“I took the liberty of contacting Tanner, and he said his agency would be thrilled to work with you.” She passes the folder to me. “Take a look at that and see if you think they would be a good fit for you. There’s a list of other athletes he represents on the first page so you can contact any of them for references.”
“Thank you, Carly. I appreciate you looking out for me,” I tell her gratefully.
“Of course. I know you’ll do your homework because you’re meticulous like that, but I don’t think you’ll find anyone better than MSM.” Her eyebrows lift. “Oh, and he’s actually hired someone to run a division dedicated solely to female athletes, so you’ll get very specialized attention. Kamryn Hart will be in charge of that.”
“The softball player?” I ask incredulously. Carly nods as I gape at her. “I had no idea Kam was a sports agent.”
“She’s apparently some kind of genius and has been going to law school at night while also playing professional ball. I think Kam is going to be a stellar agent. She’s quite a ballbreaker on and off the field.”
A chuckle escapes my lips. “I’m aware. I’ve met her a couple times at events, and she’s definitely… bold.”
“She’s got a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue. I have no doubt she will fight tooth and nail for her clients.”
Circling back to her moving, I ask, “When are you and Albert going to Wyoming?”
Her husband answers because Carly is looking a bit green again. “In the next few weeks. Carly is working on getting all her clients situated before we go. I want to get her in with a good obstetrician that specializes in multiples as soon as possible. My mom is a nurse, so she’s looking into it.” He’s constantly wiping her forehead with the damp cloth, saturating her hairline and making her blonde hair curl up even more around her face.
“And what will you do for work, Albert? I know you’ve been Carly’s assistant for years.”
“I already have a job lined up with a local sports network. I’ll be an administrative assistant for their CEO, much like I do here, so the transition should be pretty seamless. They have excellent medical benefits too.”
“Ohhh, god,” Carly groans. “Not again.”
Albert wheels her chair back, allowing her to spring up like a jack-in-the box, and then he follows her sprinting form to the bathroom.
After a couple minutes of Carly throwing up what sounds like every internal organ in her abdomen, Albert calls, “Jordie, I’m going to take her home. Just email us about those offers. Carly will take a look as soon as possible.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” I call back. “Just take care of your wife.”
After tucking the envelopes and MSM folder into my tote bag, I refill Carly’s Sprite and leave it on her desk before departing quietly. Poor thing is sick as a dog, so I’m just going to have to find someone else to look over these contracts.
Turns out, I didn’t have to wait long to find someone. As soon as I get into my old beat-up silver truck, I open one of the envelopes and pull out the contents. I skimmed it last night, but I have questions about some of the wording. Maybe if I go over it again, it will make more sense.
I’m about halfway through the morality clause when my cell phonerings, and I answer it absently without looking at the display. It’s probably Juliette. She usually calls me every day before practice.
“Helloooo. This is Ivana’s sexy time service,” I say in a low purr with a hint of a weird accent. “How may I bring you pleasure today?”
The deep voice startles me. “Um, sorry? I think I have the wrong number.”
Phoenix Hale. Well fuck me with a rusty pipe.
“Uhhhhhh.” After that brilliant response, I panic and hang up, staring at the phone in my lap like it’s a bomb.
It rings again. Because of course it does.
Clearing my throat, I speak in a much higher voice when I answer. “Hello, this is Jordie.”Great, now I sound like a chipmunk.
A chuckle vibrates through the phone line and into my ear. “Yeah, I’m looking for Ivana.”
Kill. Me. Now.
“Shit, I’m so sorry, Phoenix,” I rush out. “I thought you were my sister and didn’t even look at my phone because I was distracted trying to figure out something called behavioral standards.” That last part comes out with all the words crammed together like I couldn’t get them out of my mouth fast enough.
He laughs again, and I can picture his smile. And his stupid dimples. “No problem. You don’t even want to know some of the things I joke about with my brothers.” He pauses. “What did you say about behavioral standards?”
“Oh, it’s part of the morality clause in an endorsement contract.”
His voice sharpens a little. “Carly should be going over any questions about contracts with you.”
