Page 4 of Their After Hours Playbook

Paige swallowed hard. Endorsements had never been her strong suit. But she was prepared to go the extra mile for Alexis. She was that special an athlete. She was that important as a client. “I couldn’t agree more. That’ll be my top priority at the Vegas Sports Expo. It’s in two weeks.”

“Perfect. I can’t wait to find out what you can negotiate for me.”

A spotlight appeared on the stage and the WPBA commissioner walked out onto the stage. Paige’s heart felt as though it was about to pound its way out of her chest. Between handsome Zach Armstrong encroaching on her territory while simultaneously turning her on, and Alexis deserving the world, the pressure was absolutely on.

Two

Apparently, Zach Armstrong was big on sending flowers. Sitting in her office, bleary-eyed from last night’s post-draft party, Paige admired the stunning white phalaenopsis orchids that had come from the luxury flower shop, Flora, here in Manhattan. Flora was owned and operated by socialite Alexandra Gold, who not only had an unrivaled flair for floral design, but also had impeccable taste. Everything that came from her shop was of the finest quality, including the linen-like paper of the enclosure card. Zach’s message was simple. Direct. To the point. Congratulations. Wishing you many more number one draft picks. Zach.

Paige grumbled under her breath and took a much-needed sip of her latte. He’s up to something. Zach had spared no expense, sending five tall stems, all of which arched from the weight of luscious tropical blooms. The orchids were elegantly nestled in a white ceramic vessel with pale gray polished stones and bright green moss accenting the base of the plant. Paige couldn’t take her eyes off it. It was more than the fact that the plant was beautiful. This was exactly the sort of thing she would have chosen for herself. It coordinated perfectly with her office, which was decorated in a calming color scheme of white and ivory with matte gold accents. Had Zach managed to figure her out from one conversation? Flowers or not, Paige was deeply suspicious of Zach and his motives. And that made her feel like she should probably call him and say thank-you. Just to gather a little more intel.

“Henry?” Paige called for her assistant. “Do you have a sec?”

Henry ducked into her office and beelined for her desk while he pushed his black-framed glasses up his nose. Henry was young—only twenty-six—and eager to make his mark, which was great for Paige. Henry got things done. “Of course. Anything you need.”

“Can you hunt down a number for Zach Armstrong? I’d do it myself but I have a wretched headache.” She kneaded her forehead. She should’ve known better than to do shots with Alexis and her friends last night.

“No problem. Staring at a screen is not good for a headache. Too much strain on your eyes.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, mumbling to himself while tapping and swiping. “Got it. Hand me your cell.”

The second she had it in her hand, the device rang. Despite Henry’s warning about eye strain and her phone, she looked at it. Her best friend April Chapman’s name popped up on the caller ID. “I should take this. I’ll call Zach later.”

“I’ll text you his info.” Henry walked out and quietly closed the office door behind him.

“Hey,” Paige said when she answered the call. “What’s up?”

“Who’s the most badass sports agent in the land?” April’s voice sang. “You are!”

Paige laughed. “I don’t know about that, but thanks.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there last night. I tried hard to get the assignment, but they sent me to San Diego for baseball instead. The Padres started the season with a nine-game winning streak.” April was on-camera talent for one of the biggest cable sports networks.

“So I saw. That’s not a bad gig. I love that city.” Paige took another sip of her coffee and sat back in her chair.

“Well? How was last night?”

“It was a ton of fun. We all started crying when Alexis’s name was called. You should have seen us. Her parents, her grandparents, her brother and sister. We were all bawling our eyes out.” Paige was getting choked up just thinking about it. Everything she’d said to Zach had been absolutely true—years and years had gone into making last night happen. “Alexis has worked her butt off, and she’s had a lot of ups and downs. I’m just so proud of her.”

“Of course you are. But don’t forget to give yourself some credit, too. You spotted her talent before anyone else did.”

“Not before her parents. Or Alexis herself. Or her high school coach.” Paige stopped herself. She had a bad habit of minimizing her accomplishments. “But you’re right. I was there from the beginning. I was there when no one else was.”

“That’s no small thing.”

Paige smiled to herself. “I owe a lot of that to my mom. She taught me what good basketball looks like.”

“Aw. That’s sweet. I know you miss her, but she would’ve been super proud of you last night.”

Missing her mom was an understatement. She and Paige had been so close. Growing up, Paige idolized her. Later in life, they were best friends. “I like to think that she’s somewhere looking down on me and giving me a high five.”

“I’m sure she is.”

Paige sighed and turned in her chair to look out the window. Her office was on the thirty-seventh floor of a high-rise office building on 46th Street, only two city blocks from Armstrong Sports. “Can I tell you the weirdest thing about last night?”

“Are you kidding? Of course. I’m always here for weird.”

“Zach Armstrong was at the draft, schmoozing the players and making the rounds. And get this. He sent congratulatory flowers to Alexis earlier in the day.”

“No way.”

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