AllFreeNovel
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I’m on no sleep. None. I wonder if insomnia is a sexually-transmitted disease, because Ty had it, and we had lots of sex, and now I have it. Yes, that’s probably what happened and it’s got nothing to do with the fact that I’m completely torn up inside about what I’m going to do with the information I have. If that’s the case, all I have to do is sleep with some unsuspecting guy and pass the insomnia to him, which would obviously be totally evil if it were possible. But if it were possible, I’d choose someone truly evil. Or maybe Chad.
Last night, I Googled the Dallas Destroyers. According to Wikipedia, it’s owned by a person named Muffy Tillington, but in a matter of days, her name will be deleted and Ty Sterling’s will be inserted. I also learned that football teams are worth an insane amount of money. This one is estimated to be worth five billion dollars. That’s a lot of freaking zeros. Nine to be exact. And that’s after the five. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that a building that doesn’t even have a roof, some uniforms, and a bunch of men in tight pants can possibly fetch such a price.
But I digress, and I really need to focus because I’m faced with two futures, both incredibly clear. I can either be the hero—not only for my team, but all the other teams in the foundation—or I can be just another victim.
If I leak that Ty is buying the Destroyers, it will most likely spark a bidding war, and if he loses, he’ll have a surplus of cash on his hands. There’s a chance—albeit tiny—that he’d decide to use some of that money to keep the foundation going. Maybe, just maybe, what happened on the trip would be enough to make him rethink his position and make him want to help us. But maybe not. If he is successful in buying the team, even with a bidding war, he’ll have had to spend a lot more money to get it, so even though we won’t get what we want, neither will he. In this scenario, I walk away looking like a hero (and like the smartest person in the room for figuring out what he was up to). We’ll all still be jobless, but at least we’d walk away knowing he’s not happy either, my team will know I remained loyal, and we can still be friends forever, even if we wind up scattered all over the country.
On the other hand, if I keep what I know a secret, I’m trading my dream for his. And let’s face it, his dream is not going to make him happy. Even if he does get it for the bargain price of $5,000,000,000. (See? SO many zeros!) That’s a hell of a lot of radio telescopes.
I pull up in front of the dark building. The parking lot is empty, which makes sense because it’s only six-thirty and we don’t start until eight. I decided to come in because I do my best thinking in my office. And my best thinking I must do right now.
I grab my bag of airport gifts I bought for the team and hurry to the front door, the air chilly on my cheeks. When I get inside and turn on the lights, I’m greeted by the sight of Christmas decorations. The tree is in the corner and the cheap, plastic gold garland is hanging from the reception desk. I’ve always hated that garland, but right now, my heart tugs at the fact that this is the last year I’ll be seeing it. Walking over to the tree, I plug it in, then take a moment to stare at the colorful lights.
“Oh God, Christmas tree, I don’t know what to do.”
The tree doesn’t answer me (obviously), so I head for the lunch room to take down Ty’s photo. I grab the stack of pictures off the table and stare at his face, which still looks gorgeous even with his blacked-out teeth. I throw them all in the recycle bin, then trudge to my office. Flipping on the lights, I see that Allie has decorated already, including a little Grinch tree on my desk. I put my hand over my heart, guilt weighing me down as I think about my feelings for Ty and the fact that I’m keeping a huge secret from my bestie. Well, several huge secrets really.
I sit down and grab a piece of paper, then do what any girl would do when she finds herself in this situation. I write out a pros and cons list.
Pros of Screwing Over Ty
- Potentially stop sale of the team, thus freeing up money for foundation.
- Will be a hero, even if just to make us feel better when we’re shut down (karmic payback for all the crappy things he’s said about us in public)
- Screwing over Ty will actually help him, since obviously buying the team won’t get back the love his dad should’ve given him.
- It’s what he would do if he were me.
- Won’t be screwing over team.
Cons of Screwing Over Ty
- Highly unlikely he’ll back us anyway, even if he has the money.
- Complicated if he stays on as my boss and we get married because he’ll be furious with me, most likely for a long time.
- Also complicated if he stays on as my boss, isn’t angry, but team hates me for falling in love with our arch nemesis.
- I’m in love with him and I’d never want to hurt him.
I stare at the page. Instead of my mind charging forward in one clear direction, it continues to move in useless circles, getting me no closer to making a decision than I was before. Who knew falling in love with your arch nemesis would be so complicated?
“So, to recap, Skip Napper is not going to make good on his uncle’s wishes, and in fact, plans to sue for the money that is currently in the foundation’s trust fund,” Keenan says, glancing around the table at the team. “We’ve also struck out so far in finding a new backer, but please don’t think of it as not having made progress because getting a no is better than not knowing. Also, we aren’t yet at the bottom of our list of billionaires to reach out to.” Keenan looks down at the paper he’s holding. “Tina, how many people are left to contact?”
“Four, and based on our results so far, it’s about a 0.00001% chance that we’ll get a yes. All the billionaires already have foundations and right now, nobody’s looking for more.”
“I see,” he says, pursing his lips. Smiling at me, Keenan says, “And this brings us to Gwen, who looks exhausted. Gwen, how’d you make out?”
This is it. Do or die time. The moment of truth. I shake my head. “I tried, believe me, but he was never going to change his mind.” Feeling disloyal to Ty, I add, “I mean, maybe if the money wasn’t already spoken for, but with the situation he’s in, he can’t back out even if he wanted to.”
Groans come from all sides of me and I shrink a little more in my chair.
“So, based on that, it sounds like he didn’t want to,” Virgil says.
“I really tried, as did the other team representatives.”
Chad scoffs. “Yeah, but as if any of those idiots could’ve convinced him.”
