by Anna Albo
“No worries. You were having fun. No harm done.”
“You still have a nice ass.”
“Cate!”
“All right, I’m finished now.”
They helped clean up and ended the evening early. Cate still had unpacking to do before starting her job Monday morning. Cate was pulling on her coat when Will gave Allie a quick kiss on the lips.
“Call me tomorrow,” he said. There was a seriousness in his tone that she’d never heard before.
“Sounds ominous.”
“It’s nothing bad.”
“Okay. We’ll talk later.”
As Cate began another tirade about her ex on the ride home, Allie’s thoughts wandered. Whatever it was, he didn’t feel comfortable talking about it in front of Cate. She’d have to wait until Monday to find out.
ALLIE AND CATE DROVE to work together. Allie gave her a brief tour then left her with Joel Nichols, the Falcon’s general counsel. She’d met Joel once and he seemed all right, not that Cate needed a bodyguard. If she didn’t like Joel, he’d know soon enough, and if he tried to push her around, she’d push back. Harder.
Allie reached her office and found it empty. Kyle had taken a few days off for the holidays and she liked having the office to herself. It was officially her first day as director of financial and support services. Her first order of business was to review all game-day fundraising that included pretty much nothing other than the 50/50 draw. She’d come up with a list of other opportunities that she’d take to the management team. In the meantime, with the gala weeks away, it was still her top priority.
She sat at her desk, and while she waited for her archaic computer to load, she sent Will a text.
Allie: Come by after practice? I have the office to myself. We can pretend we’re working.
She proofed the gala poster and brochure and made some last-minute calls. She replied to three of Tiffani’s emails when she got a text from Will.
Will: Heading into practice. See you in about ninety minutes.
Allie took that time to meet with Henry. As executive director, he was her boss, but she could see how tired he was. As well as being executive director of the foundation, he also managed media relations under the useless tutelage of Walter Springs. Allie couldn’t imagine how he managed it all, and it showed on all the lines on his face and the dark circles under his eyes.
“Thank God I have you. You know, Allie, when you’ve got so many things going on, it’s hard to be in control of any of them. I would love to unload a large portion of my workload on you so I can focus on media. We had another person quit right before Christmas and by the time I get someone trained, it will be the end of the season.”
“I’ll do whatever you need.”
“Perfect. I need you to take over the charity golf tournament in August, oversee the fashion show in March and see if we can get the children’s hospital dinner back on the calendar. They got frustrated with us and decided to do it on their own this year. It was embarrassing, especially when the papers got a hold of the story. Do whatever it takes to win them back. Tell them every player will show up if that’s what it takes. We need them.”
“I’ll try.”
“Lastly, donations to the foundation have dried up. I’m not sure what it will take, but we need people parting with their cash. See if you can come up with some ideas. We have one assistant, but don’t expect much help from her. She’s either busy texting or going on her long lunches. She also likes to leave right at five o’clock.”
She pitied Henry. The job was sucking the life out of him. “I know you probably don’t want to hear it, but I’ve got some suggestions. I thought we could do collectors pins, a team calendar or how about a cookbook? I hear some of the players are great cooks.”
Henry’s dull brown eyes stared at her. “Price it all out and bring it to the next meeting.”
“Okay.”
“Ideas are such a foreign concept around here.”
She returned to her office pleased with herself. Henry appreciated her and, more importantly, he needed her.
She was typing away on her computer when Will knocked on her door. The sight of him made Allie’s body tingle.
“Come in,” she said, unable to wipe the smile off her face.
He closed the door behind him. She’d already drawn the blinds in anticipation. He kissed her then took the seat across from her.
“How’s Cate doing?”
“I haven’t heard from her yet. We’re meeting for lunch. Knowing her, she’s already gone through every contract. I’m not sure if her job entails player contracts though. I should ask her.”
“About that,” Will said. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
She knew instantly that something wasn’t right. He seemed tense. “You said your contract has two more years.”
“It does.” He looked down at his feet. “Here’s the thing. My agent called me while you were gone. Nashville wants me and the Falcons are entertaining the offer.”
Allie swallowed hard. “What?”
“Nashville wants me and the Falcons—”
“No, I heard you the first time. Why is this happening?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t have a no-trade clause so they can pull the trigger and do it.”
“No, no, no!”
Allie jumped out of her seat and paced her office, all ten steps of it. “They can’t trade you,” she said as panic gripped her. They couldn’t carry on long distance and even if they tried, he’d have to notify his new team. Either way they’d be toast.
“My agent knew about it more out of courtesy than anything else. I guess Nashville was being decent about it.” He went to Allie and put his arms around her. “I want you to be prepared.”
Allie broke the embrace and took a step back. “Do you want me to talk to Eddie? Do you want me to try and stop this?”
He stared at her, a long hard look that made her question everything. Did he not want to be with her? Was he planning an escape? His jaw clenched and she prepared herself for the worst. When had they gone south? Wouldn’t she have noticed it? She wanted to cry, but she told herself to wait until he was gone. Not to give him the satisfaction.
