LITMIR.BIZ

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the spare bedroom.

      Marcus had already arranged for Nate to be a guest on a few of the smaller sports commentary shows on the major sports network.

      She reviewed the list of media personalities she’d compiled. Kendra was confident that half of the people on the list would agree to their stipulations about topics Nate wouldn’t discuss. The other half were iffy, but the riskiest options offered the biggest return. She needed to see what Marcus thought of those. She dialed his cell.

      Marcus answered immediately. “I was just about to ask Kara to call you.”

      “Why, what’s up?” Kendra stopped scrolling through the list. Something in his tone told her she wouldn’t like what he was about to say.

      “Nate called everyone on the list.”

      “Great. Will he be meeting with all of them?”

      “Bud Flynn’s out of town. They’ll meet when he gets back, but he accepted his apology, for whatever that’s worth.”

      “And the rest of the team?”

      “Wade was cool. Everyone else was pretty pissed, as we expected. Two of the guys haven’t returned his calls.”

      “Let me guess, Tyree Thomason and Dade Hendricks.” According to Nate, his relationships with the tight end and running back were strained even before the video was leaked.

      “You’ve got it. Nate also arranged a sit-down with Lee Davis, the team’s personnel manager. The guy is definitely not a fan. He’s been trying to get the team to trade Nate since the upheaval Stephanie caused three years ago, but Bud Flynn won’t go for it.”

      “Nate needs to be smart about what he says when he talks to these guys. It’s one thing to be contrite during a phone call. It’s another to keep it together in person. I hope he remembers everything we talked about.”

      “He won’t have a choice. I’m sending you with him.” Marcus said the words so fast she nearly missed his meaning.

      “Wait...what? We didn’t discuss me going.”

      “I know, and I’m sorry. I don’t mean to spring this on you at the last minute, but I’ve been thinking about it all day. It’s too risky to send Nate alone.”

      “Then why don’t you go with him?”

      “I would, but I have meetings scheduled with the networks and one of the team execs. I can’t miss them.”

      Kendra groaned. “Fine. When is he leaving?”

      “Tomorrow morning.”

      “Are you kidding me?”

      “No, and again I’m sorry about this. I realize how inconvenient this is, and I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t so critical. Will your mom or Maya be able to watch Kai for a few days? If not, my mom or Alison would be happy to.”

      “I’ll make arrangements. Just have Kara email me everything I need to know.”

      “Great. Oh, and Kendra?”

      “Yes?”

      “Pack for a week. Just in case.”

      Kendra ended the call and gritted her teeth. There was an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. She curled her fingers to her palms in response to the visceral memory of the electricity she felt when Nate’s fingers brushed her skin.

      Sitting across the table from Nate during their first two meetings had been tough, but she’d found strength in the knowledge that their meetings would be brief. She could retreat, lick her wounds and summon her courage before it was time to do it again. Being confined on a small plane with Nate for hours would be difficult for both of them.

      Kendra drew in a deep breath and picked up the phone. First, she called her mother to make arrangements for Kai. Anna Williams didn’t bother to hide how ecstatic she was that Kendra would be spending the next few days on the road alone with Nate. She gladly agreed to care for Kai.

      After messaging her sister to let her know about her trip, she dragged her luggage out of the closet and packed.

      * * *

      Kendra closed the book she was reading to Kai. He’d been asleep for at least ten minutes. She finished reading the story anyway, needing an excuse to hold him a bit longer.

      She slipped her arm from beneath Kai, tucked the covers under his chin and kissed his forehead.

      Her cell phone rang. She followed the sound to the kitchen, where she’d left it.

      “Hey, Maya. What’s up?”

      “Got your message. I wanted to check on you. You sure you’ll be okay on the road with Nate for an entire week?”

      Kendra collapsed onto the sofa, physically drained from preparing for the trip, mentally exhausted from wrestling with the same question. “Don’t really have a choice, do I?”

      “We always have a choice,” Maya said. “But sometimes fate pushes us in the right direction.”

      “You’re not going to tell me you think this is the stars aligning again—like they did for you and Liam—are you?”

      “Are you going to try to tell me again that you don’t still have feelings for Nate?” There was a smirk in her sister’s voice.

      “He’s my son’s father, so we’ll always have some sort of—”

      “Connection.” Maya finished her sentence. “I know, I know. That’s not what I asked. I’m asking if you’re still in love with him.”

      “We’ve been through this before.”

      “And you’ve never given me a straight answer.” The pitch of Maya’s voice rose.

      “Seems like a clear hint I don’t want to talk about it.” Kendra paced the floor, then rearranged photos on the mantel. “So leave it alone.”

      “So it’s all right for you to be all up in my business, but when it’s your turn, suddenly you’re invoking the Fifth?”

      Kendra pressed a palm to her forehead. Maya usually dropped the topic once her agitation became apparent. Suddenly her sister wasn’t inclined to let the subject go.

      “I’m not sure how I feel,” Kendra admitted. It was unsettling to hear the words spoken aloud where she could no longer hide from them. “Being around him like this...it’s definitely making me feel some kind of way.”

      Maya’s tone softened. “I know it’s probably a little overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. Just be open to wherever this takes you. Nate’s a good guy. He adores Kai, and I have a strong feeling he’s still very much in love with you.”

      “Don’t know about that. It was kind of hard to read with his arm draped around the skinny chick who showed up at his place as he was rushing me out the door.” Kendra hated the pouty tone with which she conveyed the news.

      “Is he seeing her?”

      “I guess so. She seemed to know her way around his place well enough. From the size of the bag she was toting, she planned to stay awhile.”

      “How did he introduce her?”

      “As his friend.”

      “Well, there you go.” There was a lilt in Maya’s voice again. “She’s his friend until we hear otherwise.”

      “Like you and Liam were just ‘friends’ over the summer?”

      Maya huffed. “You’re determined to ruin this, aren’t you?”

      “Maya, seriously, do I need to have the same talk with you I had with my mom? This is business—not a romantic getaway. Nate doesn’t want me on this trip any more than I want to be on it.”

      “Wouldn’t

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