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All I can say is that she better not fuck with my chances to snag this position. If she does, well, I’ve got the Nash family name behind me.
I will win.
CHAPTER 2: JOLENE
My phone rings as I pull into my parking spot at the Complex.
I raced over here to cover the story. I’ve been a sports beat reporter for the last seven years with VG03, the local news channel, and my goal is to get the Aces correspondent position that recently opened up.
When a bunch of players retired after winning the championship at the end of last season, our station’s sports reporter who had been covering the Aces for the last twelve years decided he was done, too.
Which is a good thing, to be honest. He was aging out, not a fan of social media, and he didn’t have the ability to connect with fans the way I could.
In other words, he’s a nice guy and a solid correspondent, but he’s old school.
But I’m not the only one after this position. I have two colleagues who want it as much as I do. They’re both men. Only fifteen percent of sports reporters are women, and it’s time to change that.
There are other things aside from my vagina and estrogen that make me the right fit for the position, though. I know the game probably better than my male counterparts. I’m aggressive and have the ability to get inside information out of coaches, players, and the front office staff. I’m adept at social media and connecting with fans.
So when I heard the Aces had an interview today, I ran over there to get a glimpse at who it might be.
I see it’s Sam calling, and I cut the engine and grab my bag before I open my door. I need to vent on this before I head inside the building. Occasionally my temper gets the best of me, and my best friend usually knows how to calm me right down.
I pick up the call as I lock my doors. “Hey, Sam.”
“What’s the big news today?” she asks with a goofy laugh. She always asks me that since usually I have some sort of gossip.
“I just got to the Complex,” I say, and I sigh as anger pulses in my chest again.
I hope the rumor I just heard is a lie, but rumors in this line of work rarely are.
“I’m told they’re going to announce who they just interviewed,” I say. I keep my voice down when I admit, “Rumor has it it’s Lincoln Nash, and if it is, by God, I’ll put a stop to it however I can.” Travis Woods walks by me as I say the words, and I immediately regret that they came out of my mouth.
If I’m going to get this gig, I need players to respect me. And now he knows I hate Lincoln and the entire Nash family with a bright, burning passion.
“Ew.” I can picture her scrunching up her nose as she says it. “I hate him for you. But he is hot. Would it really be the worst thing for the Aces?”
“Yes,” I say. “I need to go. Playdate after school still on?”
“Playdate still on, and I’ll pick up the boys so you can get your breaking news story.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Sam. Love you.”
“Love you more, JoJo.” She cuts the call, and I head into the press room just as Jack Dalton slides into a chair to field some questions.
Perfect timing.
I take it all in, drawing in a deep breath as I glance around the room. This could be my beat, and the thought of snagging the Aces sends a bolt of excitement through me.
I glance around at the other reporters. I spot colleagues from all the major news channels and a few familiar faces from the newspapers, and sitting on the other side in the front row is Ryan Rivera…one of the two other reporters vying for the same position I am.
I sink down into my chair in the back of the room, hoping to make myself invisible. Ryan is just cocky enough that if he thinks he’s the only one here, he’ll take his time writing up his report. Meanwhile, I’ll slide mine into the sports editor’s inbox and voila, I’ll get the position first.
Or something along those lines.
I start the voice recorder on my phone in case I miss anything, and I take out a pen and paper to jot down some notes.
Jack opens up the impromptu press conference with a few words about how the team is optimistic they’ll have a solid announcement soon, and then he opens it up for a few questions. I like that he wants to keep the press in the loop of what’s happening at the Complex. The old owner wasn’t like that, but Jack has a good relationship with the press after playing for many years.
