Page 22 of Score to Settle
She scoops her hair back before she answers. “I was happy to stay out of that argument.”
“Seriously, I want to know. What would you do?”
She hesitates like maybe she’s thinking about it. “I’d probably punt.”
I nod like I don’t think she’s full of shit. “What if there’s a switch play at the two-hundred-yard marker?”
“I’d still punt,” she says. I don’t miss the question in her tone though. She looks at me, eyes a little wide, like maybe she knows what I’m about to say.
“That’s funny, because there’s no such thing as a switch play and the field is only a hundred yards long.”
Her eyes widen another fraction, like her thoughts are scrambling. “Oh! I…”
I let her squirm a little before going in for the kill. “I think you were probably about to admit that you know nothing about football.”
The second my words are out, Harper’s hands fly up, covering her face. And even though it’s unbelievable, I can’t help but laugh at her reaction.Gotcha!
“It’s not funny,” she says in a small voice as she moves her hands away and looks at me with fear in her eyes. “How did you guess?”
“It wasn’t that hard to figure out,” I reply. “You always fidget when we talk about football. Your questions and comments about the game are always vague, and you called the playoffs the finals. Do you even know what a punt is?”
She shakes her head and I roll my eyes. “It’s when a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. The aim is to send the ball as far downfield as possible to push theopposing team into a worse starting position when you’re about to lose possession anyway.”
Harper looks at me like I’m talking in another language.
I shake my head in disbelief. “How the hell did you get given this feature without knowing a thing about football?”
Her face takes on a pained expression. “Because my editor, Tim, has no idea. Hit me with baseball questions or basketball or ice hockey, and I’m your gal. But not football.”
“I get that. Don’t most sports journalists have sports they know more about? But how did you get this feature?”
She looks uncomfortable. “After being fired fromInsight, Mia got me an interview at the magazine and I really wanted the job, so… I sort of embellished my experience and knowledge of football.”
“Embellished?” I smirk.
“Lied,” she admits with a groan.
“How long have you been working at the magazine?”
“Three months,” Harper admits.
“Fake it ’til you make it?” I ask.
“I thought so, but I’ve hated lying. I’ve been waiting for someone to find me out. And now you have. Even if Tim forgives me for lying in the interview, he’ll be all kinds of pissed I said I could do this feature without mentioning I was seriously lacking in football knowledge. I’m still in a probationary period so it looks like I’m about to be fired from my second job in journalism in a year.”
It’s impossible to miss how crushed Harper looks. I think about what she’s saying. I’ve wanted out of this interview since I stepped into the kitchen and caught sight of Harper’s “don’t mess with me” glare. But getting rid of Harper doesn’t change the fact that I need this profile. If it’s not Harper being a pain in my ass for the next five weeks, it’ll be someone else. I’m not about to admit this to her, but after how she spoke to Coachearlier when he dragged me into his office before practice, and how she had my back yesterday, I’m thawing to the idea of having her around for a little while. Better the devil you know, isn’t that what they say?
I fix my gaze on Harper. I don’t miss the fear flashing in her eyes. A reminder of how much we both need this to work. “Last time I checked, Cassidy, I’m no tattletale.”
Confusion pulls at her features. “You’re not going to call the magazine and get me fired? I thought I was a giant pain in your ass.”
I grin. “Oh, you’re definitely that, but you’re nicer to look at than Kevin, if I’m remembering him correctly. The lead reporter with the beard who seems to like the sound of his own voice more than the person he’s interviewing?”
“That sounds like Kevin.” She smiles before biting her lip, looking shy for the first time since she waltzed into my life. “What are you going to do then?”
I lean my head against the sauna wall. “Teach you about football, I guess.”
“You’d do that?” There’s a level of surprise in her voice that hits me the wrong way.