“Allie, do everything you can to stop this trade.”
Her whole body decompressed. Is this what Blake had done to her? Made her second guess every new man in her life? She shook her head of any thoughts of him. “What took you so long to say that?” she said, slapping his arm.
He gave her a small smile. “I hesitated only because I hate the position it puts you in.”
“That’s the least of our worries.”
She snatched her phone and called Eddie’s direct line. She got his voicemail. Did anyone answer their phones anymore?
“Hi Eddie, it’s Allie. Please call me as soon as possible.” She hung up and tried to quell her nerves. Will hugged her and she refused to get emotional. She’d stop this.
“And now we wait,” Will said.
“What if it’s too late?”
“I would have found out by now. They would have let me know before practice.”
“I’m guessing there isn’t much time. I can only hope Eddie calls right away. Why did you wait so long to tell me?”
“I found out before you showed up with Cate. I didn’t want to ruin the evening.”
“Next time ruin the evening.”
He smiled sheepishly. “I should go. I don’t want to stay too long. People might get suspicious. Call me the second you know something.”
He left and Allie was alone with her thoughts. She stared at her phone, willing it to ring. An hour passed and Allie called Eddie three more times and got his voicemail each time. She’d even called his assistant who had no idea where he was. By the time Cate came to fetch her for lunch, Allie was in full-mode panic. Any minute the deal could be done.
“Okay, this place is run like a frat house minus the kegger. No one takes responsibility for anything, the books are
a mess, and contracts are unsigned. Do you know that the soda vendor hasn’t signed a contract? How can you serve that brand exclusively with no contract? Do not get me started on the filing system. There’s shit all over the place. And backups? They back up information on CDs. Last time I checked, it’s the twenty-first century.”
Cate was talking but Allie wasn’t paying much attention. “I might have some CDs if you need them. I found them in my desk.”
“No, I definitely do not need them. Were you even listening?”
“Sort of. No. Cate, I’m freaking out. Will was here and he told me the Falcons might trade him. I’ve been trying to get a hold of Eddie and he’s disappeared off the face of the earth.”
“Shit. You’re kidding.”
“I wish.”
“Is there anyone else you can ask?”
“Like who? I start poking around and everyone puts it together in three seconds.”
“It’s not like any of these idiots will tell me. I just got here. Where do you think Eddie is?”
“My guess is at the driving range. That’s the only time he doesn’t answer his phone.”
“Do you want to get lunch? To distract you?”
“No, I want to talk to Eddie. I can’t even think about food.”
Cate’s face lit up. “I have an idea. I’ll go talk to Joel and ask him about player contracts. I’ll ask him how the process works and if I can be involved, or at the very least be an observer, in any player contracts.”
“By the time it gets to Joel, don’t you think it’s too late?”
“No, not at all. I’m sure Joel is involved in the entire process. Let me go see what I can find out. I’ll let you know.”
Allie was alone again. She texted Will to tell him she still hadn’t reached Eddie. She tried Eddie for the millionth time. Voicemail. She resorted to calling her mother, but she was with Billy at his studio. She hadn’t spoken to Eddie in days.
Finally, at three that afternoon, two hours after Cate had come up empty with Joel, her uncle called.
“Allie, you’ve called twenty-three times. This better be an emergency.”
“Eddie, the Falcons are thinking of trading Will to Nashville. You have to stop this.” She could no longer hide the hysteria in her voice.
For a long time, she was met with silence.
“Allie, do you want me to do this for the team or for you?”
She’d never lied to her uncle before, at least not about anything important, and she wasn’t going to start now. “I want you to do it for me and for the team.”
“But more for you.”
“Will Cavallo is one of only a few players who cares about this team. I’m sure you know he’s the one feeding me information. He cares about the foundation and he also happens to care about me and I adore him. He keeps the young guys out of trouble when the rest of these losers are more concerned with parties and women. The Falcons could get rid of any player they want, but why one of their best players who’s solid both on and off the ice? I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I,” he conceded. “I can see why Nashville wants him. He’s a great defenseman without a huge cap hit. But if I intervene, people will wonder why and how I found out.”
“Can’t you make inquiries? Get them to tell you?”
“I can’t believe I have to ask my GM what he’s up to. It’s my damn team! Okay, I’ll make a few calls. I’ll do this for you once, but I won’t do it again. And for the record, I’m doing it because I think it’s a bad trade, not because I want you to make a love connection.”
“Thank you, Eddie. I’ll be forever grateful. I love this team and I know you do too. It will be much worse without Will.”
She waited and paced some more. She sent Will a text to update him on the call with her uncle, but she wished she had more information. As five o’clock neared and Cate was perched at Allie’s office door waiting to go home, resignation set in. Allie didn’t expect to hear anything until morning.
“What if he didn’t stop it in time?”
