Page 93 of Scoring His Obsession

McNally’s face morphs from disbelief to anger. We’ve cornered him, and the man who thought he had all the cards now realizes he has nothing. He straightens his jacket and strides from the room.

Poor Nala. I bet she’s about to get the brunt of his anger.

“He’ll never be a true Wildcat,” Coach says, shaking his head and staring at the empty doorframe. “Sorry, Freeman. I didn’t see this coming. I hope your girlfriend is okay.”

“She will be. She’s strong. Still doesn’t mean she deserved to go through it.”

“You two have been in the public eye a lot lately. Make sure you’re staying grounded, too.”

“She’s my number one priority.”

“If it helps, you tell that girl of yours that you’re not going anywhere. You’re the face of the Wildcats. McNally understands where to push buttons. He wasn’t only helping out his brother-in-law, he knew the trade rumor would get people talking about the team. Your highlights will be all over ESPN today along with speculation. I bet I get a call from Al asking what the hell is going on.”

“I don’t like him,” I tell Coach.

“He’ll dig his own grave. We have to wait it out.”

Patience has never been a strength of mine, but as long as McNally does what we asked, I won’t take it a step further. “I can’t promise Raeann won’t take this public, and I won’t dissuade her either.”

Coach shrugs. “I don’t see that as a me issue.”

Good. We’re on the same page.

“What are you still doing standing here? Go take care of that girl, and I’ll see you at practice.”

I give him a salute and walk toward the exit. When I pass McNally’s office, I hear him yelling through the walls. Peeking inside the glass, I spot Nala taking notes, her back ramrod straight and her mouth thin-lipped. Poor thing. Her boss is an egotistical tyrant.

When I step outside, I pull out my phone and send a text to the group thread.

Me: He folded. Expect a team-wide email thanks to you guys.

Farmer: Collective high five!

Levi: Someone tell the rookie we don’t high five. We give knuckles like bros.

Davis: Keep us updated on Raeann and give her our love.

Tipper: Jo’s absolutely furious on her behalf. If Raeann needs to talk, she’s here.

Now that’s what being part of a team is all about.

25

Raeann

My stomach squeezes and nausea rolls until I squelch the feeling and put a cap on it.

Tab comes up behind me, and I try to hide the magazine under some picking slips, but she grabs it anyway.

Never in my life did I think I would make it onto the front cover of one of those trashy gossip magazines, but there it is, in plain sight for everyone to see. “From Model to Designer, Will Micah Freeman’s New Girl Keep His Attention?”

Of course there’s a beautiful picture of Micah’s ex, and then there’s me. I’ve never been a vain person, but the shot of me on the couch ofWake Up, Nashvilleon a day I’d rather forget is enough to make me grind my teeth.

“What the hell?” Tab asks, staring down at the cover. “Where did you even get this?”

“It was outside the store this morning. Someone probably left it to be funny.”

“Funny, my ass. I’m going to look through the security footage and get these assholes.”

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