Page 23 of Your Kiss Is On My List

“It’s a plan then,” Dooley says. “Danielle Innocent is your new hockey team special coverage sportscaster. And you’re in luck, because she just happens to be the girlfriend of none other than the team captain and current scoring leader, Trey Eagleton.”

“You shitting me?” He looks at me again and then pseudo whispers to Dooley, “I’m glad you mentioned that because I was about to ask her out and that might have gotten awkward.” He winks at me and I laugh.

“Sorry—I’m all taken.” My grin is genuine because I can’t explain how good it feels to say that and mean it. Even if it is a half-truth. Trey has my heart even if I don’t have his.

“Disappointing,” he says with a shrug and, if I’m reading him right—which I usually do—his disappointment is genuine. I’m glad Dooley had the foresight to mention Trey.

There’s a knock on the glass window and we all turn to see none other than Summer Philbin waving and heading for the door. My cool slips for a beat and I wonder what the heck she’s doing here, my mind rushing quickly to the obvious answer as Dooley leans in and tells me under his breath, “Summer is on-air talent at the studio.” Shit. She’s the last person I want to work with. I know she does not like me one bit.

“Well, well, and what are we doing here?” She looks at me and then at Dooley with daggers of accusation flying from her eyes before landing on Craig.

“Summer,” Craig says, nodding, his voice a few degrees cooler than a minute ago. “We just added our newest on-air sports—”

“That’s ridiculous. We’re already at capacity.”

“Too bad it’s not your call,” Craig says.

“I don’t want to cause a problem,” I say, meaning it and reading that Summer carries a lot of weight, that she’s testing Craig’s authority and forcing him to push back. Awkward. The last thing I want to do is get Craig in the middle of a power struggle that gets bumped up to the executive level or whatever the equivalent is at the university studio.

“Nonsense,” Dooley says.

“No worries,” Craig says at the same time. Summer whirls on me.

“Don’t tell me you used your relationship with Trey to worm your way in without paying your dues?” She says relationship as if she knows the truth and maybe she does since she apparently was Trey’s lover for real not long ago. My stomach turns and my smile fades even as I fight to keep it in place. The girl is hurting and I need to remember that, no matter how hard she makes it to have compassion It would be so much easier if she’d realize Trey isn’t into her and give up on him. Easier for all of us.

“No.” I don’t let Craig or Dooley speak for me this time. “I didn’t use Trey, but you’re right, I should pay my dues.” I turn to Craig. “How about if I put in some time as a production assistant or whatever else I can do, as well as on-air?” No way am I giving up the on-air assignment, but there’s no harm in helping out at the studio in any way I can. I want to learn all phases of the business. He smiles at me like I’ve just given him the keys to the gates of heaven.

“You’re on, Ms. Innocent. You can start tomorrow.” Craig nods at Summer. “Happy? Or are you going to run to your friend Dean Lassiter?” She simmers and stares back, but doesn’t say a word then walks out.

Dooley lets out a whistle that I’m sure she hears, but he doesn’t care.

“Who’s Dean Lassiter?” I ask.

“Dean of Students at SPU and in charge of all SPU communications, including the studio. The buck stops with him when it comes to programming,” Craig says.

“Unless you want to go to Reverend Church, SPU’s President and Chairman of the Trustees,” Dooley says. “But you know you’re in big trouble if you get Rev Church involved.”

I nod. “Good to know.” Because this is exactly the kind of thing I need to know. “What’s Summer’s position?” I ask.

“She started out in sportscasting, went to anchor, and now she has the most prestigious assignment in the studio—short of my job,” Craig says. “She covers SPU administration, which includes Dean Lassiter and Reverend Church and all the propaganda—I mean news—they have to share.”

“I see.” It’s crystal clear. She has power because she’s the mouthpiece for the administration. Great.

Dooley adds, “But the one area she doesn’t have influence in is sports, especially hockey. Coach Maroni is a demigod on campus, even to the administration, and so he has his own sphere of influence.”

“I want to kiss you for saying that, Dooley.”

“How about a fist bump,” he says and I laugh, unable to stop myself from embracing him—just for a half a beat.

“Did you know she used to date Trey?” Craig says.

“She’s well aware,” Dooley says. Craig nods.

“If I were you,” Craig says, “I would steer as clear as possible from Summer Philbin.”

“I’m already on that page,” I say.

Chapter 9