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Stacy beamed at me as if this settled everything. I didn’t agree, but Matt interrupted us again, and I didn’t have to explain more.
“Honestly, Kit, this looks pretty good. You don’t have much to risk unless you’re an asshat. If you just run purchases by the client before you do anything big, you get an upfront payment, more in stages, and even more when it’s all done, and everyone is happy. They possibly could drag out that last payment, but I get the impression that’s not going to bother you too much.”
Matt reached for his phone and handed the paperwork back to me.
“So you think I should sign it.”
“Hell, yes. Go, enjoy Chicago, and we’ll be here when you get back. You should go even if there wasn’t a guy involved.”
“I don’t know if he’s really going to be involved,” I replied. And it was true. Sarai had only said he might be part of it. He might not.
To my relief, neither of my friends mentioned “the guy” again. Instead, we focused on the one important thing—celebrating my signing the most lucrative contract of my career so far. It wouldn’t make me a millionaire, but it would set me up well enough that I would know I could pay the bills for a very long time. That in itself was a victory.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Lukas
Getting through the week wasn’t normally something I struggled with, but from the moment I had signed the contract with Sarai, I had felt divided. My team had handled everything I hoped they would and done a decent job, so no wheels had come off the bus, but I still didn’t feel settled.
I couldn’t think straight, and everything was taking me longer than normal. And I was grumpy. Really grumpy.
“You need a weekend off,” Henry said on Friday afternoon when he was getting ready to go home. No doubt he was going to take work with him and do some at home as well, but we all did that to some degree. It was just the nature of the beast sometimes.
“I haven’t got time to take the weekend off. Not if I want to get this new project rolling.”
Henry chuckled and shook his head at me.
“What?” I sat back and crossed my arms, wondering what he found so funny.
“You could sort this project in hours if you wanted to. You’re dragging your heels and procrastinating exactly the way you tell us not to. Take a day or two off, get your head straight, and getback to work on Monday and knock it out.” Henry got up as if this was the last word on the matter and sauntered out of my office.
I was still too stunned to speak or move. Normally, it was me giving my team a stern talking-to, not the other way around.
He had a point, though. Not that I wanted to admit it. This wasn’t like me. And it was all Kit’s fault.
Somehow, she had gotten under my skin, and I couldn’t get her out. I wanted to see her again, but at the same time, I didn’t. Sighing, I pushed up from the desk. I needed to do something else. Anything but this.
I grabbed my phone and called Daniel without hesitation.
“Hey, man. What’s up? Don’t normally hear from you this early in the day. You okay?”
“I think I need a distraction. Or to just chill out for a few. You said there’s always tickets to the next game if I want them. That still good?”
“Yeah. We’re practicing tonight. You can come hang with us if you want. No one would mind if I told them you were with me. Most of the guys know about you and how much you’ve helped me anyway.”
I exhaled, relieved in a way I couldn’t put into words. Being somewhere completely different for a few hours sounded perfect. As soon as I’d hung up, I made my way out of the office and left everything behind. My secretary raised an eyebrow, but she knew better than to say anything, and I wasn’t going to explain, even if she’d asked.
The route to the stadium wasn’t too bad at this time of day, the traffic still low for a few hours more, and the stadium only open to those with an invite. The guys on the barrier came over to my car as I rolled the window down, and I suspected I might get turned away, but they nodded and waved me through.
Daniel had sent the message that I was welcome to the front fast, or I had always been welcome and never put it to the test. Either way, I was soon parked and heading into the stadium.
“Lukas Whitby?” a woman called once I was in the lobby. She was slight and carried an officious-looking folder of paper in her arms. A sports jacket covered her top half, but she wore suit pants with it. If I hadn’t seen a similar combo on many others at the stadium, I’d have found it odd, but it was the smart-casual of the sports world.
“Yes. I’m friends with Daniel.”
“He said you were going to drop in today to watch the training sessions for a bit. Let me show you to the main stand, where you’ll get the best view.” I nodded and let her lead me, the sensible flats she wore not making much noise on the floor as we walked through.
“Daniel was excited that you were going to be here today. Said you do a lot for him. He’s one of our favorites here, although don’t let the others know I said that. If he thinks a lot of you, you’ll find everyone here accommodating to your needs.”
