Page 27 of Fighting Fate

WTF IS GOING ON???

Side glancing at her, I shake my head in response before I focus back on the PR team sitting in front of us.

“Is there a particular list of people you want us to focus on, or would you like us to continue as normal?” Jessica asks once I put my phone down on the table.

Jess is pissed. Jan’s leg is shaking under the table while she relentlessly clicks the top of her pen. She’s going to hand me my ass after this. And still…still, the only thing I care about right now is getting out of here. The only thought in my head is making tonight unforgettable.

“We have the list of VIPs from your management, so sponsors and the brand faces are all in and RSVP’d. It’s really a matter of bringing the right names for the press coverage.”

“Just the usual. I trust you guys to handle this, and Jan will let you know of any issues or anything else…”

The timer on my watch goes off, letting me know it’s time to wrap this meeting up. I do not know how I’m going to get through training this afternoon. Taylor is going to throttle my ass, especially if Jan has time to talk to him beforehand. This is exactly why Mom reminded me not to get too distracted.

“We’ll get a guest list together this week,” Connor says as Jan walks Jess out ahead of him. “Once we’ve got it hammered out, I’ll run it past Jan. She owes me a coffee anyway…”

The way he’s grinning her way tells me it’s not a coffee date he’s after. But I can hardly comment after what just happened.

While he’s talking to Jan, I grab my phone from the table to check my unread texts, replying to Frank’s before I get sidetracked.

Rory:Raincheck?

I’ve barely pressedthe Send button before Jan snatches the device from my hand.

“Nudies in a meeting?” she growls.

“Coffee with Connor?”

Levelling me with a scowl, she whacks me with the notebook clutched in her hand. Jan may be tiny, but she’s got a helluva strike. Probably due to all her sessions with Taylor. He’s almost as tough on her as he is on me.

“Seriously, Rory?” The disappointed huff of breath seems to drag forever, needlessly emphasising how pissed she is. “It was rude.”

“You don’t like it, then don’t look over my shoulder next time.” Taking my phone back, I head out, but not before she asks, “You like her so much…what’re you gonna do when we leave?”

“What’re you gonna do about Connor?” She’s staring daggers at me, her jaw gritted so tight that her lips disappear into a thin blanched line. “Don’t call me out on my shit if you can’t figure yours out.”

Jan and I have worked together for almost ten years. We’re past the work relationship thing. She’s more family than friend at this point, and while I love her and appreciate how much she does for me on the daily, I don’t have to put up with her shit. No doubt she’ll relay it all to Mom on one of their calls. I’ll have to hear all of it on our next call, and while I don’t want to disappoint anyone, I’ve never put a foot wrong.

I’ve lived and breathed my career my entire life while they’ve all told me there’s more to life. Everyone keeps reminding me that the end is in sight, that soon I’ll have to retire. I’ve done nothing but dread what’s coming. Until now.

For once, I’m not thinking about how I can prolong my reign. I’m not obsessing over making anyone proud…

For once…finally, there’s something more. Someone that excites me. And I’ll be damned if I don’t make the most out of it.

* * *

It’s barely six thirty,and all I can do is watch the seconds tick by on my watch while I pace in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. The restaurant is reserved, and I’ve made sure that we’re not packed into a busy place with eyes on us all night. I’m looking forward to more time with Willow.

It doesn’t matter how many times I try to clear my head, the photo she sent is burnished in my mind, taking up every thought and making it impossible to get my heart or dick in check. Pausing by the kitchen island, I pour myself a glass of cold water and drink it down. As I’m rinsing it out, there’s a soft knock at the door. As if it wasn’t already going crazy, my heart picks up its erratic pace, hammering so hard into my lungs and ribs that it’s almost impossible to catch my breath as I open the door.

“Hey.” Jan smiles tentatively.

“What’re you doing here?” The question comes out more brusquely than I intended. “I’m about to head out.”

Nodding, she glances down my body before meeting my gaze again. “I can see.”

“So what do you want?”

“You left without saying goodbye or…or…” Pausing, she takes a deep breath, shuffling closer before she says, “I’m sorry. It’s shitty when we argue, and it makes things awkward between us. I don’t like it.”

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