Page 24 of Playing for Keeps

“Who’s in more trouble—you or me?”

He smiles. His dimples pop out and my tummy flutters like I’m a teenager with a crush. Not much difference, upon reflection, than being a twenty-five-year-old woman with a crush.

“The least I can do is cover for you after the donation you made,” he says.

“I didn’t make the donation to bribe you.” I keep my eyes glued to his in an effort not to be mesmerized by his mouth and will myself to revert to wise guy form. “Besides, who says I’ll win the auction?”

He laughs and Marini comes up behind me, touching my back and wearing his wolf-in-sheep’s clothing look. It’s hard to think of the old man as Cat’s father, but he is, and a good one by all accounts. Otherwise I don’t suppose she’d be working with him now—or married to one of his players. Way to keep it all in the family.

“You here on the job, Smitty?” he says, knowing full well I am.

“Of course. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“How about if you let me have a chance to plug my charity on air?”

“I was just about to suggest it.”

He nods at me and flashes Tate a look. “See you tomorrow, Fontanna.” He takes my arm as if he doesn’t trust me. Because he probably doesn’t.

“Let’s go.Time is running out. Besides I can’t have Tate consorting with his professed enemy.” I catch the warning in the coach’s voice.

We take off to find Maguire, leaving Tate behind, by himself. It’s clear to me that his coach is unhappy about him consorting with the media—namely me. He’s notorious for his paranoia about leaks of sensitive information, which translates to just about all information. Gently pulling my arm from his grasp, I’m all too aware this is Tate’s contract year. He has a lot at stake. The feeling that the coach is my real enemy strikes me even though it shouldn’t, but I can’t help being on Tate’s side in this tug-of-war—in spite of the exposé.

But I shouldn’t be taking sides with Tate because he’s the subject of the exposé and I have a lot at stake too. Don’t I?