Chapter 28
brOOKE
Next morning, I woke up late. I scrambled out of bed, showering and dressing at top speed, pulling my hair in a low ponytail that screamed bad hair day, but between being late or looking unfashionable, the latter was preferable. Why had they held the gala on a weekday?
I was about to skid out the door when I noticed a brown paper bag on the table in the living room with a note next to it.
Woke up too early and bought you breakfast. I’ll miss you. Have a great day.
I love you.
I grinned as I carefully tucked the note in my bag.
On the drive to the club, at a red light, I checked my emails, and found out that my apartment was going up for sale.
I had one month to move out. I drew in a deep breath, telling myself this wasn’t so tragic. Rent elsewhere would be higher, which meant I would be saving less, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t deal with.
I arrived at the club in time, ready to tackle whatever else the day had in store for me. My inbox had emails from three of the five sponsors who had attended the event last night, asking me to call them.
A sense of foreboding gripped me. I hoped they were simply looking for reassurance that Jace was not a violent man and last night’s incident had been an outlier.
My hopes turned to dust during the first phone call.
“Carl, I suggest you wait a few days before making such a drastic move.”
He didn’t just want to drop Jace, he wanted to cease collaboration with the Lords.
“Look, unhappy incident or not, I can’t associate my brand with any kind of scandal.”
“There is no scandal. It was a fight between teammates. All the reporters had left. Only those who attended are aware of it.”
“You and I both know these things can repeat or escalate.”
My temples were pounding. This could not be happening.
“I understand your concerns. Why don’t we discuss this in person?”
“Feel free to schedule a meeting with my assistant. But I’m warning you, I won’t change my mind.”
He sounded firm, but I wouldn’t let this go without a proper fight.
The second call went about the same. By the time I made the third call, I was bracing for another full blowout, but Jeremy, one of the sponsors who had signed Jace on to market their new sportswear line, merely wanted another player for his campaign.
Still, this was a disaster. The Lords could lose two sponsors, Jace three.
I hated it, but I had to let Tina know. Not only did I need her advice, but she had to talk to the head of PR. If news circulated that two of the Lords’ sponsors were pulling out, even the sponsors who had not attended the event would start calling us, wondering what was wrong.
Tina took the news better than I expected.
“They are being unreasonable. If this was a case of substance abuse or media scandal, I’d understand, but an altercation between players is not that unusual. Besides, our boys have a great chance of winning the cup. That’s what they should care about. You said you set up meetings?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll go.”
I’d lose face with those sponsors if my boss attended a meeting I had set up, but since I was also responsible for this mess, I couldn’t argue. And maybe she could do more damage control than I could, even though the last thing I wanted was for her to think I couldn’t do my job.
Everyone was on edge, waiting for the game the next day, which we watched together in the viewing room.
This game was not part of the playoffs for the Cup.
Since the Lords had finished at the top, they went directly to the semifinals.
But in the break until then, they had two friendly games with international teams.
We’d prepared a buffet and even bought champagne to celebrate, but we didn’t get a chance to pop it open, because the Lords lost. The reporter covering the game spoke to a few players afterwards.
Andrew got the brunt of the difficult questions, but when the reporter asked Jace why the team dynamic seemed different tonight, several of my coworkers glared at me. I couldn’t meet their eyes.
I called Jace as soon as I left the building, but he didn’t answer. I stayed up late, waiting for his phone call. I wanted to soothe him, but he didn’t call back.
The first thing I did next morning was to check my phone for any missed calls, but I didn’t have any. I had no clue what to do. Call him again? He would be training right about now, since they had another game in three days. I sent him a quick message.
Brooke: I’m sorry you lost the game last night, but I’m sure you’ll be back on track for the next round.
I kept checking my phone throughout the day, even more so once I knew my boss had finished the meeting with Carl Hill.
She’d had the two other meetings yesterday before the game, but I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her about them because she didn’t return to the club to view the game with all of us.
I couldn’t wait for her to be back. I wanted to clear the air on this topic. She arrived at four o’clock, and I practically bounced off my seat, catching up with her before she reached her office.
“How did it go?”
“I have a conference call I’m late to, but I’ll explain everything tomorrow during our four-month review meeting.”
“Okay.”
A pang of unease made my gut churn. I emailed her to ask if I had a green light to nudge the sponsors via email. My unease flared into panic when she sent me an email later, telling me she’d be taking over the communication with the three sponsors.
I was even more aggravated when Veronica smugly said, “Tina asked my opinion on your performance, and I was more than happy to share details.”
I tried to tell myself that it wasn’t anything to worry about. Superiors sometimes took matters into their own hands when it came to sponsors, and asking coworkers about performance was not unusual.
I kept telling myself that, but I still tossed and turned the entire night. Jace had called just before bedtime, but I didn’t answer. I didn’t have it in me to pretend I wasn’t worried sick, and I couldn’t unload on him now. He had another friendly game tomorrow.
I woke up at the crack of dawn. Unable to go back to sleep, I started with my morning routine, making myself as presentable as possible. I was the first at the club that morning. My four-month review meeting was at eight o’clock, but Tina arrived earlier, and we started right away.
