Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
~DANNY~
Sitting outside of Maxwell Cromwell’s office with Martin and Nick, waiting to show him the finished piece, feels a little bit like sitting outside of the principal’s office waiting to be punished.
He can’t punish me yet because he doesn’t know anything.
But if he ever figures out what’s happening between Mac and me, he would.
But I’m going to do my best to keep it together.
I dressed up for the occasion, putting on a suit and tie.
Martin was impressed and thanked me for it.
He’s sitting here in his cheap suit. Mine is a gray Armani paired with a black dress shirt and no tie.
I wish I could swing by Mac’s and see what she thinks of me decked out like this.
I mean, she seems to like me when I’m casual, so this should give her a thrill too.
I smile at the thought.
“What?” Martin asks me.
“Nothing. Just thinking about how weird this seems being back here to talk about a completed article.” I shrug my shoulders. Martin is such a tool that he buys it.
“I hope he likes it,” Martin says. “I would have liked to have seen more drafts and notes on this one. Normally you stay closer to the office when you’re writing.
But with this one, you worked closely with her and out of your home or that diner.
I wish you would have come into the office more.
Spent a little less time with the Cromwell’s.
” He stares at me pointedly. “Remember that you work for the paper and not me.”
I nod. So that’s what this is about. All the time I spent with August. He’s worried I’m forgetting where my bread is buttered. Little does he know; I don’t need the butter he has to make my world go round. That’ll just be a secret that I keep.
August comes out at that moment to see us. “Hey, Martin, Danny.” He comes over and shakes both of our hands. “Maxwell is ready to see you all now.”
We stand and follow August into his father’s office.
It almost feels a little bit like D-Day as I walk into the office.
I don’t why, but I have this weird feeling that my fate is going to be decided in that room within the next thirty minutes.
August watched me a little too closely at the bar last night, and now here we are with his dad and my article.
“It’s good to see you again, Danny.” Maxwell rises and comes around the desk to shake my hand. We sit on the couches across from his desk, the same way we did when I was in here the last time with Mac.
“Mr. Cromwell, good to see you as well,” I say, being formal.
“Please, call me Maxwell,” he corrects me. “I had the pleasure of seeing your father the other night. I thought maybe you would be there as well, but he said you weren’t attending the same functions anymore.”
I’m not sure where he was or what he’s referring to. I think he assumes my father and I talk and that I’m aware of the functions he attends. But I have no idea where he was, nor do I care. I take the same approach that I always do when asked about him—tight-lipped smile and no reaction.
The conversation moves. Martin and Maxwell are talking about things at the paper. Martin is excited about the coverage the paper has been able to bring to the Blaze.
“Do you think it would be a good idea to do some additional articles after this one?” Martin asks.
It’s all about money with him. And I get that it’s his job, but I hate it. I don’t want to be forced to write more articles. I’m hoping to distance myself from the team.
“Shouldn’t we wait and see how this article goes first?” I ask, looking between the two men.
“I would agree. Let’s see what happens with this one,” Cromwell says. “But if goes well, the other pieces we spoke of; behind the scenes with the team and other coverage would be next.
“I don’t doubt it will be well received. I have one of my best writers on it,” Martin replies, singing my praises.
“Let’s see it then. I want to see how well this article has turned out.”
I nod and hand over the article that has been kept in my portfolio for safekeeping. Holding my breath, I watch him read it. Martin liked it. He thought it went well. It isn’t just about Mac but also about the team and how hard they’ve been working.
The silence stretches on a little too long, and I start to get uncomfortable. Martin is shifting in his seat too. I look over at August, who’s sitting with his father. He winks in my direction, trying to remain encouraging, I think.
“I like it,” Maxwell finally says.
“Great, and Nick has some really great pictures to go along with it,” I add. “Not just of Mac but of the whole team.”
“That’s good.” He hands the article over to August for him to peruse it.
“I will say that I thought there would be more bite to it. More of an objective approach. You’re really singing the praises of my striker there.
Not that I mind. I just thought there would be more fire.
It’s like you went out of your way to be nice to her. ”
My blood runs cold at the mention of it. I wonder if he can see through my intentions. “I was trying to make sure it was a positive piece. More of something the Blaze would be proud to put out and not an attack. Not like the way I wrote the first one.”
He considers my words. “I get all of that. I just thought it would be more objective. This seems like we may have paid you for the piece.”
I want to say that he did, but I don’t dare. I look over at Martin and hope he’s going to help me with this. Thankfully, he does.
“I think what he did here was a great job of showing how hard your team has been working. And how hard Mackenzie has been working. You know, trying to get the town on your side.”
Maxwell nods.
