Page 44 of Their After Hours Playbook

“Hey,” Paige eventually replied, in an attempt to move the conversation ahead. She muted the TV and curled up on one end of her living room sofa. She’d been there since Friday morning, off and on. She did get up to answer the door for takeout, to get a glass of water or to go to the bathroom. She’d even slept on the couch. Her bed was just another reminder of Zach.

“I’m guessing you’d like to know what happened.”

Paige cleared her throat. “I would. Yes.”

“Of course. I definitely owe you an explanation.” Alexis went on to tell the whole story, detailing how she had reached out to Zach and asked him to represent her. She then repeated the exact information Zach had relayed to her—he’d defended Paige, he’d turned down Alexis’s overture and he’d made a promise not to speak a word of it to anyone. “He really went to bat for you. I want you to know that.”

Paige felt like her heart was breaking all over again, just when she thought it couldn’t possibly be more broken. “Then what?”

“I got a phone call from Tom Armstrong on Thursday. He’d heard from one of the junior agents in their office that I’d called Zach. Tom asked why I’d called and I told him. I told him everything. I told him that I wanted new representation.”

Paige winced. That was the moment when everything had changed. It was also the moment when it became official that she’d failed. “And Tom offered to step in.”

“He did. And I agreed. But I need you to know why I had to make a change.”

Paige braced herself. This wasn’t going to be easy to hear, but she had to suck it up. “Yes. Please.”

“I know you’ve stood by me for a long time. You were there before any other agent. And I’m thankful for that. But you weren’t there before my family, and this is all about them. They’re the ones who really, truly, stood by me. My mom and dad made so many sacrifices for me. I would not have the success I have without them.”

Paige related to that sentiment to her very core. She wouldn’t have made the strides she’d made in her life without the steady hand and unwavering love of her mother. She wouldn’t have learned the value of independence or hard work, and she wouldn’t have found her love of sports, either. She and Zach had that much in common—Tom had guided him, and Paige’s mom had done the same for her. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I tried to, Paige. That day when I called you, I was telling you I was unhappy. But it was like you didn’t hear me.”

“I thought I did.”

“I think you thought you were listening. But you didn’t want to believe me. There’s a big difference.”

“And why didn’t you call me after you talked to Tom?”

“Because I felt like I already knew how the conversation was going to go. It was just going to be a repeat of what we’d already talked about. I’d already made up my mind. I need to make the most of this time in my life and this stage of my career. I don’t know how long it will last. I need to take care of my family. Like, really take care of them. I want to pay off my parents’ house and buy them each a car. I want to make sure they never have another worry for the rest of their lives. I feel like I owe them that for everything they’ve done for me, but also because I love them. I love them more than anything.”

Tears started to roll down Paige’s cheeks. It was impossible for her to begrudge Alexis any of these things. In the end, it was her talent, hard work and dedication. It didn’t belong to Paige, no matter how much she’d been there along the way. “I understand.”

“You do?”

“I do. You’d do anything for your family. I felt the same way about my mom when she was still here.” And Zach felt the same way about his family. That was so much of the reason why Paige was resigned to the idea that they would not work. Even though she missed Zach in a way she’d never missed anyone before. She kept hearing his laugh. She kept thinking of things she wanted to tell him. And he wasn’t there to make her life better. To make it sweeter.

“There’s something romantic between you and Zach, isn’t there?” Alexis asked.

Paige laughed. It was the only way to keep from breaking into a sobbing fit. “There is.” Or there was, at least.

“I could tell when I talked to him. He thinks the world of you.”

That should have buoyed Paige, but in reality, it made her stomach sink. The words he’d had the courage to say to her were still echoing in her head. I love you. They’d said a lot of things to each other on Friday morning, all of which conveyed a broad range of emotions, but none were louder and more impossible to ignore than I love you. “I think the world of him, too.”

“So what’s next for you two? How do agents at rival agencies make it work?”

“That’s the million dollar question.” Of course there was more to it than that. She and Zach had so many obstacles, and unfortunately, Paige had created one on her own when she’d skirted the fact that she loved him and had failed to own up to it.

“I hope you figure it out because I like you both. A lot.”

“We’ll see. For the moment, we aren’t really talking.”

“You know how to fix that, right? Talk to him.”

“I wish it was that simple.”

“Paige. For all of the advice you’ve given me over the years, it’s time for me to return the favor. It is that simple. Call him. I promise you he will be excited to talk to you.”

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