I cut to the chase as soon as we sat down. “How did the meetings with the sponsors go?”
“I managed to talk them off the ledge, in that they’ll remain with the Lords, but Carl Hill won’t move forward with Jace as the face of the company. Jeremy also wants someone else instead of Jace.”
“Oh! But if I try—”
“No!” Her tone was so cutting that I froze in my seat.
“I went back and forth with them for quite a bit, and this was the compromise we reached. I don’t agree with their logic, but they’ve got the upper hand.”
“But Jace—”
“Look, I understand you want to fight on Jace’s behalf for personal reasons—”
“That’s not true. It’s just not fair for him to lose out on these opportunities.”
Tina was silent for a beat, crossing her hands over the table.
“He did get in a fight, Brooke. It’s not like he’s completely innocent. It’s an unfortunate mix of circumstances, but it is what it is. Now, I would like to move on to your four-month review.”
“Okay.”
“The club is very pleased with your performance. You’re tenacious and hardworking. You surprised us with the renegotiations and the magazine feature for the team. But at the moment, I don’t believe that prolonging your contract would be a good idea.”
My insides felt glacial. I was stunned, but I gathered my wits enough to ask for clarification. “But you just said how pleased you are with my performance.”
“I am. But in the current climate, I think it’s best if you don’t remain with the Lords.”
“Current climate? What are you talking about?”
“Brooke, all three sponsors know why the altercation took place. The sponsors also voiced worries that you might not be impartial given your relationship with Jace.”
I felt as if someone was slapping my face continuously.
“Tina, you know that’s not how I work.”
“I do. But I also know that unfounded as they might be, such doubts and rumors must be cut from the root.”
“Even if it means you have to let go of an employee that achieved more than was in her job description?”
“Even so. Veronica also voiced the same concerns as the sponsors.”
I struggled to keep my voice polite. “You know she’s gunning for my job.”
“She has been with the Lords for a few years. I trust her input.”
My fingers were numb from gripping the edge of my chair so hard. My mind was racing so fast that I couldn’t focus on a single coherent thought.
“My decision is final,” she said.
“Does anyone know?”
“Not yet. You’re free to take this up with your dad, or Jace, or even Graham.”
Apparently, she’d mistaken my question as a threat.
“That’s not what I meant,” I began, but she interrupted me.
“When you started here, you assured me you didn’t want me to give you special consideration just because you had personal connections in the club.”
“I meant that.”
“Good. I will write you an excellent recommendation letter. You can remain here until the end of the day to wrap up any open issues, and you will also have access to your email for the rest of the week so you can inform all your accounts that Veronica will take them over from you.”
I nodded, leaving her office with dignity, even though I was crumbling on the inside.
The day was absolutely excruciating. Because I was not the type to simply say goodbye via a mass email, I stopped by everyone’s desk to tell them I was leaving.
I couldn’t handle Veronica’s smug expression while I explained the intricacies of some accounts to her, but I only snapped at her once. At four o’clock, I left the LA Lords building one last time.
I drove aimlessly around town, not really wanting to go home. I was sure that the calamity of this day would hit me the second I stepped through my door.
Eventually, I got tired of driving around and headed home, stopping by a gas station to buy a few bags of popcorn and chips. I deserved some comfort food tonight. As I’d predicted, I nearly buckled under the weight of today’s events when I arrived home.
I was jobless. Tina had said she’d write me a stellar recommendation, but every employer would question why I was being let go if I did so well.
This was supposed to be my fresh start, a new chance, and I’d screwed it up.
Then I remembered I had one month to move out.
Just what I needed. An expensive rent when I had no job.
I felt like I was back to square zero, in the exact same spot I’d been six months ago when I left Cami’s magazine. No job and being forced to leave my home.
I was so mad, I could barely think. Mad at the sponsors for jumping to the wrong conclusions, at Veronica for stabbing me in the back, at Tina for not sticking up for me, choosing instead the easier option of letting me go. Most of all, I was mad at myself for getting in this situation.
I wasn’t going to lie, I even was mad at Jace, because if we’d waited just a few more months, maybe things would have panned out differently. If he hadn’t gotten into that fight…. If, if, if….
I knew I had to call Jace. I wanted to be the one to tell him about the sponsors.
I played with the phone in my hand, dialing and canceling before the connection was made about ten times before deciding it wasn’t the best idea to call him before a game.
He’d call afterward. In truth, I was postponing the call because I was afraid he’d be disappointed he lost those sponsorships, and ultimately, disappointed with me.
Unfortunately, Noah and Cami had shown me how disappointment could seep into every aspect of a relationship and change it, mar it. I didn’t want Jace to think less of me.
When the game began, I moved to the living room, turning on the TV, watching the Lords jog out into the arena.
It had been a good call not to tell him about the sponsors before the game.
My heart grew a little heavy at the prospect of the post-game call.
Maybe I’d leave out the fact that I was fired.
I was getting madder about it by the second, and there was a real risk I’d take my anger out on Jace.
Besides, he would get up in arms about it, and with the string of games coming up, he needed his mind clear.