by Emma Hart
“I would like the entire edition pulled together within two weeks. Is that doable?”
“My son’s father is coming at the end of this week, I think,” I said slowly. “And he’s having him the entire weekends, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Plus I know my uncle will help me if I need him to.”
“Good news. Sydney already knows, so stop by his office this afternoon after two o’clock to discuss with him. We’d like photos of the classes but we need signed permission from the parents to feature their children in case their faces are on show. Can you handle that?”
I nodded. “I’ll ask the admin team to have the releases drawn up and speak to Sebastian about it.”
“Excellent. You can take your lunch now. And thank you for all your hard work.”
My cheeks flushed a little. “Thank you, Mr. Chester. I really appreciate this opportunity.”
“Just don’t let me down.” He winked, then turned to his computer, effectively ending our meeting.
“I’ll try not to,” I replied quietly, slipping out of the office into the hallway. I closed the door behind me and skirted a few feet away around the corner where I could lean against the wall and take a deep breath.
A whole paper special?
All done by me?
Holy shit.
“What did he want?” Ebony appeared out of nowhere, shooting daggers at me.
“Just a new assignment.” I smiled, pushing off the wall. “Excuse me, I have to meet my friend for lunch.”
I left on that note, leaving her glaring after me.
Nothing new there, then.
***
“Hold your arms out,” Oliver said in his crisp British accent, taking hold of Leo’s wrists and positioning them in front of them. “This is your ready position, okay? Feel how easy it is to move your hands to where they need to be. Copy me.”
Oliver moved his arms in every which way possible as he guided Leo to follow him.
“If you know the ball is coming at you, you want to be as ready as possible.”
Leo nodded. “I got it. Okay. Try again.”
Oliver pushed his ginger-brown hair from his eyes and waved over one of the kids who played in a striker position and was damn good. “Tom, I want you to do some practice shots with Leo, okay? You did really well over on the target practice, so I want you to do the same here. I’ll put some targets in the goal.”
“Sure!” Tom bounded over with a football. “I’m gonna get you, Leo.”
My kid laughed and shook his head. “No way!”
Oliver chuckled as he attached four big red circles to the goal. “All right, all right, settle down. You’re both seven years old, you’re not Tyson Fury. Let’s cut the big man talk.”
“It’s more fun this way!” Leo insisted, looking to his coach. “Who’s Tyson Fury?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“A British boxer who talks a bunch of baloney about everyone he fights.” Oliver stepped back.
That was the politest way anyone had ever said ‘shit-talking’ in their lives.
“Are you two ready?”
They nodded.
“Go.”
Tom got to it, kicking the ball at the goal. Leo got his fingertips on it and only just managed to stop it going in the goal.
“Fantastic, Leo!” Oliver said, clapping his hands as he walked behind the goal. “More of that, boys!” He grabbed the soccer ball and kicked it back to Tom, then walked over to me.
“He’s doing good,” I said with a smile.
“He is. He’s the best we have in this group for the tournament next weekend.” Oliver grinned at me. “Clean his gloves, Mum. He’s in goal.”
I laughed, pushing my hair behind my ear. “Well, I hope he plays well. His dad will be here.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“For Leo. Not particularly enjoyable for me,” I admitted. “Either way, it doesn’t matter.”
“Ah. I get it. Great goal, Tom!”
“Hogwash!” Leo said, punching the air.
“We’ve been watching Harry Potter.” I winced.
Oliver laughed, folding his arms over his chest. “I’ve heard worse, let me tell you.”
I was sure he had.
“Hey, so I actually wanted to—”
“There’s my favorite reporter!” Seb appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I hear I’m to defer to you in all things for the next week or so.”
“I prefer journalist,” I replied. “And I’m not sure you need to defer, but cooperation would be helpful.”
“I’m missing something,” Oliver interjected, looking out at the boys. “What are you deferring to her about?”
“The paper is doing a special edition on the sports center. I may or may not have made a donation to the charity Mr. Chester’s wife runs a few weeks ago.”
I should have known there was a reason for the paper. My boss didn’t do anything unless it made him money.
No judgement there.
I, too, liked money.
“I see,” Oliver said slowly. “Nothing like a quid-pro-pro to keep a town honest.”
I swallowed back laughter, but Seb didn’t hide his.
“Gotta do what you gotta do.” He snorted. “What do you need from me, London?”
“Um, a lot,” I replied thoughtfully. “It’s all on my computer, though, so can I call you tomorrow?”
“Why don’t we meet for lunch instead? It’s stock taking day in the bookstore which means Holley won’t crash it because God forbid she leaves Saylor to do her job by herself.”
That time I laughed. “That works for me. I’ll text you and let you know.”
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He squeezed me then released me, disappearing as inexplicably as he’d appeared.
At some point during our conversation, Oliver had wrapped up the soccer session with the other coaches and the boys were all heading to the dressing rooms to get changed. Sebastian had recently installed shower facilities, and boy were those welcome.
My car didn’t stink like little boy.
