Yeah, so I saved his contact in my phone after he gave me his number. I saved Archer’s, too. Sue me.
I flash my phone at Chip and Jackie. “What do I do?” I squeal.
“Answer!” they yell together, and it reminds me of that whole thing where couples start to sound the same after they’ve been together a while.
“Shit!” I say, and I shake my sweaty hands out.
And then I answer.
“Hello?”
“Millie, hi. It’s Cooper Noah.”
Holy shit.
Cooper freaking Noah iscalling me,and I’m supposed to act like this isnormal?! Focus, Monroe.
“Oh, hey,” I say casually, and I wander away from Chip and Jackie, who are positivelystaringat me, both to get away from their prying eyes and because a hot flush is crawling up my neck and into my cheeks, and I don’t need them to see me lose my shit over a phone call from a pro baseball player.
“So I got your email, and I have an idea,” he says. “How soon can you get out to Vegas?”
I glance behind me atmy boss,whose house I’ve been crashing at for the last few days, and I know he’d support me in whatever I need to do.
I mentally think through my current budget situation.
I have a few airline points left since I put literally everything on my credit card. I could probably book a flight and hotel package for a decent price, or I could search through my emails to see if any of the sponsorship offers I received recently were from Las Vegas.
Or I just…put the flight and hotel on my credit card and figure the rest out later. This is too important to pass up. It’s not just because I want him back. It’s because I deserve the chance to explain myself, to tell him I turned down the paid partnership, and to prove I’m more than my content. And above all else, we both deserve some closure. He walked away and left the resort without a goodbye, and goddammit, we both deserve a goodbye.
“I can be there later today if you need me to be,” I say.
He chuckles. “I like the enthusiasm, but I need a little time to figure out the logistics. Would you consider doingan on-the-field postgame interview with him after his first game back?”
I gasp. “Are you serious?”
“Completely. My wife works with the marketing department, and I have some connections to get you in if you’re down for it. But it won’t just be you. You’ll be last in a longer line of interviews moving down the field.”
“Yes! I would love to do that!” I squeal.
“Great. His first game is Friday. Do you need a place to stay?”
Oh my God. Is Cooper Noah offering me a place to stay at his house? “I can find somewhere,” I manage to say.
“If you need a place, I have a connection at Caesar’s Palace. Or if you don’t mind a screaming toddler, you’re welcome to stay with Gabby and me.”
I giggle. “I’ll take you up on Caesar’s.” Though I cannot believe I just declined an invitation to stay at Cooper Noah’s house. The toddler thing kind of threw me.
“Done. I’ll book you Thursday through Sunday. Work for you?”
“Yes!”
Hopefully, I’ll just need it Thursday since the goal is to spend the night at Archer’s the rest of my time there. I have big goals, I guess.
“Great. Do you know what you’re going to ask him?” he asks. “And do you need a film crew?”
“I’d love to catch his reaction, but given the point of contention between us, I don’t want to film it. I don’t want him thinking it’s just one more way I can use him. And I have no clue what to ask him. Will there be other people around us?” I ask.
“Yes, and more than likely, there will be others filming him as well for local broadcast channels and maybe evennational sports networks. So just be aware of that when you decide what to ask.”
