“What is it?”
“Am I being taken off the project?” she asked, her voice wavering.
“It’s nothing personal, Austen. It’s just a massively important project and I want to make sure it’s done the way I want it done.”
Which was strange, because Thayernevertook over her work like this. And why would he boot Austen, only to enlist the help of Heather? Unless, of course, it was exactly what she feared.
She took a deep breath.
“Is it because of what Johnny told you? I know he told you that I talked with DeHardt off-camera. I just want you to know that I didnotask about Campbell, like you said.”
“Wonderful. I hope that’s true.” Thayer bobbed his head. “It’s a shame you went off-camera, though, because now I can never know if that’s actually true.”
Her stomach dropped as her worst fear was confirmed. “Thayer, I promise you! Look, in total honesty, DeHardtwantedto talk about Campbell and Hathaway. But I stopped him.”
“Ah. So, itdidcome up.”
“Only because he wanted to talk about it. But I told him I wasn’t allowed to talk about it, and we had a script to stick to.”
“A script that, as far as I’ve noticed, wasn’t followed atall?”
She sighed. “He—he tossed it in the trash. He said he wouldn’t read from a script.”
Thayer gave a hearty laugh. “We knew DeHardt would be difficult. I know you’re upset, but you don’t have to worry. You’ve done your part. Leave the rest to me.”
Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I’m really sorry. I feel like I failed you.”
“Just forget the interview ever happened. In the meantime, I’ve emailed you a list of assignments for the week. Okay?”
“Yeah,” she mumbled, “okay.”
Austen trudged back to her desk and plopped into her chair like a sack of cement.
Desperate to forget about this disaster and busy herself with other work, she checked her email and downloaded the assignments Thayer had given her for the week. But the second she scanned them, she knew exactly what had happened.
She’d been given Heather’s workload for the week.
Great. Just great. Looks like I’ve been unofficially demoted to intern.
She pulled out her phone and angrily tapped out a text message to DeHardt.
Chapter 16
Dane
Edmonton, Alberta.
The ride was quiet, the only sound the droning hum of the team bus’s engine. Missing was the athletes’ playful banter that usually made these bus rides feel more like a party bus. Instead, the boys occupied themselves with their phones. Some wore giant headphones to drown out the outside world. No one joked, no one talked.
Dane watched the desolate, snow-covered plains of Alberta crawl past his window. It was beginning to feel like the season was already a lost cause. A team can only take loss after loss before all the fun is sucked right out of their childhood dream, and their job begins to feel more like a thankless chore. It was bad enough fending off the media attacks. But with the fans now openly turning on them, team morale was lower than ever.
Dane’s phonedinged to announcea new text message. He pulled the phone from his pockets. The message was from a number he didn’t recognize. It read,
“Thanks again for the interview. I think you ruined my life, but it was so great meeting you!”
He gave a small laugh and tapped out a reply to Austen.
“What are you even talking about,” he wrote, without bothering to add the question mark.
