Page 46 of Let It Be Me
I watch on with a smile as Mason drags Kamryn to the makeshift dance floor. Which is really just the center of thebasement space the restaurant set up for us. When I had my slip about Liam, it wasn’t that I thought they should be together. Far from that. But more than that he should’ve still been alive. Do I think Kam and him were end game? No. I always knew her and Mason would end up together it was just a matter of how.
The harp from the speakers begins before the hauntingly beautiful voice of Florence Welch pours from the sound system. She sings about the sun, the moon, and the stars. And if that isn’t a poetic representation of Kamryn and Mason’s story, I have no clue what is.
“So I hear you’re dating a hockey player.” One of Mason’s former teammates, Mac, says as he sidles up next to me.
I choke on my drink and wipe my chin with the back of my hand. Thank goodness for smudge proof liquid lipsticks. “Where did you hear that? Hi, Shannon.”
“Hi, Sarah,” she responds. “The way my nosey husband meant to start, was that there is a very cozy photo of the two of you floating around from seeing the Northern Lights.”
“What?” I exclaim rather loudly and turn to the married couple.
Mac whips his phone out and shows me the picture. My mouth drops open. It’s of us looking up at the sky. The colors dance over each of our faces. Riley’s arms wrapped solidly around me with my hands curled around him. We look…NOPE! I can’t even say it. I hand Mac his phone back and give a quick bye before heading to the enclosed patio. I pull out my phone and see texts from Jeff.
Jeff: *1 attached image*
Jeff: Anything you want to tell me now?
Me: Can we talk Monday?
Jeff: Sure.
I guzzle down the last of my champagne and open the next text from Riley. He’s been on an away stretch for games these past couple of weeks, so I haven’t seen him since that night. The space has been good for us. It’s helped me get my head back on straight and I’ve managed to finagle us back to athlete and publicist. Out of sight and out of mind works better than I could have hoped.
Riley: At least we photograph well.
Me: Not the time for jokes.
Riley: I know. That’s how I cope.
Me: Let me put on my publicist hat and I’ll talk with you sometime next week.
I don’t wait for Riley to respond before I turn my phone on airplane mode for the rest of the evening. Tonight is about love. And as I dance and drink while my best friends make-out all around the room, I don’t think about the shit show that will be at work on Monday. I think about love.
“Dating?”Jeff booms.
I have never seen him angry. Okay, that’s a lie. But it’s never been towards me. So I sit on the chair in front of his desk as he paces back and forth, stomping like his feet are made of bricks.
“If it counts, it’s fake.”
He halts and turns his angry glare onto me. “Sarah, youalready have everything stacked against you in this line of work. What made you think that this was a smart plan?”
“I was thinking it was going to help him,” I speak up.
Jeff quirks a bushy eyebrow at me. “Explain.”
“It happened after that day trip to Columbus, for that camp he was doing?” I look at Jeff and he nods his head as if jogging his memory. “We went out for lunch and some fans recognized him. All of a sudden, a couple gossip blogs were running stories of us dating. I managed to kill any of the stories that were floating around, but…”
“Okay. I still don’t see how that got you to here.”
“Sponsors tend to dish out more money for teams and players who are responsible. With Riley looking not so responsible because of his last agent and publicist, we decided that if it looked like he was in a committed relationship, then the sponsorships would flow.” I sit back in my chair with a huff.
“So you’re doing it for money?”
“No. We’re doing it so Riley doesn’t get kicked off of the Blue Jays before he’s well into his signing year. Jeff, his reputation was terrible. He had no sponsorships because his fuck-face agent and publicist were only in it for the free things he could get them. Now, his jersey sales are climbing through the roof and I have so many brands emailing me for a chance to work with him that I can barely keep up. Trust me when I say that this is for him.”
I am passionate about my job. But I’m even more passionate about my clients thriving outside of their job as an athlete.
“You care about him. Don’t you?”
