Chapter 25 Desiree Dixon

Is This an Interview

Oh. My. God.

Asher Nash on the ropes is truly a beautiful sight to behold.

All I can think of as I watch those strong, muscular forearms move up and down, slamming those ropes against the ground, is how he slammed into me that night we shared.

A snippet of his hand running along my thigh comes back to me. Those strong forearms holding himself up as he hovered over me.

My God , the need in me is strong right now.

He has to feel it too. He has to.

His eyes move to me, and he looks surprised. But when his eyes flick to my jersey and he sees me wearing Austin Graham’s number, I swear the sound of the ropes slapping against the ground gets a little louder.

My dad’s saying something about the state-of-the-art equipment in here, but all I can do is watch the man on the ropes. He’s the only athlete working out in here—the only person in here, actually, except for one of the trainers in the corner doing something on a computer.

Our eyes meet, and he looks livid. He throws the ropes on the ground, offers me a glare, and turns away to walk toward some other machine, this one with a video screen in front of it.

“Have you met Asher?” my dad asks, and my ears perk up like a curious puppy.

I clear my throat, not sure what to say.

“Asher!” my dad calls over the music in here, and he turns back toward us with his brows raised. “This is my daughter, Desiree. I didn’t think anyone would be around today, so I’m just giving her the tour.”

“Hey,” he says to me, and I offer a quick wave before he turns back to his video game workout thing.

“These guys are so focused in here, and I love to see it,” my dad says to me. “That machine allows him to practice footwork in real time against an actual opponent. Technology is pretty incredible. Come on, let me show you the pools.”

I follow him to the pool room, which has a hydrotherapy pool, a plunge pool, and some underwater treadmills. Eventually we head up toward the offices as I try to come up with some excuse as to why I need to get back down to the strength and conditioning room.

I’m coming up empty.

We wander the hallways that are like a freaking maze of offices, and my dad introduces me to a bunch of the executives here at the Aces. Then we stop outside the doorway marked Erin McMahon, Director of Charitable Contributions .

“Did Ellie Dalton put you up to this?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at my dad.

He laughs. “Maybe,” he says, drawing out the word playfully.

I roll my eyes.

“Okay, fine. It was both Luke and Ellie. We had dinner with the coaching staff, and Luke was there. We talked about how much we miss having you close by.” He tosses his arm around my shoulder and squeezes me in a little side hug, and I feel a little choked up at that.

I mean, really…is there anything keeping me in San Diego? Aside from my friends, which are important, of course, why really am I so hesitant to move?

Change is scary. But so is complacency, and I think I’m getting to the point where I’m staying because I’m comfortable.

There’s nothing saying I can’t go back as often as I want. Hell, I could keep my apartment in San Diego so I don’t have to uproot Addy, and I could split my time between both towns.

But I can’t do that while I’m working for Angelica.

“Erin, do you have a minute?” my dad asks as he stops in the doorway. I’m still behind him out of view.

“Come on in,” Erin calls.

He steps in, and I walk in behind him.

“You must be Desiree,” she says as she stands and smiles broadly at me.

“That’s me,” I say with a smile back. “And you must be Erin. I’ve heard amazing things about your work here.”

“Doing my best, one charity event at a time.”

“How was the Fostering Fletch event?” my dad asks her, and my brows pinch together nervously.

“Incredible,” she says. “Brandon collected over a thousand articles of clothing plus enough supplies for the team to create five hundred hygiene kits. It was amazing.”

“Fletch?” I ask.

“Brandon Fletcher, our backup quarterback,” she clarifies. “His charity has really evolved over the last couple years, and he’s working hard to make a positive impact on the community.”

“That’s amazing,” I say, leaving out the fact that the reason it’s such a good thing is because his reputation in the media isn’t the best. He’s been a backup most of his career except right before Jack Dalton was traded to the Aces, and he also has quite the reputation as a ladies’ man, though I don’t know much about him at all aside from the headlines. “What other events do you have going on?”

“I’ve helped twelve of the current players on the team launch various foundations, and they each hold one big event a year and some smaller events. I try to make it to as many as I can, but with a fifty-three-man roster plus other community outreach events for the Aces organization itself, I’m stretched pretty thin. I hear you’re potentially looking for work here in Vegas?” she asks, turning her full attention to me as she sits.

I shrug. “I’m considering it.”

“If you’ll excuse me,” my dad says, and he bolts, leaving me alone with Erin.

She chuckles. “Talk to me about your experience.”

“Is this an interview?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at her.

She lifts both shoulders innocently as she holds up her hands. “Just a director chatting with a coach’s daughter.”

I smile. “I’ve been working for one of the top event coordination firms in San Diego since I graduated from college with a degree in business management and a minor in marketing. We mainly specialize in weddings, parties, and that type of thing, but we’ve planned several charity functions as well. I hold the title of junior event planner with aspirations to learn from the best and someday launch my own firm.”

“How long have you been there?”

“Three years.”

She nods as she jots something down on a piece of paper in front of her. “You mentioned you want to learn from the best. Have you? Do you feel you’re ready to level up from a junior planner?”

“Yes, I do. I feel a little stagnant where I am, to be honest. I’m ready for a new challenge.”

“Have you considered consulting work?” she asks.

I nod. “I have, and if I were to leave San Diego, that’s likely how I’d start. I’ve done a lot of research on starting my own company, and I think I’m in a great position to start slow and build.”

“You’re hired.”

I laugh. “I thought this wasn’t an interview.”

“It wasn’t. I was going to offer you the job either way, but I had to at least pretend like I was interviewing you. I’ve looked into your background, and it’s impressive, Desiree. I would love the opportunity to work with you, and as you know, my first order of business would be handing over the Wild Aces Charity Ball. We already have the venue booked for the next three years, and much of the planning is already done, but given the size of the event, I just can’t take it on for a third year. The auction items alone took up way too much of my team’s time, let alone the raffles and everything else.”

“Your team?” I ask.

“Well, it was really just Lily and me. Lily is Jack Dalton’s assistant. We had help from Megan, Coach Nash’s assistant, too, and of course Ellie and her crew, but they all have other responsibilities. I spoke with Jack, and he wants to build our charity division. He told me I can hire a new assistant as well as an event planner, and he’s also dedicating a much larger budget to the ball next year because of its success, so more than likely you’ll have enough to hire your own team.”

Hire my own team? I don’t even know anybody out here, which would sort of negate the whole idea of staying in San Diego and working remotely.

“It’s a lot to think about,” I admit. “Can I have a few days and get back to you?”

“Of course,” she says, and she smiles warmly. “And just so you know, it wouldn’t only be the charity ball. I also have the foundation events that our boys hold, things like that. It’s a great opportunity to build your portfolio in Vegas, but I fully understand if you decide to pass on it. We’ll have lines out the door for applicants if you decide not to take it, and I do need to get the position filled as soon as possible, so if you could let me know by Thursday, that would be great.”

“Thanks, Erin,” I say, and I stand to leave. “It was so lovely to meet you.”

“And you. Whatever you decide, we’re excited to have your family as part of this organization.”

She smiles warmly, and I realize she’s catering this position to me. She said Jack approved her hiring an event planner, and she’s offering it to me as a consulting position. I wouldn’t be employed by the Aces, but by myself, which is what I’ve dreamed of.

It’s tempting, but I have to decide if leaving San Diego is right for me.

And now that my dad has ditched me to get back to work, it’s time to wander around these hallways until I bump into Asher again.