auditorium, the room was abuzz with speculation.
“I’m so glad to be out of the dating game,” Omar said with a chuckle. He and Malcolm’s twin sister, Morgan, had married two years ago. “But you two...”
Marcus shook his head. “Nah, bro. I’m good.”
“Me, too.” Malcolm dated when it suited him and planned to remain a bachelor for life. He’d been down the road of heartbreak and would not do it again.
Once the head coach entered, the talk died down to a murmur as everyone slid into the leather theater-style seats.
“I want to thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come in.” His statement was met with laughter. He followed up with some general announcements, and then said, “We want to take a moment to honor Joe Marshall. He’s been with the organization for twenty-five years and we’re sad to see him retire, but he’ll always be family. We wish you and Nancy all the best.” Applause, whistles and shouts of approval sounded throughout the room.
Joe stood, nodded and waved. Joe’s wife, Nancy, was battling breast cancer, and the special teams coach wanted to be there for her full-time.
“The next thing is we have a new dietitian on board. Please welcome Lauren Emerson.”
Malcolm didn’t hear the rest of the introduction. He struggled to draw in a breath, and his heart beat so loud in his ears it drowned out every other sound. He closed his eyes, hoping there was some mistake, but when he opened them again, she still stood at the front of the room.
Lauren moved to the center and shared some details about herself—background, previous employment and experience working with athletes.
Many of the younger players seemed to be spellbound by her presence. Malcolm heard Marcus whisper, “I think there’s going to be more than a few guys camped outside her office.”
Omar chuckled.
Malcolm said nothing. Her honey-brown face was as beautiful as he remembered, her smile still bright enough to light up a room and her curves sexy enough to stop traffic. Nothing had changed. Including his feelings. He’d never wanted to see her again.
Lauren stared out at the room full of football players, her nerves a jumbled mess. Some sent flirtatious winks her way, while others’ gazes held skepticism. But one pair of piercing light brown eyes bored through her. She didn’t need a PhD to know that Malcolm wasn’t happy about seeing her.
She ignored him for the moment and smiled. “Thank you for the welcome. I’m looking forward to working with all of you. I previously worked as a nutritionist and dietitian at a hospital in Phoenix and as a consultant with Arizona State’s athletic department. I’ll be working closely with you and the coaches. We’ll schedule appointments with each of you to establish baselines, set goals and individual programs, as needed. Are there any questions?”
“Are you going to cook, too?” a player called out.
“No, but I’ll be consulting with the staff chef.”
Another player asked, “Are you married?”
Lauren laughed. “No.” The question had nothing to do with her credentials, but she figured the more they knew about her, hopefully, the more they’d come to trust her. She was under no illusions that the job would be easy, but she planned to be the best nutritionist the team had ever had. Lauren answered a few more questions then stood to the side as the general manager spoke. She surveyed the large meeting room that looked more like a movie theater, with its leather seats and a huge video screen that covered the front wall. The owners had spared no expense.
Her gaze shifted to Malcolm, who sat off to one side. His expression hadn’t changed—it held about as much warmth as a blizzard. She discreetly studied the man she had intended to marry. The handsome face that had haunted her dreams so many nights had matured into one that she was sure had women drooling wherever he went and gave new meaning to good-looking. His athletic body looked even more toned, and the muscles of his chest and upper arms bunched with every movement. An image of her running her hands over his smooth, hard frame rose unbidden in her mind. She quickly dismissed it. With the way he kept frowning her way, she would be lucky if he even said hello, let alone came in for a scheduled appointment. The general manager’s voice filtered through her thoughts.
“Before we end, I’d like to congratulate Malcolm Gray on being named one of the city’s humanitarians of the year. He and his brothers and sisters will be honored for their work with the homeless community.” Deafening applause broke out. Once it faded, he gave the date, time and place of the gala. “I’d like as many of us as possible to show our support.” The meeting ended shortly after.
Lauren had no idea Malcolm’s family held such prominent roles in the community. She turned and was immediately surrounded by several football players, who introduced themselves and cited all the reasons why they should have the first appointment. Though the big men towered over her like mountains, she caught a glimpse of Malcolm leaving out of a side door. Their eyes locked briefly, his so cold she shivered. Then he pivoted and strode out of the room without a backward glance.
She refocused her attention on the men in front of her and assured them she would be meeting with all of them as soon as she set up her schedule. Finally, they dispersed, except for one. He had to be at least six eight, and by his size, she guessed he might be a linebacker. He had dark skin and equally dark eyes.
He gave her a shy smile. “Ms. Emerson, I’m Darren Butler.” He stuck out his hand.
His large hand engulfed her small one. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Um... I know you’re still working on your schedule, but if possible, can you give me one of your earliest appointments?”
The sincerity in his eyes tugged at Lauren. “Is there something specific you want to discuss?”
Darren glanced around, seemingly uncomfortable. “Yeah, but not here.”
“I’ll probably start having meetings by the end of the week. Can it wait until then?”
He nodded.
“I’ll make sure to put you at the top of my list.”
Relief flooded his face. “Thank you. I’ll see you then.” He inclined his head and made his way to the exit.
She hoped it wasn’t anything serious, healthwise, and made a mental note to schedule Darren as one of her first appointments.
“You handled yourself well, Ms. Emerson.”
Lauren turned at the sound of the GM’s voice. “Thank you, Mr. Green.”
“Have you had a chance to see your office?”
“Not yet.” It had taken her a minute to find her way around the massive facility when she arrived earlier. By the time she’d somewhat figured out the layout, the meeting had been ready to start.
He smiled. “Then come on. Let me show you your new digs.”
She returned his smile. They walked down a series of hallways, their footsteps echoing on the highly polished marble floors. He pointed out the locker room, weight room, training room, hot and cold spas, a few other meeting rooms, and a door that led to the practice field.
Mr. Green stopped at the dining hall. “Training camp doesn’t start until next month, but the chef will be here later this week to meet with you. Nigel is a great guy to work with.”
“I’m looking forward to working with him.” She really wanted to ask what had happened to the previous nutritionist, since these positions weren’t readily available, but kept the question to herself. Lauren surveyed the room. It was far from the cafeteria-style area with long tables and hard, narrow benches she had envisioned. It resembled an upscale restaurant—dark