Smooth Play (Brooklyn Monarchs 2)

Tiffany sat straighter. “And the dog goes ‘woof, woof, woof.’”

Andrea shook her head with a smile. “Tiff, I wish you’d told me that sooner.”

Jaclyn walked into Troy’s office Monday morning, waving the New York Sports’s Features section in one hand and cradling a cup of coffee in the other. Some of her energy came from the caffeine. But Troy was sure his boss was still riding the excitement from the Monarchs’ win Friday night. The team now led the series with two games to one over the New York Knicks.

“This is the article you warned me about Friday.” She laid the paper faceup on Troy’s desk before settling into one of the visitor’s armchairs. “I told you everything would be fine.”

Troy glanced at the photo of Barron standing in the middle of the street outside his Prospect Park condo, staring pensively back at him. He’d read the article—twice—Sunday and studied the photo at length. The team captain wore a silver Monarchs warm-up suit. The photo reinforced the article’s message, which was that Barron “Bling” Douglas had traveled a tough and lonely road. However, he was ready to recover, make amends, and become a positive role model in the community. It was a good article. Troy would readily admit he’d been wrong.

He looked at Jaclyn. “The article’s terrific. It shows Barron in a strong, positive light.”

Jaclyn sipped her coffee with reverence. “It will also inspire other people to get help with their addictions, which I think was Andrea’s goal.”

“I called her yesterday to thank her for the article, but she wasn’t there. I left a message.” Actually, he’d left several messages on her cell phone, including one this morning. She still hadn’t returned his call. Please don’t let it be too late to say, “I’m sorry.”

Jaclyn leaned into the chair. “I have a feeling you should have called to apologize as well.”

Troy studied his boss. “What do you mean?”

Jaclyn drank more coffee. “You’re too hard on the media.”

His discomfort increased at his boss’s criticism. “I’m only as tough as I need to be to protect the team’s image.”

“Protecting the team’s image is my job. We’

ve talked about that before.” Jaclyn crossed her legs, adjusting the skirt of her gold dress over her right knee. “I’ve always been impressed with your marketing campaigns. They’re strong and memorable.”

“Thank you.” Troy heard a “but.”

“But you treat the media like our opponents.”

Troy struggled against a rising sense of defensiveness. “I’m cautious with the press because I want to avoid bad publicity.”

“As a result, you’re alienating them. I want the Monarchs to have a good relationship with the press. We can’t grow our fan base without media coverage. That’s Marketing 101.”

Troy drummed his fingertips on his desk. “I have good reason to be suspicious of the press. If reporters sense any negativity in a story, they’ll exploit it.”

She gestured with her mug toward the newspaper on Troy’s desk. “Andrea didn’t exploit Barron, and she certainly could have.”

“We got lucky.” Troy remembered the disappointment in Andrea’s eyes.

“This wasn’t luck. We can’t dictate what reporters write. If they give us positive stories, we’ll thank them. If they write something negative, we’ll deal with it.”

Troy spread his hands. “With all due respect, Jackie, I’d rather be proactive than reactive.”

Jaclyn’s tone was dry. “Your idea of being proactive got you fired. Remember?”

Heat rose into Troy’s cheeks. Dammit. He was a grown man. Why was he blushing? “I’ve learned from that experience. I know I need to plan before I react.”

Jaclyn arched a brow. “Was that Andrea’s influence?”

Troy’s throat muscles worked as he struggled with his regrets. “Yes.”

Jaclyn’s gaze dropped to the paper laying untouched on Troy’s desk. When she raised her eyes, Troy saw the curiosity in them. “You’ve seemed preoccupied lately and a little sad. Did you and Andrea have a falling out because of this story?”

Troy sank back into his chair. He was reluctant to admit just how wrong he’d been. “I thought it would cause trouble for Barron and the team. I asked her not to write it.”

Jaclyn briefly closed her eyes. “I thought you were past that, at least with her.”