Page 92 of Wild Love
“Come in,” she says when she sees me. “Shut the door.”
I gulp and force a smile as I close the door behind me and take a seat.
“I went to the store to buy an electric kettle and ended up with this,” she says and holds up some sort of attachment. “What do you think this is?”
“I don’t know. I’m not much of a coffee drinker unless it has a whole lot of cream and sugar.”
“Do you like tea?”
“Yeah. Sometimes.” Oh my gosh, why am I here? I can’t seem to relax, and I’m afraid I’m going to blurt out I slept with Johnny Maverick any second if she doesn’t get to the point.
Someone knocks on the door, and she looks up and waves. Katherine from HR walks in, and I feel like I’m going to throw up.
“Hi, Dakota,” Katherine says.
“Hi.” I look between them. “Am I in trouble?”
“Sorry, I should have explained,” Blythe says as Katherine takes a seat beside me. “We saw the photograph of you and Jack last night at the Twins game.”
I’m silent, forcing her to say it.
“The kiss cam?”
I nod. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”
“Jack said the same thing, but we had to talk to him and you per protocol.” Blythe gives me a reassuring smile.
Katherine angles her legs toward me. “It’s just a reminder that while interning with the Wildcats, any relationships with players or coworkers need to be disclosed.”
“I thought we weren’t allowed to have relationships with players.” My brows pull together.
“So you are having a relationship with Jack Wyld?” Katherine asks.
“No.” I shake my head. “Definitely not.”
“Ifyou were involved with a player, you would be reassigned for the duration of your internship.” In other words, moved somewhere I can’t do any damage to the reputation of the company.
I curl my fingers around the card from the flowers. “I am not involved with anyone.”
“Great. That makes my job easy then.” Katherine sits tall. “If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me.” She and Blythe stand and walk me out.
“Thanks, Dakota,” Blythe says as I move down the hall away from her.
Only when I turn the corner out of view, do I finally pull the heavy cardstock from the tiny envelope. My stomach flips, and a smile tugs at my lips.
Mine.
-Yours
30
Dakota
I’m crossingthe street to the apartment after work when a motorcycle catches my eye. It idles in a no-parking zone right outside of the building. The driver has on a helmet, but I can almost feel him watching me. I pull out my key card and phone as I approach, but then he lifts the helmet and shakes out his dark hair.
Johnny.
Johnny on a motorcycle. That’s a fantasy I didn’t know I needed in my life.
