CHAPTER 25 LINCOLN

I close the divider between the driver and the two of us in the backseat of the limousine. "Are you ready for this?" I ask.

Sam grins. "You know, when I was little, I wanted to be an actress. I feel like I was born to play this part."

"And what part is that, exactly?"

"The girlfriend—" she changes her word at my glare, "—uh, the person an NFL bachelor coach is sleeping with. Er, seeing."

"Right. Do you realize all you're getting into?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at her.

"I read the paperwork." She shrugs. "I'm good. I'm looking at it as the adventure of a lifetime with a few perks." She smooths down the fabric of her expensive dress.

"How's Jolene doing?" I ask. For some reason, I feel compelled to say her name, and suddenly I'm not sure why I thought this was a good idea.

It's really not my style. Lying, manipulating, throwing off the scent…it's not me.

But I'm fighting for a cause here, and that's why I say her name. I'm reminding us both why we're here.

"She was a little nervous, but since she basically owns the territory on the Aces, she's confident she can spin the tale however you both agree to spin it."

The driver pulls up to the curb, and I spot the red carpet. "This is it. No turning back now."

"Even if I wanted to. I'm committed, Coach."

I nod once as I try to figure out why the fuck I agreed to this. This isn't even an event that Jolene is covering since it's not an Aces event. It's a corporate function, an afternoon product launch event that I was invited to since a new smartwatch company is interested in partnering with the Aces. I'll get to meet the company executives and learn about the product, and there's a happy hour before introductions and a reception at the end. I'll be photographed arriving at the event, and that's why I chose to debut the woman I'm seeing tonight.

There's one other reason.

I saw a list of which media members will be attending, and Ryan Rivera from Jolene's news station was on the list.

It was a no-brainer.

But it's a little uncomfortable since I don't really know Sam all that well. I suppose we'll get to know one another as we start attending more events together, and for now, I'm pretending like she's Jolene.

Well, sort of. If I go all in on that pretense, I'll end up kissing her, and we're definitely not there yet. This is a professional event, anyway.

Though that would definitely throw Rivera off the scent of Jolene and me together.

"Show time," I say, and I get out first. I hold out a hand to help her out next, and the cameras are already snapping at us.

"Who's the date?" a voice yells.

"This is Samantha Reynolds."

"Is she your girlfriend?" someone else yells.

"We're seeing each other exclusively." I give a short smile, and I offer her my arm. She slips hers through mine, and we head to the backdrop of the product for additional photo ops.

This is it. Our first time photographed in public together.

It came together quickly. She signed the contract a week ago, and here we are already.

I guess we'll see where it leads us.

We head inside and mill around. I avoid the bar for fear the truth serum might give me away, but we mingle with a few local athletes and celebrities in attendance. I spot Troy Bodine, the manager of the Vegas Heat, and I decide to approach him since we haven't had the chance to meet yet.

Given that he's basically the head coach of the Vegas baseball team and I'm the head coach of the Vegas football team, it seems like a no brainer in terms of a budding friendship.

"Troy Bodine," I say, my voice holding an air of confidence I'm not sure I fully feel once I'm standing in front of him.

"Coach Nash, what a pleasure," he says, sticking out a hand for me to shake. His handshake is firm and confident, so I do my best to project the same demeanor. "Congratulations on the new position."

"Thank you, sir. Congratulations on all your success with the expansion team. I've been watching your boys this season and I think you're going to make another run for the gold."

"It's early days yet, but we're playing hard. How are your boys looking so far?" He tosses the ball back in my court.

"OTAs start a week from today, so I'll have a better picture then," I admit. "But so far, the team is looking solid. We've got three weeks of workouts and mandatory minicamp coming up, and then in July we'll really start the hard work at training camp. But so far the transition has felt seamless."

He nods as he raises his brows. "Between you and me, without Dalton, Olson, and Nolan, I was curious what was in store this season."

I chuckle. "You and me both."

We're interrupted by a loud voice over the public address system. "We'll be starting introductions in five minutes. Please find your seats."

"Listen, man," Troy says. "I'd love to meet up again and talk Vegas sports, maybe over dinner with my wife and your…" he trails off.

"Samantha," I fill in. "The woman I'm seeing."

"Right. Nice to meet you." He smiles at my date then turns his attention back to me. "I think you and I could make a helluva team together. Interested?"

"Absolutely." I try to rein in the enthusiasm I actually feel, but Troy Bodine just asked me to dinner. I hand him a business card with my details as well as my secretary's. "Let me know when you've got the time since I know how busy the season can get for you."

"I always make time when it's important." He grins, and then he offers his hand for me to shake again.

And just like that, I feel like I've made a friend. And Troy will be a good friend to have. He'll be the kind of guy I can talk to about things few other people on my friends list might understand.

"I look forward to it," I say, and then he heads off to find his seat while I direct Sam toward ours.