The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (188 page)

“We’ll be just fine,” I tell her.

Adam pulls me in for a quick hug and kiss.  “You’re the best.  Thank you.  Margie will take good care of you, baby.  If there’s anything you need, just let her know.  I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

Jette hasn’t said a word.  The look on her face says it all.  She waits until the door to Adam’s office closes before she opens her mouth.  “What a fucking bitch.”

“I highly doubt there’s an emergency,” I tell Jette.  “But if there is, I’d bet my last nickel it’s one that she conjured herself.” 

Jette looks just as angry and frustrated as I feel.  “She’s like a frigging animal, marking her territory and making sure that you know she’s the top cat around here.” 

I’m just glad that Jette is here with me to keep me company and to commiserate.  Fortunately, Adam’s furniture is very comfortable and we begin to settle in for however long it takes.

After our tour, we’re supposed to be meeting Evan for lunch at the Cuba Libra for tapas.  Jette starts texting Evan to let him know we might be running a little late.

Suddenly, the door swings open and in parades Margie with a folder in her hand.  “Oh, I’m sorry.  I didn’t realize you’d be here.  I thought you were touring the facility and then heading out for lunch together.” 

“We are.  I mean we were.  Adam had to take a phone call, so we’re waiting.  Something to do with Danner’s contract, or Hanner, or Planner ... something like that.”

“Tanner?” she asks.

“Yeah!  That’s it.”

Margie just nods her head.  “I figured something was up when Alex asked me for his contact information.”  She places the folder on Adam’s desk. 

“I’m just dropping off Adam’s tickets and itinerary,” she explains.  “Alex wanted to make sure Adam had these before he leaves today.”

“Tickets?  To where?” I ask. 

“Jacksonville for Spring Training,” she explains.  “They will be flying out of Newark and staying at the Hyatt Regency.  Alex always insists on staying at the Hyatt.”

“Who else is flying down with them?” I ask, afraid of the answer.

“As far as I know, it’s just the two of them.  The team won’t even be arriving until a few days after they arrive.”  She pauses and looks over the itinerary.  “Alex has lots of meetings set up for the two of them with reps from many of the other ball clubs.” 

Margie places the folder back on Adam’s desk and excuses herself.  “If there’s anything you ladies need, please come find me.”

The minute she’s out the door, Jette and I both rush over to the desk to explore the contents of the folder.  Two tickets from Newark International to Jacksonville International, first class, along with hotel reservations.  As I read through the details, I can’t believe what I’m seeing.

“What does it say?” Jette asks, grabbing the paper from my hand.

“Here.”  I hand her the reservation sheet.  “Read it yourself.”

She reads it aloud.  “VIP Suite, king-sized bed.  Connecting bedroom.  Number of adults: 2.  Number of children: 0.”  She puts the paper back down again.  “Is this a joke?  Connecting rooms?  There’s no way Adam knows about this.  He would never, ever agree to this.”

“Not in a million years,” I agree. 

Jette sits back down and I follow.  “This woman is a real piece of work,” she says.  “She knows exactly what she’s doing.  I’ll bet she’s done this before, too.”

Margie reappears cautiously at the door.  “Ladies, excuse me, but I’m sorry to say that I just got a message from Adam that he’s going to be held up for a while longer than expected.  He’s asked that you enjoy lunch in the cafe downstairs on the third floor.  Manda and Charissa are on their way down there right now.  I thought it might be nice for you to join them.”

“I’m sorry, Manda and Charissa?”

“Yes, they’ve been with the club for a few years now, working here in the front office.  It might be a good idea for you to get another ... perspective ... on life with the Red Hawks.  They’re ready when you are.”

I don’t know what to say, so I say nothing.  I’m not here to have lunch with a bunch of girls I’ve never met before.  Jette and I are supposed to be having lunch with our men.  She’ll never ...

