Chapter 10
I didn’t feel tired the next morning; I was still running on excitement and adrenaline. I wanted The Russian, I wanted this job so badly, I wanted it all! Before I left home for my job interview—at about nine o’clock—when I knew Sasha would be in the Saints’ office, I gave her a quick call.
“Well, hello belle of the ball,” she answered, and I laughed.
“Hello to the hottest dressmaker on the west coast,” I said, and she laughed. “Hey, just a quick call to thank you again for making me the most amazing dress, I felt just beautiful in it.”
“Hey, my pleasure, you were a beautiful model and thank you for all the promotion, my website has had so many hits and I’ve been returning email queries already.”
“That’s brilliant. On the downside, I haven’t cracked the coffee lady secret yet, but I’m not giving up.”
“I think you’ve cracked The Russian though,” Sasha said.
“Really?” I said, my voice sounding way too thrilled. “What makes you say that?”
Sasha lowered her voice. “Well, this morning he came in and I said you two looked beautiful together and asked did he have a good night, and he gave me this sort of satisfied smirk that said volumes.”
“That’s it?” I asked, disappointed.
“Are you kidding? That’s huge for grumpy bum ... the few other times I’ve caught him out with dates and asked him about it, he snapped and shut me down immediately like the whole thing was stupid. Not this time ... he looked, well, happy.”
“Oh, well that’s good,” I brightened. “Anyway, got to run, but I just wanted to say thank you again. See you at the game.”
“Look forward to it and don’t give up on the coffee secret,” she said.
“Never,” I assured her and hung up. Hmm, so The Russian smiled – big deal ... well maybe it was, I’m running with it.
Forty-five minutes later, I took a deep breath and entered the cable television station foyer taking in the photos of their stars on the wall; I could be right at home there ... please! I greeted the receptionist and asked for Deidre Carmichael in relation to a meeting with Karen Meares –then I felt nervous having said it out loud. She indicated that I should take a seat while she rang through to let them know I was here. I felt my phone buzz with a text and took the opportunity to put it on silence. It was from The Russian wishing me good luck – so adorable. If I hadn’t been so nervous I would have been swooning ... fine, I was still swooning.
“I loved your dress at the Suns’ Ball,” the receptionist said to me, “I loved your date, too.”
I gave her a ‘couldn't-agree-more’ smile. “It was a brilliant night and thanks, Sasha Saxon made the dress, the date I picked up from the Saints.”
She laughed. “Stunning, both of them. He’s the guy on the watch billboard isn’t he?”
“That’s him,” I agreed. I would have loved to have that billboard as wallpaper in my bedroom. I didn’t say that out loud did I? No, phew, thank goodness for that. Mm, therein lay my future if I partnered up with The Russian – women would be ogling him everywhere we went. It was a burden I would have to bear.
The door behind the receptionist opened and a more mature woman stepped out and called my name. She invited me to come through and I thanked the receptionist as I departed. She introduced herself as Deidre and we walked up a long hallway where both sides of the wall were covered with framed photographs of every celebrity that had ever worked at the station, from sport to weather to soapie stars. Luckily, Deidre walked in front of me so I could get my head in the right space for the interview instead of making small talk. She showed me into a boardroom where I could look down on the journalists and a bank of television screens below.
“Would you like a glass of water?” she asked.
“That would be appreciated, thank you,” I said.
Deidre disappeared and returned within a few minutes with a jug and three glasses. I poured and waited and then Karen entered with a middle-aged, slightly overweight man. I rose and shook her hand.
“Good to meet you Carla, and this is the Head of Cable Sport, Gerard Threlfall.”
We shook hands and I wondered if Gerard was a journalist or from a sports background; clearly he worked too much and didn’t participate in sport enough.
“Well, you know how to make an impact at a Ball night,” Karen said.
I gave her a smile, but kept professional – I didn’t want to be too girly. “It was a great night,” I agreed, “I’ll miss being part of the team.”
“Aimee Nilsson has had a great year,” Gerard said, referring to my best friend.
“She has, so has Lia Cartwright,” I said, and we talked a bit about the Suns. Then Karen took over and the next hour flew as they asked about my interests, passions and future plans. They had seen my pieces on camera from The Saints games and knew of my work with The Sports Daily. Karen liked my sporting pedigree as she put it, and Gerard said the publicity I had been getting wouldn’t hurt the ratings either if people tuned in to check me out. I didn’t want to get any favoritism based on a relationship that might not happen, but I guess profile-boosting and publicity was all part of the media game, sadly.
I thanked them for the opportunity to be considered and was back in the parking lot feeling exhausted but satisfied I had given it my best. I decided to drive back to my favorite coffee shop and call The Russian from there, rather than sit in the parking lot on the phone. I couldn’t wait to hear his voice. That would be our last contact though ... I was hoping he would ask me out or make the next move. I hoped he wouldn’t just say ‘well good luck’ and that’d be that.
I waited until I had a coffee in front of me before calling him, and then I rang. I think I was holding my breath ... it rang once, twice, three times and he picked up. What a rush ... nerves, excitement, lack of air ...
“Brooker,” he said, in his sexy baritone voice.
“Russian, how are you?”
“Great,” he answered. “Did you get the job?”
I laughed. “Not that quickly. They said they’d let me know by Wednesday.”
“Who interviewed you?”
“Karen Meares and Gerard Threlfall,” I told him. “Know them?”
“I know Gerard,” he said.
“And, more importantly, the receptionist bailed me up before I entered the interview to tell me she thought you were stunning. Not handsome, but stunning ... like a sunset,” I teased. I couldn’t help myself, it was a bit of a test. I was hoping he wouldn’t say ‘did she now, what’s her number?’ or ‘I’ll have to drop in’ or something equally as flirty and horrendous. I couldn’t stand a flirty man. But the gorgeous Russian didn’t. Instead he said: “Stunning, well that’s a new one. And what’s the potential sports commentator for cable TV think?”
I stirred my coffee, grinning from ear to ear like a totally love-smitten teenager.
“Well, she thought you scrubbed up pretty well,” I said.
I heard his deep chuckle.
“Mm, high praise. Hold a sec for me?” he asked.
“Sure,” I answered. I heard him talking to someone in the background, he must have been in his office. He returned to the phone call.
“Sorry about that, I’m always in demand,” he sighed.
“It’s a curse,” I agreed. Please, please, ask me out again. My brain was urgently debating whether to say I should let him go since he was at work or make some other pointless small talk when he took charge.
“I’m going to the gym tomorrow morning. Going to be there?” he asked. “We could spot each other on the weights.”
“We could do that if you think you can manage the weights I’m lifting,” I teased him.
I heard him chuckle again. “I’ll do my best. Six?”
“See you there at six,” I agreed and hung up.
I loved my life! How funny it was ... one month before I had been in the throes of depression, unable to play, getting more physio than the entire Suns team, my career crashing down on me and then, two months later, I was in the running for my dream job and getting another chance to see the man of my dreams.
You never knew what was around the corner, but it was worth waiting for.
The next morning I would get to see The Russian lifting weights, his muscles bulging and rippling, his sexy waist and hips bending and stretching, those long legs ... where was I? Oh yes, The Russian looking gorgeous ... and I might even get a coffee and muffin with him afterward if I was lucky.