Chapter 27
Brooke
Knocking twice on my dad’s office door, I wait just a second before opening it. My dad’s head is bent over a digital tablet, watching game video—most likely their upcoming opponents. The team flies east late this afternoon for a four-game road trip. I’ve got my suitcase packed and in the trunk of my car, and I’m actually really excited about this. Turns out, missing Bishop when he’s gone just really sucks.
“Hey, kiddo,” he says as he looks up at me, then back to the tablet, pausing the video. “What’s up?”
I step in and shut the door. I got into work early today knowing my dad would already be here in his office, doing whatever it is that great coaches do to make great teams.
“Well, I wanted to share something with you,” I say hesitantly, my heart beating like a mad drummer on cocaine.
“What’s that?” he asks, his voice immediately going on guard and his jaw setting tight.
I give him a smile. “It’s not bad, I promise.”
Stepping up to his desk, I hold my left hand out so he can see the engagement ring on my finger. “Bishop and I made it official last night and now you can stop worrying about it, sure that your little girl is exactly where she needs to be.”
My dad’s eyebrows furrow slightly as he stares at the ring a bit more before slowly returning his gaze back to me. He seems flustered, perhaps a bit confused. He sort of stumbles over his words. “Well…that’s, um…good. I mean…great. It’s just a little…shocking.”
“Shocking?” I ask him with a laugh as I lower my hand. “You’ve practically been breathing down Bishop’s neck about it. I thought it would make you happy.”
Shaking his head, my dad turns on a smile and backpedals a bit. “Of course I’m happy. If you’re happy, that is.”
“I am,” I assure him, and that’s the truth. My relationship with Bishop is crazy and twisted and on uneven ground, but I’m very happy right now.
“Then that’s all that matters,” he says as he pushes up from his chair. He walks around his desk and pulls me into a hug. “I only want the best for you, honey.”
“Thanks, Dad. I want the same for you.”
When we break apart, I put my hand to his chest and ask, “How are you, Dad? I mean…how are you really doing? You work so much and I hardly see you, but—”
“Brooke,” he says, cutting me off softly. “I’m really good, honey. I mean really. Taking this job, moving away from New York—I didn’t know it at the time, but I really needed it.”
My body practically deflates in on itself, my relief in hearing that is so profound. “I’m so glad to hear that.”
“I feel a little guilty, though,” he admits to me before turning back to his desk chair. I think putting the desk between us is a sign of his vulnerability right now.
“I feel like I’m leaving your mother behind.”
“Never,” I tell him. “She’ll always be in your heart. Always.”
He nods at me, but seems unsure whether or not that’s a truth he can accept. Regardless, he’s told me that he’s happy here, and that’s all that matters. He’ll still work through his grief, but at least he has things giving him joy right now, and that will help to make it bearable.
When I return to the administrative offices, I’m still about five minutes early, so I take a moment to grab a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll from the vending machine in the break room. I’m never hungry when I first wake up, and then I’m starving by the time I get here. I keep telling myself to bring in something healthy to eat, but damn…those cinnamon rolls are so freaking good and I work out regularly, so I can afford some cheats a few days a week.
I take my coffee and roll to my office, and while my computer boots up, I remove the plastic wrapper. It goes into the trash can and I lick the icing that got on my fingers, which is stupid, since I then just pick up the roll and get gooey stuff all over me.
Just as I have my mouth open at its widest point to take a bite, there’s a quick knock on my door before it opens. Sebastian is standing there.
I snap my mouth closed and drop the roll onto a napkin quickly using another to wipe off my fingers. It gets some of the gunk off, but they remain sticky.
Shit.
“Got a minute?” he asks me cordially.
“Sure,” I say as I look left then right across my desk, looking for something to help me out here.
Sebastian enters and sits in the only guest chair, tucked into the corner of my little office. He leaves the door wide open, and I bet that was intentional on his part. I think he took what Bishop said to him very seriously.
I spy a half-empty bottle of water behind my computer screen and nab it. “I’m really sorry,” I explain to Sebastian as I open the top and pour some on my fingers while I hold them over my garbage can. “You caught me off guard just as I was getting ready to eat that cinnamon roll.”
“No worries,” he says, and casually crosses one leg over the other. Today he’s wearing a beautifully tailored navy blue suit, white shirt, and a butter-yellow tie. His fashion sense is impeccable, but he also has a background in that field as well as merchandising.
When I get my fingers cleaned off and dried, I turn in my chair to face him from across my desk. “So what’s up?”
“I’d like to offer you a full-time job over in merchandising,” he says bluntly, and I’m so shocked I can only blink at him. “I’d put you over in the manufacturing side of it and it would involve some travel. You’d report directly to Charity Priest. It’s a slightly higher paying job and obviously, the upward mobility within the franchise is much greater than in team services.”
I just stare at him.
Blinking.
Repetitively.
Sebastian fidgets with his tie and laughs nervously. “Did you hear me, Brooke?”
I shake my head hard to dislodge the disbelief clouding it, because I’d been so sure that he was going to hire Nanette. I mean, I’m not sure I could compete with blow jobs, plus I had that whole “assault by my boyfriend” thing to my detriment.
