Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
“If you say so.”
The elevator doors glided open before I could respond, and when we stepped off, I nearly ran into Percy, our director of football analytics and Rory’s boss.
“Sorry,” I apologized as I sidestepped so he didn’t crash into me. It would hurt him a fuck of a lot more than me. “How are you doing, Percy?”
“Um, fine.” His head swung back and forth between me and Rory a couple of times before his gaze dropped to our joined hands.
I was surprised when his mouth turned down in a frown, and the air around him turned a little frosty. After a few seconds, he turned to Rory, effectively dismissing me. “Glad you could make it, Rory. Shall we get to work?”
Rory’s face showed her confusion at his attitude, and she glanced up at me before looking back at him and replying, “Sure. I’ll be right there.”
Percy shot a glare in my direction, then stalked through the door to the press box.
“Is he always like that?” I asked, my voice laced with concern.
“No. He’s always been professional but friendly.” She paused and bit her lip before adding, “Although…in my interview, I got the impression that he doesn’t like when the office staff dates players.”
“What?”
Rory sighed. “Maybe I misunderstood. I’d better get in there. I’ll see you after the game, okay?” She went up on her tiptoes and pecked my lips before grabbing her backpack and waltzing into the press box.
As I made my way down to the locker room, I pondered our interaction with Percy. Could dating me threaten her internship?
“Save that murderous expression for out on the field, Ledger.”
Cole’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I looked to my left to see him leaning against the wall outside the locker room door. He was scanning the papers on his clipboard, but he dropped it to his side when I moved to stand next to him.
“What’s on your mind, Gage?”
“The girl you introduced me to a couple of weeks ago. Rory Abernathy?”
“What about her? Other than that I’m pretty sure you’re dating her.”
I glanced at him, expecting to see the same disapproval in his eyes that I’d seen in Percy’s. Instead, he was smiling smugly and seemed amused.
“How did you…?”
“When will you boys learn?” He tapped his temple. “I know everything.”
I laughed, but honestly, it really seemed like he did sometimes.
“Is it a problem?” I asked. “Rory and I being together?”
Cole frowned and pushed away from the wall to fully face me. “Why the hell would that be an issue?”
“Percy seemed unhappy with the situation. I’m worried. I don’t want to get Rory fired, but I can’t give her up.”
Cole’s frown intensified. “Don’t worry about that asshat. I’ll make sure Rory’s job is safe and that he doesn’t make things uncomfortable for her.”
Relief flooded my body, and I felt my muscles unclench a little. “Thanks.”
“As long as you crush it out there, no thanks is necessary.”
I nodded, and we entered the locker room together. He made a beeline for one of our offensive linemen while I went to get dressed for the game.
9
RORY
My thoughts kept drifting to Gage’s suggestion that I move in with him during the game, which made it difficult to focus on my job. Percy kept giving me odd looks, which made me self-conscious and distracted me even more.
When the clock wound down on another Nighthawks victory, I heaved a deep sigh of relief. For the first time since I had started my internship, I was thrilled for the game to be over. Unfortunately, Percy still didn’t seem happy with me when I got ready to leave.
“Classes start this week, but I should still be able to update my models with the statistics from today’s game if you’d like me to do that,” I offered.
He gave me a stiff nod. “If you manage to find the time, that would be helpful.”
Cole shot him a look as he headed toward the door. “I’d appreciate getting a copy of Rory’s work. It’ll help me prepare for our first regular season game.”
“I’ll forward it to you,” Percy agreed before hurrying out of the press box.
“Don’t worry about him.” Cole gestured for me to walk out before him. “Gage has your back, which means the rest of us do too.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” I murmured.
“Want me to lead you down to the post-game room?” he asked. “That’s where most of the wives, girlfriends, and families go to wait for the players after the game. I can let Gage know where to find you when I see him in the locker room.”
I flashed him an appreciative smile. “That would be great, thanks.”
I was a little nervous since I hadn’t met any of the wives and girlfriends yet, but I knew that Gage had mentioned to his friends that we were dating. This was confirmed by how I was greeted when I entered the room.