Smooth Play (Brooklyn Monarchs 2)

Willis shook his head in disbelief. “Is this person going to help you pay your bills?”

Andrea crossed her arms and returned her editor’s incredulous gaze. “If I’d taken the job at the Horn, I would have been going backward. I want a job that will advance my career.”

Willis gestured to the newsroom. “Most

of the other reporters already have another job lined up.”

Was he trying to make her nervous? “I’m happy for them. I truly am. But I have to do what’s best for me.” It felt good to say that.

Willis smoothed his lank gray hair. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Four years ago, if someone had said those words to her, she may have gone running for her phone to beg Bruce Donnelly to give her a job. But that was three years ago.

Strain had dug deep furrows across Willis’s forehead. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced. With New York Sports preparing to close, leaving Willis with a lot of outstanding debt, he had enough to worry about without adding her future to his list.

She straightened away from the doorjamb. “I do know what I’m doing. But what about you? What will you do once the paper closes?”

Willis propped his elbows on the table and balanced his head in his hands. “I don’t know. I put a lot of people in a tough financial spot. I feel really bad about that.”

“Bill Cosby once said, ‘People can be a lot more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself.’ He’s right.”

Willis looked up. “Is this what it felt like for you after your Jackie Jones story?”

She couldn’t answer that because she didn’t know what it felt like for him. “Everyone’s journey is different. My point is, you hired reporters fresh out of college or, in my case, from a bad situation. Because you gave us a chance, we’ll be able to find other jobs. Focus on that.”

Willis nodded once. “Thanks, Benson.”

She shrugged. “I don’t have any illusions that you hired us for altruistic reasons. No one in their right mind would work for the pittance you paid. Still, it was an opportunity. And, most of the time, we could pay our bills.”

He gave her an embarrassed smile. “Sports was a start-up company. I didn’t have a lot of money.” His smile faded. “And now it’s folding.”

“Sports has been around for eight years. It was a good run, Will.” Andrea turned to leave.

Back at her desk, she noticed the message light blinking on her phone. She punched in her voice mail code, grabbed a nearby pad of paper, and pulled a pencil from behind her ear. The recording started and a male voice identified himself as a sports editor for The New York Times. He was calling to invite her for a job interview.

Andrea’s knees gave way. She fell into her seat.

24

Troy was going to forgive Susan, then ask Andrea for another chance. But as his ex-wife walked into his office Friday afternoon, his mind went blank except for one question, “Why’d you do it?”

Susan stopped just inside his doorway. “I was stupid.”

This was going to take a lot longer than he’d thought. Troy closed his door, then followed Susan across his office. He circled his desk, waiting for her to take one of the guest seats before lowering himself to his chair.

Troy considered the woman he’d married and divorced. The years had been kind to her. She was still slim. But her glossy, dark brown hair swung in a shorter style above her shoulders. More subtle makeup highlighted her cocoa features. He sensed a difference in her beyond these surface changes, but the anger snaking inside him made it hard to identify.

He pulled his chair farther under his desk. “We were both juniors. We probably would have gotten married after graduation. Why couldn’t you have waited?”

“I was also impatient.”

Troy unclenched his jaw. “Are you being flippant?”

Susan gripped the arms of the black cushioned chair. “No, Troy. I’m trying to apologize. I’ve wanted to for so long, but I don’t know how to start.”

Troy’s heart pounded in his chest like a breakaway offense with seconds on the clock. He was almost light-headed. “You can start by explaining why you lied to me. You cost me my scholarship and a shot at the NBA. Worst of all, you hurt my relationship with my parents.”

“None of that was supposed to happen.” Susan’s gaze wavered before returning to his. She blew out a deep breath. “You were my ticket to the glamorous life.”