Zach turned back and shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe one of the dozen people Tom passed over to give me the job? There are more than enough qualified people. Although, if you asked me, I would get Teri to run it. You really need someone with good administrative skills, and someone who isn’t an agent themselves. She has the knowledge and she’s more than shown her worth over the years.”
Tom nodded and sat back in his chair. “Interesting idea. I do love Teri. And I trust her.”
“Trust is important,” Zach said. “I think we’ve all learned that.”
Paige smiled. She could live with this. It might take her some time to come around on Tom. She wasn’t ready to fixate on what to buy him for Christmas, but she was ready to be open to the idea that he might be more the person who Zach saw and less the person Paige had a history with. More than anything, Zach cared about preserving their relationship, and that was enough to convince Paige that it was worth taking a chance on.
“So? Can everyone live with that?” Zach asked.
“If it’s what you want, honey,” Angie said.
“If it’ll make you happy,” Tom added.
Zach turned to Paige. “And you?”
Paige merely squeezed his hand. “I want what you want.”
“So that’s a yes?” Zach punctuated his question with a wink.
“That’s a yes.”
“Would you two like to stay for dinner?” Angie asked, getting up from her chair.
Zach was still making serious eye contact with Paige. “Yes, Mom. We would.”
“Perfect. Tom and I will go see where we’re at with that.” Angie cleared her throat, making it clear she wanted him to make a graceful exit with her.
As soon as Angie and Tom left the room, Paige stood and wrapped Zach in her arms. “I’m so proud of you.”
He returned the embrace, holding her tight. “Just wait until later, when we finally get to be alone.”
“Oh, yeah?” A girlish titter left her lips. “What did you have in mind?”
“A whole night of make-up sex, of course.”
She kissed him softly, feeling more thankful than ever before. “It’s the best reason to get in a fight.”
Thirteen
“I can’t decide what my favorite part of football is. It’s either the beer or the hot dogs.” Zach finished up the last sip of his pale ale as he looked down at the bright green of the field in Philadelphia. He and Paige were currently hanging out in one of the team’s luxury boxes. In just a few short minutes, the second half of Ryan Wilson’s debut game as a client of Zach Armstrong Management would begin. Ryan’s team was already up by twenty-one points, so Zach felt great about the possible outcome.
“Not the cheerleaders? Or maybe the actual game?” Paige countered, then finished up one of the jumbo chocolate chip cookies that were part of the catering offerings. The food in the luxury boxes was always the best.
“Oh, yeah. Those things are pretty good, too.” He leaned in for a kiss, taking any chance to get a taste of her. “Mmm. Chocolate.”
“Your favorite,” she said with a smile.
“Do you want to go down and stand on the sidelines for the second half?”
“Sure. I’d like to say hi to April, too. She’s probably almost done with her halftime interviews.”
“Sounds good.” Zach led the way out of the box, then down the concourse to the VIP elevator. He and Paige flashed their all-access passes, and the security guard allowed them to board.
“Do you think you’re going to go to all of Ryan’s games this season?” Paige asked.
“Not unless you want to come with me to all of them.”
“I can come to a few, but not all. Work is so busy right now. But it’s sweet that you want me to come with you.”