Common sense says I could just ask, and I should. We’re parting ways very soon, and now’s as good a time as any to ask.
But how the hell would I even start?Hey, Ellis, I already have your number now, but… do you still want to give it to me?
I stifle a snort. Geeze, I’m a mess.
An ankle prods against mine, and I look up to meet Ellis’s deep blue eyes. He asks, around a mouthful of croissants, “Something on your mind?”
I smile. “I guess it’s just a little disorienting that we spent the last few days attached at the hip and now we’re going to opposite sides of the country, and I won’t see you again until… what, weeks from now?”
He titters. “Are you going to miss me, Dee?”
“Yeah,” I say, without missing a beat.
Ellis’s eyes widen. I’m not sure, but I think his cheeks redden by a fraction. He recovers quickly and gives me a shit-eating grin. “Understandable,” he says. “I’m irresistible.”
Even if I roll my eyes, I can’t keep the smile off my face. “Here’s the thing. I know we said what we were doing here stays here, but—”
My phone, which is on the table, suddenly buzzes and cuts my words off. It’s probably Mom again asking me for updates about my flight. Frowning, I swipe out a hand to cancel the call.
“It’s Dylan,” Ellis says, eyeing my screen. That stops me real quick.
My manager said he’d call me over the holidays, expecting an update about work. This isn’t the right time, though. Jesus, I was just about to shoot my shot here.
“Take it,” Ellis urges.
Sighing, I grab my phone and accept the call. Pressing it up against my ear, I say, “Hey, Dylan.”
“Damon,” he says simply. “I heard you’re still stranded in Buffalo. You’re flying out to Anchorage soon, right?”
“Yep,” I say, popping the “P.” Ellis watches me, his mouth quirking at the corner. “Heading to the airport in an hour.”
“That’s great. Anyway, just wanted to catch up with you. Since you’ve been cooped up in a hotel for days, I thought you were probably bored and maybe had a chance to do your scouting report.”
I bite my cheek, trying not to laugh.Boredwould be the last word I’d use to describe recent events. “I haven’t had a chance to work on the report.”
The exasperated sigh he gives me would be a lot more upsetting if Ellis weren’t in front of me stuffing his face with his stupid croissants. There are crumbs on his chin, and I want to lick them off. Dylan says, “You need to get another client on your roster, Damon, or you’ll miss your KPIs. You might not get yourannual bonus if you do. Worst case scenario… well, I don’t want to think about it.”
I might be out of a job,I say in my mind.
Dylan mumbles, “Listen, you’re a great kid. You work hard and you’ve brought in a lot of business to the agency. If it were any other guy, I’d be able to defend you with just that, but… well, our CEO’s always been harder on you than the rest of the guys, hasn’t he?”
“He is,” I agree. It’s not that Paul Donlan isunpleasantto me. He isn’t. But he’s always been more watchful since that day he found me without shoes in his kitchen. It’s never been a secret to anyone that he observes me closely. “So, uh, what you’re saying is that if I don’t sign Killian on, I might be in more trouble than I think?”
Ellis freezes.
“Something like that,” Dylan says. My eyebrows crunch as Ellis grabs his phone and frantically types into it. “Just try your best. Please. I know Ellis is there with you right now, and I’m assuming he’s got his eyes on the same player. Since you’re both scouting the same player, the company won’t let you offer a deal to him—so whoever comes up with the best scouting report will be given the go-ahead to speak to Killian on the agency’s behalf.”
Before I can respond, Ellis shoves his phone screen in my face.
Tell him about my no-trade idea,he has typed.
No, I mouth.
Ellis glares at me.
Dylan says, “You need to come up with an angle that Killian won’t refuse and even Ellis won’t think of.”
“Ow!” I yell as a sharp pain on the ankle hits me.
