Page 131 of False Play
“He found out about our past arrangement and tried to use it against us,” I continued. “Tried to pit us against each other. Ijust didn’t want to keep secrets from you guys, not when it could blow back on the organization. I’m sorry.”
“And just so we’re clear, this isn’t fake anymore,” Kennedy added. “But we both know this was unprofessional and risky. As a PR professional, I should have known better, and for that, I am sorry. We’re willing to accept any punishment you all see fit.”
Anthony was quiet for a second before leaning forward, resting his arms on the table. “Let me make something very clear. Even if your father brought this to our attention, it wouldn’t change a damn thing. You two are part of this organization. You’re practically family.”
Coach nodded. “Do we like the way you both went about it? No. It could’ve exploded in all our faces if the media ever sniffed it out.”
“And even though I’m sure coming forward was scary, you guys did the right thing, even if it meant risking it all. That counts for something,” Anthony said.
“You’re not getting benched,” Coach added. It was like he was reading my mind, because that was the one question I had on the tip of my tongue. “The focus will stay on your performance, Anderson. You’ve earned that. We can all accept that you had a rocky time in the beginning, but you earned your spot back fair and square. The relationship had no play in it.”
Anthony nodded and leaned back in his chair. “We’ll spin this the way we need to if it ever comes to it.”
Relief swelled in my chest so fast it made me dizzy.
“Thank you,” Kennedy said beside me, her voice trembling slightly.
Anthony smiled faintly. “Don’t thank me yet. We still have to get ahead of this. Brad will probably want to draft a statement just in case.”
Coach shook his head. “I played with Vincent for years.He’s a prideful man, and his reputation is important to him. I don’t think he’ll go to the media with this information. Especially since he has no evidence, right?”
We both nodded as I replied, “Right.”
I suspected as much. My father wasn’t going to taint the Anderson reputation. He wasn’t that stupid. But Kennedy was still fair game.
“He will try to come after Kennedy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s meeting with Marcus as we speak,” Anthony murmured.
His comment didn’t shock me. Marcus—Thunder’s team owner—and my father go way back. And that…was not good news.
“What does that mean for me?” Kennedy asked. “And don’t sugarcoat it. If I need to step down from my job and this organization, I will. I care about this place so much, and I don’t want to see it damaged because of all of this.”
Anthony held Kennedy’s stare for a few beats. “Your work for this team hasn’t gone unnoticed. I hope you know that.”
“With all due respect, Anthony, that doesn’t answer my question,” Kennedy said. Her voice was steady, but the grip she had on my hand was vise-like. I was so damn proud of her. She was so strong, even when everything felt like it was hanging by a thread.
Anthony leaned back slightly, lips tugging into a faint smirk. “This is what I like about you. Always so honest. So direct.” He let out a short breath. “Brad’s going to be pissed I ruined the surprise, but…he already submitted the name of the person he’s recommending to take over the PR department when he retires.”
Kennedy’s eyes bulged, her lips parting like she wasn’t sure if she had misheard him.
“It’s you, Kennedy,” Anthony said, his tone gentle now. “Brad said you were the only one with the grit, heart, and vision to lead that department the way it deserves.”
I watched her eyes widen, watched her try to process it all. Damn, I was so goddamn proud of her. I could only imagine how overwhelmed she must have felt.
Kennedy blinked, stunned silent for a moment. “But…even after everything? Maybe you should think about it?—”
Anthony cut her off with a shake of his head. “You’ve built something here, and we want to see what you do next. The last thing we would do is punish you for falling in love.”
Her eyes welled, but she held it together with a single, shaky breath. “I didn’t expect this.”
Anthony’s smile was soft. Kind. “And he also wanted to be the one to tell you that after launching an internal investigation into Matt Smith, some things came to light. He was officially terminated this morning.”
“So fast?” she asked. “I only brought up my concerns less than two weeks ago.”
“You’d be surprised how many people came forward and made this investigation a slam dunk. And while I cannot go into details since it’s sensitive information, on behalf of the management team, I want to say I’m sorry for not noticing what was happening.”
Kennedy took a deep, shaky breath. “Thank you.”
Anthony nodded without a word.
