by Cindi Madsen
“Hello?” a voice said on the other line.
Charlotte moved next to him on the couch and gave his hand an encouraging squeeze.
Lance identified himself and then pushed through the skin-tightening sensation and forced words that didn’t want to come out. He told John he might’ve made a mistake by firing him with the rest of the staff. He revised it to “it was a mistake” when Charlotte mouthed it at him.
This call was akin to walking over hot coals, and he tugged on his collar and cleared his throat an inordinate amount of times.
“Is Charlotte with you?” John asked.
He glanced at her, the steady rock at his side. “Yes.”
“Can I talk to her?”
Lance passed the phone.
“Hey, John,” she said, the smile on her face flooding her words with sunshine. She asked him a few questions and laughed at one point, and all Lance could do was hold his breath and wait. “Okay. Putting you on speaker now.”
“We’re gonna build an amazing team,” Lance promised. “And again, I’m sorry that I fired you without realizing how badly we needed you on it. Charlotte informed me that you tried to rein in the other two.”
“That was my mistake, not being firmer. But my hands were tied. I’ve got a few conditions if I come back…”
Lance winced, sure it’d be a higher salary that he couldn’t afford to pay him. All the demands were reasonable, though. A five-year contract and better health insurance for his family. “I’m a die-hard fan,” he added. “Always have been.”
“Is that you saying you’re in?” Lance asked, needing the clarification.
“I’m in.”
The tension in the room eased, and judging from Charlotte’s grin and the loosening of her shoulders, she felt it, too. “Okay, what we need is—”
“Wait,” Charlotte said. “Paperwork first. I’ll email you a new contract, as well as an updated NDA. You can virtually sign it, and we’ll do the same on our end.”
Lance hit the mute button. “Do we have time for that?”
“The question is do we have the time to risk not having it. Spoiler alert: the answer is no. We’re talking about insider information, and while I know John and don’t think he’d ever do anything like that, you did recently piss him off, and I’m a forms girl. I want documentation and that extra protection for the team’s sake and for yours.”
Lance nodded, glad she had his back. For once, the forms did seem like a good idea.
Charlotte unmuted the call. “Hey, I’m sending it all now. I need you to turn it around as soon as you get it, and then we’ll need to hit the ground running, and I mean tonight.”
“You got it,” John said.
Within a few minutes, Charlotte had pulled up the necessary forms, made changes, and sent them off.
Another slew of calls came in, and Lance kept watching the clock, pacing the floor, and silently chanting for John to hurry up.
“Got it,” Charlotte said as he was wrapping up another call. “I’m dialing him up now…” The second John picked up, she launched right into everything they needed, starting with a decent salary for Gavin Frost. “And, John? Please talk fast. Lance and I have a rehearsal dinner to attend in an hour…”
Chapter Twenty-Two
If Stacy and Maribelle hadn’t both texted her during the day to say they couldn’t wait to see her at the dinner, Charlotte would consider skipping the rehearsal. It was nice to know she’d be missed, though, and with her time here ticking down, she wanted to see the people she’d quickly grown attached to a few more times before she lost the chance.
So it didn’t matter if she was exhausted or if she’d just gotten a call from her roommate saying that Dad had shown up at their apartment.
“He asked where you were,” Shannon had said, and Charlotte’s stomach had dropped down to her toes. “I told him out of town, but since I didn’t know if you wanted him to be able to find you, I said I wasn’t exactly sure where you were.”
“He probably just wants money.” Wasn’t it like him to show up and ask for something right when she’d started to feel like her life was taking a turn for the better? She’d hoped that in time they could heal, but that healing was supposed to start once he finished the program. Not after checking himself out early, which was clearly what he’d done if he was showing up on her doorstep.
Guess this was what she got for burying her complicated feelings about how to best help him without resenting him underneath the nonstop work emergencies that kept popping up. If he would’ve just stayed in rehab, he’d be in the facility until after the draft, and she’d be more equipped to deal.
In theory.
Maybe if I’d called him back earlier today like I should’ve, I could’ve worked out a bargain. Her plan had been to tell him that if he would finish the entire program, she’d help him get back on his feet financially.
Now she worried she’d end up being an enabler who got walked over and hurt again.
“How did he seem?” she’d asked Shannon, even though she wasn’t sure how a man who was truly done with gambling would seem. It was one of the hardest addictions to see, and one of the easiest to hide until someone poked around your bank accounts or your credit cards were declined when you went to pay for dinner.
“Sober. Clear-headed.”
At least there was that. A glimmer of hope had risen up and called to her. Maybe he really was better.
After she’d thanked Shannon, she’d let loose a squeak at the time and rushed to get dressed. Now she was staring at her phone, considering whether or not she had time to call Dad and hash out everything they needed to. Or at least a portion of what they needed to.
The knock on the door made up her mind for her. Later. Not only did she not want to be late for the rehearsal dinner, she also wanted to enjoy a few hours of being around a more traditional family before she figured out where her messed-up one was, even though she also felt guilty for having that thought in the first place.
