Page 92 of Worth the Risk
I snort and roll my eyes. “As every humble man should be.”
“Not even a little bit, Pixie. You want to know why I’m at the top?”
“Why?” I ask, already smiling. Whatever the answer is, I know it’s going to make me love him even more.
“Because you took me there.”
And as he sweetly kisses my lips, I know he’s right. Whatever the female hierarchy is, I’m at the top because of Luca too. We make each other better, as the best partners do.
Luca
Like I told Hannah, I’ve never had a bad conversation with Mr. Crawford. Then again, I’ve also never chatted with him when I left mid-game and refused to return, nor when I had been part of an investigation into the coach and GM he employs. While I assured Hannah I was confident it would be a good reason for being beckoned to Crawford’s imposing corner office at the Sports Facility Zone.
I’ve been lucky to have played my entire career here, so I don’t have experience with other owners. I’ve heard gossip and stories, though. Many owners are hands off. Some are helicopter parents, always swooping around and putting their opinion where it doesn’t belong. Crawford never operated as either of those owners. He seemed to trust his front office and the coaching staff to make the best decisions for success. Instead, he threw his focus into other programs. He spearheaded a pretty big charity, as well as creating one of the first all-encompassing mental health and rehabilitation facilities for pro athletes in the country. As an athlete himself, he recognized the mental strain professional sports take, and understood that struggle after injury requires even more maintenance. Now, any athlete who enrolls in the rehab program at CPA must undergo a series of evaluations and sessions with a sports psychologist before they are cleared to begin training again.
“Are you sure this is going to be okay?” Hannah whispers as we wait outside Crawford’s office, her small hand trembling slightly encased in mine.
“I think so, yeah,” I reply. I hope so.
“Mr. Santo, Ms. Beauregard, you can go in now,” his receptionist calls out.
“Now or never, Pix,” I whisper, squeezing her hand.
As we walk into Mr. Crawford’s office, we both stop dead when we see Hannah’s uncle sitting alongside Mr. Crawford wearing a big smile.
“Uncle Bennett?” Hannah asks uncertainly. “What are you doing here?”
“Couldn’t let you two have all the fun, could I?” Bennett jokes.
“Please, come in. Hello, Hannah, I’m David Crawford,” Mr. Crawford says, extending his hand to shake hers. Hannah shakes it warily, as if she’s afraid he’s going to physically lash out and hurt her in some way. “Take a seat. We have a lot to discuss.”
I cast a quick glance at Bennett, and he smirks. While I don’t enjoy feeling like I’m in the dark, I assume if Bennett is here, it’s good news.
“Alright. Down to business,” Crawford says, slapping his hands against his desk loudly as he slides into his seat. Just a hint of gray on his temples, he’s not much older than everyone in this room. I’ve read some of the fan forums for him. Women are obsessed with his chin cleft, bright blue eyes, and wide shoulders. I’m strong enough in my own masculinity to admit he’s an attractive man. Kinda blows my mind how these women don’t realize he’s a brilliant businessman as well. Granted, his family owned the team before he took over, but he’s put forth a ton of time and effort into what we have today. Hell, the Sports Facility Zone didn’t even exist until a year after I signed with the team.
“Hannah, you look like you’re about to bolt,” Bennett chuckles, jarring me from my thoughts. Looking at Hannah, I have to agree. She looks completely terrified.
“Ms. Beauregard, you have absolutely nothing to be worried about. In fact, I’d like to give you back your job, if you’ll have it,” Mr. Crawford says.
“No!” Hannah blurts out.
Bennett openly laughs. “You may want to explain why she can have her job back, David.”
“Oh. You probably don’t want to work with Woodward,” he says, and Hannah nods emphatically. “That’s understandable. He’s been fired, so that won’t be an issue.”
Now it’s my turn to stare. “Seriously?”
“Yes. The investigation that began after he propositioned Ms. Beauregard actually coincided with one of our own. I’d had concerns with his coaching style, and whether he was treating staff well. Unfortunately, it opened up into a much broader investigation than I thought it would. I had no idea the GM was involved. He’s also been fired.”
Wow.
“Were they just fired, or were there any criminal charges against them?” Hannah asks clearly.
“Oh, there are criminal charges. Definitely. But I can’t speak to those. I did manage to snag a quick video of the police arriving to arrest the two of them this morning, though, and it just so happened to be timed perfectly with his normal scheduled press conference. While you’ll find better quality on the news throughout the day, you won’t get the sheer venom he spewed at me as the police dragged him down the hallway.”
As Mr. Crawford turns his phone toward us, we watch as Woodward stumbles against the police, pulling his handcuffed wrists unsuccessfully. He spits nonsensical sentences about me and Hannah, even adding in a dig at ‘that dumb bitch’ Caroline for thinking she was worth more than a fuck.
“What happened with my aunt?” Hannah asks as the video ends.