Page 32 of Imperfect Player

Ethan tosses a wink in my direction that has my insides melting into a puddle.

“Good luck, Ethan.”

“Pretty sure I used it all up when I met you. Lucky for me, when it comes to baseball, I don’t need luck.”

Five minutes with Ethan Ambrose. That’s all it takes to turn my world upside down and make my heart do flip-flops.

Not wanting to run into him again, I make my way down the street to my favorite deli.

The chiming of the door causes my head to tilt up. I watch as Tripp walks in, his face red, his eyes tired.

He takes a seat at the table with me and rests his head in his hands.

“Uh-oh, what happened?”

“Another endorsement, another decline.” He throws his hands up in the air. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with this guy. He could be raking in the dough, and yet here he is throwing away every damn opportunity I propose to him.”

“He said he doesn’t care about the money.”

“Everyone cares about money,” Tripp scoffs.

I shake my head. “I don’t think he does.”

“Then how in the hell am I supposed to get him to do anything?”

“Maybe he doesn’t have to. I mean, you get paid either way, right? What does it matter what he does?”

“Because my job is to make him look good. Turn him into a role model.”

“You’ve done a hell of a job cleaning up his image the past two years.”

“Thanks.”

“Okay, so if money isn’t a driving force for Ethan, what is?”

“Women.”

“Okay, so maybe we get him to do something where he’s surrounded by women?”

“He’s always surrounded by women.”

“True.” I pause, tapping my finger against my chin. “You said he donates a lot of his money, right?”

“So? You want me to have him give away more?”

“No, but I think I might have an idea.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Tripp says, the worry finally draining from his face.

“A friend of mine works for an athletic apparel company. They’re coming out with a new line directed at kids.”

“Okay? What’s so different about it than the things I’ve tried to sell him on?”

“The company is extremely philanthropic. Twenty-five percent of every dollar they earn goes to a different children’s organization each month.”

Tripp still looks clueless.

“Ethan loves working with kids’ charities. It’s the single thing in his file that’s consistent. Give him what he loves, and he’ll work his ass off for it.”

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