Lexington and 42nd (The Off Field Series #1)

by Kim Carmody

  My phone rang, startling all of us. Will.

  “I should probably take this.” I looked up at the girls who were still staring at me with wide eyes. “Alone.”

  “Right, of course, sorry. Call if you need us.” Dana jumped up, pushing Carrie out the door.

  I sucked in a breath before answering. “Hey.”

  “Fuck, finally. Are you okay?”

  At the sound of his voice, I felt tears start to prickle. Yyyeah, I…I’m fine.”

  “Oh shit, no you’re not. God, I’m so sorry, Em. I should never have taken you out there.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I said, even though a part of me felt like it sort of was.

  “Tell me what to do. How can I help?”

  “What do I tell them, Will?”

  He was silent for only a few seconds but it felt like a lifetime.

  “What do you want to tell them?”

  That I’m in love with you and want to get married and have your babies, I didn’t say.

  When I didn’t respond, Will sighed into the phone. “Tell them it’s none of their business.”

  I felt my chest deflate. Right, that definitely wasn’t the reassurance I was after.

  “Something tells me that won’t go down too well.”

  “Then tell them the truth—that it’s new. You don’t have to label it for them. Besides, Mark’s a good guy. He won’t be a dick about it.”

  I let out a slow breath, hoping he was right but pretty sure he was wrong. Not after I’d gone and done the exact thing Mark warned me not to do and worse—let it show up on TMZ for the world to see. Besides, from what Mark had told me the week before, it sounded like he was the least of my worries.

  Will seemed so calm about things, but then why wouldn’t he be. It wasn’t like anyone was going to come down hard on him for anything. A thousand people could do my job but there was only one Will, only one quarterback.

  “I better go get this over with.”

  “Will you call me afterward? Let me know what happened? If you get any shit from them, I want to know.”

  I sat staring at the wall for another few minutes after I hung up the phone, willing myself to be anywhere but smack bang in the middle of the Warriors administrative headquarters. Mortification mixed with fear of what was to come had left me unable to think clearly. All I knew was that no matter what happened from here on out, there was no way I would regret my time with Will.

  There was a soft knock at the door before Carrie’s head popped in. “Mark wants to see you in his office.” She gave me a sympathetic smile before pulling it shut again.

  I stood, running my hands down the front of my dress in an attempt to pull myself together. Suddenly my carefree attitude over the last four days with Will seemed like the worst decision I’d ever made.

  #

  “You wanted to see me?” I popped my head around the door to Mark’s office.

  “Emma, yes, come on in.”

  He stood rigidly, fumbling with his tie as I pushed the door open enough to step in. Then I saw why.

  “Oh! Mr Hayes, I didn’t see you there. I’ll come back later.” I smiled weakly as the president of my possibly soon to be ex-employer stood to greet me.

  “Please, have a seat, Emma.” The older man, direct as always, motioned to the chair next to him.

  Shit. I had only spoken to him once after meeting him at the draft party. It was unlikely he would even recognize me. Before my TMZ fame, that is.

  Sitting, I looked over at Mark whose expression remained blank, wooden. Hayes moved to lean against the desk, levelling me with hard eyes.

  “I’ll get right to the point on this. I’ve been informed that the woman—” he said the word woman like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “—in the photos released overnight with Jensen was you.”

  I nodded once.

  “We run a football team that competes in the National Football League, Miss Lexington. I know you’re aware of the significant effort that our administrative team puts into making that happen.”

  Again, I nodded.

  “And we can’t win Super Bowl’s every year, as much as we might like to, but what we can do, what we must do, is operate as a world-class, professional organization.”

  Another nod. God, my neck was getting sore.

  “Now I personally don’t think your recent behavior was very professional, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Heart pounding, I tried to defend myself, but he cut me off before I could get a word in.

  “I don’t care what happened between the two of you. And I don’t care what you think is going to happen in the future. This ends now.”

  “Mr Hayes, please, I’m not—”

  “This isn’t a debate, Miss Lexington. Putting aside how your behaviour reflects on this administration, I will not have my quarterback go through some messy off-field incident just because some PR girl wants more than a one-night stand.”

  Anger and embarrassment churned through my blood at the speed of light. “To be clear, Mr. Hayes, he chased me. So before you start treating me like I’ve stalked the guy, I need you to understand that I never set out for this to happen. And I would NEVER allow whatever happened between us to impact my work. Or his for that matter.”

  When Hayes didn’t bat an eye, I looked to Mark for support. His eyes were averted, focusing on the blank sheet of paper that sat on his desk.

  “Mark has made sure I’m well aware of that fact, but it doesn’t change my views on the matter. This ends now. And don’t even think about going to Jensen on this…he’s got more important things to focus on. Like leading the New York Warriors to the Super Bowl this year.”

  Hayes straightened, slipping his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “If I hear even a suggestion that you’re still in contact with him in any way, you’ll be fired and on a plane home so fast you won’t even realize until you’re halfway across the Pacific. I’ll be making sure your boss back home knows about your behavior too…right before I pull the whole deal.” He reached up to straighten his already straight tie. “Don’t forget, you need us more than we need you. I’d hate to see all the hard work that’s gone into building a relationship between our two clubs be for nothing. At this stage, we’re still planning to offer the exchange opportunity to one of your colleagues next season. I’d like to see it stay that way.”

