Page 14 of Through the Five-Hole

I nodded.“Of course.”

The door opened from behind me, and I turned to see another man enter the room, followed by a woman.They both smiled as they entered, and she closed the door behind them.

“Miss Cooper, this is Coach Thompkins.He will be your direct contact, especially on away games, and this is Pamela, head of the PR department.You will report to her as well, laying out the plan that you have to fix this mess, and then working with her to push things out to the media.”

I shook both of their hands but jumped when someone pounded on the door.

I turned, looking at Larson to see his face fall as I heard the door open.

“Miss Cooper,” Larson said, standing up from his chair, “I’d like to introduce you to Mr.Colton Fox.”

My stomach was in knots as I slowly stood up and turned around.The first thing I saw was his chest and broad shoulders, and then my eyes met his.Those familiar glass-blue eyes I’d probably never forget no matter how long it had been, skimmed my body.He looked exactly as I remembered—a little older, but mostly the same.My stomach hitched as I slipped my small hand into his.

“Wow, it’s been a long time,” Colton whispered, his eyes locked with mine, a hint of something dancing in his eyes.

The room was silent, and I knew they were watching, so I cleared my throat and straightened my back.This wasn’t the time to show any sort of weakness, or to allow anyone in this room to know that we knew one another.

“Mr.Fox, I don’t know who you think I am, but I can assure you, I’ve never met you before.”

Colton looked at me, a glimmer of hurt in his eyes.

“However, it’s nice to meet you, and I look forward to helping you with this mess you’ve gotten yourself into,” I said, ripping my eyes from his and sitting down, turning my full attention to the meeting we were about to have.“Mr.Larson, if you’d like to start, I’m tired.I’ve had an early morning and a long flight, and I’d like to get a move on and go over the details of this arrangement before much longer.”

“Sure thing, Miss Cooper.Mr.Fox, if you’d take a seat, we’ll get things started so you and Miss Cooper can get acquainted.”

I heard Colton mumble something under his breath before he sat down in a chair behind me.

Chapter Five

Colton

Her refusal toacknowledge knowing me stung, and it stung badly.Not that I could show it.Not in this room, not with all eyes on me.Perhaps she’d loosen up once I got her alone.After all, she probably didn’t want them to know we knew each other either, considering this was her job, so I went along with it.Immediately she snapped her attention back to Larson and spoke to him, completely ignoring me.

I often wondered what had happened to her.She was still beautiful, but the designer suit she now wore and the way she carried herself allowed me to see what she’d become.She definitely wasn’t the same girl in that sunflower dress I’d known all those years ago.

The moment she answered Larson, I realized the soft-spoken, kind-hearted girl I used to know was apparently long gone.This woman who replaced her held herself differently.The way she carried herself—back straight, chest puffed out—proved to me she was bitchy and haughty now.Honestly, I couldn’t decide if this was good luck, or if my luck really had run out.Of all the PR specialists in the world, it would figure that life would throw me someone from my past.Someone who knew the old me, the one who—dare I say it—walked away from her without another word, but not the man I was now.

Like her, I was far from the boy she remembered, and in my mind, she was just going to be like the others.Someone who didn’t understand where I was coming from or what I’d gone through.I was facing the same situation I’d been in the last time.

“Mr.Larson, I’m here to fix Mr.Fox’s reputation.That is what I’ve set out to do, and that is what I will accomplish.I’ve come up with a plan, and provided that plan is executed properly, then I will accomplish what you are paying me for,” Emma said.

It was then that the door opened, and Kent stepped into the office.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, more to me than to anyone else.

“Emma, this is Kent Cole, Colton’s agent, the one who hired Image Hackers,” Larson said.“Kent, Emma was just saying that she has come up with a plan, but it needs to be executed properly for her to successfully accomplish fixing Colton’s reputation.”

“I didn’t ask for anyone to fix my reputation.”I gritted my teeth, glaring at Larson.

I felt Kent place his hand on my shoulder attempting to calm me.“We talked about this,” he whispered in my ear.

“Mr.Fox, regardless of whether you asked for help, you need it.You’ve made a mess of things,” Emma said, turning those pretty blue eyes on me.There was a time I would have thought I’d be able to look into those eyes forever, but looking in them now, they were nothing but cold and uncaring.

“Again, like I said, I don’t need someone to fix anything.I’ve done just fine on my own.”

She scoffed.“I’m sorry, but a gambling addiction, relationship issues, and beating up a reporter, breaking his arm, isn’t what I’d call doing fine on your own.”

“What would you call it?”I challenged.