“Hey, athlete’s foot is rather interesting,” Penny immediately countered. “It’s one of the most common foot infections and yet it only affects twenty to twenty-five percent of the world’s population!”
Lucy laughed. “I have to disappoint you, Penny, but it’s not interesting.”
She grinned. “Well, maybe not like hockey, but I’d give it a solid B plus.”
“You’re generous with your grades,” Lucy said approvingly. “If I were athlete’s foot, I’d go for your feet.”
Surprised, Penny laughed, but her laughter was drowned out by that of Gareth and Lyle, who were still standing with the gray-haired woman with the pearl necklace. The woman looked only half as amused.
“Can I ask you something? Why are Gareth and Lyle kissing that lady’s feet?” she inquired. Her brother was grinning broadly, kindly, which Penny found more than a little unsettling. That was an expression he…well, that he never wore. His standard look was grumpy, expressionless, and impatient.
“Oh, that’s Cindy Malborne,” Lucy said. “She’s the CEO of Blue Lemonade. That sports drink that looks like Smurf piss?”
Penny nodded absently, one corner of her mouth raised. “Yes, I know what Blue Lemonade is. I've been in South America, not on the moon.” Plus, the name said it all.
“Anyway, we’ve been trying to get her to sponsor us for months. I’ve tried. Leslie tried. But Miss Malborne always insists on speaking to someone from management and they’re not good at selling themselves.” Lucy eyed her critically. Penny immediately straightened up.
“Hm, is that so?” she murmured, narrowing her eyes. She wasn’t even surprised that no one had felt the need to fill her in. “Have you given them any tips?”
Lucy snorted. “Of course. That’s our job. But the GM isn’t easy to talk to. He’s incredibly stubborn and always thinks he’s the smartest person in the room.”
Yes, Penny had noticed. “Well, no wonder Gareth gets along so well with him. He’s the same way,” she said. “But you know what? I’m good with people. I’ve spent the last three years talking to hundreds of people, trying to convince them to partake in my studies or be included in my statistics.”
Jack’s voice entered her mind:You have to force them to listen. Force them to implement your ideas. Force them to see that you’re smart.
Oh, she would!
“Lucy, what do you think? If I get Miss Malborne to sponsor us, would that be some kind of leverage to get Gareth and Lyle to listen to me?”
Lucy raised her eyebrow in surprise. “Yes. A damn good one, I’d say.”
Penny smiled contentedly. “Wonderful. Would you be so kind as to give me the tips the men didn’t want to hear?”
Lucy grinned broadly. “I’d be happy to. There are only two things you need to know: Miss Malborne needs certainty, and the image of her company is incredibly important to her.”
She narrowed her eyes and nodded slowly. She could work with that. “Thank you. Then let me show these two suit-monkeys how to negotiate a deal.”
“Oh, I have to see this,” Lucy murmured enthusiastically and followed her closely as she crossed the VIP room.
“…once we’re in the playoffs, you’ll get more screen time than anywhere else with your product,” Gareth was saying, his voice unemotional and authoritative. Miss Malborne, though, couldn’t have looked more skeptical.
“You’ve told me that three times now. Besides, who says they’ll even make the playoffs?”
“We say that,” Thomas Lyle replied hastily, “because we know our team. We have a good chance.”
“And yet it’s still only a chance,” she stated impatiently as Penny joined them. “It’s three months until we know who’s making the playoffs, isn’t it?” she said, pursing her lips.
“It’s only two and a half,” Gareth contradicted, and Penny had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. As if that was a compelling point.
Miss Malborne took a similar view. “The bottom line is that you have to win a lot of games. Who says you can do that? So, why would I invest now in the faces of your team when they may not be seen for the rest of the season?”
“We’ll make it,” Lyle stated firmly.
The woman laughed. “Naturally you say that. But you can’t guarantee it.”
“Well…” Gareth replied.
“What we can do is…” Lyle began, but Penny stepped forward and held out her hand to Miss Malborne, silencing them.