  When it was clear he’d finished speaking I nodded once more, too shocked to say anything. He sent Mark a hard glare before walking past both of us to the door.

  “Miss Lexington.”

  I turned to see Hayes’ upper body poking out from around the door frame. “Yes?”

  “You’re new around here, so I’ll make myself very clear. I don’t make empty threats. You go against me in any way and I’ll make sure you never work in this industry again. And not just in the US. Your resume won’t stand for anything in Australia either if I see fit to make it so. Jensen might be able to help you while you’re here, but not when you go home.”

  My gaze remained on the spot Hayes had been occupying long after he walked out, trying to make sense of what had just transpired. His words, delivered without a speck of emotion, like he was discussing which restaurant to eat at rather than ripping my life to shreds, filled me with dread. The butterflies I’d felt coming into Mark’s office were replaced by a lead weight in the pit of my stomach. I’d thought seeing the TMZ photo had made my panic real, but it hadn’t, not really. Hayes’ words sure did though. The reality of what I’d done washed over me like a steel clamp, tightening further around my middle with every passing minute as I realized how easily I’d been willing to jeopardize my whole career. And not just mine, the careers of everyone I worked with back home.

  “Emma, here.” Only as I looked at the box of tissues Mark was holding out did I feel the tears running down my cheeks.

  Taking one I said, “Oh God I’m so sorry Mark. I can’t believe I’ve put you in this position. I hope he didn’t take it out on you.”


  Mark shook his head. “I have to say, I was a little shocked to come in this morning and hear all the office gossip after our chat last week. It’s not what I expected you to do.”

  I hung my head at his words, unable to look at the disappointment that marred his face. “I know, I know…I didn’t mean it to happen, but he just…”

  My words trailed off as I realized I couldn’t even put the blame on Will. It had been me who, in the end, had taken things to the next level. With hindsight came an overwhelming sense of shock at my own behavior. I remembered clearly my post-car accident revelation about life being too short and needing to make the most of every moment…but at what cost? Now I was looking down the barrel of having my whole career ruined and I had no one to blame but myself.

  Mark placed a hand on my shoulder. “Look, if it were up to me, I’d tell you I wasn’t happy and then mind my own business. But Hayes meant it when he said he doesn’t make empty threats. He’ll pull the exchange program if he has to. The whole deal in fact. And he has contacts at almost every sporting code in the western world. He can ruin your career if he decides to.”

  I shut my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose as I waited for his next words, delivered more gently than his first.

  “I’m sorry, Emma, but you’re going to have to walk away.”

  I nodded, letting out a shuddered breath. God, I felt physically sick.

  “But what about what Will wants?”

  Mark stood up. “Jensen wants a Super Bowl championship. And as far as Hayes is concerned, right now you’re just an object standing in his way.”

  #

  Will called a little over an hour later as I sat huddled at my desk, still trying to digest the whole situation. There was this weird, awkward vibe in the air, thanks to everyone around me simultaneously trying to act like it was business as usual while stealing curious glances at me as if I were a zoo exhibit.

  I silenced the call, unsure of how to end things without blabbing the whole sordid conversation with Hayes. So instead, I stalled for more time to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do.

  Sorry, can’t talk, busy in the office. All went well with Mark.

  He replied immediately: Awesome. I knew it would be fine. See you tomorrow?

  I swallowed down the lump in my throat with the realization that no, he wouldn’t be seeing me tomorrow.

  #

  I spent the next day overseeing media training with the clubs newest recruits, feeling like a fraud given my face had been splashed across the tabloids just the day prior. Thankfully I hadn’t worked with any of them before, and it would appear they didn’t recognize me either—or at least if they did, they chose not to point out the irony of me lecturing them on how to stay out of the press.

  We wrapped up early, me just as eager for it to be over as they were, and I was waiting for my coffee at the Starbucks below the studio when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

  “Emma?”

  I turned to find a familiar face. “Olivia, hi.” We had crossed paths a number of times since our first meeting at the SportsPro launch. She was definitely one of my preferred journalists to work with, but given what had gone down in the last twenty-four hours, it wasn’t ideal to be running into anyone media related.

  “What a coincidence! Just the person I wanted to talk to.”

  “Oh,” I blinked, feeling a slight spike of panic in my chest. “I’d love to, but I don’t really have time. I’m kind of in a rush.”

  She brushed off my words as she leaned around me to pick up my coffee. “It’ll only take a sec,” she prodded me towards an empty table by the window. “Let’s sit here.”

  “No I really can’t. I have to get going.”

  I made to turn for the door but Olivia sat down, a slow smile spreading across her face as she said, “I see you had a nice Fourth of July weekend.”

  Oh shit.

  Just…shit.

  “Olivia,” I plonked myself down opposite her and latched onto her wrist. “Please, please, please, don’t tell me you’re here about that.”

  “Oh my God woman, breathe. You look like you’re about to pass out.” She pushed my forgotten coffee in front of me. “Here, drink. And call me Liv.”

