Page 26 of The Dating Contract

“Samuel Levine,” he said, as politely as possible, knowing Leah’s professional career depended on it. “Leah Nachman’s boyfriend.”

A brief nod, as he followed Josephine Brucker’s gaze toward a crowd. It was as if Leah was holding court amidst a bunch of people.

God she was sexy.

“You seem to be okay with someone like her, someone who’s so driven and so strong.”

He smiled back at this woman, whose view of Leah and her relationships and her chosen career shouldn’t matter…except it did. “She wouldn’t be the Leah I love,” he said choosing to answer Josephine Brucker’s stereotypical views with naked, emotional honesty, “if she wasn’t strong or driven. Women like Leah are rare gems, and I’d be a fool if I didn’t recognize that.”

Josephine Brucker looked him up and down, making him feel like he’d been put under an x-ray machine; thankfully Leah had briefed him in advance. He could see in the cast of Josephine Brucker’s features that she was simply the product of another age, one where she’d been expected to…be something or someone else in order to make someone happy. That, or she’d had her own ambitions or aspiration chopped back by someone she thought understood her the way she deserved.

And yet all the same, once again, he had to remind himself that Leah’s professional future hinged on the outcome of the conversation, and he wanted to say something; he would have, except he could tell that nothing else he said would matter.

Until Josephine Brucker turned back toward him and slowly but surely smiled. “Just be careful,” she said. “A woman like that won’t change her spots once you’re ready to settle down.”

What he wanted to say was that he didn’t want to see Leah in stripes but he settled for something that made more sense. “The spots she has,” he said, “fit her perfectly. Fit me perfectly. Fit us perfectly.”

And the wild thing was that he meant it more than he’d ever meant anything in his life, so much that he wished the relationship was real, that they were real.

But instead of nodding at him, this time, clearly having made her judgment, she looked at him in a way that made him feel she wanted to pat him on his head. “That’s nice, dear,” she said as she walked away.

He wondered if he’d made the wrong decision, but he’d already decided that his penance for the things he’d done in the past was to never let that mistake happen again, to stand up for Leah while contracted to be in a relationship with her, or not, even when she couldn’t hear it.

*

Leah had beendeep in conversation with one of Bruck’s longtime friends when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Samuel talking to Bruck’s wife.

She knew this was going to happen; she’d even briefed him on it, and yet all the same it made her sweat where she stood. She desperately wanted to go over, stop the conversation, stop the world, and yet she didn’t. She couldn’t. It would destroy him in front of Josephine and destroy her chances at the partnership she so desperately wanted.

Which meant she had to listen to the older man talk about the interesting things happening with the New York Gothams, as well as a documentary that was filming about the Oakland Elephants. She wasn’t a baseball person, but the story was an easy focus and less about a sport she didn’t pay attention to, and more about the story of the documentary itself.

“I’m going to go and check on my wife,” he said with a smile. “She’s in the corner, getting herself a drink. It was nice.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said as he walked away.

As she tried to figure out what she needed to do next, she saw Bruck’s wife shake her head. Which was a victory in itself. Josephine Brucker’s conversations with people usually ended with loud stinging reprimands that had aftereffects even years later.

Except Samuel had managed to thwart whatever malicious intentions the woman had expressed in a way that wouldn’t permit her to explode like she usually did.

Leah wanted to cheer.

She headed toward the drinks table in search of a reason to cross the room and congratulate him. But as she grabbed a glass of ginger ale, out of the corner of her eye, she heard her name. “Leah? Leah Nachman.”

She turned, only to see Jessica Weiss, captain of the US Women’s Hockey team standing there, grinning.

Jess was represented by another agent, but the women’s hockey world was small and they’d seen each other at different events because some of her clients were Jess’s teammates both in the NAWHL and on the national level.

“Jess,” she said. “This is a surprise.”

“I’m arm candy tonight,” she said with a laugh. “My name wasn’t on the invitation, but I’m really glad I’m here.”

Every once in a while, she’d forget that Jessica Weiss was dating the head of one of the biggest Jewish charities. “I’m glad to see you.”

“I wanted to tell you about the gala,” Jess said.

Leah blinked. There were tons of galas and ceremonies and awards that dotted the intersection between sports and charity. “Refresh my recollection?”

“Bruck has an invitation,” Jess began. “But anyway, in a few weeks Evan and I are hosting a women in sports gala. And we’re honoring the Unicorns.”

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