Mal’s pale skin flushes, and she aims the scowl to end all scowls in my direction.
“Sounds riveting.” Noah beams at Mallory. “Good to see you again, Coach. Quite the day out there, huh?”
“It’s always good to win.” Mallory reaches out and shakes Noah’s hand. She turns to Steve. “Amazing work, Steve.”
He grins at her, and I scoff. I see her lips twitch.
A couple more people I don’t recognize shuffle into the room. My personal lawyer, Asher, strolls in last. After he arrives, we all sit at the table in the center of the space. I end up right next to Mallory. She crosses her legs and clasps her hands on the table, eyeing Asher, who is sitting opposite of us next to Noah.
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” she whispers to me out of the corner of her mouth.
“Because you refuse to see the good in anything…or should I sayanybody.”
“I see plenty of good in plenty of bodies…just not yours.”
“The sooner you quit pretending you don’t like this body, the better for all of us.”
Mallory opens her mouth, most likely to tell me to take a flying leap, but Noah claps his hands once, bringing us all to attention.
“Thank you for making the time for this meeting, everyone. I know it’s a bit unprecedented, but since we’re in a time crunch, we thought it would be good to have everyone here so we’re on the same page. We’re going to go over the final details of the contract between Holland”—Noah gestures to me—“and the folks atMost Eligible Mister…a show that needs no introduction.“ He grins at theMEMteam, seated together at the end of the table.
Confusion puckers Mallory’s smooth forehead. She darts a look at Noah, then Vivian, and finally cocks her head in my direction, but I pretend not to notice.
“This is Vivian Dell, the executive producer ofMEM, and her assistant, Caroline. They’re here today with the show’s lead attorneys, Davey and Micah, so we can get this contract signed and get started filming Holland’s season.”
Noah keeps talking, but my focus is solely on my coach. Mallory is rigid next to me.
“Your season, Bradley?” she hisses. “You’re going on the show?”
“Surprise,” I mumble back.
“When were you going to mention this?” Mallory’s knuckles are turning white. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she murmurs.
“I’ve hashed out all the details from our end,” Noah continues, oblivious to the way my coach is seething in her seat next to me. “Filming will begin Friday at a mansion the show has leased in Florida. There will be twenty women, and—“
“I’m sorry.” Mallory raises a hand, cutting Noah off. “This is preposterous. What about Holland’s golf schedule?”
“It’s all accounted for,” Noah assures her.
“How is that even possible?” Mallory is the picture next to the wordskepticalin the dictionary.
“I outlined the importance of my practices and training regimen and the timeline of my upcoming tournaments. That’s being worked into the production schedule.” I spin in my chair to face her, letting loose a smirk. “Give me a little credit, Coach.”
“A little credit for being an idiot? Sure.” Mallory says it, and then it’s like she realizes she spoke out loud in front of the whole group, and her eyes go wide, and her cheeks turn pink. “I mean”—her gaze flits around the table—“I’m not trying to be disrespectful of what you all do, but Holland is a professional golfer at the peak of his game and coming in to one of the most grueling legs of the tour circuit. We need to be focused on that, not on some ridiculous dating show. No offense,” she adds with a guilty look in Vivian’s direction.
Vivian Dell wears black-rimmed glasses, and she’s staring at Mallory over the top of the frames. She bounces her gaze to me, keeping her expression neutral. I have no idea what the woman is thinking.
“I know how important it is to keep Holland playing at the level he’s at, so this contract is going to be a little different than most.” Noah begins outlining the terms of the production contract. He’s already briefed me on the basics, so I tune him out as he goes over the schedule and my golf requirements. Designated practice time each day. No film crew during practices. That sort of thing.
“Hear that?” I lean over and whisper into Mallory’s ear. “He’s saying I’m special.”
“He’s saying you’re high maintenance, but good try.”
“Ms. Walsh, is it?” Vivian leans forward at the table, drawing my attention and causing Mallory to sit up straighter next to me. “I appreciate your concerns. We, too, want Holland to stay on top of his game. The better the golfer, the better the ratings.” She winks easily. “Which is why after the first night at theMEMmansion, we’ll be flying the top ten women to Cashmere Cove.”
Mallory crosses her arms. She side-eyes me. “Your hometown?”
I nod, and Noah jumps in. “We’ve worked it all out. Holland and the remaining women will continue their journey in Cashmere Cove, while he continues his rigorous training schedule with you. Steve will fly in as needed, though Holland thinks he canconference with him virtually. I’ve spoken to Mayor Witmore in Cashmere Cove, and he and the town are thrilled to host the show. It’ll be a great boost to the economy. A win-win for everyone, truly.”
