Chapter 14 – Jordie
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Everyone is leaving
Jordie
“Hey, Carly,” I say, walking into my agent’s office and stopping short when I see her. “Uhh, are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just feeling a little puny. What can I help you with today?”
She looks more than a little puny. Her skin is pale, and beads of sweat dot her forehead, despite the air conditioner being set on igloo. And her face seems a little puffier than usual.
Taking the seat across from her desk, I set down three manila envelopes on the surface. “I got these from some local Houston businesses. I don’t know why they sent them directly to me instead of to my fairy god-agent,” I tell her with a laugh.
Carly snorts. “Because they think you’ll just sign them without having someone look over them. I’ll take a—”
Before she can finish, her face turns green and she sprints from her chair and into the adjoining restroom with her hand over her mouth. I’m startled, but as soon as I hear retching, I stand to go help her.
“Carly, are you okay?”
I’ve only taken two steps when the door to her office bursts open, and her husband linebackers his way to the bathroom, almost bowling me over.
“Baby, I’m here,” Albert croons.
I nibble on my thumbnail for a second, unsure what to do, before making my way out to the reception area to grab her a drink.
There’s a small kitchenette with a soda machine for clients, and I fill a glass with ice and Sprite.
By the time I set the clear soda on the coaster on Carly’s desk, Albert is helping his wife back to her seat.
“Sorry about that, Jordie,” she says, her chest rising and falling with the effort to catch her breath. Albert dabs her face with a damp cloth and appears to be stricken with worry.
“It’s okay,” I tell her gently. “I wasn’t sure what you needed, so I brought you a Sprite.”
“Ahhh, thank you, sweetie.” She takes a large gulp, despite her husband fussing at her to take small sips.
“Have you been to the doctor?”
To my surprise, Albert and Carly burst into laughter, obviously both in on some joke I’m missing.
“Actually, I’ve been to the doctor more times than I can count in the past three years.
We’ve been trying to conceive.” She looks up at her husband with adoration.
“We haven’t been successful… until recently. ”
“You’re pregnant!” I shriek, pressing my fingertips over my lips. “I’m so excited for you both.”
“I’m more than pregnant. I had a round of IVF and recently found out that all five embryos took.” Carly places a hand on her stomach. “So I’m having quintuplets.”
My lower jaw rests somewhere near my knees. “Holy shit, Carly. That’s… that’s a whole basketball team.”
She looks thrilled, her natural color returning to her face. Albert, on the other hand, looks like he may puke at any moment. But he swallows hard and hovers over the mommy-to-be, brushing a blonde curl from her forehead.
“I was going to talk to you about it today,” Carly says, draining the rest of her drink and sucking on a piece of ice. “Albert and I are moving to Wyoming soon to be closer to his family. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
“And you’re probably not going to be able to work with five babies,” I surmise, filling in the blanks.
Her lips tighten into a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Jordie. I know this is your first year in the league, and I’m so honored you put your trust in me. I feel like I’m abandoning you at the beginning of your career.”
“Carly, hush,” I insist. “Taking care of yourself and having healthy babies is the most important thing right now. Don’t worry about me at all. I’ll… find someone else.”
“I think I have the perfect solution for you. I’m sure you’ve heard of Montgomery Sports Management?”
My eyes almost bulge out of my head. “Of course. Tanner Montgomery is a huge name.”
Carly reaches into a drawer and pulls out a folder with the Montgomery Sports Management logo embossed on the front.
“I took the liberty of contacting Tanner, and he said his agency would be thrilled to work with you.” She passes the folder to me.
“Take a look at that and see if you think they would be a good fit for you. There’s a list of other athletes he represents on the first page so you can contact any of them for references. ”
“Thank you, Carly. I appreciate you looking out for me,” I tell her gratefully.
“Of course. I know you’ll do your homework because you’re meticulous like that, but I don’t think you’ll find anyone better than MSM.
” Her eyebrows lift. “Oh, and he’s actually hired someone to run a division dedicated solely to female athletes, so you’ll get very specialized attention. Kamryn Hart will be in charge of that.”
“The softball player?” I ask incredulously. Carly nods as I gape at her. “I had no idea Kam was a sports agent.”
“She’s apparently some kind of genius and has been going to law school at night while also playing professional ball. I think Kam is going to be a stellar agent. She’s quite a ballbreaker on and off the field.”
