Page 40 of The Fake Play

At one point she glances up, catching me watching her, and raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing, just thinking.”

“About the plan, right?”

“I swear I'm listening, Keke. I'm on my best behavior, I promise.”

“Sure you’re not just stealing glances down my top?”

“Maybe.”

She giggles and rolls her eyes, pulling up a picture on her phone to show me something. As we wrap up the meeting, she leans back, crossing her arms. “You're sure you can stick to this? No more slip ups?”

“Without a doubt.”

She gives me a small, approving nod, and for a moment I swear I saw something soften in her expression. Maybe I’m starting to get through to her.

Funny how a little bit of hope can make you supremely stupid.

Chapter 16

Keke

The fluorescent lights of Whitney's office flicker overhead, casting an eerie green on the polished floor. My heels tap sharply, an echo of my spiraling thoughts. My stomach churns as the gravity of the situation settles in, dragging my mood down like an anchor.

I feel like I might drown.

Whitney knows we slept together. She has to, why else call the meeting when she knew I was in the middle of something? I try to breathe, distract myself from the impending panic attack. I pinch the back of my hand in my lap, trying to spell what I see around me backwards, I count to ten… I reach forty-six by the time I realize she had stopped speaking.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Luke is under threat of trade,” Whitney says, her voice heavy with concern. “Management believes he brings too much drama to the club. He's been their Golden Boy for a while, but they're starting to question whether it's time for a change.”

“So it's official then?”

“He's officially under their microscope. Whether that translates into an actual trade, I can't say yet. I don't know.”

Her words sting. “That can't be right. He loves this game, he loves the team. He's not ready to retire.” The thought of him being uprooted, losing everything he’s worked so hard for, is unbearable.

Whitney sighs, twiddling her pen in her hand. “As much as hockey is about the team, it's also about the individual players. This isn't personal, it's business. If they think he's too much of a liability, they will trade him.”

“He's not a liability anymore. That drama is behind him.”

“It hasn’t been long enough, and our work may be too little too late for their liking.”

“I won't let them take the team away from him.”

Whitney's brow furrows as she examines me, skepticism clouding her perfect features. “That's not really up to you.”

“I am not a quitter, Whitney. I'm going to prove to them that Luke is more than what the tabloids say. He's a great player and a decent guy who loves what he does.”

Whitney crosses her arms, her expression softening slightly. “What do you have in mind?”

The gears turn as I ponder the situation. My remedies took time to rehab a tarnished brand in my previous assignment but Luke is quick on his feet. What will happen if he gets traded?

“We can throw a fundraiser for his favorite charity, Happy Harbor. That will make him impossible to trade or fire. Who would dare trade the guy who helped save puppies and kittens? You can't fire him. You can't trade him.”

She sits back and crosses her arms, thinking. “It would have to be a colossal success to change their minds. This isn't just about throwing a party and raising money.”

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