Chapter 7
“Knock, knock.” Walking into Gabby’s office, I flop down into the lounge chair by the window. Her view of Stella Stadium is almost as impressive as Grant’s.
“Oh, look, you’re back again and didn’t tell your friends you were coming.
How original.” The jab stings a bit because the truth is, I never left last week.
I’ve been staying in Nashville a lot lately without telling my friends.
At first it started because I loved being here.
I loved cookouts at Ivory’s and game days with the girls.
Reconnecting with my best friends who were embarking on this new chapter of togetherness after Ivory sold her Santa Monica condo and moved two doors down from Gabby.
I felt like an outsider in my own friend group because I was always in New York or Los Angeles working.
But then, I felt bad about overstaying my welcome in Gabby or Ivory’s guest room all the time, so I found a room at a hotel downtown.
It was the perfect arrangement. I could be close, but I could also have my own space, especially during my period when the pain took me out.
Unexpectedly, the Baker Hotel became my landing spot.
During one particularly rough month, I started searching for an endometriosis specialist. I’ve dealt with the disease since college, but the past year has been worse than normal since getting my IUD removed, and I couldn’t take it anymore.
Luckily for me, I found a nationally renowned specialist in Nashville, so I started seeing her.
It also meant I was in town more often and didn’t always tell my friends about it.
The current situation with Chase has been the perfect cover for staying in town, instead of admitting to the real reason—the follow-up appointment I had yesterday.
“Thought we could go over some notes for the press conference,” I say, ignoring her comment.
As I recommended, we waited to hold the press conference until Chase’s suspension was over.
The team is back in town and tonight is Chase’s first night back in the lineup, so the timing is perfect.
All eyes will be on the Troubadours and the goodwill we’re extending to the police department and community.
“And some community service options,” I continue.
“He was at the community center yesterday,” she says, dropping her questions about my presence.
“Good, a head start will only help his image.” I make a note for later that he’s already started his community service.
“Did you put him in contact with them? Or someone on Mary’s team?”
“Not that I’m aware. Maybe his team arranged it.”
“Doubt it. They were throwing a fit in the conference room about him having to do community service in the first place.”
Surprised, I look back up at her. “How did you know he was there if you didn’t arrange it and no one told you?”
“He texted me.” She averts her gaze to the field where I see Chase is working out.
“What did he say?”
“That he met a girl.”
“What?” I laugh, taken aback that the guy who made no secret of wanting a repeat performance from my best friend, his one-night stand from vacation, would tell her he met someone else when his macho display in the meeting last week made it clear he’s claiming Gabby.
“He made me think he was texting me to tell me he met another woman, and it was a twelve-year-old girl who wants to be a lawyer when she grows up.”
Ah, that makes much more sense. He was trying to get a reaction. “Did it work?”
“Did what work?”
“Clearly that was a tactic to get a rise out of you and make you jealous. So did it?”
“It’s a moot point,” she argues.
“Why’s that?”
“Because we can’t be together, so I have no business being jealous.”
“But…”
Tossing her hands dramatically, she says, “UGH, but a small part of me wants him all to myself. The thought of him with someone else and then having to see it makes me nauseous, which I’m fully aware is contradictory to everything I told him about us remaining professional and trying to be friends.
It’s completely irrational, not to mention illogical. ”
“I don’t think so.”
She stares at me for a beat. “What do you mean?”
I shrug. “There’s clearly something there.
The island doesn’t have to be a one-off situation.
” If anyone deserves a man to pursue her and give her mind-blowing orgasms in the process, it’s Gabby.
She’s so closed off it’s a wonder Chase broke through her walls enough to get her to sleep with him in St. John.
My best friend sighs, a sad, defeated sound that almost breaks my heart.
“Come on, Tay. He’s not the relationship type.
Our one-night stand is exhibit A that he’s a playboy with a capital P.
Not to mention all I can think about is whether he was looking to take another woman home the night he got arrested. ”
“Or maybe you aren’t giving him enough credit.”
She looks out the window contemplatively then turns back to me, done with the conversation, and asks, “Should I get Mark to go over the press conference details?”
“I would rather stab my eye out than interact with that man.”
“Well, he is my boss, so unfortunately I don’t have a choice.”
“For now.” Grant is working on Mark’s termination, which is why she hasn’t seen him around.
Gabby just isn’t in the loop, and I promised Grant I wouldn’t spill the beans, so before she can ask what I mean, I launch into the topics we need to be sure to cover today.
“Grant, Coach, and Chase will sit at the table. Chase in the middle. Grant will make the opening remarks followed by a few words from Coach. Mary’s team prepared a speech for Chase and we have practiced it within an inch of his life, so he better not fuck it up.
We acknowledge he messed up and that he will be making amends to the police who arrested him, and will be volunteering around the country during the remainder of the season to satisfy his community service hours.
We’ll also announce the intention to start a local charity. ”
We spend the next few minutes going over the details of the plea agreement to make sure nothing is missing, and then I venture down the hall to find Grant and make sure he’s prepared as well.
“Don’t forget to thank everyone first. That part is important,” I remind Grant as we walk into the crowded media room later that afternoon.
“I know, Tay. This isn’t my first press conference.
” If he’s annoyed by my constant pestering, he doesn’t show it.
I, on the other hand, am a flustered mess, because his dark blue three-piece suit is hugging his ass perfectly and I’m distracted when I should be focused.
I’m always focused when I go into a press conference for one of my clients.
This is new territory for me, and it’s all Grant and his perfect ass’s fault.
Luckily for me, Chase’s agent, Tom, is throwing a tantrum and allows me to channel my annoyance at him. We’ve been over this numerous times while drafting Chase’s statement and the fact that he’s still asking what the point is grates on my last nerve.
Barely controlling my facial expressions at this overgrown toddler, I continue explaining it to him like the child he is.
“On the contrary, this is the perfect time to talk to the press. The swirl around his arrest has died down, but the community needs to know we are all taking accountability for his actions and how we are planning to remedy it.”
Grant backs me up, confirming what we’ve already discussed with Chase and his team. “The league enforced their punishment. Now it’s time to share what ours is.”
Coach joins our huddle, clapping Chase on the back and leading him to the stage. They settle in with Grant’s opening remarks. He’s calm and collected up there, commanding the room. It’s hot as fuck.
When he’s finished speaking, the reporters start shouting questions, but as we prepped, Coach shuts them down so Chase can make his statement first. Chase looks around nervously, and for a minute, I worry he’s not going to say anything.
Gabby anxiously fidgets beside me. She may say nothing can happen between them, but I can see how much she cares for Chase by the way she clutches her hands together and silently urges him to speak.
Latching onto her eyes, he pours his heart out to the small audience.
It’s not the speech we prepared; it is better.
Heartfelt and vulnerable in a way no one but him could deliver.
When Chase is finished, he looks over at me sheepishly, and I give him an enthusiastic thumbs up as Grant and Coach give him their own nods of approval.
Grant fields the remainder of the questions so Chase can take a break, and I let myself relax for a moment.
The hard part is over. Now, we just have to follow through with the commitments we’ve made.