Shoving it down for a bit longer won’t hurt anything. You’ve only got a little over twenty-four hours left to enjoy your time with the Quaids before everything gets more complicated.
A full-body flutter went through her after she swung open the door. Lance was in a crisp white collared shirt, all the buttons done up, wearing a simple black tie that matched his pants and jacket.
He was so tall and handsome, and her legs turned liquid as she took him in.
She got to arrive on his arm.
Got to kiss his lips.
Got to wrap her naked body around his.
Her cheeks heated at that thought, and Lance arched an eyebrow as if he could read her mind. “Do I need to come in for a few minutes?”
“Better not,” she said, grabbing her bag and nudging him back into the hall. “But later tonight, you should definitely come in. For more than a few minutes.”
He put his hand low on her back—low enough to break section three, had they not signed that contract—and his lips brushed her ear as he whispered, “Your wish is my wish.”
…
“Interesting about how you two just work together,” Mom said after Lance winked at Charlotte, who was over by Stacy and her bridesmaids. Somehow she’d been roped into helping out with the rehearsal.
Not somehow exactly. She was organized and on task, and man, she was so pretty it almost hurt to look at her.
Lance reluctantly pulled his gaze off her and her red dress and turned to his mom. Another wedding and unborn grandchildren were dancing in her eyes, and he wanted to shut it down before she got carried away.
Or maybe more accurately, he didn’t want to shut it down as hard as he should, even though it was going to set them both up for failure. His mom and him, although he supposed it’d probably hurt Charlotte, too. That was the last thing he wanted to do.
“I thought I’d done a good job picking women who might catch your interest, but I’m not too proud to admit that they would’ve paled in comparison to Charlotte. It’s
not easy to find someone who’s kind, beautiful, and smart. Even more impressive, she can keep up with you.” Mom reached for a champagne flute the waiters were passing around. “Not just keep up with you but deal with your moods and give it right back.”
Champagne wasn’t his usual, but he grabbed a glass, too, just for something to do.
“You’re not denying it,” Mom said, and he sighed.
“How can I? She’s all the things you’ve said and more.” Hope he had no business entertaining bubbled up, and he worked to squash it. He lived in the real world. He wasn’t some wide-eyed young buck anymore who believed things would work out if love was involved. “But the timing’s off. My life… I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d be married to my job for the foreseeable future. It has to be my priority.”
“Understandable, I suppose. But that doesn’t mean you and Charlotte can’t continue to date and see where it goes.”
Continue to date—considering he’d had his arm wrapped around her when they’d arrived and he couldn’t stop staring and grinning at her like a lovesick loon, he could only blame himself that the jig was up. He hadn’t missed the I suppose she’d added, either, which was you’re being an idiot in Mom language.
“Just look at your brother and how happy he is to be getting married,” she continued to push. “That doesn’t mean he’s not committed to his career or his team.”
“And I’m happy for him. But it’s different. He and Stacy met in college and have known each other for years. Plus, he only has himself and how he plays to worry about, not an entire franchise resting on his shoulders.”
“Are you worried it’ll get messy because of work, or are you scared of getting hurt again?” Mom placed her hand on his arm, and he had no choice but to look at her.
“I wouldn’t say I got hurt.”
She frowned. “Oh, come on, son. That last woman violated your trust. She talked to reporters and was more interested in attention than supporting you when you needed her most.”
He didn’t need to be reminded. Worse, when he’d told Sage his injury wasn’t healing as quickly or as well as it should and that he was afraid the doctors were right about him having to retire or risk losing the use of his knee, she freaked out. She was furious after discovering he’d told his coach to find a permanent replacement, and after he’d announced his plans to retire early, she’d slept with his fullback out of spite. The fact that his teammate had done it hurt more than anything she’d done. They were a team. He’d trusted both of them, but especially the guy who’d kept him protected on the field.
“Charlotte’s not like that woman,” Mom said.
“No, she’s not.” He knew it, but there was still a part of him that held back, just in case.
Since this was the very sort of thing he’d wanted to avoid—well, that and being set up on blind dates—he sought out Charlotte, and once their eyes met, he silently conveyed he could use a save or a block or something.
Ever great at reading cues, she strode over and linked her elbow in his. “Mind if I steal him away for a few minutes? I need a strand of lights adjusted, and while I might be tall enough in these heels if I also stood on a chair, that sounds like a broken neck waiting to happen.”
“Of course, dear,” his mom said, and as they started away, his cell buzzed in his pocket. He was fielding calls, doing his best not to constantly check his phone, but he slipped it out, just in case it was important.
Mom: You might think you got out of discussing you and Charlotte, but all you did was prove how well you can read each other, and that she’s there for you when you need her. Joke’s on you ;)
He didn’t know whether to sigh and shake his head or laugh.
Mom: Also, you’re not supposed to be checking your phone.
He glanced over his shoulder, and Mom gave him a smug smile. Charlotte followed his gaze. “Do I even want to know?”
“My mom adores you. Not like she’s made a secret of it.”
“And she’s pressuring you about us, and you needed an escape.” Her smile tightened, and while she tried to hold it, he could see it took effort.
