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I bit my tongue. Insulting a star player might not be a good stance for me to take, regardless how angry Carson was.
"So Rubie tells me," Carson said. She probably told him all about Bam skipping the gala and leaving me standing there looking like an idiot. What else had she told him? I'd tried to be diplomatic about everything we discussed. Hadn't I?
He sat back in his chair and propped his elbows on the desk. "He gave you no indication he didn't plan on showing up?"
I took a moment to respond. "He said he would, but he wasn't happy about it. I believe he thought his reputation was fine without this help."
The side of Carson's mouth tightened. "What do you believe?"
What was I supposed to say to that? I could only help Bam if he wanted to be helped. If he didn't, we'd end up back here again. Or he would anyway.
"I think… It never hurts to work on being the best version of yourself you can be," I said carefully.
"You don't think Bam is being his best self right now?" From the expression on his face, Carson didn't think so.
"I think if he was, I wouldn't be here," I said.
A smile flickered across Carson's face. "That's true. The problem is, you're here and he's not." He glanced toward the door. "Practice finished half an hour ago."
I found myself defending Bam. "I presume he wanted to get cleaned up first."
Turning up here all hot and glistening with sweat wouldn't be a good look.
Okay, it would, but it wouldn't give the boss a good impression of him. Even someone who apparently didn't care about appearances, wouldn't want to show up like that. Right? I mean, I wouldn't.
"Yes, well, that gives us the chance to have a little chat first." Carson rested the tip of one finger against his lips.
That sounded ominous.
"Yes, sir," I said. I tried not to look like I suddenly needed to pee my pants.
"How do you feel the rest of the team are going?" he asked. "I haven't seen any social media shit storms in a while. Any other ones," he corrected.
I assumed Rubie filled him in if anything popped up on hers. He didn't seem the kind to bother with any of the platforms out there. Smart man. They were a toilet bowl of shit at the best of times. Some days, all you could do was flush, and move on with your life.
"Everyone moved on from Chase's ex, Brandi, pretty quickly," I said. She slept with Ashley's boyfriend, then claimed Chase broke up with her for no reason. She got her fifteen minutes of fame, but it was over almost before it began.
"Mostly, they're talking about Hawk and Bec, and Chase and Ashley, and how cute they all are together." Apart from the trolls who hated that their crushes were happy with someone else in real life.
This was exactly why book boyfriends are safer than celebrity crushes. They never ran off with someone else.
Usually. In the books I read, they didn't.
Carson nodded. He looked happier knowing that. "Great. That's what I want to see. Positive stories about our guys. We could use a wedding or two right about now, to take the heat off."
I wasn't sure if he was serious or not. "While I'm sure they'd all love to get married just to save Bam's reputation, I don't think that's in the cards yet," I said dryly. "Maybe when the season is over."
"Right, right." Carson nodded. "No pressure." His brow creased in thought.
I was almost certain he was thinking of some way to use the romance angle to the team's advantage. I knew better than to suggest he get married for the fifth time. If nothing else, Rubie would be mad as hell at the idea. Of course, he'd have to get divorced first anyway. That was exactly what we didn't need, even if it took the pressure off Bam.
"Maybe one of the married players would consider renewing their vows after the season is over," I suggested. If the team paid for it, I'd jump at the chance to do that, if I had someone to do it with.
"Yes, that might be something to look into," Carson said, but his mind seemed to be on something else now. Judging by his frown, he might be thinking about how his holiday ended so abruptly.
I briefly wondered who she was, this woman who was younger than Rubie. I couldn't imagine wanting to get involved with a married man, but love was love. Or money was money. Either way, it was none of my business.
Carson lowered his hand and drummed his fingers on the table. He glanced at the door, over to the clock and back to the door.
