Page 26 of Drop the Mitts

She fingered the button he’d sewn back on her shirt. André noticed. His eyebrow lifted, and Grace quickly dropped her hand to her lap, trying to banish the image of him sitting shirtless in his truck with his teeth over the thread.

Michael tapped his pen on the table. “Sponsorships are great, but our main concern is making sure all proceeds benefit the foundation. We don’t want things getting tied up in unnecessary overhead.”

André nodded. “Yeah, that’s why we’re keeping the sponsorship structure simple. Any corporate partners donating directly to the charity get a tax deduction, like any other charitable contribution. But the sponsorships tied to game promotions—jersey logos, rink boards, ads—those need to be classified differently to avoid hitting the taxable advertising threshold.”

Lucy sat up straighter. “You’ve looked into the tax classifications?”

André shrugged. “Yep. Sponsorship revenue can be considered a business expense instead of a donation if it’s promotional, which means they write it off differently. But if we package it right—tie the exposure to a fundraising pledge instead of straight-up advertising—it keeps us in the clear. And keeps the donors happy.”

Grace wanted to ask why André thought he needed her there. He knew what he was talking about. She had nothing else to contribute, which was not what she’d anticipated, and that gave her pause. Something pinched behind her ribs. She’d judged André. Hard. Now, here he was sewing on buttons and organizing charity events.

But . . .

She thought of Troy. He was successful, wasn’t he? Capable? Smart? And he was still a bit of a misogynistic asshole, if a frustratingly loveable one.

Michael crossed a leg over his knee. “That’s exactly the kind of foresight we need. The last thing we want is a paperwork nightmare after the fact.”

André ran a hand over his jaw. “I’ll work with our contacts to make sure every business understands the benefit structure before they sign on. If we make it easy for them, we’ll bring in bigger sponsors.”

Lucy nodded. “And the auction? Any concerns there?”

André shook his head. “Not if we run it properly. We’re setting up a silent auction, both online and at the event. Auctioned items are donations, so there’s no tax obligation on our end, and winning bidders don’t get tax receipts since they’re technically purchasing an item. The key is making sure everything’s documented correctly so we don’t run into compliance issues later.”

Grace blinked. What. The. Hell. This was the same man who’d grabbed a random couple outside the Saddledome and asked if they wanted to have a threesome with her. Now he was breaking down tax-exempt sponsorship structures like he moonlighted as an accountant?

He didn’t seem like the same person at all.

She shifted in her chair, subtly catching a whiff of his cologne and the faintest hint of cigarette smoke. Wearing his shirt had cemented that scent in her brain, and it catalyzed a warm, tingly sensation coursing through her. Grace took an unsteady breath, leaning in the other direction to avoid drinking in more of that laced air.

Michael smiled, satisfied. “Sounds like you’ve got everything in hand. We’re lucky to have you running this.”

André flashed a lazy grin. “Don’t say that yet. Let’s see how much money we actually bring in first.”

Michael chuckled, nodding. “Fair enough.”

Devin turned to her. “Grace, is there anything on the legal side we should be aware of?”

She straightened in her seat, the sudden attention sharpening her foggy brain. She paused a beat, waiting for instinct to kick in.Structuring. Organization. Right.“You’re already set up as a registered nonprofit, so the structure for tax-exempt donations is in place. As long as all sponsorship and ticket proceeds are documented properly, there shouldn’t be any issues.”

Devin nodded. “We’ve got an accountant handling the donations and tax paperwork. But I actually had a question about sponsorships. Some of the companies donating are involved in sports medicine and training. They want their branding visible at the event.”

Grace crossed her legs, falling into the natural rhythm of a conversation she knew how to navigate. “That’s standard, butbe mindful of how you structure the sponsorship agreements. If you’re giving any direct promotional space to a business—logos on jerseys, for example, or company banners in the arena—that needs to be classified separately from pure donation revenue.”

André turned to her. “What about if they want their name on the charity game itself? We had one company floating the idea of a full sponsorship.”

She frowned slightly. “That’s where it gets trickier. If a business wants to sponsor the event outright, that starts to look less like philanthropy and more like a marketing expense. They can still write it off, but the tax treatment is different. Your team should ensure those details are clear in the contract so there aren’t issues later.”

Devin scribbled something in his notebook. “That’s good to know. What about the players? We’ve got some high-profile guys lined up. Any potential legal issues there?”

Grace arched a brow. “Define high-profile.”

André shrugged. “We’ve got Jack Harrison from the Blizzard. He’s a friend of mine.”

Grace blinked. “Jack Harrison? As in the Jack Harrison who’s engaged to Delia Melise?”

André laughed. “The one and only. He used to play on our team before he was called up.”

Grace worked to keep her expression even. How had Tyler not mentioned that? Had he not been playing when she was working with Troy? Or maybe he wasn’t on the Blizzard yet. Apparently, she hadn’t been paying attention. “Okay. Who else?”

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