Page 39 of Playing to Win
“Foreplay?” he croaks, sounding uncomfortable.
I nod, not backing down from my assessment. “Definitely.”
Gwen snorts. “Not even.”
Fine, we won’t go there, but my frustration is bubbling close to the surface and I don’t care if I’ve been on this team for like, a week. They’re both being so stubborn it’s like they want to sabotage the team on purpose.
“Seriously, you two. Just…Eric, it’s okay to admit our post has done better than all of the football team posts you’ve made combined.”
Eric’s mouth drops open. “That’s not quite true—”
“And Gwen, stop gloating and trying to tell Eric what to do. I think we can all co-exist and post a variety of content to appeal to all of our fans. The dudes and the dads and the women. Wouldn’t you agree?” I cross my arms, feeling like I’ve somehow become their mom.
I don’t even know them, yet here I am, bossing them around.
They both reluctantly nod, keeping their gazes averted.
“They’re getting restless online, by the way. They all want to know whose arms we featured, which means we need to go film more content with the guys and reveal who they are.”
Ugh, meaning I’ll have to interact with Ace. Maybe I should leave that up to Gwen and I can go do…something else.
Anything else.
“It’s a home game this weekend,” Eric murmurs, staring off into the distance. “We should start pushing it.”
“Of course, we should, and it’s Monday, so we have plenty of time to push.”
“We should post multiple times a day,” Gwen suggests, keeping her focus on me, not once looking in Eric’s direction.
“You know I think that’s a bad idea—” Eric starts, but I hold my hand out, stopping him from talking.
“Have we ever done that before?” I ask them.
Gwen and Eric shake their heads.
“Then maybe we should try it.” I take a deep breath, hating how I’m taking over this situation and turning it into some sort of meeting-lecture, but nothing was going to get accomplished until I said something. “Think we can get out there and film?”
“I should ask Mattson,” Eric says. “Sometimes they don’t like the distraction. He kept us away Friday, remember?”
Gwen snort-laughs, like she doesn’t believe him, and I send her a look, silently asking her to explain.
“They usually love it when we’re out there filming them. I think they actually play better when we’re there because they’re all a bunch of show-offs.” Gwen rolls her eyes.
I smile. “I think you’re onto something.” I glance over at Eric. “Do you want to reach out to Mattson or should we live on the edge and just show up?”
“I can text him.” Eric pulls out his phone and sends a quick message, his expression uncertain. “He might not answer me though. They’re already out on the field.”
Love how Eric keeps tabs on their schedule. He knows it by heart.
We wait for a few more minutes, Eric gathering his camera equipment, while Gwen remains at the desk, stewing in her feelings. I approach her carefully, sending a quick look in Eric’s direction before I settle into the chair next to hers, knocking my shoulder into hers gently.
“You okay?”
“I’m annoyed,” she tells the table, where her gaze is currently fixed.
“At Eric?”
She nods.
