Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
And the whole Wilder Sports concept was truly Chad’s idea. He’d mentioned it over the holidays. A program to compete against Red Bull Sports. Tristan had fallen hook, line, and sinker.
Which reminded him of the exact reason for his upcoming trip in the first place. He had a plane to catch. Chad grabbed the bag strap and slung it over his shoulder as he pivoted toward his bedroom door. He grabbed his sunglasses, wallet, and passport. His flip-flops were kicked off right inside the entry. His packed surfboard waited by the shoes.
“Don’t tell Tristan. I told you it’s just me being me. I’ll appreciate this at some point. Tell him I’m heading to Costa Rica to surf with Kai Maloney. I’ll report back as soon as I know something.”
His father’s even breaths were the only thing breaking the silence on the other end of the phone, making him feel like a bigger jerk for being ungrateful.
“If you aren’t interested in finding talent for WS, just tell Tristan. He only moved forward with the concept after you seemed on board with helping. You’re a smart man. There’s nothing he thinks you can’t do. Tell him you don’t want to be interim head of the project. Maybe one of the StreamTrainer brothers could take the lead in finding athletes until we hire someone. You don’t have to be involved.”
The mention of the StreamTrainer brothers caused Chad’s heart to give a strange quiver. He’d known Ducky Reigns for years. Since they were boys playing League of Legends over Xbox together. He wasn’t sure there were too many secrets Ducky didn’t know about him. They were close in a way only gamers could understand. They had always been.
Moreover, Ducky was the only person who had never tried to use him for his family connection. Hell, Chad had even offered to put Ducky’s new business in front of his dad. Chad had never done that for anyone else. He fought to ignore his body’s sudden surge of desire at the mention of Ducky and switched his phone to his other hand to grab the surfboard.
The protective thing he did with Ducky was weird, but Chad had reconciled those feelings a long time ago. Talk about self-made, that was Ducky. Chad’s bad mood took a deeper dive as he left his apartment, letting the door swing heavily shut behind him.
You’re going down the Ducky rabbit hole right now. Focus.
“It’s not that, Dad. I volunteered to go to Costa Rica. I think Kai’s the kind of athlete to help start this up for us. Be our headliner.”
“Tristan believes you’re the first athlete to headline…” Dylan interrupted, taking the conversation full circle.
“I’m not ready to headline…” He might have made it into the PGA, but he hadn’t done well there. His head wasn’t in the game there either. His low scores and poor rankings were nowhere good enough to be the kind of talent Wilder needed to garner excitement for a professional sports program.
“What’s going on?” Chad heard Tristan’s deep tenor in the background on the other end of the phone. “Which child are you talking to?”
“Dad, I gotta go. I’m fine. Go on with your day. Tell Tristan thank you for the sponsorship, and I’ll get back to him about my decision. I’ll also send him the video of Kai as soon as I get out there with him. See ya.” Chad took the opportunity to end the call before his father could say anything more. If he didn’t, they’d go round and round until everyone was walking on eggshells around each other.
At the elevator bank, Chad pushed the call button with more force than necessary. The elevator door opened with the only other person in the car being his new neighbor on the twentieth floor. The one right above Chad’s place. Everyone in the building was talking about her. He knew why. She was tall, blond, and had the kind of eyes that drew a person in. He stepped on with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His problems instantly forgotten.
CHAPTER 2
“Sir, can I help you?” Ella, the receptionist at the front desk of StreamTrainer, asked as Ducky walked through the crowded front foyer, heading to his office. Business had grown too fast to stay on top of appropriate office space for their employees. Desks with small partitions filled every available square inch of the corporate office, including the front lobby. Eight customer service representative workspaces surrounded the entry, circling Ella’s large, modern reception desk.
Every employee’s head turned in his direction. The constant low-level chatter of the reps fielding their calls became silent.
“I’m going to the office,” Ducky muttered, pointing in that direction, never stopping his well-worn path to the administrative office he now shared with Skye and Dallas.
“Sir, you have to have an appointment,” Ella called out, her chair squeaking as she got to her feet and circled around the desk to follow. Only when entering his office did he glance back over his shoulder, cocking a questioning brow.