There was silence, as if Chloe’s agent was thinking, before he called on another person. “David, are you on the call?”
Chloe, opposite me, sank deeper into her chair, her eyes rolling.
“Yeah, I’m on the call,” a new male voice said. “Selene, I think we need to discuss a price limit. We should also discuss the cost of the room. These prices can get high close to tournaments, and Inés should be willing to cover any cost that exceeds what we agree.”
“Out of the question. Where Chloe is staying, Inés does and atyour expense. That’s part of the deal. I want that included in the contract,” Selene argued back. “Jerry, are you on?”
Chloe’s eyes caught mine, the blue-green dulled by boredom. But she smiled slightly, covering her mouth in a fake yawn. The tight cord around my heart loosened, a small chuckle escaping me.
I thought about her words last night. She’d seemed so open with me, honest in her intentions, but what if she was lying? What if she dumped me on the runway in Toronto? And more dangerous yet, I’d be aiding myrival.
“Yeah, I hear you, Selene.” I rolled my eyes at the next person. “Jerry” continued, “I agree, I’ll make sure that amendment is included before we sign.”
“I think this warrants further discussion,” said Chloe’s manager.
And on and on it went, Selene arguing with Chloe’s lawyer over the need for a non-disclosure agreement, arguing whether or not we’d be allowed to discuss our time together with media or, God forbid, in a tell-all biography.
“And court time, is that limited?” Selene asked. “If my client is on the court all day, there’s only so much longer she will be available to practice.”
Over the phone, Chloe’s agent sighed heavily, as if he was already sick and tired of arguing back and forth.
“Then what’s the point of this?” David questioned, his tone sharp. “Chloe, Calvin, are you sure we should be hiring somebody who is competing against us?”
“Dad, I want Inés,” Chloe said, taking everyone in the room by surprise. “Nobody else.”
We were all silent, all eyes on her. I swallowed, awkwardness seeping through me.
“We spoke about this,” the voice from the phone pressed.
“I don’t care,” she said. Her eyes flickered up from the phone, holding contact as she continued, “Calvin and I think Inés is the best choice. This only works with her.”
My mouth went dry under her attention, the intent in her gaze piercing. Was this a favor she was doing me? A way to make up for all the history between us? Or simply good tactics? I was struggling to tell anymore.
“In fact,” she said, “everyone out.” We all looked at each other strangely, Chloe’s hands gripping the armrests on her chair. “Me and Inés are going to talk this out. We will tell you when we come to an agreement.”
“You can’t be serious.” Her dad’s voice crackled from the speaker.
“I’ll call you back when we’ve got news.” And with that, Chloe pressed a button on the phone, ending the call. Looking at her brother, she nodded once. Reluctantly, Calvin pushed up from his chair, taking his sister’s lead.
“This is silly. Inés, tell me you don’t want this,” Selene argued, her brows furrowed.
I only raised a hand, stopping her before she could say anything else. “It’s me and Chloe who are working together. We should be the ones to sort this out.”
Selene tsked angrily but got up to leave. “Don’t agree to anything stupid,” she warned, before they both left. The phone rang as the door closed, but Chloe simply hung up before pulling the cord out.
“There,” she said. “That will stop them.”
I stared at her for a moment, wide-eyed and taken aback as the door shut behind them.
“That was kind of badass,” I said, managing to blink. Chloe sat back down, a hand pushing her hair behind her ear, little gold hoops hanging from her lobes.I’d never noticed she had her ears pierced before.
“They were driving me nuts.” She smiled softly, shaking her head as she stared at the now-silent phone. “How many more people do you think were on that call?”
I chuckled. “At least five more. Wonder how many billable hours it will all add up to.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “When did my life become all about billable hours? My dad’s probably frothing at the mouth about now.”
She straightened, drawing herself back into the table. We sat face-to-face. “I agree with your agent. Where I stay, how I travel, you should have the same, all costs met.”
