Page 39 of Their After Hours Playbook

“I was calling to tell you I’m sorry. I just assumed you would’ve heard about everything with Alexis by now.”

Her spine stiffened. “Everything with Alexis? Is she okay? What happened?”

“There’s a credible rumor that she’s signing with Armstrong. According to our source, she’s leaving you, Paige.”

“What are you talking about? Alexis wouldn’t leave me. At least not without talking to me first.” Or would she? The question popped into her head and would not leave. Alexis was not a confrontational person, and she’d called Paige and given her an earful about the distinct lack of sponsorships after Las Vegas. Maybe she was unhappy enough to leave. “Plus, Zach wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t.” She wanted to be confident in that answer. Their relationship felt rock solid. But was it? They’d only been together a little over a month, just long enough for her to let down her guard. And if he’d shown ruthlessness in one area of his life, it was in work.

“Paige, he’s in charge of the agency. You know that something like this wouldn’t happen without his knowledge. It’s impossible. The buck stops and starts with him.”

Oh, god. April was so right. About all of it. Zach had total control of the company. Paige didn’t know whether she should cry or scream. Or both. Maybe at the same time. “What do I do? I don’t know what to do.”

“Are you two still seeing each other? You kept things casual, right?”

Paige’s stomach rolled, making her queasy. She shifted in the bed, which only reminded her that she was naked under Zach’s fluffy duvet. “We see each other all the time, April. It’s about as far from casual as it could possibly be.” I’d go so far as to call him my boyfriend. I think I might be falling in love with him.

“Why did you do that? That wasn’t the plan. You were supposed to have your fun and not get too close.”

“Yeah, well, life doesn’t always go according to plan. Case in point—today and the news you just delivered.” It was the truth. She’d gone into her situation with Zach trying to be cautious. But he was so disarming. He was so much fun. And they understood each other in ways she’d never anticipated. “It just happened. Everything made sense at the time.” At the time. The thought made her feel even more sick. She was already speaking about Zach in the past tense.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to tell you. I really wish I hadn’t been the one to break the bad news.”

She told herself to get it together. She was stronger than this and there had to be an explanation. Bad rumors went around all the time. Misinformation was everywhere. “Are you going to be reporting on this? Have you verified through a secondary source?”

“It’s not my story. Brett Daniels has a source at Armstrong who leaked the information to him. I don’t know when it becomes official. All I know is that Alexis wasn’t happy and decided she needed to make a change. I’m sorry. So sorry. I know how hard you’ve worked with her.”

An old familiar feeling settled over her—betrayal. She wanted it to go away, but it seeped into her pores. It threatened to smother her. This was how she’d felt when she discovered that Andre was thinking about leaving her employ and going to work for Armstrong. When she’d discovered that her own husband cared more about his professional fortunes than her. It was when she’d learned that Tom Armstrong was not afraid to play dirty. “Do you think Tom Armstrong could be playing a role in this?”

“Isn’t he just serving an advisory role now? This seems like a big move for someone who isn’t in charge anymore.”

“It’s still his company. Everything has his fingerprints all over it.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him, but are you just saying that because you’re in deep with Zach?”

As much as Paige adored April, she was bringing up far too many unpleasant realities this morning. “I don’t know. Maybe.” She remembered thinking that Zach was naive for wanting to tell Tom about their relationship, but perhaps she was the one who was naive. Perhaps she was the person who hadn’t considered every possible pitfall, like the fact that he might jump at the chance to sign a premiere athlete like Alexis. He’d certainly gone in for the kill when Ryan Wilson became unhappy with his agent.

“It sounds to me like you have some detective work to do.”

“Is there any way you can convince Brett to sit on the story? Just for a little bit until I get this straightened out?”

“Honestly, I doubt it. There’s nothing Brett loves more than a scoop. And it’s only a matter of time before other networks pick up on it. A story like this can only be contained for so long.”

Paige blew out a breath of frustration and threw back the covers. “I need to track down Alexis. Can I talk to you later?”

“Of course. Whatever you want or need. Just let me know. I’m so sorry, Paige. Truly.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to know someone is in my corner.”

“Of course. You know, you’ll get past this. You will get to the other side, stronger. You did it with Andre. You did it when your mom passed away. You can do it again.”

Paige appreciated the pep talk, but it only served as confirmation that Paige’s entire life had fallen apart in the time it took to have a short phone call with her best friend. “Thanks. I hope you’re right.”

“I am. I’ll let you go, but don’t forget that I love you.”

“Love you, too, April. Goodbye.” Paige ended the call and got out of bed. She grabbed a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved top she had in the drawer Zach had emptied out for her. She wrapped her arms around her midsection and wondered what to do next. Logic said she should confront Zach, but maybe she should do the detective work first. Thank goodness he hadn’t given in to her plea for sex. He’d be busy in his home gym for at least the next half hour until he finished his workout.

To start, she sent a text to Henry. Sorry to text you so early. Can you reach out to Shonda in legal and have her pull Alexis’s contract?

Is there a problem?

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