“I’m not sensing anything. You’d think if a player was about to be traded, there’d be more activity. All these pencil pushers were pushing their pencils. Nothing more.”
“I don’t think I can drive. Do you mind?” Allie asked, flipping Cate the keys.
“You’re making yourself crazy, you know that, right?”
“If he gets traded, I’m going to kill someone.”
“Not me, please.”
Allie’s phone rang. Eddie’s name popped up on the screen. She thought she’d be sick as she answered.
“Hi, Eddie.”
“Well, that was interesting. I fought with Cam Kosinski for nearly an hour before I fired him.”
Allie gasped. “You fired him?”
“Expect the announcement in the morning. The man’s an idiot. Young lady, at first I was very angry that you asked me to make that call. I shouldn’t have to be involved in day-to-day operations, but I kept telling myself I was doing it for you. Well, am I ever glad I did. That idiot was ruining my team. Not only did he want to trade Cavallo, he wanted to swap our first round draft picks for Rick Sandler and some no name playing in Russia. Why would I give up picking second or third in the draft for some Russian no one’s heard of?”
“He didn’t make the trade then?”
“Hell no! And I let Tyler know he better find someone good. I’m even willing to pay a little more this time. I cannot handle stupid.”
“Thank you, Eddie. This means so much to me.”
“I suppose I should be thanking you, and I want you to get me a list of any other idiots I should fire.”
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
“All right. Let me know how this all plays out tomorrow. Maybe it will scare the others into doing their jobs.”
“Yes, I’ll get all the gossip. I love you, Eddie.”
“Is that all it takes to get an ‘I love you’ from my niece?”
“No, I love you all the time.”
Allie hung up and spontaneously started to laugh. “What a crazy day!”
“You can say that again.”
Allie dialed Will’s number and he answered right away.
“You’re safe.”
CHAPTER 27
The ten days leading up to the gala, Will was on a road trip. This left Allie doing all the last-minute details with the committee that turned out to be mostly Tiffani. The night before the gala they met with the decorators and made sure all the prizes and tables were in place. Tiffani made last-minute adjustments, and Allie sat back and let her take over.
Allie stood at the rear of the reception hall and watched Tiffani delegate. With some guidance she thought Tiffani could be a real asset to the foundation. She’d talk to Henry about that. Tiffani was a fireplug, a go-getter and now that she had a clear mission, she shone.
Tiffani took one last look around the hall and caught sight of Allie. She trotted over, a wide smile on her face. “This place looks great. Did you see the prizes? We’ve got over a hundred of them. I think we can easily make fifty grand on the raffle.”
“I think you’re right.”
“And the event officially sold out this morning. I knew it would. People around here always buy tickets last minute. I don’t think it hurt that we blasted pictures of the prizes all over social media.”
“We had a huge monetary donation this afternoon. We’ve already hit two hundred thousand and no one’s stepped foot in here yet. Tiffani, you did a great job. Thank you.”
She beamed. “I never thought I’d hear those words come out of your mouth.”
“I give credit where it’s due.”
“Since we’re being so honest, the moment I met you, I hated you with a passion. I was plotting your demise. But then I thought about what you were saying and I got it. I know people think I’m a gold digger and attention seeker, but I love doing this. And like I said before, I had no idea we weren’t making any money.”
“Henry
is overworked and I think the gala was something he couldn’t devote time to. We’re on the right track now. This will be the best gala ever. And I will always keep you informed. You’re a great asset to the Falcon Foundation.”
“Suffice it to say, I don’t hate you as much,” she said, then laughed at her little joke.
“I might be overstepping here, but would you be interested in doing other fundraisers? We could use you on the golf tournament this summer and I have a few other ideas I want to ask Henry about. We could use your expertise.”
Tiffani pointed to herself. “Me? Did hell just freeze over?”
“Why not you?”
A wide smile spread across her lips. “Well, I’ll think about it.”
Allie grinned. She knew Tiffani would accept. “We’d love to have you on board.”
Instead of going back home, Allie did the short drive to Will’s place and let herself in. Will was showering. She noticed he had a phobia about airplane trips. He showered after every one of them. The germs? She’d ask one day. But the end result was the best part. He’d walk around in nothing more than a towel wrapped around his waist and this day was no different.
He jumped when he saw her lying on his bed and tapping away on her phone. “Shit, you scared me,” he said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. Her first instinct was to rip his towel away but she restrained herself.
“I needed to lie down. I’ve been on my feet all day. I spent the last three hours with Tiffani at the reception hall.”
“After the road trip I had, I’m glad to see you.”
He was standing over her, beads of water blotting his toned chest. She kept herself in check. “I guess we’re officially in last place now?”
“A place we appear to be very comfortable with.”
She stared at the knot on the towel. In one quick action she could have him out of it.
“I truly believe that firing Cam has proved to Eddie that the team is ready for change.”
“I hope so. Going to the rink and knowing you’re going to lose isn’t much of a motivator.”