“Sounds wonderful,” Jette interrupts.  “Tell them we’ll be right there.  I just need to shoot off a quick text to my husband to let him know about the change in plans.  Thank you, Margie.”

The two exchange smiles.  What the hell am I missing? 

Once the door closes and Margie is out of range, I ask.  “Why did you do that?”

“Oh, Emmy – seriously?  You have no idea what’s really happening right now, do you?”

“Not a frigging clue,” I readily admit.

“Do you think it was a coincidence that Margie dropped off those papers while we happen to be sitting here?”

I nod my head.

“Come on, wake up.  She knew we were here.  She wanted to make sure you know what’s going on.  And there’s a reason why she wants us to have lunch with these two women and I intend to find out exactly what that is.”

It doesn’t make sense to me.  “If she wants to tell us something, why doesn’t she just come right out and say it?  Why all this cloak and dagger stuff?  Wouldn’t it be easier to just sit us down and tell us what’s going on?”

Jette taps her head, “Think about it.  Margie has been with the club for what – twenty years?”

I nod.  “Yeah, so?”

“So, that means she’s seen a lot and knows a lot, too.  She’s not about to sit around and gossip about her boss and his boss.  She’s too smart for that.”  She stands up and grabs my hand.  “Come on, let’s go make some new friends.”

The girls bring us downstairs to the café.  We all decide to visit the salad bar.  After filling our plates, we find a small table in the back.

Manda and Jette hit it off right away.  Manda takes great pride in knowing all that goes on and Jette is very good at whittling information from her and coaxing her to talk.  She’s more than happy to tell us who’s good at their job and who’s not.  After just a few short minutes, I know whom to call if I need help with travel plans, game tickets, team gear, or assistance with any sort of media relations. 

Charissa is chatty, too.  Her knowledge is less about office competence and more about office politics.  “And no matter what,” she tells me, “never tell anything to Jamie that you don’t want the world to know about.  The entire office will know your business before the sun goes down.”

Is it irony that she is sitting here telling me this?  Is that the right word?  Right or wrong, I decide that it’s best if I keep Charissa on my good side.

“So, tell me about Adam’s boss, Alex Davenport.  She seems like a real shark,” I tell her.

“Shark?” she repeats, letting the word sit with her for a moment.  “I like it.  It fits.  Once she sinks her teeth into something, she doesn’t let go – that’s for sure.”

“Something or someone?” I ask.

“Both,” Charissa quickly answers with a chuckle.  She looks around the café to see who might be listening.  Confident that she can speak privately, she continues.  “Your husband...”

“... boyfriend,” I correct her.

“Oh, sorry.  Your
boyfriend
needs to be careful.  He’s her favorite type – young, attractive, and unavailable.”

“What do you mean
unavailable?
” Jette asks.

“It’s just a theory,” Manda speculates.  “But she never seems to be interested in the single men.”

“And believe me, in the world of baseball, we’re surrounded by them,” Charissa adds.

“I heard she slept with half the guys here.  The only reason why most of them are still around is because they went along and kept their mouth shut.”

“Yeah, remember poor Barry?  He turned her down.  He had a beautiful wife and twin boys at home.  He refused to go on business trips with her and within a week, he was gone.”

“I like Adam.  He’s a nice guy.  Maybe he won’t get caught in her trap.  He’s different from the other guys around here.  They were nobody special, they had no leverage over her.  I have a feeling that might not be the case with your boyfriend.” 

Manda turns to Jette.  “Congratulations on your wedding, by the way.  I bet Adam and Evan know all kinds of important people.”

“They do,” Jette grins. 

“Good.  Maybe somebody can finally put this woman in her place,” Charissa says.

“Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” I tell them.

Charissa looks at her watch.  “Sorry to cut this short, but it’s time for us to get back to work.  Let’s do this again sometime.”

“You two go ahead up.  We’re going to stay for a little longer.”  We get up and shake hands.  “It was great meeting you both.”

I’m going to have to remember to send Margie a bouquet of flowers after this!

