CHAPTER 18 #2
Scarlett brought her hand to her head as she slowed.
She couldn’t stay here because of Theo. It was ridiculous.
He had too much baggage that he hadn’t worked through yet, and besides, she needed to work.
No, what she needed to do was find another job, another city.
Her work was important to her, but she was surprised by just how much she wanted to stay because of him.
She still had so much to tell him, to talk to him about, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to make the decision to stay based solely on the off chance of having a future with him. It wasn’t logical.
Rounding the corner, she reached her office and sat behind her desk. Staring blankly into the distance, she didn’t know how much time had passed before there was a familiar figure standing in her doorway.
Theo knocked on the frame. “Scarlett?”
She hesitated a moment before standing. “Yes?”
“Why’d you leave the press conference? Chard was backed into a corner. I think he might actually reverse his decision.”
“He can’t. Jaffi said it’s impossible.”
Theo frowned. “What business is it of Jaffi’s? He doesn’t own the team.”
“No, and Chard won’t either unless they can save some money.” She shook her head. “Chard is in financial ruin and can’t afford to keep the women’s team without half a million pounds.”
“Who has that?”
“Not this organization, apparently.”
“I thought he was rich?”
She shrugged.
Theo kept a steady gaze on her. “What does this mean for you, then?”
She came around her desk and leaned back against it, arms folded across her chest. “I don’t know.
I came here specifically because I wanted to work with a women’s team.
Without them, I’d still have a job, I suppose, but I don’t know if it would be enough.
” She looked up at him. “And it feels too soon to stay for other reasons.”
Theo nodded, and she wondered why she was displeased by that. She knew his history, how he’d asked his previous girlfriend to stay and what a heartache that had been for him. She and Theo weren’t even dating, so how could she expect something more?
“So, you’ll be leaving?”
“I don’t know for certain yet.”
“Even though you still have a job here?”
“I came for the women’s team.”
“You could still stay. You have a job.” His voice became hard.
“I don’t know if I want to stay in a place that is so flippant about their teams, especially if they’re going to sell the Bees in the next year. I mean, what’s the point of hanging around?”
But that wasn’t the right thing to say, judging by the hurt expression on Theo’s face. Feeling like a jerk, Scarlett took a step forward to apologize, but he shook his head and snorted. Why did he suddenly seem so disgruntled? But she didn’t have to wait long to understand him.
“Come off it,” he said, his tone defeated. “You only came to Manchester because your ex was trying to get rid of you. Not for your love of the game or for the women’s team. You came because you wanted to put your past behind you.”
Scarlett froze, simultaneously furious and hurt by his words. He didn’t know anything about her. She pushed off her desk and took a step toward him.
“First of all, fuck all the way off with that. I came here because I wanted to, okay? You think my ex had anything to do with me spending all my formative years playing this game? I chose to go into public relations after my career was cut short. I chose to come to England because I love this sport. Not because some jerk broke up with me. You got that?”
Shame shone on his face. “I didn’t mean to say that—”
But she wasn’t having any of it. He was pissed about the situation? Well, so was she, and she could say stupid things too. “And you want to talk about exes? At least I knew that I was being dumped. I didn’t make an ass out of myself flying halfway around the world just to be told twice.”
The words, bitter and cruel, fell from her lips fast. Too fast, in fact, for her to stop herself, and the wounded expression that instantly appeared in his eyes cut her.
Damn it.
His mouth formed a flat line, and without so much as a passing glance at her, he left.
Scarlett opened her mouth to stop him, but then she didn’t know what to say.
Yes, they had slept together, and yes, he was Mr. Wrong Number, which was another thing she would have to deal with sooner rather than later, but for now, her heart ached for more reasons than she understood, and she felt miserable.
She sat back at her desk and flattened her arms across the surface before dropping her head down. Why had she said that? To hurt him, she answered herself, but only because he had said that thing about her ex. And he had only said that because he was angry that she might be leaving.
Ugh. How immature could they be?
“Great job, Scarlett,” she muttered to herself as she considered how to apologize.
Because of course she would need to apologize, just like she would have to tell him the truth about everything.
She wanted to be honest with him, but he had been such a jerk, and her head was starting to pound again with that incessant headache.
But she would have to deal with it tomorrow.
The Bees had a big game against Swansea City anyway, so it was probably best to steer clear of him until after that match.
And while she didn’t exactly want to be watching the game in the owner’s box with Chard, spending all her time on the socials, she did still have a job to do.
And she was going to do it.