A confident sway hits my hips as I follow Garrett into the packed room, right on his heels. An unusually optimistic part of me hopes I’ll get a tour of the stadium tonight, but when he leads me to a round table, I swallow my disappointment.
Settling onto the cold stool, I extend my hand. “Thanks for meeting me tonight.” As he shakes it, his eyes linger on my ring finger, proudly adorned with a gold Clear Lake University class ring.
His fingers fly to the gold chain around his neck with an identical ring on it. “My fiancée lets me travel with hers for good luck.”
I’m glad I did my research. Step one: a solid connection. Check.
I twist my ring. “Have you visited campus?”
Garrett’s mop of wet, blonde hair flops. “For her graduation a few years ago. Prettiest campus I’ve ever seen. Especially with the lake running through the middle.”
“I was there today for my graduation and people were swimming in it.”
“You graduated from college today?”
“For my MBA,” I clarify. “I was a full-time junior agentandgrad student up until today. Now I’m just an agent.”
He lets out a quiet, appreciative whistle. “How in the hell did you manage that?”
“Oh, you know.” I shrug. “All work, no play.”
Which is another way to say I’ve done nothing but work to chase this dream.
“Well, I applaud you. Layla, my fiancée, has been thinking about going back to school, but adding that to a job seems tough.” Blue eyes flit to his phone, and I steal a glance at his wallpaper. The blonde woman is gorgeous. “So, tell me about yourself, Turner.”
Athletes usually prefer talking about their wants and needs, so why the hell are we talking about me?
I clear my throat. “I graduated early from CLU with a degree in sports management and a minor in communications. During my final semester, I secured an internship with Permian Sports Agency and accepted a full-time position a year and a half ago.”
“That’s nice.” The unimpressed notch between his brows tells me it’s not really that nice. “What do you do when you’re not working?”
My hackles rise at the first hint of a red flag. “Would you ask a male agent that?”
Dusty pink colors his cheeks. “Honestly? Probably. I’m a nosy guy, but I’ll admit that I’m curious about you. I’d like to know whoyouare. Outside of work.”
His answer puts me at ease as I look down at the badge hanging around my neck. Me outside of work doesn’t exist. These days, I am my job. Every moment is spent either working or thinking about work. I’m always on duty for my clients, which doesn’t leave much time for anything else.
“To be honest, I’m married to the job. In the rare moments I’m not working, I’m with my best friends. We played soccer at CLU.”
A pang of guilt radiates through me at the memory of leaving Mallory, Jo, and Adri in the parking lot after the graduation ceremony to hightail it here. Being the supportive friends they are, they understood, but work has come first for so long, they probably weren’t surprised.
“Yeah, I saw that when I looked you up.” He shrugs at my narrowed gaze. “What? Preparation is key. So tell me about you.”
If I didn’t want to work with him before, I definitely want to now. He’s the perfect client, so I indulge his personal request.
“I grew up in an all-athlete family. My dad’s a former basketball player turned sports broadcaster. My mom’s a sports attorney in Portland with a successful track career behind her, a three-time Olympian. And my brother, Myles, is a point guard for the Seattle Surge. As my dad says, sports are practically in our DNA.”
By the indifferent look on his face, this isn’t new information either. Everyone knows the Turners are a sports family.
“You were an incredible defender.” He props his chin onto his palm and smiles thoughtfully. “Nationally ranked. They called you the Angel Devil because you looked innocent but were an imminent threat to everyone’s ankles. I was surprised to see you didn’t go pro.”
As if on autopilot, my fingers play with my soccer ball stud earrings. “Soccer was my first love, but I always wanted to be the person who guides players through their professional careers. As a forever sports fan, I have certifications in multiple sports. Baseball, soccer, and basketball are my sweet spots.”
“Finally! Something I didn’t see online.” Garrett grins and slaps the table. “I understand basketball and soccer, but why baseball?”
I swallow over the lump of emotion lodged in my throat. “When I was nine, my dad and I watched a documentary about Jackie Robinson. By the time it ended, I had fallen in love with baseball the same way I loved soccer.”
Soon after, my parents separated. A few months later, Dad moved to Philadelphia with Myles while I stayed in Portland with Mom.
