We are sending it to his team for final approval tomorrow morning.
Given the circumstances of your developing story regarding his ex-agent, we are going to postpone the publication date and prioritize the breaking piece first.
Let us know as soon as you have it ready.
I am proud of you!
Daphene
I exhaled slowly, feeling relief spread through me. I thought back to the long hours, the conversations, all the research. How hard it was to write about him while falling in love at the same time.
This was by far the hardest assignment I’d ever done and the one I was most proud of.
When Daphene first approached me about the article, I thought it was a step back. I was so focused on being taken seriously that I almost missed out on an opportunity that not only filled me with pride but brought me the best thing that ever happened to me.
I took a sip of my water and stared down at the email one last time.
“What are you looking at?” Ember asked, trying to read what was on my screen.
I laughed softly, shaking my head. “The one-on-one feature I wrote on Nate is done. They are sending it to his team for clearance.”
Her face brightened. “Becca, that’s great.”
For weeks, it felt like my life was one dumpster fire after another. At least I had this. It was a reminder that I was still good at my job.
“Thanks.” I closed my phone and slipped it back inside my bag. “They are delaying the publication date to accommodate the article’s release this week.”
She nodded. “Makes sense.”
I looked down toward the field just in time to see the center snap the ball. Nate dropped back, scanned the field, looking for his receiver. Jax broke coverage from his defender and ran toward the end zone. Nate launched the ball, but the pass landed ten yards short. Fuck!
Everyone looked up at the screens, rewatching the play. I could tell by his body language that he was getting frustrated. Texas had a better record, but they also had a few starters out with injuries.
This was the type of game where you could feel the pressure from the field all the way up here in the luxury box.
The Hawks huddled in the middle as the crowd rose to its feet. Nate opened his wrist strap and started shouting out the next play.
“Are you going to be okay?” Callie asked, sliding into her seat while holding a plate of nachos.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, chewing on my fingernails. Nate needed this win for more reasons than one.
He adjusted his helmet as the guys lined up and took their positions.
Ember snorted. “Yeah, okay, sure. You look totally fine.”
The suite settled into restless energy as Nate dropped back, looking for an open man. He looked in complete control.
It was impressive that he could still focus and lead his team with all the distractions in his life lately. I loved football. I loved watching him play, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t counting down the years to his retirement.
The pressure was too much.
The crowd grew louder, but I could still feel my heart pounding in my chest.
Nate faked a pass and ran through the center. Everything happened so fast as I jumped to my feet and he ran through the open space straight into the end zone.
The stadium erupted in cheers.
“Holy shit!” Callie yelled. “He did it.”
