Page 79 of The Game

My eyebrows rise into my hairline, and Adam takes my elbow like he thinks I might bolt.

“As I mentioned on the phone, Anna doesn’t want any publicity for this visit,” he says as I examine the side of his face. “Being in the stands would be difficult. We really appreciate you accommodating us.”

Goddammit, do they normally do tours like this? Did he specifically request some kind of private thing for me? When did he become so demanding? He’s better than my PR team. Speaking of which, I should warn Damian. Autographs mean photographs, which inevitably end up online. I just need to keep Adam out of them.

“Not at all! Not at all!” Kevin says. “There’s only three of us in the loop about Anna’s visit today, so it’s all very hush-hush.” He makes a zipping movement across his lips, and I immediately want to giggle. “Though I’m sure when the dog owners see you, they’ll want autographs, maybe pictures. I hope that’s all right. Please tell me if anything isn’t acceptable and I can smooth it over.” He wrings his hands. “Do we need a secret signal?” he adds like it’s only just occurred to him, and I want to laugh again.

“I can let you know quietly, Kevin, if you’re with us all day,” Adam says.

“Good, good,” he says, rubbing his hands together.

Adam’s eyes tip down toward me. “Are photographs okay?”

“I’m happy to do a few selfies with people and sign some autographs. But I’m going to have to touch base with my PR team and tell them that some pictures might appear online.”

Kevin beams. “Of course! Let’s head inside, and you can call them.”

He turns and heads into the venue, and I squeeze Adam’s arm and lean in.

“Do they usually do VIP tours?” I mumble into Adam’s ear.

He shakes his head.

“What the hell did you say to him to get him to agree to a private tour?”

“I might have said that you were concerned about being harassed given recent events. He said the security was high here because of the large number of valuable dogs, and he was only too happy to oblige. He’s a huge tennis fan, apparently. He nearly had a conniption when I told him you wanted to visit. I didn’t have to do any persuading at all.” He winks at me.

I roll my eyes at him. “Glad to know I’m classed in the same category as a valuable dog.”

I sound like a grumpy old bear at best and, at worst, a diva, but when my eyes slide toward Adam, he’s laughing quietly.

“I’ve always thought of you that way,” he says, eyes twinkling, and the way they crease around the corners makes my chest go tight.

But he just pats my hand and draws me inside the venue, and we head down some white corridors into the bowels of the building.Madison Square Garden. Wow. I’ve always dreamed of doing an exhibition tennis event here.Maybe one day.

We head into a little area that’s set out with muffins, cookies, and a tea and coffee maker. Two women are standing chatting, both fidgeting, but they break out into beaming smiles as soon as we enter.

“Would you like a tea or coffee, Anna?” Kevin says.

“If you have any herbal tea, that would be lovely.”

“I’ll have a coffee,” Adam rumbles beside me. He’s dropped into his role ofsecond wheel. A quiet solid presence by my side.

“No problem. Can I introduce you to Belle Brown and Amanda Davis, both part of our team running this event?” Kevin adds.

“Oh! Ms. Talanova. I’m a huge tennis fan,” Belle gushes as she darts forward, clasping my hands in hers. “I couldn’t believe you were coming to visit us today. It’s like a dream come true.”

Amanda nods along at her side, still beaming.

“To be honest, I think you have the dream job here,” I say. “All these beautiful dogs!”

They both laugh, and my shoulders ease. I haven’t been out and met any real fans for a while. I forget that most people are polite and nice … Ieasilyforget it.

“Would you two ladies like a photograph?” I say.

Belle presses her hand to her chest. “Oh yes! That would be amazing!” she squeaks, scrabbling for her phone.

“And me!” Kevin interjects, waving his own phone.

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