenager at dinner last night, trying to maneuver them together. Well, she was going to have to wait a bit longer to try and work her matchmaking wiles on Tess today.
"I'm certain we can get you a seat, and I'd love the company."
"Are you ready, miss? Madam?" the guard asked them politely. "We s
hould head out."
"All ready," Tess assured him, smiling in relief. "Aurora, you stay in the middle and Gaby and I will bring up the rear." She leaned close to Gaby when she stepped back beside her. "You ready? It's going to be a little crazy out there today, all things considered. Just smile, nod, but no questions, no autographs. We'll see how practice goes, how frenzied it is out there, then maybe a few signatures afterward. Then home."
"Okay," Gaby said, surprising Tess with her easy acquiescence. She was all but bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I'm ready. Hey, where's Petra? Who's hitting with me today?"
Tess grinned, and it was the first time all morning that she felt it all the way down to her toes. "You're playing in your first slam semis tomorrow. You'll be practicing with me."
Chapter 23
The Glass Slipper limo door opened and Max automatically scooted over to make room for Gaby. Only it was Tess who slid in. He leaned forward as she quickly closed the door behind her to keep out the rain. "Where's Gaby?"
"You bumming my ride?" Tess asked at the same time, obviously just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. "Since when do you use Aurora's limo service?"
Ever since our kiss in the players' box was plastered all over England, he wanted to tell her. He'd sent Gaby ahead in the limo for practice earlier in the day so she could have the privacy she needed to stay focused. Her win yesterday had elevated her celebrity status even more. He'd known he'd get a bit more interest because of being Gaby's manager, and perhaps a lot more because of the renewed focus on the state of his relationship with Tess Hamilton, but he hadn't quite counted on just how much until he'd tried to pull his car into the car park earlier and had been all but mobbed by media and fans alike.
"I thought I'd catch a ride back with Gaby," he told her. "Where is she?"
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