Needless to say, this meeting? The perfect reset.
"You ready there, Sleeping Beauty?" Drew whispers to me as Monte clicks away on his computer.
"I was not sleeping," I hiss, glaring at him, though it's more directed at myself. I didn't realize anyone would notice, but this is definitely not the kind of impression I'm trying to make on my interim boss.
I stand, attempting to look more awake than ever, and Drew gestures to the door.
"Hey, Brooke," Levi says before either of us takes a step. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Oh..." I look at Drew who shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah, sure."
He throws his thumb behind him. "I'll just wait outside."
I nod and turn back to Levi. "What's up, McHottie?" I say out of habit. Levi turns his head slowly, and I force a smile. "Sorry, I'm trying not to do that atwork." I put air quotes around the last word, and Levi laughs.
"It's all good," he says. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. Make sure the guys aren't giving you a hard time."
I catch myself before I look back toward where I know Drew is waiting on the other side of the door. "It's actually going great," I say, thinking of all the content I've made in the last few days. "I'm realizing I really like doing this stuff."
"Well, you're good at it too." Levi sits forward in his chair and clasps his hands under his chin, his elbows resting on his desk. "Jack just called and said his daughter was busting out laughing at the stick-name video you posted this morning."
"Wait," I interrupt. "Did you actually figure out how to watch it?"
Levi blinks at me blankly. "Yes, Brooke. I figured it out." He inhales deeply, and on the exhale he adds, "Eventually."
I smother a smile, raising my brows. "So what didyouthink?"
"I think Burns is an idiot," he says quickly. I may have decided to leave some of that in. "But I also think it was funny as hell and just the kind of thing we need to keep the fans engaged and in good spirits this season."
Pride rises in my chest, a feeling I'm not too familiar with. "Well, good. I'm glad you all liked it."
He sits back in his seat, moving his elbows to the arms of his chair. "We did, so keep it up."
"I will," I say, turning toward the door.
"Oh, and Brooke," Levi calls after just a few steps. "You're smart to play Anderson up. He's the money-maker around here. The fans and front office will eat that up."
I tip my chin down, not really sure how else to respond other than with that or the truth, and Levi doesn't want to hear that I'm spending time with my old hook up so the anomaly wears off.
"I'll see you at the game tomorrow."
"See ya then," I say, his comment marinating in my mind.
As I push the door open, I can't shake a nagging feeling attached to it. When I step into the hall, I spot Drew standing at the end, looking at framed pictures. His face is serious, his hands are in his pockets, and one piece of hair is flopped down on his forehead. That's when it hits me—why Levi's comment feels so off.
From here, Drew doesn't look like amoney-makeror the guy you see all over the internet. He's the player who likes to shoot around by himself. The athlete who works out at sunrise and listens to music that hits you like a punch in the gut. He looks like the guy whose morning practically put me to sleep. And whose mom died when he was too young to drive a car.
Drew glances over at me and smiles, his face brightening in a soft way, where his eyes relax and the corners of his lips get lost in deep dimples. As always, who he is withmeisn't who everyone else seems to know. The change makes me think of what Aunt Ivy said.Why can't he be both?
As he saunters over to me, I replay her question in my mind. I come off strong, independent, and confident. But sometimes just a hint of emotion can suffocate me. And I feel like I'm standing still when the rest of my world is forging on without me. I want to settle down and find something serious, but at the same time, that means opening up… and I can't stop drooling over the twenty-five-year-old who banged me in the bathroom. Maybe Drew can be both of those people too—the playmaker from the internet andmyguy from the gala.
"You ready for a little downtime?" Drew asks, stepping up to me and tearing me from my mental detour.
"As long as there's sustenance involved."
His head falls forward as he lets out a chuckle. "Sure." I breathe a sigh of relief, and he grins.
"I know, it's a lot. But I only have one more thing a little later today."
