“Fine.” She jutted out her chin and looked at him challengingly. “As long as you’re honest when someone asks you why I’m angry with you and admit I have every damn right to be.”
“Do you have the right to be angry, Hazel?” he asked belligerently. “Only you? I don’t think so. So no, I wouldn’t sign that for you.”
“But the rest?” she asked, and snorted.
“Yes.”
She rolled her eyes, about to say something not very friendly…when the music stopped again, forcing her to freeze.
He was lying! He would never give her what he’d just said in writing, would he?
She continued to stare at his face. His serious, unyielding face.
What if he did? What if they just…if they…
Couples dropped out, the music continued, and she looked up at Gareth with narrowed eyes.
Yeah, why not?
“You know what?” she asked, musing aloud. “That’s not a bad idea at all.”
A notion manifested in her head that made her heart flutter with hope. Why hadn’t they thought of it sooner? She wanted to eliminate stressors and create enough leeway for herself to at least consider starting a family. Gareth wanted to continue negotiating with agents. And to do that, they had to get along. So… “Gareth, that’s a brilliant idea, even if it was practically yours!”
He blinked, irritated. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Well, the short-term solution is for me to go to Penny and tell her I’d like to keep you as a negotiating partner because we actually get along. But, we also need a long-term one.”
“Do we?”
“Do you want to sell the Hawks?”
“No. Do you want to stop being an agent for half my players?”
“No, because my next step will be to rescue Leon from the clutches of his sleazy agent. The idiot doesn’t know what he’s doing, and Leon doesn’t know he’s on track to become the best player in the NHL in three to five years. But don’t tell that to my other clients.”
A pained expression appeared on his face as if he were imagining how often they would have to talk if she signed Leon.“Fine,” he said tensely. “We need a long-term solution. What do you suggest?”
“Isn’t it obvious? We put in writing how we behave around each other. For a functional business relationship.”
“You want to write a code of conduct?”
“A contract. A code of conduct in which we spell out what we want and need from each other, and how we will handle various situations from now on. We’ve already started.”
Gareth narrowed his eyes.
“It’s the fairest solution,” she continued. “We both trust only one thing in this world and that’s a watertight contract, one we drew up ourselves.”
He knew she was right. She could see it clearly on his face. They wouldn’t simply have blind trust in each other if all they did wassaythey were going to behave themselves from now on. They needed something solid. Something they could both refer to.
“And you’d be okay with that?” he asked roughly. “That I stipulate that you’re not allowed to ask for any more gummy bears or that your assistant can’t annoy me?”
“Sure,” she said, unperturbed. “If I get enough in return from you. That’s negotiable, I guess.”
“It’s a good thing we’re both lawyers who excel at negotiations.”
“Exactly.” She grinned. “You want to get Penny off your back, and I want Fox and Devreaux to relax. It’s a win-win situation.”
“We’ll see when the contract is finalized.”
