Page 61 of The Coach

If this is real.

I open my mouth, but I don’t know what to say.

“Okay. Enough. What the hell is going on?” Drew asks.

Jackson forces a tense smirk. “Just confirming our interview details.”

Drew tilts his head. “Right. That.”

Before I can mentally implode, the door bursts open.

A panting security guard stumbles in.

“Sir! I tried to stop her. But she—her friend—well…she’s very convincing.”

“Yes.Veryconvincing,” Lauren announces, grinning.

Drew blinks. “Wait—you’retogether?”

Lauren pats my arm. “Oh yeah. Best friends. Ride or die.”

Drew lets out a low whistle. “Damn, Coach. Thisisinteresting. The hell are you getting into later?”

“Drew. Cut it.” Jackson exhales sharply, addressing the security guard. “No. That was an oversight. They should have been given access. Big mistake. Won’t happen again.”

Lauren grins. “That’s what I tried to tell him.”

Drew still looks deeply confused, but he just shakes his head, muttering, “Right. Okay.”

Jackson’s gaze pins me to the spot.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he says loudly.

Then, too smoothly, too in control, he adds?—

“I believe we said 7 pm at Everest?”

My stomach flutters.

Everest. A Michelin-starred rooftop restaurant overlooking the entire damn city. It’s legendary. You can’t get reservations for a year in advance.

Lauren, ever the chaos gremlin, lets out a low whistle. “Ooooh. Fancy.”

Jackson doesn’t react. Doesn’t even blink.

His focus is entirely on me.

I clear my throat, trying to regain control. “Right. 7 pm.”

“Don’t be late.”

His voice is casual. Controlled.

But his knuckles are white around the note in his fist.

Lauren hooks her arm through mine. “Come on, babe. Let’s go pick out an outfit for you tonight.”

Jackson rubs his temple.

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