Page 15 of Playing to Win
What the hell? “Um, yeah.” I pull my phone out of my pocket, holding it up for her as proof.
“Come on, Gwen. Knock it off. Don’t forget she’s a Maguire.” The look on Eric’s face tells me he might drop to his knees in front of me at any moment, like I’m royalty. I suppose to him I am part of football royalty, thanks to my family. The respect in his gaze is clear. “Knox’s little sister.”
“Ugh, that guy.” Gwen blows out a harsh breath, her expression turning guilty when she notices I’m glaring at her. I mean, I know she’s my superior, but she’s bashing my brother. Right in front of me.
That’s not cool.
“We’ll be out with the team tomorrow afternoon when they’re at practice, creating content,” Gwen says briskly, all business. “We’ll meet here first before we head out. Four o’clock sharp. Does your schedule allow for that?”
She asks the question like it’s a challenge and she knows for sure I’m going to fail.
“Definitely,” I say with a nod, keeping it strictly business too. I don’t care if Gwen doesn’t like Knox. She might not like me either because I’m related to him, but I’m not about to let that get in the way of my job.
If she’s trying to scare me away, it’s not working.
“Good.” Her smile is faint and it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, but I return the smile anyway because if I’m anything it’s a people pleaser. “I was worried you might be spoiled because you’re a Maguire.”
“Gwyneth,” Eric softly chastises. “Ease up.”
“No, it’s okay.” I send him a blinding smile before I aim it at Miss Doubter aka Gwyneth. “I get it. You probably think I’ve been handed everything I could ever want my entire life.”
“You do get it.” Gwen inclines her head toward me. “You’re going to have to prove yourself before I accept you as a bona fide member of our team.”
Eric makes an irritated noise, but I talk right over it.
“That’s fine. I wouldn’t want you to be fake with me.”
“The very last thing I can be is fake.” Gwen scowls.
“Isn’t that the truth,” Eric mutters under his breath, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his gaze filled with longing as he stares at her.
I blink, surprised. Does Eric have the hots for Gwyneth?
The longing look is gone in a second and I tell myself I was seeing things.
I fill out paperwork and Eric discusses the pay structure. Minimum wage to start, with the pay increasing after ninety days. Perfect. Sounds like every other job I’ve had. Considering I’ve only had two jobs prior to this one, both of them part-time, that’s not saying much.
“Is there a dress code or anything?” I ask Eric when I finish with the last of my paperwork.
“Not really,” Gwen answers for him. “Casual clothing is best. Team colors on game days—we have a staff shirt we can give you too. What size are you? Small?”
“Medium,” I tell her. “And thank you.”
She doesn’t even crack a smile. “One word of warning. Don’t flirt with the team. It’s not allowed. You can’t date them.”
Ugh. Like I’d want to.
“Don’t dress to get their attention either, if you know what I mean,” Gwen tacks on.
“Jesus, Gwyneth. You need to chill,” Eric says, clearly irritated.
“Look, I don’t think so. Remember that girl last season? She wore a low-cut tank top during every game she was at, even in October, and her boobs practically fell out of it. One of the coaches even came to me after a game and said we needed to get rid of her because she was a complete distraction.”
“Maybe she couldn’t help it,” I say, trying to defend this poor girl who just might be cursed with huge breasts she can barely contain. I don’t know. And why should we be responsible for how a man looks at us?
“Please.” Gwen makes a dismissive noise. “She was hot for one of the tight ends. When we canned her, she was so pissed. Despite her admitting to me the only reason she wanted the job in the first place was to date a football player. She never took the position seriously.”
“She was mad, and she admitted that to me too,” Eric adds, his voice soft, his gaze shifting to me. “Look, we don’t discriminate. Or judge. But I have to agree with Gwen. Flirting with any member of the team is…dangerous. We have to keep it strictly professional.”