He curled her to him and cupped her cheek. “No. I mean yes. What I mean is… You realize my life is crazy right now.”
“Of course.” Her glittery earrings caught the light as she swept back the section of hair that’d fallen over one eye. “My life is pretty crazy, too, you know. I got a new boss who’s brash and extra demanding, and he’s had me putting in a ton of overtime.”
He loved that she could make a joke about it, but he didn’t want her to think he was taking advantage of her, even if he probably was. “Sorry to hear that. Is there anything good about your new boss?”
She ran her hand down his tie and playfully tugged on the end. “He looks pretty sexy in a suit. Not that I’d ever say that to him, because it’d be highly inappropriate.”
“Ah. It just so happens one of my new employees is hot as hell. Sassy and feisty, and she’s saved my ass so many times it’s insane. I’m not sure if I’ve thanked her for that.”
“Well, it is a nice ass— Funny story, when I first noticed how nice it was, I reread the interoffice dating section of the handbook.”
He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. With the pretense of only being work associates officially blown, he didn’t see any reason to hold back. “That day you stormed into my office and reprimanded me for my language, I knew I was in trouble. I could handle a bunch of lazy, pompous dudes, but you…” He nuzzled his nose into the curve of her neck and sucked in a big inhale before straightening and peering down at her. “I had no idea how to handle you.”
“Don’t act like you do now.”
He touched his lips to hers. “I’m still going to do my damnedest.”
Her lips parted, and he gave her a proper kiss, holding her tighter as she relaxed into his embrace. Earlier today she’d been amazing. When he’d needed to suck it up and swallow his pride, she’d given him a push. After she’d helped him reinstate John, she’d tasked herself with getting the necessary information to put together an offer for Gavin Frost.
They made one hell of a team. He didn’t want to let her go, not tonight, not when they got back to San Antonio. He didn’t want to pretend they weren’t more, and he wondered if they committed to this thing between them, could they pull it off?
It’d be hectic, but she was good with hectic. She was the only reason he’d kept his cool all week. She calmed him and pushed him and made him better, and he’d be an idiot not to hold on to that.
“What if I wanted to try to make us work?” he asked before he could ruin it with overthinking.
“Like…revise our contract from dating to a full-blown relationship?”
He laughed—of course she wanted the correct documentation. “Yes. I don’t want to lose this. I know it’ll be tricky, but we’re great together. You get my job and how busy it’s going to keep me in a way most women wouldn’t.”
“You had me till that last part when you made me sound more like a convenience.”
The panic that twisted through him obviously showed because she reached up and patted his cheek, slightly lighter than after he’d implied he was maintaining the scruff for her sake. “It’s okay. I understand what you meant, but let me coach you closer to the right territory. Like maybe you want to say you’ve had so much fun with me it’s unbelievable.”
“It really is.”
“And you could always mention my—”
“Amazing ass.”
“Not where I was going, but I appreciate you noticing.”
“In that dress, it’d be impossible not to.” He craned his neck, giving it a longing glance. Then he pulled back to look her in the eye. “You’re smart and funny and sexy, and I honestly have had more fun with you this week than I’ve had in a long time. I didn’t even realize how empty my life had become until I saw what I’ve been missing out on.”
She pointed to herself. “Me?”
“Yes, you
. I want you to be more than my work associate. I want you to be my girlfriend.” Putting it like that made him feel a bit like he was back in high school, but it was the most nervous he’d been talking to a girl since then, so it fit.
She’d come in and taken his life by storm. She’d crawled under his skin so quickly it made his head spin. Over the past week, she’d become his center of gravity, the person who kept him grounded while helping him achieve his dreams.
This woman could wreck him.
A different sort of panic climbed up and attached itself to his lungs, constricting his flow of air.
I can trust her. She’s different.
Her smile lit up her face as she threw her arms around him. “I’m in. Honestly, I can’t wait to call you my boyfriend. I’m gonna tell everyone my boyfriend is Lance Quaid.”
He tensed the slightest bit, but she didn’t mean it like that, in the attention-seeking way. Not like Sage.
She kissed his cheek, and his worries calmed. Gradually his heart returned to beating at a nice, steady level. Until she moved her lips next to his ear and added, “And Mr. Quaid, you’re definitely going to score tonight.”
A steady heart rate was overrated anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The absurdly handsome man lying next to her in bed was sleeping like a rock, and Charlotte took advantage of the chance to unabashedly stare. Not that she’d ever held back very well when it came to Lance Quaid, but he was always on the go, always moving, forever on the phone.
Apparently all he needed to slow down was insanely hot sex several times in a twenty-four hour period.
If it weren’t for his declaration about five of those hours ago, she’d be lamenting the fact that the wedding was tomorrow and their trip was almost over.
He wants to try to make us work. Even when we get back to San Antonio.
He asked me to be his girlfriend.
Since she was too keyed up to sleep, she sent off a quick text to Shannon letting her know about the new development.
Shannon: Nice catch! I mean he sort of breaks your football rules on EVERY SINGLE LEVEL, but he’s smoking hot and his net worth is through the roof.