Well, not as much as before.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever get that smell out…
“Hey,” I said, collaring Oliver after he was done speaking to one of the other moms. “Do you have a sec?”
“Sure. What’s up?” He walked off to the side with me.
“I was wondering if I could interview you.”
“I knew you were going to say that,” he groaned.
I gave him my best smile. “Please. You’re such a big part of the center and do such a great job with all these kids. It won’t be anything insanely long, and I’m going to ask all the main coaches and trainers.”
“What kind of questions?”
“A little background, how you ended up working here, and why you do it. Stuff like that. Strictly professional with a sprinkling of personal.”
He looked at me, meeting my gaze with eyes that weren’t quite blue but weren’t quite green. They hovered somewhere in the middle, like a hazel with a variation of flecks in it. “Do I get a lunch meeting for this interview?”
Whoa.
“Do you want a lunch meeting for the interview?” I raised my eyebrows. “Or are you taking a cheap shot at asking me out?”
Oliver’s tongue ran over his lower lip, and he grinned. “What if I am?”
“Then it means you’re paying instead of me.”
He laughed, and it was deep and guttural and did things to me that were not appropriate to feel right now. “Bloody hell, talk about backing a guy into a corner.”
Dipping my head, I laughed, pushing my wayward bit of hair from my eyes once more. “I’m messing with you. If a lunch meeting is easier for you, we can schedule something soon.” I opened my purse and pulled out my card. “Let me know when you’re free and we’ll work it out.”
Oliver took the card and looked at it, then tucked it into his pocket. “I’ll do just that.”
“Guess that’s my cue.” I smiled at Oliver. “We’ll see you Wednesday.”
He returned my smile before turning to Leo. “Good job. Keep practicing in your garden and you’ll be David de Gea two-point-oh in no time.”
“It’s a garden, not a yard!” Leo laughed. “Mommmm. Hungry.”
“All right, monster, let’s go.” I pulled him into my side and guided him toward the door. “What do you want to eat? Burgers? Shall we go and see Uncle Tony at Bronco’s? It’s still early. I bet he’ll let you sit at the bar.”
Leo gasped. “You think? Aunt Jasmine never lets me sit at the bar!”
“I think if you ask nicely enough.” I grinned as we headed out to the parking lot. “If not, you can tell him that Aunt Jasmine lets you and he’ll do it to be the best.”
He nodded and climbed into the car.
It probably wasn’t the best idea to teach my kid how to blackmail people, but it was too late now.
“Hey, Momma?”
“Yeah, buddy?”
“Did you give Ollie your phone number?”
I laughed. “I gave him my card. It’s all for work, okay? I’m doing articles on the sports center and I want to interview him.”
“Oh, okay. I thought you were going to kiss him and that’s gross.”
“Uh, no. I can confirm I have no plans to kiss Ollie, okay?”
“Okay. Can we get food now? My tummy is bumbling.”
“Rumbling.”
“See? I’m so hungry my words are wrong.”
I backed up out of the parking space with a quiet laugh. “All right, all right. Let’s get you some food.”
CHAPTER THREE – LONDON
RULE THREE: NOBODY CARES YOUR SON IS PRACTICALLY A SOCCER PRODIGY.
IRONICALLY, THAT’S HOW YOU KNOW WHO NOT TO DATE.
“Ugh, he’s hot.” Piper set a coffee down in front of me. “Did you really tease him about a date?”
I almost rolled my eyes. “He asked if he got a lunch meeting, too. What else was I supposed to say?”
“Tell him yes it was a date. I’d smack a man with my left boob to have a date with him.”
“I’m sure if you asked Dylan or Sebastian nicely they’d let you smack them.”
“Eh, too much effort to undo the bra, isn’t it? Hold on.” She turned back to the counter, exchanged a few words with Felicity, then made a coffee and joined me. “Okay, that’s better.”
“Did you just palm your job off on your employee?”
“That’s why you have employees, London. To make them work when you don’t want to.” She grinned. “Would going on a date with Oliver be the worst thing?”
“How did we get here? I’m barely tolerating speed dating right now, let alone actually getting involved with someone. Besides, it’s not that simple.”
“I know. Leo’s a real wrench in your plans for sexual gratification, isn’t he?”
I shook my head, laughing. “Something like that. I’m happy to dip my toes in the dating pool, but I’m not going to burst into something, especially with someone I barely know.”
“It’s hard, I know. Has Holley roped you into another round of speed dating?”
“More Aunt Jasmine. She bribed me with Uncle Tony looking after Leo, but since it’s Friday night I don’t know if he’ll be able to.”
“Why not?”
“Chris is coming to town.”
“Ouch.”
“Yep.” I gave her a quick rundown of the conversation we’d had two days ago. “So I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but we’ll figure it out.”
“Perfect time for a date.”
“Don’t you start. Why don’t you go on a date if you’re so obsessed with the idea of it?”
“Because she’s being awkward.” Felicity grinned, coming over. “Can I get you anything else?”
“I’m waiting for Sebastian,” I replied. “We have a working lunch.”
“Fun. Piper, I need to put some more pastries in the oven.”
