Adley Harrison was his former administrative assistant and sister-in-law. She was from the area and a spitfire who would market me to every available woman up and down the West Coast.
Hudson laughed. “Yeah, okay. But think about it. Ev knows a lot of people down here. You’ve got time to find your person now, Thomas.”
Grunting, I shook my head. “I’ve dated, but no one interested me enough for a second date. But if I say I’ll think about it, will you drop it?”
“Only if you agree to come over sometime soon and catch up,” he said. “I am not sure what to do without my shadow.”
I missed him, too. But I was not alone. “I can do that. Name the time, and I’ll be there.”
“Good,” he said. The speaker muffled, as if he were covering the end. “Call me after you talk to William. I gotta go,” he rasped. “He’s calling me.”
Yeah, he was going to get laid. “Go. We’ll talk soon.”
Ending the call, I looked out at the ocean, still confused about why Mason bolted away. I stood and gathered my things beforeheading to my car. Climbing in, I considered what level of detail providing security for a sports team might offer. I’d never done that type of work, but I loved a challenge.
By the time I pulled into my parking space, my phone rang with an unknown number. Normally, I would let it go to voicemail, but since Hud’s call, I answered it.
“Thomas Kingsley.”
“Hello, Mr. Kingsley,” a woman said. “My name is Elenor. I’m the administrative assistant to William Carlisle, from the San Diego Storm.”
I put on my most cordial voice. “Yes, ma’am. How can I help you?”
“Mr. Carlisle spoke to Governor Gatlin and would like to schedule a meeting with you regarding Storm business at your earliest convenience. Would you possibly be free today?”
Evan my ass.“I can meet briefly today, but I’m heading out of the country for a few days.”
“Excellent. How is ten a.m.?” she asked.
I hesitated a moment, mentally running through what I had to do. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be there.”
“Wonderful,” she sighed. “I’ll alert security at the front desk to expect you.”
I nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.”
When she ended the call, I grabbed a blanket from the back and spread it over my seat. When it was secure, I climbed into my car, then called Hudson back.
Chapter 2
Mason
I’d just gotten home from my run with Thomas when my phone buzzed with a text.
Laura: Hey, Mason. Sorry to interrupt your time off, but I need to see you as soon as possible. When can you come in?
Frowning at the screen, the last thing I expected in the offseason was an urgent message from the Storm PR Director asking for a meeting. Coach Henderson made a point that we were not to be disturbed during that time unless someone was getting married or having a baby. And that was always an email. I wasn’t doing either of those.
I wasn’t a high-profile player like Lennox or Evan, and I wasn’t in the headlines like Carson and Colin. I was the quiet one who kept my nose clean and my head down. The closest thing I had to a girlfriend was Thomas, and unfortunately, that’s not what we were. My professional life consisted of memorizing Lennox’s weird as heck cadences so I knew when to snap the ball, and making sure he got said ball into his waiting hands.Why she wanted to see me was a mystery. No matter which way I played it in my head, it made no sense whatsoever.
Me: Can you tell me what this is about?
I bit my thumbnail as the dots bounced. They started and stopped several times, and when the message came through, apprehension filled the pit of my stomach.
Laura: I’d rather talk in person. Let me know when you’re available.
Crap.My mind went through every possible scenario, but the only thing that popped into my mind was Australia. Yet I couldn’t come up with a single instance that would have caught the attention of the PR team. The craziest thing we’d done was to climb to the top of the Sydney Bridge, and that was a paid excursion. Was there a stipulation in our contracts that said climbing was dangerous? What if they fired me over it?
My first reaction was to call Thomas and see what he thought. But he was busy getting ready to leave for Ireland. I was starting to perspire as I replied to her.
