Page 126 of What If I See You
A man can hope.
“Marlee!” I shout down the hall when I spot just the person I was hoping to see. Marlee Remington is the team’s Events and Operations manager. Where we go, she usually goes. Or at least she’s the one telling us where to go and when. Ledger’s had a crush on her for years and for some stupid reason hasn’t done a damn thing about it. Pity, because the more I talk to her around the arena the more I think she would fit in well with our little family of players and wags.
“Oh, hey Griffin. What’s up?”
Jogging down the hall, I come to a stop and hand her a book from my duffel. “First of all, here’s a gift for you.”
Her face pulls into a genuine smile. “Oh, my gosh! Is this Layken’s newest book? I’ve heard all about it but haven’t gotten to grab myself a copy yet.”
“Well now you’ve got one. Enjoy. Maybe take a picture or two of you reading it.” I shrug. “You know, if you want to. I mean social media reach is huge for an author, you know?”
Her eyes widen. “That’s a great idea and I absolutely will! Hell, I’ll take a pic of myself reading it on the plane.”
“Perfect.” I raise my hand and she gives me a high five.
“Now what can I do for you? Or did you just need to give me this?”
“Actually, I have something to run by you. An idea. Do you have a second?”
“For you? Of course! Can we walk and talk?”
I nod. “Yeah. Actually, I’m on my way to the team meeting so that would be great.”
“Okay, tell me your idea.”
“So, you know how Harrison has the summer camp for kids? That’s been his thing for years and he’s fucking good at it.”
“He is.” She nods, listening.
“It’s like the one big thing we do for kids.”
She bobs her head. “I mean yeah, but we do have other drives and things throughout the year for kids though.”
“Yeah, but we could do so much more. Not just for anyone in the community. I mean I know we give to food banks and veterans and homeless shelters and all that stuff but what if we had someone in our organization to spearhead community relations for the next generation?”
“Okay, tell me more.”
“So, I know we have a senior manager who heads our community relations department, but do you think the front office would go for creating a position in the organization specifically for a youth outreach coordinator?”
“Hmm.” Her brows lift and she nods her head. “That’s not a bad idea at all, Griffin.” She winks. “Let me guess, you know just the person for this job?”
I give her a bashful smirk. “Fucking right I do.”
We’re nearlyto the airport and I haven’t heard from Layken. I know I shouldn’t be panicking but those insecure parts of me have me checking my phone every five minutes to see if she’s texted yet. Shuffling in my seat on the team bus, I write out one last text to her before we get out and board the plane.
Me
Hope your interview is fire! You’re going to knock ’em dead, I know it. I LOVE YOU!
“Dude,” August chuckles next to me. “I think she gets it. You love her.”
I lean my head against the back of the seat, exasperated. “I know. I know. I just can’t help myself. It’s been…” I glance at the clock on my phone. “Five hours since we last talked. I know she’s interviewing and stuff. I just thought I’d hear from her by now.”
“You will, man. I’m sure she’s being wined and dined. This job she’s vying for is an important one. They’re going to want to know that she knows her shit. Could be any number of things.”
“She’s coming tomorrow, right?” Harrison asks me from across the aisle. “To Chicago?”
“Yeah.” I shrug my shoulder. “I mean she said she would.”
