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“But whatdidyou talk about?” he insists, pushing me to reveal all.
“Well, he talked about hockey and college a little.” Shit, I feel foolish. I have the horrible sense that Chad’s going to get annoyed because one of the other guys would have gotteneverythingout of him. “And he mentioned how he hates dating because he never knows if women really like him or are just dating him for his fame and money.”
“He said that to you?” Is Chad looking impressed now? “Wow, I don’t thinkanyonehas ever gotten that much out of him.”
“That isn’t much,” I jump in because I don’t want my boss to get carried away and try to make a story out of nothing. Chad can be a little unscrupulous. “I don’t think it’s worth anything. Like I said, we weren’t exactly in the elevator for very long…”
But my words are falling on deaf ears. Chad is tapping his chin, the cogs whipping around in his brain at the speed of light. I know at this point, there isn’t anything I can say to him to even distract him from his thoughts, much less change his mind.
He can be like a bulldozer, and I hate being on the receiving end of that.
“Riley, I have a good idea here…” he muses, more to himself than me. “I’m going to see what I can sort out for you. Just stand by; I’ll be back.”
I deflate as he stalks back to his office, full of determination. Shit, what have I done? I should have kept my damn mouth shut. A heat flames in my cheeks as I spot Jace and Rich staring at mewith glee in their eyes. The other guys on the sports staff always assume I’m nothing more than a joke.
I take my eyes off them quickly before I end up blurting out my Alex story to them, too. I tap rapidly on my computer keyboard to look busy, even though it hasn’t fully switched on and loaded yet. Give those idiots nothing; then they have nothing to talk about. I can only hope now that they forget about me and that Chad does as well. If that man gets his teeth into something else, then I’ll be alright. And hopefully, I can push Alex out of my mind…
***
But it seems like there’s nothing important enough to distract Chad from my brief moment with Alex in the elevator because not long later—or at least, that’s how it feels—he’s back at my desk, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.
“I got it sorted, Riley. You’re going to do it.”
Oh God, what the hell doesthatmean? “I’m going to do what?”
“Youare going to interview Alex Barrett...”
“What?” Jace jumps up in a heartbeat, revealing that he’s been listening in. Of course he is; he wouldn’t wantmeto get any stories that he thinkshedeserves. Not that it ever happens. “Alex Barrett doesn’t talk to anyone. Famously so. What are you talking about, Chad?”
I have to admit, this time, I’m on Jace’s side.
“Well, I have just spent all morning talking to his coach, and it’s been arranged.” Chad might as well be giddy. “Alex doesn’t mind talking to Riley.”
“Why?” Jace throws his hands in the air in frustration. “Why Riley?”
“Because she’s spent some time with him this morning, and they’ve built up a bond, Jace. I don’t know why you’re even here. I’m not talking to you; I’m talking to Riley.”
Jace shrinks in on himself. This is probably the first time that he’s been on that end of Chad’s dismissive behavior. Not for me; I’ve been on it a million times, so this is almost satisfactory. Watching Jace slink back to his seat whileI’mthe one with Chad’s admiration is strange, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m not really deserving of this attention.
“Chad, I don’t know if this is a good idea,” I insist. “Alex and I really only had a tiny moment together. I don’t think he’s going to want to talk to me…”
“But he’s agreed to it, Riley, so he obviously does want to talk to you.”
My pulse pounds a little faster as I try to process this. Could Alexreallyhave agreed to talk to me? That doesn’t make any sense, especially since our time in the elevator didn’t exactly end well. Alex didn’t even say goodbye to me as he finally broke free from our little metal prison. He stormed off as if he hated me.
“You’re going to do a lifetime story on him, Riley. You’re going to spend some time with him, on and off the ice, to write an article about his life.”
I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. “But he never talks to the press. Like Jace said, he’s famous for it. I don’t know why he would agree to this.”
“Well, his coach agreed and said that he’s going to do it, that hewantsto do it, so he must have liked you, Riley. Why don’t you take this as a positive?”
“Because I tried to ask him some questions when we were in the elevator,” I insist. “And he just shut down. He didn’t even seem to like me, so I don’t get this.”
Chad rolls his eyes, completely dismissing me. “Well, it’s happening, so you need to wrap your head around it. Do your research and find out what you can about him. Think about what you want to ask him and how you’re going to style the piece. Youaredoing it, Riley, so get used to the idea now.”
I’m shell-shocked as he walks away from me, leaving this bomb dropped in my lap. As much as this is exactly what I want, to finally be taken seriously and to finally get a step up in this department, I don’t know if this isit.I don’t know if this will work for me.
I still can’t quite get over the fact that I met Alex Barrett face-to-face today—that’s wild! And the fact that he talked to me at all is crazy. But the biggest thing I can’t get over is the way he looked at me when I obviously pushed him too far.
