Cold as Ice by Charlene Groome Page B

on working? Is there anything going on in sports right now?”
    â€œWell, not really. I had other things to do.”
    â€œLike what?”
    â€œIt’s not just about reporting.... I had research to do and other stuff. . . .”
    â€œResearch?”
    â€œThere’s stuff to look up and stories to find.”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œYou don’t believe me.”
    â€œI do! I just think you choose to work instead of getting out.”
    â€œI like my job.”
    â€œI don’t doubt that.” He laughs. “Do you want to grab a drink?”
    She is slow to respond. “When?”
    â€œNow.”
    â€œI don’t know.” She sighs.
    â€œI can meet you close to where you are.”
    â€œDo you even know where the TV station is?”
    â€œI have GPS.”
    â€œI better not. I’ll see you at practice on Monday, then.”
    â€œI thought if we met up for a quick drink, then you could get to know me better.”
    â€œWhy would I want to do that?”
    The line is quiet.
    â€œSorry, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” she says.
    â€œYou know who I am, but you don’t know me,” he tells her.
    â€œI have a good idea,” she says.
    â€œThat’s the thing,” Devin says, running his hand over his head. “You say things on the air like you know me.”
    â€œI do?”
    â€œYou tell people how much I make like it’s a bad thing.”
    â€œIt’s public knowledge,” she says and pauses. “It’s a bad thing if a player doesn’t perform well.”
    â€œAre you saying I’m not performing well?”
    â€œLet’s agree that you’re doing better here than I thought you would.”
    â€œAre you always this critical?”
    â€œI’m doing my job.”
    â€œYou’re still critical.”
    â€œI call it the way I see it.”
    â€œNext time, can you say something positive?”
    â€œLike what?”
    â€œLook, I’m trying to win fans, not lose them.”
    â€œIf you want my advice, show up to every corporate event and talk to me. I’ll interview you. It’s the only way people will get to know you.”
    â€œDo you want to get to know me?”
    The line is quiet for a few seconds. Carla hums before she answers. “I do. I want to know what kind of player the Warriors acquired.”
    Doesn’t she want to get to know me personally?
    â€œSet something up,” he says.
    â€œI will.”
    â€œOkay! Call me.”
    Devin hangs up, wondering if he’ll hear from Carla or not.

Chapter 5
    C arla settles into her desk and turns on her computer as Timothy saunters over.
    They make eye contact and he stops to talk. “Good weekend?”
    She takes out her cell phone and places it on her desk, along with a pack of mints. “It was okay. How about you?” She looks up to meet his golden brown eyes. They used to draw her in and make her feel full, completed, loved, and now those eyes are full of memories. A flashback of Timothy agreeing they should separate. It was after the second miscarriage. Carla had been devastated. Timothy hadn’t comforted her the way she expected him to. After all, it was both their loss, yet he seemed to hold it together just fine, whereas Carla had to muster every ounce of energy to report the sports. She focused on work to get through the drama.
    They put baby making aside so that Carla could have some time to heal. A month turned into two, two turned into four and four turned into six. During that time, in their second year of marriage, they drifted farther apart, unable to see each other’s need to have a baby. The desire burned inside of Carla, fueling anger toward Timothy for not wanting it as much as she did. At seven months she was willing to try again, but their marriage wasn’t the same. The closeness they once shared had shifted from loving to resentful. Carla tried to love him, but he