Piper nodded and finished her coffee. “I’ve got the counter. Did you make them already?”
“I did. They’re ready to go in, just need a minute to do it.”
“Perfect. Okay, I’ll be right there.” She smiled and got up. “I think you should totally think about making that lunch meet a date.”
“I think you should go and do your job,” I said dryly.
Felicity’s laughter echoed from the kitchen, and Piper rolled her eyes as she headed back toward the counter.
I pulled my phone out of my purse to check it. There was a link from Chris that showed me the place he was renting. It was nicer than my actual house, which really just showed how different our lives were. I texted him to say that was a good spot and that I’d make sure Leo was around tonight so they could video chat.
“How’s my favorite person?” Seb slipped into the seat opposite me that Piper had recently vacated.
“Does your girlfriend know you’re sweet-talking her cousin?”
“She told me to be nice. I thought I’d be extra nice, given you’re writing a sweet piece on me.”
“Sweet piece? We’ll see.” My lips curved into a smile. “Did you get my email?”
“I did. Pretty hefty paper, isn’t it?”
“Mr. Chester is obviously very grateful for your donation.”
He laughed and leaned forward. “I’m sure he is. Let me order a—”
Piper set a coffee down in front of him. “Sandwiches? Your usual?”
“Hello to you, too,” Seb drawled. “That’d be great, thanks.”
I nodded in agreement, and she walked away laughing.
“Coffee,” Seb said after a moment. “I was going to order a coffee.”
I grinned.
“Let’s start with the simple stuff. What do you need from me, specifically?”
“I would like to interview you on your career and what led you to open the sports center,” I said slowly. “I’d like to ask you how you formed the idea, the process to opening it, and how you run it now and highlight the programs you offer. And… I know your injury is a tough spot, so you can absolutely submit me questions regarding that so you’re as comfortable as possible.”
Seb rubbed his chin. “No, I trust you. I know you’ll scratch anything I’m not comfortable with, but I also understand that my injury is the reason this center was created.” He met my eyes. “You have carte blanche with me, London.”
Dang.
Okay.
“Okay, but if there is anything specific you don’t want to discuss, please let me know.” I sipped my coffee. “I’d also like you to do a walk through of the center so we can discuss all the facilities you have, and I’d appreciate as many interviews as I can get with your coaches and members of staff.”
“I don’t see why that should be a problem. Some might not prefer their photos to be taken.”
“I understand. We have releases for all your staff and consent forms for all your attending children. If possible, Mr. Chester would like everyone to be emailed the consent forms and photo releases so we can feature them in the paper. And if any of the parents would answer some questions, that would be amazing.”
Seb nodded slowly. Felicity brought over our sandwiches right then, and after we both confirmed that we didn’t need anything else, she left us alone. We ate in silence before he spoke again.
“Some parents may have an issue,” he said when he was done. “Some are close to my old team and probably won’t want their kids to be featured. How much time do you have for those?”
“Not long. Mr. Chester has given me roughly two weeks to pull everything together, so I’d need any confirmed releases within one week from today.” I shifted uncomfortably. “I think he wants to get this out sooner rather than later.”
“Understood. Do you have the releases and consent forms ready?”
&n
bsp; “I can have them sent over this afternoon if you give me an email address. I’ve been assigned an assistant for this project.”
He grinned. “I bet Ebony is going insane. She was just telling me last week how she was going to call me to set up a meeting, but when I heard from Chester and he told me about you…”
“I haven’t seen her,” I admitted. “She wasn’t in the office today when I got there, but she rode my ass all day yesterday trying to figure out what was going on.”
“She has a gym membership. She was trying to flirt with Ollie, and it was fun watching him turn her down. She’s determined, huh?”
“Determined is one word,” I said slowly. “Can we set up an interview with Sydney, the photographer? I’d love to walk through the center with you and get photos to accompany the interview. You’ll be the main spread, but it’ll be interspersed with interviews with members of staff and hopefully parents.”
“Send it all over, and I’ll get it sorted out. Any particular day for the interview?”
I shook my head. “Whenever is good for you. My ex might be here in time to get Leo from school on Friday, though, so that could be better as I’d have more time.”
Seb nodded slowly. “I think I can make that work. And the ex? Ouch.”
“Always a pleasure to see him,” I said dryly. “I’ll make sure you get everything today. Thank you. It’s much easier if there’s co-operation.”
He grinned. “Holley says the same thing.”
“Yes, but as far as she’s concerned, the only method of co-operation is the one in which you co-operate with her.” I fished money out of my purse to pay my share of the bill. “Which is why I’m doing that stupid freaking speed dating shit again this weekend.”
“Ouch. Want me to find you a date instead?”
Laughing, I put the money down. “No, you’re good. Just get me a few interviews with your staff… If you have any who only happen to be available on Saturday night, I’ll take that.”
“Here, I got this.”
“No, it’s fine.” I shook my head and got up. “Just keep your girlfriend amused this weekend so she won’t notice me slipping out of the bar to escape.”
Seb grinned. “If you insist.”
***