Page 62 of Making the Call
“It’s true,” I offer. “It was such a relief to not have anyone know who I am, besides just Luke.”
“I can imagine,” Tony commiserates. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had to start dating while in the public eye.”
“This brings us back to the reason we’re here.” Mike’s loud voice booms. “Luke, you’ve always kept your nose clean and out of the media. I had Tanya look back, and it’s obvious this is the first relationship you’ve taken public.”
“Yes, sir, it is,” I agree.
“So, how do you want to spin this?” Tanya asks the room. “There are a few issues at hand. First, there’s the fact the media’s in a frenzy about Luke no longer being single.”Why the fuck do people care who I date? It’s not like I’m a player or anything. I’m about to say something, but she continues, “Second, he was photographed in a compromising position, selling a brand that isn’t the Rainier Renegades.” This comment has me sitting straighter. Tension rolls off me in waves, but Tanya’s oblivious because her next point rolls off her tongue, “Third, he’s dating a woman who also has a pseudo name and will likely be outed due to his exposure.”
I glance to Dani, and she’s sitting rigid in her chair, mirroring me. I can tell she wants to say something but is biting her lip, literally. Fuck. I have to fix this. “First of all, I can’t help that the media has shown an interest in my social life. I’ve never dated anyone serious, so it was never an issue.”
Tanya looks as if she’s chomping at the bit to say something, but I press on to the point I’m most pissed about. “We have players who are sponsored and sell something that isn’t the Rainier Renegades, so you can’t tell me that’s the issue here. I was helping a friend. Simple as that. The photo was taken out of context. I was joking around with her fans who thought Iwasthe cover model. Believe it or not, it was my attempt at setting them straight. That’s all.” My temper ebbs as I continue, “Itwasn’ta compromising position by any means. Our players on this team wear a hell of a lot less for the promotional things they do.”I showed a peek of my abs for fuck’s sake. It’s not like I was fucking someone in public or making lewd suggestions.
I force myself to take in a deep breath and calm myself before continuing. When Dani reaches out to place a hand on my thigh under the table, I feel my muscles loosen slightly. Feeling a bit calmer, I continue, “When the picture was taken, the fans in front of me didn’t even recognize me as Luke Leighton, head coach. That didn’t happen until later.”
“Luke,” Tanya chides. “You had to know you’d be recognized being at an event like that.”
My brows reach my forehead as my eyes widen in response. “I had no idea this would happen. It’sneverhappened in my entire career as a pro athlete or coach. Why would this be any different?”
I don’t give Tanya a chance to respond. I’m on a roll now. God help her if she wants to make this more than it is. “Though…” I hesitate to formulate my response appropriately. “If I had to do it again, I’d be there in an instant to help Dani. She was stuck in the lurch, and that’s what friends do.” I see everyone at the table nod in agreement, so I continue, “I might not have raised my shirt to prove it wasn’t me, but that’s my lesson to learn.”
“We’re back to my original question. How do we want to spin this? You know it’s going to be brought up until it’s been addressed.”
Everyone’s quiet for a moment as we process her question.
That’s the million-dollar question. Fuck, what can we do? Suddenly, it comes to me. “What if…” I start but take a minute to figure out the ramifications of my idea. Damn. It might work. I’ve seen it work in the past for others.
“What, Luke?” Mike prompts, leaning his elbows on the table.
I look to Dani to gauge her response. “What if we grantonejoint interview? Set the record straight and agree to not talk about our relationship publicly again.”
Thankfully, Dani nods in agreement. “I can live with that.”
Tanya looks to Dani and eyes her speculatively. “But who will she be? Danika Fallon or Charlotte Ann?” Tanya points out. And fuck, if she doesn’t have a point.
I stare into Danika’s wide ocean-blue eyes. A curl has sprung loose from her ponytail, and she pushes it behind her ear. God, I hate that I’ve put her into this position. In a low voice, I quietly ask, “What would you prefer?”
As I’ve seen her do before, she closes her eyes to think for a moment. After a few breaths, she opens her eyes and inhales a long, slow breath. “I haven’t spoken with my publicist about this, but I’m pretty sure she’d say I need to be Charlotte Ann publicly, for now.” I nod to show her support, then she looks to the room for approval.
“I’d give you the same advice, if you were my client. I’d get ahead of the story about you dating the famous Luke Leighton here.” She points in my direction, and I want to groan.Why of all things, do people care about my social life?I knew this was a possibility, when I took over as head coach, but there’s gotta be bigger stories than me.
“Good point,” Tony pipes in.
Tanya nods in agreement. “It’ll be a bigger story, if you out her anonymity at this point. If the story comes out on its own later, you’ll have to deal with it. But it’s my understanding, most authors have a pseudo name, so her fans won’t mind. Most respect their privacy and move on.”
“So… we’re in agreement,” Mike retakes control of the meeting. “They’ll take a joint interview with one press outlet, and we’ll make a press statement to coordinate with it.”
As I look around the room, I see nods in agreement. Relief washes through me, and I feel Dani’s hand relax on my thigh. Knowing she’s not as stressed makes it so I can relax even further myself. I fucking hate that I put her in this position to begin with.
“If that’s all,” Mike stands and gathers the pad of paper he had in front of him, “I have another meeting across town, so I’ll be on my way.” He turns his attention to Danika. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for coming in today.”
“Sorry to meet you under these circumstances, but it’s a pleasure to meet you, too.” Dani shakes his outstretched hand.
“Thanks for being here. My wife’s a huge fan, and I’m happy to be able to tell her everything’s worked out.”
“Wow. Thank you. Please tell her thank you for the support. I’ll be sure to send my upcoming book in with Luke, when it’s about to publish.”
“Wow. Thank you. I can’t wait to surprise her with it. Apparently, she’s read all your books and is an avid fan.” Mike rocks back on his heels while stuffing his hands into his pockets, as if he’s embarrassed to reveal he’s spoken about Dani to his wife.
“Maybe one day I’ll meet her,” Dani says with grace, and Mike visibly relaxes.And I think I just fell harder for her.God, she’s so giving.
Mike smiles wide, and appreciation shines through. “Thank you.” He pats her on the arm and pivots toward the door to exit.
Tanya and Tony say their goodbyes, then Tanya, Dani, and I decide when to set up the interview. When Tanya says she’s going to work her magic to get an interview scheduled later this morning, I bring Dani back to my office to wait. I must say, now that there’s a plan in place, my walk is a lot lighter, and I certainly can breathe easier.
