“In any event,” Jack says, “you’ll get a good report from me to Stuart. You’ve been a great asset to us, Everleigh, and I don’t want you to mistake my intentions here.”
“It feels a lot like I’m getting fired,” I say in a small voice. I think about begging him to keep me here, but I don’t want to come off looking desperate, and I also don’t want to give away the fact that I want to stay close to Maverick since I’ve fallen for him. Maybe this is my sign that he isn’t mine to fightfor. He’s already made it pretty clear he doesn’t want that fight anyway.
“I’m certain it does, but rest assured, that’s not what this is. If you’d prefer to stay here and finish out the year on the contract, I can reassign you. If you’d prefer to transfer back to Chicago, I’m sure Stuart is suffering without your talents close to home.”
I don’t have to put a lot of thought into this, to be honest. “That’s nice of you to say. I guess if I’m being let go from my current responsibilities, I’d just as soon head home.” I’d rather not stick around and be face-to-face with someone who doesn’t want to be around me—someone who broke my heart after I broke his first.
I guess we’re both responsible for the wreckage we’ve left.
I say my goodbyes to Jack and Ellie, and I head home. It’s hard walking out of the Complex for what is likely going to be the last time, so of course I bump into my brother just to make things a smidge harder.
“Ev, where you headed?” Dex asks as he walks in through the front doors just as I’m about to walk out of them.
“Home,” I say quietly. I glance around, and then I realize I don’t really care who hears me. “Jack fired me.”
“What?” he breathes. “What the fuck? Because of Jennings? It’shisfault, not yours. Fuck that dude. I’m going to rip him a new—”
I hold up a hand. “Dex, stop. Please. It wasn’t a good fit. You and I both know I wasn’t cut out to work with athletes, least of all one like him.”
“Like him?” he repeats.
I lift a shoulder and twist my lips as I look away. “Someone who really doesn’twantto change.”
“Yeah,” he murmurs. “I need to get to practice. I’m sorry this is how things went. Can I take you to dinner on Monday?”
I shake my head. “I’m going home. I think Vegas just isn’t for me. I’ll let what happened here stay here and all that jazz. I’m going to get my feet back under me in Chicago.”
Except what happened here won’t stay here. It’s Vegas, sure, but the way my chest feels heavy and my head hurts and my legs feel like jelly—I’m pretty sure all that’s going to follow me home.
And the way I feel about Maverick Jennings will definitely follow me home, too.
CHAPTER 41: Maverick Jennings
Corporate Brand Strategies
When your team owner’s assistant calls and beckons you into the office, you don’t have much choice but to go. Especially when you’re stuck at home rather than at practice since you’re suspended.
I mean, it’s not all a waste of time. I made the appointment with the auto paint place, and I worked out.
But that’s about all I’ve done on this, my thirty-third birthday.
It’s not likely that Jack is calling me in to wish me a happy birthday, though.
I arrive and head straight for his office, and Lily nods me in.
“Mr. Jennings, take a seat,” he says, and I do as I’m told. “You seemed…objectionableto the idea of a babysitter shadowing your every move to help you straighten out yourimage, and so I’ve decided to give you what you wanted. I let her go.”
I draw in a sharp breath, and my chest feels as if its caving in on itself. “You what?”
He lifts a shoulder. “If you’re not going to take these brand strategies seriously and instead you’re going to fuck around with the woman I’ve hired to help you, you leave me no other choice but to take matters into my own hands.”
My stomach churns at his words.
Now byfuck around with…does he mean literally or in a more figurative sense? Does he know Everleigh and I have been sleeping together? Is that why he did this? Did Coach Richards tell him?
I keep silent as I wait for him to detail exactly what taking matters into his own hands means.
“To that end, I’ve let Ms. Bradley go, and I’ll be working with you directly. I may bring my wife, Kate, on board as well to help as needed since she’s the one who whipped me into shape. Well, and my son, but you don’t have children. Do you?”
