Page 69 of Vegas Heat

“Thanks,” I murmur, and then I say goodbye and end the call just as I pull up in front of Troy’s house. I stare at the house a beat. Her truck is in the circular driveway. It wasn’t there last night. Maybe things would be different if it had been—if I knew who she was before I even got to town.

Maybe things would’ve been different if I would’ve known before we even had our first night together. Then I wouldn’t have allowed myself to fall for her and I wouldn’t be in this situation now.

I keep trying to figure out the lesson here, and I think it’s that I should always lead with who I am, and I should expect others to do the same. I can’t escape Cooper Noah the All Star, and maybe it was wrong to ever have tried.

I put my hat back on, backwards this time since I’m not trying to hide from anybody, and I glance at my phone and discover the call I missed was from Gabby. She didn’t leave a message, and she’s probably wondering where the hell I ran off to.

But I have an appointment scheduled with her dad, so the big talk that I’m already dreading will have to wait a little longer.

CHAPTER 5: COOPER

I let myself in since Troy told me to, and the house is quiet. Everyone’s surely home, but in a mansion of this size, I suppose it’s easy to find a quiet corner to hide in.

I think about what that could have meant for Gabby and me if I wasn’t being a martyr, as my mother suggested. Is that what I’m doing?

No.

If the situation was reversed and I had a twenty-one-year-old daughter, well, I would’ve been quite the young father…but I wouldn’t want a teammate screwing around with her, much less a player in a position subordinate to my own. And certainly not someone I opened my house to, someone I paid big money to get to town, someone I’m building an entire team around.

It’s a lot of responsibility, and rule one in any situation where a teammate or manager is concerned is respect.

It’s that damn sense of responsibility rearing its ugly and unwanted head, and I’m powerless to prevent it from forcing me to do the right thing. Even if it doesn’tfeellike the right thing.

I swing by the kitchen to grab some ice water and I spot Troy at the counter tapping away on his laptop.

“Question for you,” I say without preamble as I help myself to some water from the refrigerator dispenser.

“Fire away,” Troy says, closing his laptop lid.

I like how he gives me his undivided attention. Everything the man does is important, but he has a knack for making whoever he’s talking to feel like they’re deserving of his time.

“Do you have a sponsorship for any kids’ play areas yet?”

He shrugs. “That would fall under community relations and marketing. I can introduce you to Joanie, the head of marketing, at the stadium today and she can offer you more information, but from what I know, she’s still searching for the right fit for a kids’ sponsorship.”

Joanie. Why is that name familiar? I feel like he mentioned his better half once and that was her name. Does his girlfriend work for the Heat?

I lean against the counter. “What do you think about a play area with a circuit for kids sponsored by StrongFitKids?”

“Sponsored by StrongFitKids? Or sponsored by Cooper Noah?” he asks.

I lift a shoulder. “Does it matter?”

He presses his lips together. “Not at all. I think it’s a fantastic idea and I’m sure Joanie would love to hear more. Let me text her to let her know we’ll be stopping by.”

“Great. And I know these sponsorships are generally handled by the corporate world, but I’d love to be as involved as I can be in everything from design through launch, barring the times when I need to be down on the field, obviously. This organization has meant a lot to me in my retirement, so I want to give back as much as I can.”

“Noted, and I’ll be sure to let Joanie know you have final approval at every level,” he says.

“Thanks, man. Can I have my colleague Kaylee meet us there as well?”

He nods. “Send me her information and I’ll be sure to get credentials to security.”

I tap around on my phone and send him the details.

“Joanie is free at two o’clock,” he says as my text to him comes through with Kaylee’s information.

“Great. I’ll text Kaylee and let her know.”

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