Page 113 of Big Stick Energy
“I bet,” she says with a shrug that offers no help at all.
The problem is that Darcy isn’t currently accepting my calls.It’s exam time, she’d replied to some of my earlier anguished texts.I’m sorry, I have to focus on school for a bit.
That was a few days ago, and I’d been determined to give her the space she asked for. The problem is that I need her to weigh in on this sponsorship thing. I already had so many questions for her, and now I have more.
Will it bother her if I take this thing?
Is she still mad at me for that awkward moment beside the lake?
And why hasn’t she been coming in to work this week? Is she avoiding me that hard? Or am I making this about me when it really isn’t?
Ugh. I’m a wreck. The team is starting to wonder why I’ve held an unprecedented number of office hours, just waiting for her to come back.
Every time I glance toward her desk, though, there’s been a temp sitting there. The woman flips her hair at me every time I look up.
This is the hell I’ve been trapped in since the moment my teammates materialized in the middle of our heart-to-heart conversation. I haven’t seen Darcy since, and Zoe won’t give me anything more than, “She’s embarrassed, but she also has to focus on school right now.”
And I refuse to be a jerk about it. I’m not that guy.
The problem is that last night I got a message from Mr. Randolph.Let’s discuss our future collaboration, the message had said.I have a contract for you. Lunch tomorrow?
“The captain needs captaining,” DeLuca observes, switching to bicycle crunches. “I kind of dig it.”
“Never thought I’d see the day,” Merritt agrees. “And over a woman, no less.”
“But she won’ttalkto me!” It comes out dangerously close to a whine.
“She hasexams,” Zoe repeats, but there’s something in her voice—a protective edge that makes me think there’s more to Darcy’s radio silence than academic pressure. “Maybe it’s not all about you.”
The espresso machine hisses, filling the momentary silence.
Zoe pulls her cup from the machine and takes a careful sip. “She doesn’t even have her phone right now.”
“Wait—why?”
Zoe reaches into her back pocket and shows me a phone with a familiar orange case on it. “Because I took it, at her request.” She meets my gaze directly. “She was having trouble concentrating.”
I drop my head. Okay, thatmustbe my fault. If I hadn’t tried to get her to discuss our relationship, she wouldn’t be freaking out over team gossip. Not that I didn’t put the fear of God into my teammates, one by one. “For every inappropriate comment about Darcy that I hear, you will owe five hundred push-ups and a C-note for charity.” That shut them up fast.
“About this meeting,” Merritt says, sipping his drink. “You should go but just don’t sign anything until after you see Darcy. Make all the right noises but keep your options open.”
“That’s the right call,” DeLuca says, sitting up. Then he clutches his heart. “Aww, baby’s first big sponsorship! Aren’t we proud, fam?”
“So proud!” Merritt says with a smirk.
He can laugh all he wants, but he’s got several juicy sponsorships—
including one with a luxury watchmaker. They did an over-styled photo shoot of him with his shirt unbuttoned. And DeLuca has alucrative deal with an airline, which is kind of dumb since he flies mostly on the team jet with the rest of us.
The doorbell chimes, and Chase perks up. “That’ll be Marnie.”
We all migrate toward the front door as Chase opens it to reveal our personal chef, arms laden with insulated bags.
“You’re all here waiting for me?” Marnie asks, wide-eyed. “I should raise my prices.”
“No!” we all chorus in unison.
“Kidding!” She laughs. “Merritt—double order of guacamole for you and Zoe. And Eric—I made those mini tacos you requested. They’re on top.”
