on. He did not look happy to see her.
âWhat?â he barked.
âI need to talk to you. Itâs important.â
âNowâs not a good time.â
The door slammed.
Janna stood there, the old familiar nausea creeping up her throat. She took a deep breath and knocked again. This time the door flew wide open. Behind Ty, Janna could see all the players assembled in a circle. A minute ago Ty had held their rapt attention. Now it was fixed on her.
âWhen is a good time?â she demanded.
âIf this is about PR, then the answer is never.â
He moved to close the door again but Janna wedged herself between the door frame and the door. âIâm not going anywhere.â
Ty chuckled mirthlessly. âYeah, you are.â Gently but firmly, as if she were light as helium, he picked her up and put her back down in the hallway.
âIâm going to wait right here,â she informed him. âLike I said, this is important.â
âSuit yourself.â
Once again the door closed with a frame-shaking bang. Alone now in the hallway, Janna propped herself up against the cold concrete wall. Why had Lou insisted she talk to him now , when the team was trying to concentrate on the upcoming game? It was like deliberately sending a nice, plump lamb into the lair of a vicious, snarling wolf. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Half an hour. Janna knew he was taking longer than usual to give his pep talk to torture her. She knew it. Just as she was about to whip out her cell phone and call upstairs to Lou to let him know he should feel free to fire her, the door flew open and Ty stepped out into the hall.
âWell?â He was less than half dressed for the game in boxer shorts, big, thick socks, and the long-sleeve, gray cotton T-shirts issued to the team. His wrists and ankles were taped. His gaze was hard.
âLook, I hate to bother you, butââ
âThis is important,â he mocked. âWhat?â
âWednesday night is one of the biggest black-tie dinners in the city. Roy Duncan was set to go, but his brother died and now he canât make it.â
âSo?â
âSo I need you to fill in for him.â Before he could protest, Janna hurried on. âPlease. If you do this one thing, I swear to God I will never ask you to do anything again.â
Ty blinked, unmoved. âAsk Kevin.â
âKevin isnât you,â Janna replied, glancing quickly around the empty hallway to make sure there was no one there to hear. âHeâs not one of the greatest leaders in sports history. People arenât going to feel theyâve gotten their moneyâs worth with Kevin.â
â âTheir moneyâs worthâ?â Ty repeated, his handsome face distorting with contempt. âWhat are we, circus performers, there to amuse the rich little donors?â
âYou know thatâs not what I meant.â
âThen what did you mean?â Ty shot back, clearly unwilling to let her off the hook.
âTy, this event raises a lot of money that goes to lots of worthy causes. The United Way is an umbrella organization for groups like Meals on Wheels, Literacy Volunteers. The more high profile people there are at these events, the more people want to attend, and the more money is raised. When word went out that Roy Duncan was going to be there, a lot of plates sold. If the Blades organization doesnât cough up someone comparable in his place, itâs going to look really bad. It could hurt our reputation.â
âYou mean Kidcoâs reputation,â Ty sneered.
Janna said nothing.
âItâs not my problem.â
âGod help me,â Janna muttered to herself, her temper starting to simmer. âIâm begging you, okay? Please help me out just this once. Please .â
âNo.â His gaze was unyielding. He raked a hand through his blond hair, frustrated. âYou know how I feel about this stuff, Janna.
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