Page 89 of Striking Heat
“I think what he did here was a great job of showing how hard your team has been working. And how hard Mackenzie has been working. You know, trying to get the town on your side.”
Maxwell nods.
August jumps in. “Dad, I don’t think we would want it to be biting. I think this is the type of piece that is important for the Blaze. Danny did a good job of that. It was a smart move. The right move for the team and for Mackenzie. She wasn’t a fan of his first article, and this helped put her at ease. Plus, I think it puts something out that she can say she was proud to be a part of. We sort of promised her that when she was in the office.”
Maxwell turns to his son and asks, “Has she seen it yet?”
I wish I could have shown her. “No,” I answer for August. “I was allowing you to see it and approve it before we showed it to Mac.”
Another nod from Maxwell. “I think we should show it to her and make sure she’s okay with it, and then we can publish it.” He turns to Martin. “Danny is right, though. We need to see how this one goes first before we can ask him to write more articles on the team.”
I can tell Martin’s not happy about that, and I’m probably going to pay for it later. I’ll get an ass chewing. It definitely makes me wonder what’s going to happen to me when the world finds out Mac and I are together. Martin will come down hard on me, which means I may have killed a future revenue stream. This won’t sit well with him. Not in an industry where papermedia is dying off and the industry is being dominated by online media.
“Let’s just see how it goes and not rule out any future partnerships,” Martin says tightly.
“Yes, let’s do that,” Maxwell replies. “What do you think of our stadium, Danny? I’ve seen you at quite a few of the games. I assume you weren’t just there for the article.”
I wonder where he’s going with this, and I do my best to step over the metaphorical land mines. “August has been kind enough to invite me to watch the games. I didn’t really know much about the sport, having grown up around football and swimming. So, it was great to see it from that perspective. You’ve got a great stadium. A real top-notch facility.”
He beams. “I think so too. I just hope we can keep it open and with the fans coming in.”
“The girls are certainly off to a great start.” I smile at him.
“Are you a fan now, Danny?” Maxwell asks.
“I think so, sir.” I can feel my cheeks heat with a bit of embarrassment.
“Has our striker made quite the impression on you?” he asks me.
I chuckle. “Mac is really great at explaining the game, and all of the girls are fun to watch. You put together a great team. Very well thought-out.”
“I hope to keep seeing you around even though the article is done,” August tells me.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun to see them play,” I say. “Who knows, maybe I’ll even be a season ticket holder or something.”
Martin stiffens beside me. “There are other assignments I’d rather you be working on.”
“I really like this one,” I tell him, hoping my tone doesn’t sound too eager.
“You do?” He’s watching me like he’s trying to catch me slipping. He’s onto me, I think. I’m just not sure how much heknows. “Can you tell me why you agreed to this so readily? Remember when I asked you to cover the opening game to begin with and you fought me on it? Now we have an in-depth piece happening, and there was no fight whatsoever.”
“I’m just trying to do what’s best for the paper,” I say a little too quickly.
“Really? Your integrity isn’t worth more than some piece on a rookie soccer player?” he challenges me.
“No, sir. I see the merit in it.”
“Uh-huh” is the only response I get out of him. Which, for Martin, is a nonresponse. Instead, he just keeps looking over the article I handed him. “I like it, Danny. I think you’ve done a really good job here. You make her sound really good.” He smirks.
His comment doesn’t sit right with me. “She is really good. She was a Division I athlete and an All-American.”
Both Cromwell’s and Martin look hard at me. I think I could have hidden that a little better than I did, but saying any more now will only make matters worse.
“So, are you good with me running it?” Martin asks, changing the topic of conversation.
“I think so. Do we want her to see it?” Maxwell turns to August for his thoughts.
“Nah, I think it’s a good article. It’s flattering.” August turns to me. “Just shoot her a draft via email, will ya?”
