“What was your major?”
“Archeology.”
Wyatt’s face wrinkled. “You mean like the bones of dead people that you dig out of the ground?”
“That would be the one.”
“I don’t know what I’m interested in, but it’s definitely not that.”
Christian chuckled. “You don’t have to like what I like, but you should try to figure out what you have a passion for.”
A giant grin spread across Wyatt’s face. “I already know. Pizza, girls, and football.”
Even I had to laugh at that response. When we got to Wyatt’s home, Talia was still at work. She must’ve had to stay even later than she’d expected. I walked Wyatt in but didn’t stay long since Christian had double-parked out front.
“What are you doing for your birthday?” I asked at the door. “It’s only a few weeks away.”
He shrugged. “Nothing.”
“How about if we have a little party in the owner’s box at Bruins Stadium? You can invite your team for a game.”
“The whole team?”
I mussed Wyatt’s hair. “Sure. There’s enough room.”
“Will Christian be there?”
“Christian will be down on the field with the team.”
“Oh.”
“But maybe I can get us a field pass, and we can go down and say hi before the game starts, or after.”
“Really?”
I pointed a finger. “If you give some thought to what Christian said in the car. Come to the game with five subjects or jobs you think you might be interested in, and I’ll get you down to the field for at least a few minutes. Deal?”
“Deal.” He nodded.
Even though I was pretty quick, a traffic cop was at Christian’s car when I came back out. I got in on the passenger side, expecting the officer to be harassing him, but the cop—a woman—was all smiles.
Christian signed his name across the face of a parking ticket. “You’re not going to forget to void this, right?” He handed it back to her.
“I got you.” She took the ticket back. “This baby is getting framed, not going into the system.”
“Thank you. Have a good night, Officer.”
After she walked away, Christian looked over at me. “You ready?”
“I am. But did you just smile your way out of a ticket?”
“She recognized me and offered. I didn’t ask.”
“What else do you get for free?”
Christian looked over his shoulder before shifting into drive and pulling away. “It actually makes me uncomfortable when people won’t take my money at restaurants and stuff.”
It was nice that he didn’t feel entitled. “I can see that. I’ve never been very good at taking a handout.”
Christian glanced over at me and back to the road. “You might be genetically similar to Tiffany and Rebecca, but the resemblance stops at DNA.”
“I still can’t get over Tiffany making me give you a lecture on sexual harassment. I think she’s going to hate me forever.”
“I think that little stunt was aimed at both of us, not just you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t been on Tiff’s good side lately.”
“Oh? How come?”
He was quiet for a few seconds, as he seemed to consider his answer. “Let’s just say, I don’t always take the free stuff offered like I did getting out of that ticket with the cop.”
My brows furrowed. “Tiffany offered you something for free? What?”
His eyes caught mine for a brief second. “Her.”
It took a couple seconds for me to sort that out. Then my eyes widened. “You mean she solicited you? Like for sex?”
Christian shrugged. “Subtlety isn’t her strong suit.”
I shook my head. “So she harassed you and then accused you of harassing her.”
“It wasn’t a big deal.”
“It is a big deal. If a male executive did that to a woman, would you think it was okay? Someone in a position of power should not be making unwelcome sexual advances.”
Christian pursed his lips. “You’re right. I wouldn’t. But I never felt threatened by it. It’s just the way she is.”
I shook my head. “It’s still very wrong.”
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in the silence. “Wyatt seems like a good kid.”
“He is. He’s very different around kids his own age than he is around me or his mom. Believe it or not, he’s pretty shy. Football has really helped him come out of his shell. And I’m pretty sure he’s going to be king of his school for a while after this evening. Thank you again for doing that.”
“No problem.”
“He is definitely starstruck. I told him I’d bring him and his friends to the owner’s box for his birthday, which is coming up in a few weeks. And the first thing he said was ‘Will Christian be there?’”
Christian shook his head. “Damn. Your sister wants to hang out with me, and your little buddy does… What do I have to do to get that kind of attention from you?”
I smiled. “You have my attention. But I don’t think anything more than friendship is a good idea since I own the team you work for. I mean, your contract is up for renewal this year.”