A chuckle escapes my lips. “I’m aware. I’ve met her a couple times at events, and she’s definitely… bold.”
“She’s got a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue. I have no doubt she will fight tooth and nail for her clients.”
Circling back to her moving, I ask, “When are you and Albert going to Wyoming?”
Her husband answers because Carly is looking a bit green again.
“In the next few weeks. Carly is working on getting all her clients situated before we go. I want to get her in with a good obstetrician that specializes in multiples as soon as possible. My mom is a nurse, so she’s looking into it.
” He’s constantly wiping her forehead with the damp cloth, saturating her hairline and making her blonde hair curl up even more around her face.
“And what will you do for work, Albert? I know you’ve been Carly’s assistant for years.”
“I already have a job lined up with a local sports network. I’ll be an administrative assistant for their CEO, much like I do here, so the transition should be pretty seamless. They have excellent medical benefits too.”
“Ohhh, god,” Carly groans. “Not again.”
Albert wheels her chair back, allowing her to spring up like a jack-in-the box, and then he follows her sprinting form to the bathroom.
After a couple minutes of Carly throwing up what sounds like every internal organ in her abdomen, Albert calls, “Jordie, I’m going to take her home. Just email us about those offers. Carly will take a look as soon as possible.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” I call back. “Just take care of your wife.”
After tucking the envelopes and MSM folder into my tote bag, I refill Carly’s Sprite and leave it on her desk before departing quietly. Poor thing is sick as a dog, so I’m just going to have to find someone else to look over these contracts.
Turns out, I didn’t have to wait long to find someone. As soon as I get into my old beat-up silver truck, I open one of the envelopes and pull out the contents. I skimmed it last night, but I have questions about some of the wording. Maybe if I go over it again, it will make more sense.
I’m about halfway through the morality clause when my cell phone rings, and I answer it absently without looking at the display. It’s probably Juliette. She usually calls me every day before practice.
“Helloooo. This is Ivana’s sexy time service,” I say in a low purr with a hint of a weird accent. “How may I bring you pleasure today?”
The deep voice startles me. “Um, sorry? I think I have the wrong number.”
Phoenix Hale. Well fuck me with a rusty pipe.
“Uhhhhhh.” After that brilliant response, I panic and hang up, staring at the phone in my lap like it’s a bomb.
It rings again. Because of course it does.
Clearing my throat, I speak in a much higher voice when I answer. “Hello, this is Jordie.” Great, now I sound like a chipmunk.
A chuckle vibrates through the phone line and into my ear. “Yeah, I’m looking for Ivana.”
Kill. Me. Now.
“Shit, I’m so sorry, Phoenix,” I rush out.
“I thought you were my sister and didn’t even look at my phone because I was distracted trying to figure out something called behavioral standards.
” That last part comes out with all the words crammed together like I couldn’t get them out of my mouth fast enough.
He laughs again, and I can picture his smile. And his stupid dimples. “No problem. You don’t even want to know some of the things I joke about with my brothers.” He pauses. “What did you say about behavioral standards?”
“Oh, it’s part of the morality clause in an endorsement contract.”
His voice sharpens a little. “Carly should be going over any questions about contracts with you.”
I don’t really want to tell business that’s not mine, so I simply explain, “Carly wasn’t feeling well, and some of these are time-sensitive. Plus, she’s going to be… taking some time off, so I’m shopping for another agent in the meantime.”
There’s a long pause, and then Phoenix’s voice softens to almost a whisper. “Wait, is she pregnant?”
I cringe to myself. “Uhh, I don’t really want to—”
“I understand. You don’t want to talk about something she divulged privately. I just know they’ve been trying. I play golf with Albert sometimes, and he mentioned they’re going through some fertility treatments.”
Feeling better about it, I reply, “Let’s just say she’s stepping back, and it’s due to some very happy news.”
Phoenix lets out a whoop that surprises me. “Hell yes! Those two will be amazing parents.”
A laugh bubbles out of me. His exuberance is contagious. “I agree.”
“Hmm, you need me to look over your contracts while you’re in agent limbo? I’m actually an attorney, and I deal with contracts and endorsements all the time, so I’m very familiar with them.”
My eyes widen at his offer. “Are you sure? How much do you charge?”
He chuckles like that’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. “Consider it a favor for a friend. Depending on the complexity, it shouldn’t take me long at all.”