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“Don’t thank me. You’d better decide what you’re willing to do to keep your job. Gerry won’t change his mind easily.”
They ended the call, and Troy pocketed his cell phone. Jaclyn was right. Gerald was going to ask for a pound of flesh and more.
Troy’s gaze drifted across the hotel room toward the windows. Jaclyn’s question replayed on a loop in his head. What would he do to get his job back? He’d do whatever it took to prove Gerald was the Monarchs Insider.
“You fired Troy?” Andrea sat across the table from Gerald in the trendy coffee house where he’d agreed to meet her Tuesday afternoon. She’d been amazed that he’d been willing to talk with her on such short notice. He’d also surprised her by agreeing to let her tape record their conversation.
Gerald nodded once. “Last night. Well, this morning, after I’d seen clips of his ESPN interview on the local stations.”
Andrea swung her gaze around the coffee house trying to gather her thoughts. What would the Monarchs Insider make of this development? She couldn’t imagine it being worse than what the blogger had posted about her and Troy just that morning.
She took a deep breath, releasing her temper before it got the better of her. The scent of baking pastries was almost overwhelming. She looked at Gerald. Had he read that morning’s Monarchs Insider post? Had he written it? “What was Troy’s reaction?”
Gerald shrugged his shoulders under the ruby-red shirt and tan blazer. “He kept accusing me of being the Insider. But, of course, he doesn’t have proof.”
Andrea arched a brow. “You haven’t denied Troy’s accusation.”
Gerald sipped his latte. “And he hasn’t proven it.”
Andrea tried to read his brown eyes. “Are you the Insider?”
He glanced at the mini-recorder sitting on the table between them, then raised his gaze to hers. “No, I’m not.”
Andrea had expected Gerald to deny it. “Do you know who the blogger is?”
His stare never wavered. “No,
I don’t.”
She studied Gerald’s fair skin and aquiline features. At close to sixty years of age, he remained fit and attractive. His wavy black hair showed very little gray. Gerald had model good looks and a wealth of self-confidence, just like Troy. But, unlike Troy, the interest lighting Gerald’s features and gleaming in his eyes was all self-directed. Gerald Bimm cared a great deal for himself. Troy’s passion was for the team. That’s what drove him—perhaps too far?
She picked up her mug of coffee. Wrapping her fingers around its warmth, she sipped the hazelnut-flavored brew. “Why do you think Troy believes you’re the blogger?”
Gerald seemed to tense in his chair. He drank more of his latte. “I have no idea.”
She pushed at him. “He wouldn’t have gone on television unless he was certain you were the blogger.”
“Maybe he’s lost his mind.” Gerald’s response was testy.
“He looked sane on camera.”
“Look, I can’t control what Troy thinks.” Gerald’s voice and eyes hardened. “But I can’t allow him to destroy my reputation by spreading lies, either.”
Andrea arched a brow. “Isn’t that what you tried to do to Marc Guinn two months ago?”
Gerald leaned back in his chair. “It’s Guinn’s word against mine.”
She was beginning to believe Gerald. That scared her. What had Troy done?
Andrea turned away, hoping to hide her consternation. She looked around the coffee shop. The sleek, modern interior was a world away from the coffee shop near the Sports’s building. This one was three blocks from the Empire Arena. So why weren’t they meeting in Gerald’s office?
She picked up her mug. “Did Jackie Jones agree with your firing Troy?”
“I didn’t consult her.”
Andrea’s brows knitted. “Why not?”
Gerald leaned toward the recorder and spoke a little louder. “A franchise employee publicly—and falsely—accused me of attacking the team. I made the decision to dismiss the employee. End of story.”
