He confirmed my suspicions. No wonder she always seems stressed. “Is he ever around?”
“Not really.” He shrugs. “Probably a good thing. From what I’ve seen he’s an ass. Better for Gabby that way.”
“Yeah…” I agree it’s better when Mark isn’t there to make her question her intelligence or value to the team, but even if he’s not around, he’s still an ass that needs to be dealt with.
“What do you know, Rook?” he asks, suspiciously.
“Nothing specific. She’s mentioned he’s not the easiest to work with.”
“When was this?”
“That morning you showed up for coffee. We talked over breakfast, and I asked why she’s always so buttoned-up in the office when no one else is.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” How does he not know this? It didn’t take much to figure out that she puts on literal armor before she goes to work every day.
“It’s a defense mechanism. She uses her power suits and appearance to justify her belonging in the office.”
“Huh.” He fidgets uncomfortably. “Guess I’ve never really noticed that.” Rubbing a hand down his face, he considers what I’ve said. “Shit.”
“You’re pretty close, right? That’s what you said before, but it’s more than that isn’t it?”
“Yeah, Rook. It’s more. Gabby’s my sister from another mister. Ever since we first met, we just clicked. She sees me, ya get me?”
“I think so.” I’d be lying if I said I completely understood their relationship after watching them together at the gala and the next morning cozied up in the kitchen.
“Just kills me that you come along and see something in a few weeks that I haven’t caught in three years. She mentioned it not long ago, but she wouldn’t give me details and said she was handling it. I knew I shouldn’t have listened to her.”
“Sorry man. I’m not sure what to say to that.” Doubt and jealousy still warred in my mind when I thought about them together, but there was no mistaking the genuine concern on Miller’s face when he realized he missed this. I felt bad for being the messenger. Still, it’s better he knows than her having to deal with this alone. If she won’t let me in, maybe she’ll let him in.
“I’ll have to talk to her more about it tonight.”
“Just do me a favor and don’t tell her I said anything. I’m trying to stay on her good side.”
“Tempted to rat you out just for being annoying.” He side-eyes me. “Don’t worry about it. She seemed off when we were texting earlier, so I’ll blame it on that.”
“Off how?” I’m digging. Doubtful he’ll throw me a bone, but one can hope.
“Depends on why you want to know.”
“When I texted her the other day, she seemed to be having a bad day.”
His eyebrows raise in shock. “You texted her?” I’m surprised when I hear curiosity in his tone.
“Look, I know you know aboutbefore.” I add emphasis to the word but keep my voice in a hushed whisper. “She’s made it clear she doesn’t want a repeat. So, if all I can do is be her friend, then that’s what I’ll do.” I hedge, unsure how he’d feel about my interest in her as more than friends.
“You’re a good guy, Chase. She’ll come around.” It almost feels like he’s giving me his blessing.
When Fields comes back, I tell them I should get upstairs for the press conference. I don’t know if he knows about me and Bree or not, and I’d rather keep it that way to avoid any other marks against me from her.
“Speak from the heart and you’ll be alright. We heard you’ve been here the whole time we were gone putting in the work. Keep that dedication up, and everything’s going to work out,” Fields offers his advice.
“Thanks, man. That means a lot. I really appreciate it.” Giving them both a firm handshake, I leave the locker room and take the tunnel to the main office. The only person I can think who would’ve told Fields about the extra work I’ve put in would be Bree.
Knowing she was paying attention makes me feel better about my fixation on working out on the field where I washoping she would watch from her office. The need for her to realize I was taking this seriously was more important than anything. I’d never get over the look of disappointment etched into her face when she looked at me. It’s one I wish I could wipe away for eternity.
I tried to stay away, to keep my distance and respect the professional boundaries she laid out, but the desire to talk to her outweighed the voice in my head telling me not to. I was hoping that talking about the girl I met at the community center would break the ice. Sure, making it sound like I met another woman probably wasn’t helping my case, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do to get his girl’s attention.
On my way to the media room, I wonder what it will take to get Mark and Ricardo fired. I thought Grant was for sure going to fire them after how they acted in the conference room, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Maybe I should pull him aside after this and let him know exactly how they treat her.