August jumps in. “Dad, I don’t think we would want it to be biting.
I think this is the type of piece that is important for the Blaze.
Danny did a good job of that. It was a smart move.
The right move for the team and for Mackenzie.
She wasn’t a fan of his first article, and this helped put her at ease.
Plus, I think it puts something out that she can say she was proud to be a part of.
We sort of promised her that when she was in the office. ”
Maxwell turns to his son and asks, “Has she seen it yet?”
I wish I could have shown her. “No,” I answer for August. “I was allowing you to see it and approve it before we showed it to Mac.”
Another nod from Maxwell. “I think we should show it to her and make sure she’s okay with it, and then we can publish it.” He turns to Martin. “Danny is right, though. We need to see how this one goes first before we can ask him to write more articles on the team.”
I can tell Martin’s not happy about that, and I’m probably going to pay for it later.
I’ll get an ass chewing. It definitely makes me wonder what’s going to happen to me when the world finds out Mac and I are together.
Martin will come down hard on me, which means I may have killed a future revenue stream.
This won’t sit well with him. Not in an industry where paper media is dying off and the industry is being dominated by online media.
“Let’s just see how it goes and not rule out any future partnerships,” Martin says tightly.
“Yes, let’s do that,” Maxwell replies. “What do you think of our stadium, Danny? I’ve seen you at quite a few of the games. I assume you weren’t just there for the article.”
I wonder where he’s going with this, and I do my best to step over the metaphorical land mines.
“August has been kind enough to invite me to watch the games. I didn’t really know much about the sport, having grown up around football and swimming.
So, it was great to see it from that perspective.
You’ve got a great stadium. A real top-notch facility. ”
He beams. “I think so too. I just hope we can keep it open and with the fans coming in.”
“The girls are certainly off to a great start.” I smile at him.
“Are you a fan now, Danny?” Maxwell asks.
“I think so, sir.” I can feel my cheeks heat with a bit of embarrassment.
“Has our striker made quite the impression on you?” he asks me.
I chuckle. “Mac is really great at explaining the game, and all of the girls are fun to watch. You put together a great team. Very well thought-out.”
“I hope to keep seeing you around even though the article is done,” August tells me.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun to see them play,” I say. “Who knows, maybe I’ll even be a season ticket holder or something.”
Martin stiffens beside me. “There are other assignments I’d rather you be working on.”
“I really like this one,” I tell him, hoping my tone doesn’t sound too eager.
“You do?” He’s watching me like he’s trying to catch me slipping.
He’s onto me, I think. I’m just not sure how much he knows.
“Can you tell me why you agreed to this so readily? Remember when I asked you to cover the opening game to begin with and you fought me on it? Now we have an in-depth piece happening, and there was no fight whatsoever.”
“I’m just trying to do what’s best for the paper,” I say a little too quickly.
“Really? Your integrity isn’t worth more than some piece on a rookie soccer player?” he challenges me.
“No, sir. I see the merit in it.”
“Uh-huh” is the only response I get out of him. Which, for Martin, is a nonresponse. Instead, he just keeps looking over the article I handed him. “I like it, Danny. I think you’ve done a really good job here. You make her sound really good.” He smirks.
His comment doesn’t sit right with me. “She is really good. She was a Division I athlete and an All-American.”
Both Cromwell’s and Martin look hard at me. I think I could have hidden that a little better than I did, but saying any more now will only make matters worse.
“So, are you good with me running it?” Martin asks, changing the topic of conversation.
“I think so. Do we want her to see it?” Maxwell turns to August for his thoughts.
“Nah, I think it’s a good article. It’s flattering.” August turns to me. “Just shoot her a draft via email, will ya?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” I tell him.
Truth is, I already have a copy ready to give her. I put it in a manila envelope that’s now sitting in my front seat, waiting to make its way to her.
“Great. Well, let’s do that then,” August says, standing up. This effectively ends the meeting, which I’m thankful for.
We all shake hands.
“Don’t be a stranger,” Maxwell tells me. “I think my staff is quite fond of you.”
I nod. “Sure thing.”
Martin and I file out, leaving August and Maxwell alone.
“So, does this mean you’ll be coming back to the office with me?” Martin asks.
“No, not today. I think I’ll take this article to her and then try to figure out what comes next,” I tell him, shrugging.
“That’s fine, but don’t forget you do still work for the Times, so make your way into the office at some point.”
“Will do.”
We part ways in the parking lot. I’m hoping to get to Mac’s before she has practice so that I can give her the article to review before it goes to print. I’ll save the pictures Nick took of her and let her be surprised when it’s all laid out. I have no doubt our team is going to do a great job.