Stacia lunged, catching the cup before it toppled over, but a portion of the coffee spilled out and burned her hand. She sucked the base of the thumb, trying to ease the stinging, then she looked up at the red face of Cole Hammonds. She dried her hand and picked up the sports section.
Jason Friar Back to His Old Ways?
Crap. Jason was sitting in a hotel bar and some very young thing was clinging to him like his baseball jersey. God, she hoped the girl was of age.
“Well?” he demanded.
She studied the picture more closely. “He doesn’t seem like he’s enjoying it. Maybe he was pushing her away.”
“Please.” Hammonds snorted. “No one would push her away. Not even me.” He slammed the door and sat in the chair facing her desk. “Is this too hard for you, Stacia? Is Jason Friar too difficult to manage?”
She froze, icy tendrils of fear spreading from her heart. “You asked me to work with him four days ago. What did you expect? A choirboy singing Alleluia in the church choir?”
“I expect results. Not this.” He pointed to the picture again. “After the fiasco with the media announcing his signing, I was willing to cut you both some slack. He was a star and not used to being baited. Sports are very different than politics. Is this job too big, too different for you to handle?”
Stacia tried not to let his words sting and she sat stone-faced, hoping he couldn’t see how much he hurt her.
“But you need to get serious. This is business, big business.”
“I have plans—”
“I don’t care about your plans. I only care about action. Now, hustle your little butt out to Detroit and fix this mess.” He heaved out of the chair and turned for the door.
“I think they’re leaving Detroit today and going to Kansas City. I can meet the team there on Tuesday,” she said quietly, thankful she was seated because there was no way her legs would hold her.
He paused and scowled at her, eyebrow raised. “Really? Humpf. Well, hustle out there and impress upon him the terms of his contract, got it?” He slammed the door on his way out.
She clenched her hands into fists, and bit her lower lip, concentrating on breathing. In and out. In, then out. In. Out. Once her heart had finally stopped racing and her hands weren’t shaking anymore, she picked up the phone and dialed the extension for Maggie, Miranda’s assistant.
“Can you make me travel arrangements to Kansas City?”