Page 73 of Love Game

“He’ll have to get past me to do it,” Danny insisted, cutting her off.

Millie set her precious tablet aside, tugged at the hem of the snug skirt she wore, and rose from her seat. “Fine.”

Danny stood too, relieved to be excused from this inquisition so he’d have time to prepare for the next. He had an appointment to meet with Mike and the chancellor at three. An appointment that might make all of Millie’s diligent interview preparation a moot point. But he couldn’t think that way. He wouldn’t. When he’d first been offered the job at Wolcott, he thought the school was a bit of a joke. Now, he never wanted to leave.

He extended a hand toward Millie. “Thank you for all that you’ve done since I came here.”

Without warning, the too-cool PR woman was gone, and he found himself being hugged. Hard. “Break her heart, and I’ll break you into pieces so tiny all the king’s horses and all the king’s men wouldn’t even find ’em. You get me?” she whispered in her three-pack-a-day rasp.

“Got you.”

Her smile was a little watery when she pulled away, giving his arm an absent pat. “Just figure out a way to get through these next couple of days, and this will all blow over.”

Though he admired her optimism, he couldn’t quite buy into the possibility of a quick and painless end to all this. “Thanks. It might take more than a couple of days, but I plan to stick.”

Millie picked up her tablet and tapped it with one scarlet-tipped finger to wake the screen. “The key is to minimize exposure. Try to keep this local. Trust me,” she added, turning her attention to the screen with a grim smile. “There’s always a bigger story.”

* * *

Danny’s chest felt too tight as he stalked through the empty halls. Back in his closet of an office, he couldn’t settle. His skin was itchy. His talk with Millie left him itching to do something. Anything. He tried to busy himself with finalizing the schedules for the upcoming football camps, but Mack pretty much had them lined out.

The minutes slowed to a crawl. Feeling defiant, he unpacked the tower of boxes he’d ignored since the day he’d moved in. The need to see Kate built inside him like a pressure cooker, but she was scheduled for lunch at the Kiwanis Club. He’d spotted blue sky and green grass on the other side of Millie’s window. Too twitchy to sit still, he decided to change into his running gear and hit the track. Mike could leave a message on his cell if he needed to. There was just no way he could sit there and wait for the ax to fall.

Mind made up, he started for the door. But the second he twisted the knob, his phone rang. Danny frowned as he answered. His old friend Mike sounded grim as he informed him there was no need to wait until three to come over to the administration building. Chancellor Martin would see him now.

Chapter 17

“I admit I had my reservations when Director Samlin put your name forward,” the chancellor said, folding his hands atop the immaculate leather blotter protecting his antique desk. He peered at Danny over the tops of his half-moon glasses. “I’ll also admit that I’m not the least bit shocked that you managed to violate the terms of your contract within mere months of signing.” The man’s already thin lips tightened to the point where they almost disappeared. “I have been in contact with our legal advisors, and I am told that we would be completely within our rights to terminate your association with Wolcott University.”

Danny shifted his weight from one foot to another, swallowing a lump of red-hot anger along with another hunk of his pride. He was being called out on the carpet—literally—by a man he could pound to a pulp, but if he wanted to keep his job and keep Kate, all he could do was stand there and take it. Looking down at the Persian rug beneath his feet, he counted down from five before attempting any response.

“Yes, sir. I believe you are.”

Chancellor Martin rose from his glove-leather chair and turned toward the windows that looked down on the campus green. He stared into the distance, letting the silence loom large in the room. Danny glanced at Mike, who simply shook his head.

“Why shouldn’t I?”

Danny jumped, startled not so much by the suddenness of the question as the unexpected challenge behind it. “Why shouldn’t you?”

The man turned to look at him, a smug smile curving his lips. “Yes. Why shouldn’t I terminate your contract?” He spoke slowly, enunciating each word as if he were being forced to converse with the village idiot.

Anger and adrenaline zipped through him. Standing taller, Danny looked the man square in the eye. “Because I’m the best thing to ever happen to this school’s football program. Because I’m your best shot at making this school something other than the laughingstock of the Mid-Continental Conference.”

Scorn replaced the man’s supercilious smirk. “And you think that’s truly important here?”

Mike chose that moment to step in and smooth the waters. “Chancellor Martin, improving our standing within the conference would mean an increase in television coverage and increased visibility in recruiting.”

The chancellor didn’t even glance in his athletic director’s direction. His gaze remained pinned on Danny. “And those are the things you believe are truly important here?”

Before Danny could answer, Mike jumped in again. “All of those things provide more scholarship oppor—”

The chancellor cut him off. “We have alumni who are more than generous when it comes to providing academic scholarships.” At last, he spared Mike a quick glance. “Let’s be clear. You’re concerned with providing opportunities for athletic scholarships.”

“Yes,” Mike replied stiffly. His resigned expression told Danny this wasn’t the first time he’d gone a couple of rounds with his boss on the topic. “Athletic scholarships can be just as important to a school’s vitality as their academic counterparts.”

Danny cocked his head, fascinated. For the first time since he arrived on campus, he was getting a clear vision of how deep the divide between athletics and academics at Wolcott actually ran.

“Sir, the two are not mutually exclusive,” Mike continued. “Many student athletes excel academically. No one expects Wolcott to lower their standards—”

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