Page 70 of Dump Tackle My Heart
“America is obsessed with you right now. They love that you’re smart, relatable, and not trying to be anything but you.”
“I’m not trying to be anything at all,” Dani mutters.
“Exactly. That’s why it’s working. And, more importantly, that’s why the network reached out. They want you for the sit-down segment, a real inside look at the Rovers! The public will eat this up.”
I pause in the tunnel, just out of sight, sweat cooling rapidly on my skin.
“What network?” she asks.
“SportsNation.”
That makes me blink. They don’t do fluff.
“They’re sending Ellie Vance,” Finley continues. “You know—blonde, bombshell, very into rugby since dating that All Blacks fly-half last year?”
“Oh, that Ellie,” Dani says. I hear the frown in her voice.
“Yeah, she wants to do a mini docuseries about us. The Rovers. A whole ‘rugby takes America’ kind of thing. First up? #SnowedInWithARover—starring you and our very own Tank.”
My jaw ticks.
Starring?
I’m a rugby player.
Not a damn actor.
But if Ellie Vance thinks she can roll in here and turn Dani into some viral girl-next-door soundbite—no fucking way.
“Let me talk to Hudson first,” Dani says, quieter now. “He might not want to?—”
“Babe,” Finley cuts her off. “The man would follow you off a cliff. He’s already trending with you, and this piece is basically PR gold. If you don’t want to do it, fine. But let him decide before you come up with an excuse.”
I’ve heard enough.
I round the corner.
Dani’s eyes widen when she sees me, cheeks going pink, like she knows I just heard everything.
Finley just raises a brow. “Speak of the devil.”
“Hello, ladies,” I say, voice low, rougher than I mean it to be.
Dani fidgets. “How long were you?—”
“Long enough.”
Her mouth opens to defend herself—like she thinks I’m mad. I’m not.
Not at her.
But my gaze cuts to my sister-in-law, Finley. “What exactly would this ‘docuseries’ require?”
Finley shrugs.
“Some interviews. Maybe a few behind-the-scenes clips. Ellie’s planning on doing a soft focus calledRomancing the Roverswith your whole snowed-in for Thanksgiving weekend as a hook, then pivoting it to the team. Training. Community events. Your and Dani’s story would just humanize the team a little and make it fun.”
“I see, and what does Dani want?” I ask, eyes on her now.
