Page 129 of The Thing About My Rival

Plus, I’m just waiting for the paperwork from Portland to join the coaching staff there—conveniently three thousand miles away from his perfect face, his perfect body,and the mouth and hands that know exactly what to do to me.

“That’s very kind, but I’m actually about to sign?—”

“You’ll like it,” Prince Oliver says with a knowing smile. I’ve never seen him look so formal. He’s almost regal in his royal blue tux with its satin-trimmed lapels and his black pants. Although he’s not given up his sneakers, and the shirt is more Hawaiian than dress.

“Yup,” Chase adds, with that perfect Hollywood smile. “We’ve created a new position.”

Awhat?

Okay, I’ll listen. But obviously I can’t take whatever it is. I can’t be around Hugo. I can’t.

“Yes.” Miller takes over. “We love the Commoners.”

“Love them.” Prince Oliver thumps his chest right over his heart.

“But it’s a lot for us,” Miller continues. “I’m up to my eyes in zoning battles and budget overruns. Leo’s got filming for a new season ofThe Lions’ Laircoming up.”

“I’m executive producing my first movie,” Chase adds.

“And I really need to figure out how to make a living,” Oliver says with a self-deprecating laugh.

“So, while it’s been great being so hands-on this season,” Miller picks up, “and we intend to remain very involved, we’ve come to realize we do all need to step back a little so we can run our main businesses.”

“And lives,” Prince Oliver adds.

Okay. They’ve piqued my interest. But still…Hugo.

“So,” Leo says, “we’d like to offer you the position of general manager.”

My belly leaps to my chest and takes the place of my heart, which has jumped up to somewhere in my throat. I try to replay Leo’s words to double-check I heard correctlybut my brain’s scrambled them into a mush I can’t make out.

My brows pinch together from the bafflement of it all. The owners who chose Hugo over me, now want me to manage the club? It doesn’t make any sense.

“Wha—?”

The croaked semi-word is barely out of my mouth when Chase leans back, palms raised, like he’s trying to stop me from losing my shit. “Now, I know you’re probably still upset about how things went at the end of the season.”

I raise my eyebrows rather than sayno shit.

“But that was just circumstances,” Oliver says.

“Anyway.” Leo throws Chase and Oliver a look that says he’d rather the Hollywood star and the prince leave the business stuff to the big boys. “Of course we’d be on hand for any big decisions and have weekly check-ins and quarterly meetings to make sure we’re on track for all our strategic goals.”

“But we trust you implicitly,” Miller says, cutting off Leo before he disappears down a corporate-speak rabbit hole. “Essentially, you’d control all day-to-day operations, run the place like it was your own.”

At those final magic words, my heart shudders.Like it was my own.My stomach does a weird floppy thing, and my brain asks whether maybe, just maybe, it is possible.

“Run itlike it was my own?” Definitely need clarity on that part.

“Basically, yes,” Miller says. “It would be almost like you were the owner, rather than the manager.”

“But with some expert advisers on hand,” Leo adds, being extra clear it’s not actually mine.

“And we always loved your idea for the youth academy,” Chase says. “You’d get to start that.”

And there it is, the closest offer to my dream job I’m ever going to get. My childhood dream of going to the stadium every day and running the Boston Commoners. It’s on a plate right in front of me. All I have to do is reach out and take it.

But there’s one big thing that never featured in that dream. Having to work alongside—no, worse—be the boss of the man I’ve fallen for heavy and hard, but who is all wrong for me. And look at him every day, wondering whether he’s carrying a trace of whichever woman he climbed off that morning.

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