Scrambling - Lex Valentine
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to my former coworker Michael Casey for answering questions and always being willing to talk about the NFL and the premise of this story with me. Kudos to my het buddy and fellow author Marty Mankins for his support and willingness to read anything I write including a gay romance. And as usual, my undying gratitude to Z.A. Maxfield for taking me to lunch, listening to my woes, and critting this book.
Also, many thanks to the core group of authors who have been chugging down the same road as me for about the same length of time and have always been there in my corner. (And who let me make them pretty covers too!): Z.A. Maxfield, Tara Lain, KC Burn, Belinda McBride, Lynn Lorenz, Jaime Samms… being an author just wouldn’t be the same without all of you as my friends and “co-workers.”
And to all the readers who’ve hung in there with me on social media and Patreon. Your support means everything to me as an author and person. My family and I are indebted to you for always being there for us.
Los Angeles Stars Complex
The Los Angeles Stars, a brand-new NFL expansion team, had a facility just east of Los Angeles. The state-of-the-art facility, a mammoth complex of team offices, indoor training center, and an outdoor field, sat just a quarter mile from the new Los Angeles Stadium where the team’s games would be played. Evan McAdam and his best friend, Reed Matthews, walked through the complex, slightly in awe of everything they saw. As the Stars’ first two draft picks, they were valuable to the team even though neither of them had so much as played a down for them yet. Evan felt the responsibility of that to the marrow of his bones, and he knew Reed felt the same.
However, with the draft behind them, training camp and their new careers in the NFL ahead of them, Evan realized that he wasn’t a kid anymore. His life, his chosen profession for as long as he could play, lay before him, and he had a huge adult decision to make. As usual, with anything life altering, he’d gone to Reed and discussed it. Evan preferred to defer to his quarterback, Reed, in both life and football. Reed was outgoing and used to calling all the plays on the field and in anything that affected both their lives. But when Evan did take the lead, it was because he had a firm, well-thought-out conviction about something. His calm manner always made Reed sit up and take notice. And Reed inevitably fell in line with what Evan wanted to do.
That had been the case today as well. Evan had made a decision, and after some protest, discussion, and a lot of thought, Reed had fallen in with Evan’s plan, which was what had brought the two of them to the Stars complex. By the time they sat down in leather chairs before the teakwood desk of Darcy Jensen, the team’s public relations director, Evan’s resolve had grown rather than faltered.
“What can I do for you?” Darcy asked, her bright green eyes flicking from Reed to Evan and back again, obviously expecting Reed to do the talking.
“You can promise that what we discuss here today will go no further than this office without our permission,” Evan stated calmly. Reed nodded his agreement but remained silent.
Darcy smiled, and Evan could see she was not only beautiful but smart. He’d figured she would be. A woman wouldn’t be the top PR gun for an NFL team if she weren’t smarter and more resourceful than most men. Women in the NFL world had it tough. Evan had done his homework on her, though, and he knew she had a knack for turning bad incidents into good press for a team.
“I take my job very seriously, and if I don’t have the trust of the players, I can’t create effective PR for the team,” she said simply. “Whatever you tell me will be held in the strictest confidence, but you have to understand that my goal is always the positive promotion of this team and its interests.”
Reed glanced over at him, and Evan could see the concern in his friend’s dark eyes. He gave him an encouraging smile before turning back to Darcy.
“That’s why we brought a confidentiality agreement with us.” Evan took out the contract and slid it across the desk toward her. “Will you sign it?”
Darcy picked it up and began to read.