Even the Score(13)

Viper swallowed. “Where’s Michael?”

“Asleep in the living room.” She pointed toward the door they’d just come through. “Now who’s firing who?”

“Oh, we were just joking around.” Viper shrugged her question off, but it was my turn to laugh. I knew he was shaking on the inside, hoping she hadn’t heard us.

“What’s all this?” Kacie asked, leaning over the table for a closer look.

“Résumés.” I sighed, staring down at the overwhelming pile before us. “I’m bringing in a new agent, and these are just some of the people who applied.”

“Wow! That’s impressive that so many people want to work with you, Andy.” Kacie smiled.

“Thanks, I’m just hoping I can find someone who I can tolerate every single day. I’ve been doing this for so long by myself, the thought of handing over control freaks me out.”

Michelle reached over and grabbed the top sheet off the stack, her eyes darting left to right as she studied it. “Danicka Douglas. Oooh, a woman! There aren’t too many female sports agents out there, I bet.”

“Wow! A woman in a man’s world. She must be a badass. Is she cute?” Kacie asked innocently, looking from me to Viper to Brody. All three of us kept our eyes glued to the table, refusing to look up at them. “Oh, come on!” Kacie chuckled. “I’m mature enough to handle my husband acknowledging a beautiful woman.”

Don’t fall for it, man. Mouth shut. Head down. No eye contact.

As if he read my mind, Brody stared straight down, not even attempting to speak.

Being the only man in the room without a wife, I took one for the team. “Um, she’s okay, I guess.”

“Oh, please. You three are terrible liars.” Kacie rolled her eyes as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and thumbed something onto the screen. “I’ll look it up myself.” A few seconds later, the screen glowed and her green eyes bulged. “Whoa.”

“What?” Michelle hopped up and rushed around the table, peering over Kacie’s shoulder. “Let me see.” As soon as Michelle looked at the screen, her eyes bulged just like Kacie’s had. “Holy crap. She’s not cute, she’s hot. Look at that outfit. I bet she has a stylist.”

“I didn’t even notice her outfit, I was too busy looking at her dark, shiny hair.” Kacie’s thumb continuously swiped left, switching the picture. Then she gasped and looked up at Michelle. “You know who she looks like? Mila Kunis!”

“Oh my God, you’re right.” Michelle nodded.

They both stood silent, gawking at Kacie’s phone as she flipped from picture to picture.

Finally Kacie set the phone down and smacked her lips together as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay. Forget it. I’m not mature. You can’t hire her.”

“What?” Viper, Brody, and I all said in unison.

“I second what Kacie said.” Michelle shook her head as she walked back around to her seat. “She’s way too beautiful. Sorry. We’d really prefer a seventy-year-old man who wears black socks and sandals.”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Viper held his hand up. “Andy is a healthy, unmarried man of consenting age. There is absolutely no reason for you guys to object to him hiring her.”

“Um . . . yeah, there is,” Michelle argued back as she pointed back and forth from Brody to Viper. “You two boneheads spend half your free time hanging out at Andy’s office. If she gets hired, there will be no more of that.”

I held my hands up defensively. “Let’s not go grounding them from my office just yet, okay? I haven’t even interviewed her yet, let alone made a decision on who I’m hiring.”

As they continued arguing about the boys not hanging around at my office should I decide to hire her, I made a mental note to get a haircut before that interview, just in case.





CHAPTER 5

Andy

“Morning, Ellie!” I exclaimed cheerfully as I stepped out of the elevator.

Ellie gasped and whipped around with her hand on her chest. “Oh my God. You scared the crap out of me. What’s the matter with you?” she said, glaring at me.

“Nothing’s the matter with me. I was simply wishing my lovely assistant a happy Monday morning.” I walked over and set a Starbucks cup down on her desk. “Here, I got you a present. It isn’t a cinnamon roll, but it is a grande caramel macchiato with extra drizzle, just the way you like it.”

She stared down at the cup and pulled her eyebrows in tight. “Awww, thank you. Now I feel bad for cursing at you in my head a few seconds ago.”