“Yeah, I’m excited to play in New York. The fans are the best, and if I don’t give them two hundred percent, they’ll let me know it.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” I chewed my burrito. “No matter how many winning seasons Dev gave them, the moment he threw an interception, they booed him.” I continued watching the video.
“What about that ankle? You went down pretty hard last week.”
Trick’s eyes narrowed, and he stopped.“It’s fine. I’m ready to get on the field and show my new teammates and the fans.”
“But it’s still taped, isn’t it? We saw you a day ago on the beach, and you were favoring it.”
“I said I’m fine,”he snapped, hefting the bag on his shoulder.“I’ll talk to you all soon. Have to find my bags and get to my hotel.”
“Are you planning on living in the city now, buying a place?”
Trick’s lady friend frowned, and he chuckled.“I think that’s a good idea, although Mimi here would rather be in LA. She lives for the beach and the sun.”
The interviewer stood with his microphone after Trick walked away.
“That was Patrick—Trick—Sloane, the new quarterback of the Brooklyn Kings. My guess is, we’ll be seeing a lot more of him now that he’s relocating to the city. Is the wild child of the San Diego Sharks finally ready to live the quiet life with his beautiful lady, or will we see the same hard-partying Trick Sloane on the East Coast? Stay tuned, ladies.”
After clicking out of the story, I turned on the television for background noise and decided I might as well look at the emails Norm sent. By telling me he might’ve found someone I could work with, Dev had made it pretty clear he thought the time had come for me to move on. A wave of sadness rolled over me. Change was going to happen whether I liked it or not.
Norm had sent those three prospectives he’d mentioned. One was PA to a fashion designer, and I immediately passed. From friends in that business, I’d heard stories of their diva behavior, and I had no desire to deal with spoiled brats. I was a PA, not a babysitter. The second was a television reality star, and whileworking for her could be fun, she wanted me to live in and travel extensively to help promote her new perfume and swimsuit line.
I set that one aside.
The last and most promising was personal assistant to a Broadway star whose name was well-known in the industry. That sounded interesting…until I saw the salary, which was quite a bit less than Dev paid me. I knew Dev paid me better than the norm, and I didn’t expect to make the same salary, but halving my yearly income wasn’t something I was willing or able to do.
With a heavy sigh, I closed my laptop and stretched out on the couch. A nap sounded pretty good, and to the sound of the Kings scoring a touchdown, I closed my eyes.
The buzzing of my cell woke me. I rubbed my face and peered at the screen.Damn. A three-hour nap was more than I’d intended. Dev’s name continued to flash across my phone. I hit the speaker as I tried to wake up.
“Hi, sorry,” I yawned. “I fell asleep. Do you need something?”
“Yeah. Listen. Do you have plans for dinner?”
“Only with my DoorDash guy,” I joked.
“Well, that’s about to change. Meet us at Keens at eight thirty.”
“Wait, what?” I struggled up to sitting and rubbed my face. “What’s this about?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here, but trust me, you’ll be happy.”
“Dev—”
“See you later. Bye.”
He ended the call, and I groaned in frustration. Typical Dev. He loved surprises, and I hated them. But my stomach growled, and I couldn’t complain about the prospect of a night with twofriends and a great steak dinner. I showered and changed into a crisp, blue-and-white button-down and a pair of navy dress pants. A spritz of cologne, and I was ready. Now that I was up and dressed maybe I’d go out after dinner, have a drink, or go to a club. It had been a hell of a dry spell for me, and I wouldn’t mind someone to hold for the night.
The ride uptown took less than fifteen minutes, and I was greeted by the hostess.
“Follow me, please. Your party is already here.”
The restaurant was about three-quarters full, conversations humming as we passed, and everyone’s food looked delicious. I could be a hermit sometimes and I’d admit I was glad Dev had called me to meet them.
At a corner table, I spotted Brody, and he waved to me. Dev grinned and whispered to the third person at the table, who turned to face me. My stomach, only moments before filled with anticipation, flipped over with dread.
“Fallon, meet Patrick Sloane. Remember I told you I had a plan? This is it. Or him. Trick, this is Fallon McKenzie,thetop sports PA. I think you two are perfect for each other.”
