An arm reached out to pull me.
“You got the goods, girl,” drawled the voice attached to the arm.
“And how would you know?” I purred.
“Cause them goods is mine,” he answered and gave me a lingering kiss.
“Mr. Markovich!”
I hooked my arm through his elbow, and we continued walking toward my dressing room.
“I’m glad you stopped by, Alek, but what brings you here?”
“I am going through the archives for history on past Super Bowls. You were zipping down the hall pretty quickly when I caught you. What’s the rush, Mais?”
“I have just enough time to change and drop in on that baby shower I told you about. The one that Phyllis flew out here to throw for her model friend?”
“Is this a couples’ one or just women? Or is it just your family that does those mixed baby shower things?”
“Ah, but you guys never complain about the food, do you?” We both remembered the feast at Addison and Anthony’s shower before they had their son, Dante. “This one is just women. But the guys are probably doing something separate, so if you want to come—”
“I wish I could, but I have to get my crew ready for Miami. I’ll visit with Phyl at home since she is staying with us before we leave for the game.”
“I thought you had all the footage you needed … Never mind! I will never again argue about the amount of footage you shoot!”
“Thank you, my beloved wife.”
“You’re welcome, my adoring husband.”
We reached my dressing room, and it only took me minutes to change into casual clothes while munching on the dinner that my assistant had brought me. In the meantime, Alek briefed me on the latest deadlines on the documentary he was shooting about the Super Bowl.
“Speaking of baby showers …” he said as he sat at my chair and propped his feet on my desk.
I stopped in my tracks, splaying my hands over my abdomen.
“Shh. I haven’t told anyone here yet.”
“Do you think your job would be in jeopardy, little mamushka?”
“What is this, the fifties? No. I’m in no physical danger since I’m not on the sidelines anymore, and as the co-host of the number one national daily sports round-up show, I’m kinda sure they like me enough to keep my job for me while I’m on maternity leave.”
“Gosh. To think I knew you when you were dragging your own camera around, grinding out stories about chessboxing. Now you are the popular co-host of Sports Focus.”
“And married to an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker.” I turned to the mirror to adjust my hair.
“I like your confidence, sweetheart, but we’re only nominated for that piece on the history of the Heisman, you know. No guarantees of a win.”
“All in due time, Markovich, all in due time.”
I straightened the pearls at my throat, turned to him to smile, but slapped his hand instead.
“And stop stealing my french fries!”
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Acknowledgments
I would not exist without my late parents who gave me life, my blue collar work ethic, and the greatest gift they could: my Catholic faith. My brother John was my childhood hero and remains so to this day – thank you for always being in my corner. Thank you to my extended family. Thank you to my readers who like the heroines in my books and appreciate the fact that good girls can be sassy and witty and still keep true to their ethics. Thank you to KOA/iHeart radio of Denver who let me sit in on sports broadcasts and who answered all my questions about sports reporting and producing, particularly Andy Lindahl, Ed McCaffery, Cory Lopez, and Reid Fischer. Special thanks to Jenny Cavnar of Root Sports in Denver who gave me great insight into the life of a woman in the world of sports reporting. Any mistakes I made were totally mine and any embellishments were in service to the story rather than in service to maintaining accuracy of their world.
The powerhouses at MyWordPublishing – Polly Letofsky, Andrea Costantine, and Gail Nelson – are, in a word, “groovy”. Susan Hindman proved once again that good editing is the key to any author’s success, and Li Hertzi makes cover art like nobody’s business. The lion’s share of appreciation goes to the guy who has supported my writing efforts from day one. He’s the best friend a gal can have, and probably bought the engagement ring as soon as he realized that I could use phrases like “blitz”, “corner route”, and “block in the back” correctly. He is and will always be the MVP of my life: Darby.
About the Author
Award-Winning author Barbara Oliverio applies her writing skills to both fiction and non-fiction and is a public speaker and retreat facilitator. She and her husband are rabid sports fan
s, dedicated foodies and have well- worn passports with many global stamps. This is her fourth novel.
For bulk sales or author appearance, contact
@BOliverioAuthor
AuthorBarbaraOliverio
www.scolapastapress.com
[email protected]
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