“Um…Sebastian…” I say, then stand up from my desk. I walk to my office door and close it. “We need to have a talk first.”
Sebastian bolts upright in his chair, looking wildly at the door. “Does it have to be done with closed doors?”
“Yes,” I assure him, because I don’t want anyone hearing this. “But I’ll be brief.”
He never relaxes, but sits ramrod straight in his chair as I sit behind my desk. “I’m very interested in this job, but I need to know if things are cool between us. I get you’ve got me reporting directly to someone else, but you’re still ultimately my boss.”
“Listen, Brooke,” he says, tugging at the knot on his tie again. “I am really sorry about that in the conference room. I’m going to be honest…I was flirting with you and was trying to gauge your interest. It was the wrong way to go about it, and I had no idea you were dating anyone, much less Bishop Scott. It was wrong and it made you uncomfortable and there’s no excuse. So yes, you’ll be reporting directly to Charity, not me. I can assure you that you will get nothing from me but sincere respect and professionalism. Besides, I like my arms unbroken.”
This last part has me smiling, and I cannot hear a hint of deception in his voice. He kept eye contact with me the entire time, and I think it might say something about his seriousness that he’s offering a job to a woman he made a very unprofessional move on. He must truly believe that I could do a lot of good for this organization.
“When would you want me to start?” I ask him, already trying to calm my excitement. I have to call Bishop and tell him. Then I’ll run down to my dad’s office. He’ll be thrilled, of course.
“Right now,” he says as he stands up from his chair. “We’ll get your office moved today. I’ve already talked to Bill and he’s prepared to go to New York in your place if you accept.”
Bill Roland is the director of team services and if I leave, would be the only employee left in that group. It’s a job he can handle very easily without me, but I’m sad that I won’t be going to New York with Bishop. That’s going to be the part that absolutely sucks about this deal.
But I need this to happen. If I want to make Phoenix my home, and I want to have a career that I could love, I need to take this offer. I stand up and offer my hand. “I accept.”
Sebastian gives me a warm smile as he gives me the briefest of shakes. “Excellent. I’ll get the paperwork started. Charity will want to see you, but I’m guessing you might want to tell a few people the good news first.”
“You read my mind,” I say with a grin, snatching my phone off my desk. I’ll call Bishop first, then go see my dad.
Sebastian moves to the door, and when it’s open, he looks over his shoulder at me. “Are we good, Brooke?”
“We’re good,” I tell him earnestly. “Fresh start.”
“Fresh start,” he agrees, and then he’s gone.
Turning my attention back to my phone, I pull up Bishop’s number to call him.
He answers on the first ring. “Hey, babe, you get my message?” he asks.
“I just texted you a few minutes ago,” he says, and I can tell he’s on speakerphone while he’s driving. “Nanette called me. Your hot water faucet handle in the guest bathroom finally fell off, and of course the water’s running full tilt. I’m on my way over there to fix it right now.”
Nanette had told me about the loose handle on the very first day she used the bathroom and I’d been meaning to get it fixed. But it just sort of held on so it wasn’t a priority.
Am I surprised she called Bishop? Maybe a little. I mean, why not call me first?
I tap the speakerphone button on my phone and flip to my phone log. “Hold on a minute.”
Well look at that…she did try to call me while I was meeting with Sebastian, but I always keep my ringer off when I’m in the office. I flip to my texts, and she also shot me a text that it was broken and she was going to try Bishop first and then a plumber if she couldn’t reach him.
It may be that Nanette truly is turning into a very good roommate, and I’m wondering if I should offer to rent her a room if she decides to stay here. I mean, she’s definitely not getting the job, and I wonder when Sebastian will let her know.
Or even if he will?
I should have asked him about it, but I feel weird doing so. There’s still a part of me that doesn’t even want to believe what happened between him and her.
“Babe,” Bishop calls into the phone, and it startles me.
“Oh gosh…sorry. Daydreaming.”
“If you didn’t get my message, what did you call for?” he asks.
“I got the job in merchandising,” I tell him, not able to contain the excitement in my voice, but I do try to mute it a tad because I really don’t know how he’ll feel about it.
“That’s awesome,” he shouts, and I imagine him giving a fist pump in his car. “Did you have a talk with Sebastian?”
“I did,” I say. “And it’s good. I really think it’s good, and besides that, I’m working under Charity Priest on the manufacturing side. More money, more ability to get promoted.”
“It’s a no-brainer then,” he tells me. “When do you start?”
“I already have,” I tell him almost apologetically.
He gives a sigh that sounds as if he’s dying. “So you’re not coming east with us?”
“Sorry,” I say even more apologetically.
“Fuck,” he says, as if he just realized something.
“What?”
“I’m going to have to figure out how to have an actual conversation with Tacker,” he grumbles.
Laughing, I commiserate. “Poor baby. But I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”
“Can we do lunch today then?” he asks. “I’d like to see you before we leave.”
“I thought you were helping Dax look for a new car today.”
“Yeah…spend time with Dax or you,” he says, weighing the words with his tone of voice. “I think I’ll choose you.”
“You got me then,” I reply softly.
Man, does he have me.