  “Seriously, I’m begging you. I’ll do anything just…please don’t leak my name. It’s already bad enough at work.”

  She inclined her head, giving me a sympathetic smile. “Emma, I’m a female trying to be taken seriously as a sports reporter. The last thing my career needs is for me to be known as the journalist who leaks gossip to page six. It’s hard enough to be taken seriously as it is.” She winked. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  I sagged back against the chair and released the breath I’d been holding. “Thanks.”

  “No problems.”

  Sitting back in her chair, she crossed her arms over her chest. “So work wasn’t too thrilled with your newfound fame, I take it?”

  “Yeah, that’s a bit of an understatement.”

  Olivia inclined her head. “Really? Jensen said it hadn’t sounded too bad for you.”

  “You spoke to Will?”

  She nodded. “Last night.” She wriggled her nose at me. “Told him he’d need to keep you away from SportsPro for a while. Candice might claw your eyes out if you’re not careful.”

  “Oh, Candice.” My hands had stopped shaking enough for me to take a sip of coffee. “I should probably wear some protective headwear next time I see her.”

  “Ha! You’ll be fine. Besides, I think you put her in her place the first time you met.”

  Olivia’s phone beeped and she glanced at it, frowning before picking it up to respond to the message. I watched as she typed frantically, her forehead slightly furrowed in concentration yet for the most part she looked completely calm. She was one of those people who I imagined always managed to appear on top of things, even when everything was spiralling out of control.

  “So you guys know each other well?” I wasn’t sure why I asked but either way, Olivia didn’t seem to mind.

  “Hmmm? Oh, you mean Jensen and me?” She paused, looking up at me for clarification. “We went to college together. He inadvertently got me my start in the industry. Gave me an exclusive interview before the BSC Championship instead of giving it to one of the local news networks. It was the cornerstone of my portfolio. I’m pretty sure that’s what got me an interview with the network when I graduated.”

  “That was nice of him.”

  Olivia laughed. “I think he did it just to get me off his case.” She grinned. “I can be very persistent, if you haven’t noticed.”

  I nodded, smiling. Olivia could be very persistent.

  “It’s good you’ve stayed friends.”

  She shrugged. “It was nice getting a start in this industry with one familiar face around town. Making it as a sports journalist is tough as it is. Add in the craziness of this city and…let’s just say the last few years have been intense.”

  “Did you guys ever um…date?”

  Olivia looked up from her phone and stared at me, and immediately I wanted to take back my question. “No, we never did. Although I certainly appreciate why you would.” She gave me a knowing smile and then put down her phone. “My mom says that from as young as ten, I used to stand in front of the mirror every night before bed and imitate the reporters on the news. Then when I got a bit older, instead of the news, I’d report the latest sports results and make her pretend she was a tennis player I needed to interview after her match.” Olivia shrugged. “I’ve known this is what I wanted to do for a very long time, but I learned the hard way in college that mixing business with pleasure in this industry is never a good idea.”

  “Yeah, don’t I know it?” I shook my head, still marvelling at how I’d managed to wind up in this situation.

  “Oh! I’m sorry. I wasn’t talking about you.”

  I waved her off with a flick of my wrist. “It’s fine. I should know better. In fact I do know better. I just�
��I’m not really sure what came over me actually.”

  I took a sip of my coffee, watching as Olivia’s eyes flickered to her phone again as another message came in.

  “Sorry, this thing never stops these days.” She read it quickly then flipped the phone face down on the table. “So, I know I said I wasn’t going to report on you and Jensen, but…”

  I swallowed an excessively large mouthful of coffee. “Go on.”

  “I wanted to give you the heads up because other journalists—if you can even call them that—are sniffing around. I’ve had three calls since the photos were released from people wanting to know if I knew who you were.”

  “Really?”

  “Unfortunately yes. You’re officially on the paparazzi hit list.”

  “Oh my God.” I dropped my head into my hands.

  “It’s okay though. I told them you were some random British tourist who’s already left the country. I just thought you should know, because if you’re going to keep seeing him, you might want to figure out your story. If you don’t, they’ll just make one up.”

  I nodded slowly. “Thanks, I guess I owe you one.”

  Olivia’s eyes sparkled. “No problems, I’ll keep that in mind.” She bounced up from the table. “Anyway, I know you’re in a rush so I won’t keep you. I just wanted to give you a heads up that the vultures were circling.”

  I pushed myself up to stand, feeling like someone was physically bearing down on my shoulders. “No, it’s fine. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Thank you.”

  Olivia turned to me as we stepped out onto the footpath. “I promised myself I wouldn’t pry about what’s going on, but for what it’s worth, Jensen seemed pretty happy when I spoke to him last night.”

  I forced my face into a calm expression I imagined Olivia could pull off in any situation, even though I wanted to crumple onto the pavement and cry. “Thanks again, Liv. It was nice seeing you.”

  She smiled at me curiously for a second then turned and walked away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Three days later I got a text from Will, only a few hours before I was due to see him for the first time since we came back from the Hamptons. It was unavoidable unfortunately.