Fast Break (Brooklyn Monarchs 1)

Julian snorted again, then extended his right hand toward Jaclyn. “It was nice to meet you, Jackie. Good luck with the season.”

Jaclyn took Julian’s hand. “Thank you. Hopefully, we’ll meet again.”

DeMarcus took Jaclyn’s elbow to escort her from the dining room. “I’ll be right back, Pop.”

DeMarcus put on his sneakers while Jaclyn called her driver. He then collected their coats from the front closet before leading her through the back of the house to his garage. DeMarcus breathed in the chilled air that carried the faint scent of autumn leaves.

He used a remote opener to raise the garage door. Another remote control deactivated the alarm and unlocked the doors to his black Audi sedan. DeMarcus held the front passenger door open, closing it after Jaclyn had settled into the seat. He rounded the car and slipped behind the wheel. “Where to?”

He recognized the street Jaclyn mentioned. It was only a few blocks away in their Park Slope neighborhood. DeMarcus fastened his seat belt and waited while Jaclyn did the same before he drove the car out of the garage and into the heavy nighttime traffic.

Jaclyn’s soft, whiskey voice broke the pensive silence. “Your father is charming. I enjoyed the evening.”

“So did we.” The truth of his words surprised him. His first impression of the Monarchs co-owner during his job interview hadn’t been positive; neither had his second encounter with her yesterday in his office. But she’d been a different person tonight. She’d listened to and laughed with his father. Julian had seemed happier than he’d been in a long time.

A comfortable silence settled into the car until DeMarcus’s curiosity kicked in. “I’ve seen you play. You were good. Why did you leave basketball for law?”

“Thank you.” Jaclyn didn’t take praise from this gold-medal Olympian and future NBA Hall of Famer lightly. She shifted in her seat to look at him. She liked the clean, strong lines of his profile—high forehead, long nose, squared chin—almost as much as she enjoyed looking into his dangerous, dark eyes. “I didn’t leave basketball. I just stopped playing professionally.”

“Why?”

“I wanted experience in contract and employment law. I thought it would help me manage the franchise.”

“But it’s taken you two years to claim your position

as general manager.”

Jaclyn stared through the windshield, trying to shake off her guilt. “My grandfather had been sick for a long time. Still, losing him was hard. I thought I’d left the franchise in good hands with Gerry and Bert. I was wrong.”

DeMarcus stopped at a red light. “Why are they trying to move the team?”

Jaclyn felt his gaze on her. They were discussing business. Why did his attention make her want to change the subject? “Gerry and Bert don’t appreciate the historical relationship of the franchise and the community as much as my grandfather and I do.”

“Why not?”

Jaclyn shrugged. “Gerry didn’t grow up around the franchise. He inherited his shares from his uncle. Bert inherited his shares from his father. But he also has Tipton’s Fashionwear. My grandparents raised me after my parents and older brother were killed in a car accident.”

“You were very young when that happened, weren’t you?”

Why had she introduced this topic? Jaclyn’s stomach tensed. “I was three. After my grandmother died when I was eleven, my grandfather and the team were my only family.”

The light changed. DeMarcus crossed the intersection. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“There’s never an easy time to lose a loved one.” Jaclyn glanced at him. “I’m sorry about your mother’s passing.”

“Thank you.”

The atmosphere in the car weighed heavy with regrets. Silence stretched before Jaclyn changed the subject. “Thank you for reconsidering your resignation.”

There was a smile in DeMarcus’s voice. “If you could afford an experienced coach, would you have asked me to stay?”

Jaclyn suppressed a smile. The Mighty Guinn didn’t miss a trick. “I thought you weren’t in it for the money.”

“I’m not. But I am curious.” DeMarcus turned onto her street.

“Frankly, if the franchise weren’t so dysfunctional, we wouldn’t need a new head coach.” Jaclyn dug her house keys from her purse.

“True.” DeMarcus parked behind a dark blue Mercedes. He got out of the car, then came around to assist her.