Her head flies in my direction. “Bitch!” I get a playful shove. “Are we following? And not because I’m trying to stuff him in my bra.”
“How about dinner?” I start packing up the chairs.
“Did you forget your man is a professional rugby player who’s in there interviewing with national networks?”
“I didn’t. I was trying to forget the press, the networks, and all those rowdy fans stuffed into a small room.” I’m getting better with crowds, but millions of viewers tuning in is asking a lot. “I’ll wait in the car.”
Marcela frowns. “Didn’t you drive separately?”
“Exactly.”
She cackles and grabs my arm. “Bring your scary ass.”
Chapter 45
Antonio
“Congratulations on another win. What’s the feeling heading through the season undefeated?”
I glance down the row of microphones to Cho, Kendrick, and Coach Washington. Three sets of eyes land on me.
Guess I’m taking this one.
“We’ve worked hard,” I say to the cameras, folding my arms on the table. “The preparation is in the results and what we’ve been able to achieve. Coach is on our a—”—family friendly—“butts with the fundamentals, and we try to apply them every opportunity we get. The Steel are solid, but we’re not sleeping on anyone. DC fought hard today. We’ll see them on their pitch in a few weeks.”
Concise.
Diplomatic.
No curse words.
Post-game press conferences are exhausting. The last thing any of us wants to do after eighty minutes of hard collision is answer the same questions over and over.
How do you feel after your win?Good.
What was going on with those errors?If we knew, we wouldn’t have made them.
Are you happy with your performance?Code word: I’m about to tell you how you fucked up.
Media training keeps the smile on my face and the FCC away. I’m happy the sport is getting the attention it deserves, but I’d be happier if I could eat or take a shit without worrying about cameras and who still needs an interview. I haven’t done either, and I have one more question in me before I pass out on this table.
I haven’t spoken to Miriam since before the game. We tunneled up with the other team before we jogged off to the locker room for a few quick words from the coaching staff. Then came the interviews.
My phone is still in my locker. Knowing Miriam, she dodged traffic and overstimulation by hightailing it out of here.
Journalists and podcasters fire off questions the others take turns answering. The field house we’re in isn’t small, but the eight-foot table we’re at, plus rugby staff, security, and on-air talent and their crew make it a tight fit.
Movement near the door pulls my attention. A smile lifts my cheek at the winter hat bopping to the corner.
She came.
Miriam is barely visible between the tripods and the press gunning for a viral clip. Her height does her no favors, but I don’t need to see her. I feel her.
“There’s speculation that Mancini might relocate the team to Toronto to solidify his business interests. Care to comment?”
What?
The question comes from somewhere in the audience. I force my brows to stay in place and my mouth not to twist.Remember your media training. My eyes dart to Coach, who leans forward.