“So, what do I do with all this information?” I ask Jette.  “I told Adam I trust him and I meant it.”

“Tell him what you found out today.  You’re a team, remember that.  If you have information that could affect his situation at work, you owe it to him to warn him.”

“Warn me about what?”  Adam leans over and places a soft kiss on my forehead, then joins us at our table.  He takes my hand in his and asks, “Is everything okay?  Am I in trouble again?”

“No, Sparky.  I will never let Alex come between us, no matter how hard she tries.”  I squeeze his hand. 

Jette and I go into great detail to tell Adam all we’ve learned.  Not surprisingly, he already knows about most of the rumors.  It’s when I tell him about the adjoining rooms in Jacksonville when he finally shows some concern.

I ask, “So you’re going to tell her you can’t go, right?”

“Hell, no.  She’s going to be introducing me to owners and managers from other clubs.  Why do you think I’ve been putting up with all this bullshit?”  He releases my hand and sits back in his chair.  He takes his hand and rubs his face, dragging it down to his chin slowly.  He’s thinking about his next move. 

Jette’s face lights up.  She’s got a plan.  “Oh, Adam – I’ve got it.  Who do you know in Jacksonville?  Do you have any contacts with the Jaguars?”

“Absolutely!  Jette, you’re brilliant.  I’ll call Jerry.  He and Taressa have a huge house in Hidden Hills Country Club Estates, right on the golf course.  I’ll stay with them.  Jerry’s always wanted me to visit and play golf.  It’s perfect.”

“When are you going to tell Alex?” I ask him.  I don’t say it aloud, but I would love to be there just to see the look on her face when she finds out her little scheme’s not going to work.

“There’s no rush.  I think I’ll let her think her plan is working for just a little longer.  I have to play it right.  One misstep, one wrong move, and I could be out on my ass.  Trust me.”

In the most serious voice I can manage, I announce, “I just have one question, though.”

I can see Adam tense.  “Go ahead.”

“Do we still get the grand tour even though you totally ditched us for lunch?”

Adam checks his watch and grins.  “I think I could
squeeze
you in.”

“
D
AMMIT, BLAINE
– will you please watch it?  That’s the third time you bumped into me!” I bite his head off.

Derek pulls me to the side, “Emmy, we need him back here.  Valentine’s Day is our busiest night.  Cut him some slack, will ya?”

I hate that I have to work tonight.  Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about sharing one special night with the person you love.  So why am I alone?  Well, not alone, exactly.  There’s about a hundred strangers here with me and a dozen coworkers I see every day, some of which I love like family, but it’s not the same thing – not by a mile.

Tomorrow is
my
Valentine’s Day.  Jette and Evan are having all of us to their house.  The day after Valentine’s Day is usually dead slow for restaurants, so she’s confident she can run it on a skeleton crew, giving all of us the day off.

Soft romantic music plays in the background as the three of us hustle behind the bar.  Despite being madly in love with Shea, Derek flirts shamelessly with the single women sitting at the bar tonight.  By the amount of coins and bills collecting in his tip jar, I’d say he’s doing a great job keeping them satisfied.  It’s a tough night to be single and he’s finding a way to spread a little joy.

Marcus makes his way over to the service bar and waves me over.  “Emmy, come here.  I have something for you.”

He hands me a large box imprinted with the name of a local flower delivery service. I thank Marcus, open the box, and tucked inside are a dozen red roses tied with pink and blue ribbons.  There’s a card with a short, hand-written message.

I hurry to the back to find a vase to place my flowers in.  Carefully I remove the roses one by one and place them in the vase, arranging them so their red blossoms can be seen and appreciated from every possible angle.  The gaps are filled with baby’s breath, it’s small white blossoms and cloud-like blooms delicately embellish the arrangement.  Not to be forgotten are the pink and blue ribbons, which I wrap around the vase and tie in a pretty bow.

I can’t help but smile every time I look at them sitting proudly on my bar.