“Rick is a leader of this team. Not just by his character, but by his numbers. Something has been bothering him. What is it?”
“Whatever it is, he can work it out on the bench.”
“But—”
DeMarcus stilled his hands. “Jack, we’ll make it to the play-offs. I promise.” He winked at her. “I’m planning for the Finals.”
Jaclyn’s expression eased into a smile. “Big talker.”
“Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder.” DeMarcus pulled Jaclyn into his arms.
He gave his promise he’d take them to the play-offs. But he needed the team’s help to keep his word on the court. Would they come through for him? For Jaclyn? For themselves?
16
Gerald Bimm sat in smug silence on the other side of Jaclyn’s desk Tuesday morning. If he’d won her mother’s love, he could have been her father. The thought was unsettling. Jaclyn took a deep drink of coffee from her Monarchs mug. It didn’t remove the unpleasant taste from her mouth.
The gleam in Gerald’s brown eyes and the air of triumph circling his wavy dark hair knotted the muscles in Jaclyn’s stomach. “Let me guess. You’ve bought Bert’s shares.”
Gerald bared his perfect white teeth in a victorious grin. “Right the first time. Finally, we’re equal partners.”
The bitterness in him stirred the anger in her. It was a struggle not to respond in kind. She gave Gerald’s designer bronze silk pants and champagne cashmere sweater a cursory skim. “I’m surprised you were able to afford it. Saving money was never your priority.”
Anger flashed in his eyes. “My finances aren’t your concern.”
“They are when they affect my team.”
Gerald arched a heavy brow. “Your team?”
“My team, whose finances you’ve nearly drained.” She crossed her legs, smoothing the purple skirt of her sweater dress over her lap.
His eyes circled her office with subtle contempt. “We’ll recoup those losses once we relocate the team.”
What could she say to convince him to let go of his bitterness against her family? How could she reach him? “This franchise is a Jones family legacy.”
“It’s a Bimm family legacy, too. But your family is always trying to rewrite history. In your version, the Bimm family doesn’t exist.”
Stay on topic. Don’t let Gerry distract you. “My mother was a Jones.”
Gerald scowled. “So?”
“If you truly loved her, you wouldn’t deliberately destroy something that belonged to her.”
“What are you talking about?” Gerald’s voice was thin.
“You loved my mother, but she married my father. That’s one of the reasons you hated him. But the Monarchs aren’t only my father’s and grandfather’s legacy. They’re part of my mother and brother as well.”
Gerald’s eyes narrowed meanly. “You’ve been talking to Bert. Well, this has nothing to do with Lynda.”
“Yes, it does. It probably has everything to do with my mother.” Jaclyn pushed away from her desk and strode to one of the office’s large windows. The late-morning sun danced on the Gateway Marina waters in the distance. “My mother loved this community.”
Her grandfather had told her everything she knew about her parents, which didn’t include how Lynda Trainer-Jones felt about Brooklyn. It didn’t include a lot of things. But how could her mother not have loved this place and these people? They got into your blood and overwhelmed your senses. Everything was needed yesterday; today wasn’t fast enough. You took pride in your culture, and everyone else wanted a piece of it.
“You Joneses are so sentimental. Sentimentality doesn’t belong in business.?
? There was a bite in Gerald’s words.
“So you’re a cold-hearted businessman.” Jaclyn turned from the window. “Destroying the franchise has nothing to do with the way you feel about my family.”