Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Maggie
“Oh, Maggie!” Brock calls when I try to sneak into my office. I’m not sure why I bothered trying to sneak in today. It’s not like he wouldn’t figure out I’m here eventually. I guess because I’d hoped to delay the inevitable.
I pause in the hallway outside my door, pack of Red Vines in one hand, coffee in the other. Yeah, it’s first thing in the morning. No, Red Vines are not part of a nutritious breakfast. But I know I’m going to need the fortification today.
“Look what I found!” he gloats, holding out his phone and wiggling it back and forth.
I don’t even need to look to know what it is.
Jack and I went to a baseball game again last night.
Jack knows I’m stressed about something, and since the regular season is nearly over and he’ll be starting training camp soon, he wanted to make sure we got to one more game while we could.
I know he assumes it’s the upcoming mediation next month and the increase in Kyle’s bullshit since I filed that has me on edge.
And while he’s not entirely wrong about that assumption, he doesn’t know about Brock’s threat.
Jack already hates Brock. And for good reason.
I don’t know what he’d do if he knew Brock was using our relationship to threaten me, though.
I can only imagine it wouldn’t end well for anyone.
And since the stated point of starting our relationship was to rehab his reputation in the press—even if it’s turned into so much more—I can’t allow him to ruin all the positive gains we’ve made by letting his instincts take over where Brock’s concerned.
Jack’s very protective. Of me. Of Liam, even though he’s only met Liam a few times. I’m sure it’s mostly because Liam’s my son and therefore important to me, but I think Jack also sympathizes with Liam to some degree since Jack’s parents divorced when he was growing up.
He has definite opinions about Kyle’s behavior, and none of them are sympathetic toward Kyle in any way, which always makes me smile. It’s nice to see someone other than my parents—who’ve always been on my side—want to stick up for Liam and me like that.
And while the fantasy of watching Jack barge in and punch Brock in the face in the middle of Brock filming some stupid interview—though those have been harder to come by since his hatchet job on the interview with Jack in May—is lovely, I know Brock would be sure to splash that all over everywhere, reaching out to news outlets, calling the police, the works.
And despite my job of being social media manager, no amount of damage control in my power would be able to forestall or roll back the damage Brock would let loose if provoked.
He’s the exact type of arrogant and insecure man-child to throw a tantrum and play the victim even when he’s getting exactly the response he deserves.
Well-practiced in handling Brock and his stupidity, I paste a bored expression on my face and sip my coffee. “New gossip you want me to post? Who’s it about this time? Did they find out that another football player was involved in the Super Bowl ticket thing?”
He chortles. Fucking chortles , and moves next to me so we can look at his phone screen together. “No. That’s old news. They were fined, it was a slap on the wrist. We’ll mention it on the next segment, but I don’t plan on spending a lot of time on it. Not when we have this.”
On the screen in his hand is a zoomed in picture of Jack and me looking cozy at the game.
I’m watching the action with a slight smile on my face while he’s leaning close to me and whispering something in my ear.
We look like any other couple decked out in Mariners gear.
I have on the jersey he bought me last month, he’s wearing a Mariners T-shirt, and we both have on hats.
“Awww,” Brock coos. “Don’t you two just look so cute together?” Then he drops the fake happy act, turning to look directly at me, arms crossed over his chest. “What’s the scoop, Magpie?”
Narrowing my eyes, I take another sip of my coffee. “You know I hate when you call me that.”
He bares his teeth. “I do.”
Fucker.
Sighing, I shake my head. “I don’t know what kind of scoop you think I’ve got. Nothing scandalous happened at the game. You surely know the final score already. The Cardinals’ grand slam was pretty cool to watch, even if it did mean the Mariners lost.”
“Cut the shit, Maggie. You know I expect info from you. If you don’t have something by next week, I might have to have Janie pull resumes for other social media managers. I need someone who can deliver on their promises.”
I blink like he’s boring me. “Doubling your numbers and increasing your net worth doesn’t count as delivering?”
Baring his teeth again in the way that’s more threat than smile, he shakes his head. “Not when you promised me a network deal. And not when you’re holding out on me with your inside knowledge of the Emeralds.”
“You realize that me feeding you team gossip will probably make Jack break up with me.”
He shrugs. “So? It’ll take him a little while to catch on.
Hockey players aren’t known for their brains, after all.
” He lowers his voice conspiratorially. “Too many hits to the head, you know?” Another shrug.
“And when he finally figures it out, well, that won’t be my problem, will it?
But at least you’ll still have a job. You’ve got that cute kid at home, don’t you?
It’d be a shame if you couldn’t afford to pay your rent anymore, wouldn’t it? ”
Turning on his heel, he walks off, leaving that threat hanging in the air and me shaking with powerless rage in his wake.
I get into my office, close the door, and drop into my chair, face in my hands.
What am I going to do?