Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Danica clears her throat and looks down at Travis. “Have a good time? Learn lots?”
“Yeah,” Travis exclaims. “It was so much fun and Camden taught me this sweet little move.”
He doesn’t mention our talk about Coach Kantor, but honestly, not sure the distinction among coaches is all that important to him. At least I’ve set the foundation for him to understand that.
I reach my fist out and he bumps it. “I’m glad you had fun. We’ll do it again sometime, okay?”
“That would be great.”
I beam a smile at him, slide a slightly less brilliant one at Danica with a nod and turn to head down the steps.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Danica asks. I turn back toward her, trying to dampen the elation that wells within me. “The least I can do is feed you since you helped Travis.”
“I don’t want to be an imposition,” I say hesitantly, afraid to look at Travis. It’s one thing to take him to the rink, but another to sit at his dining table at his mom’s invitation.
“I’ve made plenty, so no imposition,” Danica assures me. “Only has about another half hour until it’s ready.”
“Awesome,” Travis says and he does a fist pump. “Camden can play video games with me.”
Danica smirks and turns her son toward the door. “Camden can relax with a beer and talk to me while you take a quick shower and start your homework.”
“Awww,” Travis grumbles as he steps into the house. “That’s no fair.”
I throw a thumb over my shoulder. “Going to shut off my truck.”
Danica doesn’t follow her son inside but waits on the porch for me. When I bound back up, I glance at the stairs behind her framed by the door. “Is he up there?”
She tilts her head. “Um… yeah.”
“Good. Been dying to do this.” My hands go to Dani’s face and I pull her in for a swift but deep kiss. Her hands grip my belt and she pulls us closer together. Her tongue touches mine and my body reacts.
Swiftly.
With a yearning groan, I pull away from her and she steps back, smiling devilishly. “Come on inside. You can keep me company while I cook.”
“I’ll help,” I say as we enter the house.
She glances over her shoulder and winks as we walk to the kitchen. “We can probably sneak in another kiss or two before Travis comes back down.”
Fuck yes. That sounds better than anything she might be making for dinner. And while I know that’s all I’ll have tonight—because if it weren’t complicated enough that I’m dating my dead teammate’s wife, I also have to navigate the fact she has a child—I’m strangely satisfied with just that.
CHAPTER 17
Danica
Aiming the remote at the smart board, I depress the button and a new slide appears on the PowerPoint I’m presenting to Brienne. Our kickoff gala for the new foundation named in her brother’s honor is the day after tomorrow and it’s fallen squarely on my shoulders to plan the entire event. I’ve been working on it for over a month and I’m presenting it to Brienne for one last eyeball to make sure she doesn’t see anything that needs changing.
I’ve provided her with the ballroom layout for this invitation-only event along with a proposed agenda of festivities that will encourage future sponsorships, recurring donations and volunteers.
Two hundred and fifty invitations went out and we’ve had two hundred and thirty-two RSVP their attendance. I’ve worked with the venue’s event director and we’ve got twenty-five round tables arranged in a well-thought-out pattern that provides perfect views of the stage, the large drop-down screen where marketing videos and testimonials will roll, and a podium from which speeches will be given. I’m one of the speakers and I feel sick about it but I’m not only the new director, I’m one of the inspirations that led Brienne to start this foundation. My personal story is important for everyone to hear.
“This is my final draft of the agenda.” I’m seated beside Brienne at a table in her office and I use a laser pointer to highlight an area of the slide. “Verify this is the order of the speakers you want. And if you change your mind and want to remove me, I won’t argue.”
Brienne snorts. She wants me to be the face of the foundation since I’m a prime example of why it exists but she knows I’m scared to speak in front of all these rich people. I’m not an introvert by any means and I could get up in front of a crowd of my peers. But most of these people are nothing like me and it’s overwhelming. I also don’t want to let Brienne down.
She ignores my last-ditch effort to stay off the stage, instead nodding at the slide. “I think we serve the first course immediately after I speak so people can eat as we run through the speakers and videos.”