Page 61 of Making the Call
Still feigning innocence, his grin widens. “Now why would you say a thing like that?”
“Because she’snotavailable,” I blurt out in a rush.
He shrugs. He fucking shrugs. “Does that go for just me, or everyone?”
“Everyone,” I spit out.What the fuck is he doing?He’s my friend. Or at least he’s supposed to be. Why is he acting as if he’s going to make a move on her?
“Good.” Tyrell smirks.
“What?” I ask, suddenly confused.
“Good. Because you need to go into that meeting you’re about to have and claim her as such. Don’t back down and don’t take shit from anyone. The minute I saw you on TV, at a romance conference of all things, I knew she had to be something special.”
“Okay…” I draw out, still not following where he’s going with this.
“You get your ass into that meeting and make them spin things the way you want them. Claim her as yours and don’t let anyone take that away from you.”
Dani then clears her throat. Shit. For a second, I’d forgotten she was in the room. Tyrell and I both turn our attention to the sound. Her face is flushed, obvious embarrassment written all over her face. Fuck. I can’t do anything right.
I clear my throat to swallow my emotions. “Um… Tyrell, this is…” Fuck, who do I call her? Dani? Charlotte? “Um… my girlfriend…” I look to Dani, hoping for guidance.
She stands and closes the distance between her and Tyrell, reaching out her hand to shake it. “Thanks for the support. I’m Dani Fallon, but most of the world now knows me as Charlotte Ann.”
Tyrell’s eyebrows pinch together in confusion and he looks to me. I jump in to clarify. “Her author name’s Charlotte Ann. She’s hoping to keep her anonymity, but who knows how long that will last.Apparently, dating me might cause her to lose it.”
I walk around my desk to stand next to her. She reaches out to take my hand. “We’ll figure it out.” Her assuring touch calms me instantly. It’s like she has magical fingers that cast a spell on me at the simplest of grazes.
We’re interrupted by Harlow on the intercom. “Luke… You have ten minutes to be in Mike’s office. Do you need me to drop anything at the coaches meeting?”
“I’m good. Thanks. Tyrell’s here. He can handle things.”
I take a few minutes to walk Tyrell through what he’ll need for the meeting. He’s on board with my suggestions and will pass them along to the team. It’s not long before he leaves, and Dani and I are off to our own meeting.
We walk hand in hand to Mike’s office. She’s unusually silent. Knowing her as I do, I can tell she’s nervous because neither of us know what to expect. I feel a bit apprehensive as this is the first time a personal relationship has spilled into my professional life. But Tyrell’s right. If we have a united front, we’ll get through it. I squeeze Dani’s hand in hopes of building her confidence and mine.
As we approach the door, I feel a bit like being sent to the principal’s office back in high school, when I’d participated in the senior prank and moved his car into the main hallway entrance of the school. If Dani weren’t holding my hand, I’d feel worse.
We arrive to an open door. Mike sits at the center of his large conference table. Tony is to his right, and Tanya is to his left. This leaves the chairs across from them available to Dani and me. Once again, it feels like we’re in the hot seats.
As we enter the room, both Mike and Tony stand to greet Dani. Before I take a seat, I announce, “This is Danika Fallon, also known as Charlotte Ann.” They each greet her, shake her hand, and proceed to sit.
Mike’s the first to break the silence. “Before we begin, can you give us the backstory between the two of you? I assume you didn’t just meet at this book conference?” He looks between the two of us and waits for a response.
I draw in a deep breath, relieved he wants the whole picture, not just what made the headlines. “No, sir. We’ve been dating awhile.” I clear my throat to rid my gravelly voice and continue in a much more normal tone. “We met before the season began and when her assistant got the flu, I volunteered to help. I had no idea my presence would make national news.”
Tony lets out a light laugh. “I can’t imagine you did.” Then he looks to Dani. “Do you typically make the front page when you attend book signings?”
Danika huffs, “Hardly. If I’m being honest, I didn’t even know Luke was a household name when we met. I typically stay out of the spotlight and only have a small following under my author name, in comparison.”
“You didn’t know who he was?” Tanya asks in disbelief.
I quickly clarify, “Nope.” I chuckle at the memory. “She didn’t have a clue until her brothers pointed it out when I showed up at her door one evening.”
“You gotta be kidding,” Mike chortles, shaking his head in disbelief.
Dani’s shoulders reach her ears as she shrugs sheepishly. “What can I say, I’m a book girl. Sports and TV were never my thing. I knew he worked for the Rainier Renegades but had no idea what he did. At first, I thought maybe he was a vendor or something that traveled with the team. He was always wearing their logo on his clothes.”
Mike lets out a hoot that fills the room, then he slaps his leg. “You gotta be kidding me. This is priceless. Our head coach suddenly finds a love interest. A romance writer at that. And she didn’t know who he was? Since Ray Carson retired and we announced Luke as his replacement, his mug has been plastered all over the place.” His deep belly laugh lightens the mood in the room. “I can’t believe it.”
