Rush: The Season (Austin Arrows Book 1)(78)

“I’ve seen increased activity on a few accounts…” Evan peers around the room, his eyes coming to rest on me. “Like yours. Seems quite a bit of activity as of late for you, Rush. Whoever the woman is that you’re conversing with has garnered quite a bit of interest from fans.”

I know he’s referring to Ellie and our scaling Mount Rushmore Twitter conversation.

I feel several sets of eyes turn to me. It makes me uneasy being called out. How the hell did I get to be the subject of this stupid-ass workshop?

“And you…” Evan glances at Mattias. “The fans are eating it up that you’re interacting with them. That’s what I’m talking about. They want to know you, the player. They want to know what you’re doing, what you’re eating for breakfast, what you’re having for dinner. Seriously, how hard is it to post one hundred and forty characters or less? Throw in some hashtags, maybe a picture. It’ll go a long way in getting some more attention.”

I hate this shit. I really, really do.

“I know you’ve heard me spout this before, but unlike then, we’re trying to make a push to revamp the team, to get the fans on board again. When you have a good game, take a minute to say something. Otherwise, my team is attempting to put limited information on each account so that they’re active. But we need more from you.”

Coach gets to his feet. “This isn’t rocket science, guys. Fucking toss out a few words, but keep it civil. It’ll appease the execs and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Several people grumble, but I manage to keep my mouth shut. I glance over at Spencer to see what he thinks of all this. As the captain, he’s supposed to support what the executive team pushes down, even if he doesn’t agree with it. I know he could care less about social media. Like me, it’s never been his thing, but I sense that he gets it. About as much as I do.

Coach clears his throat. “That’s it. Go home, enjoy your days off. This doesn’t happen often; take advantage of it. I’ll see you back here bright and early on Monday morning.”

I try to keep from running to the door, but I come up short when I see Amber making a beeline for Spencer. I’m wondering if I need to stick around and intervene. I hate leaving my buddy hanging, but he’s a big boy. I’m sure he can handle himself.

Because I’m a good friend, I manage to keep my feet rooted to the floor as Amber approaches him with a, “Hey, you got a minute?”

While Spencer seems to scramble for a response, I take Amber in from head to toe. She’s sporting a pair of jeans along with an oversized Austin Arrows sweatshirt. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and she looks … well, she looks unlike any girl I’ve ever seen Spencer date.

Sure, she’s cute. Some would probably call her hot. She’s no Ellie Kaufman, that’s for damn sure, but she’s all right. But she still doesn’t seem to be his type. Not that he really has one. The guy has made a point to sample the various options over the years, never sticking to one specific type at the buffet. Well, unless you count Noelle. That girl seems like his type, only he seems to be fighting his attraction to her. Or maybe he doesn’t like her that way. I really don’t know. I haven’t paid the least bit of attention lately.

Based on the way Spencer is looking at Amber right now, I don’t think he’s thinking she’s all right.

He looks tongue-tied and more than a little uncomfortable, even when he mutters, “Yeah, I’ve got a minute.”

Spencer nods toward the hallway and starts walking. I stay a few feet behind them, ready to toss out the life raft if need be.

“Hey, Optimus! Rush!” Seg calls out. “Wanna head over and grab a beer?”

I nod. “Got a couple of errands to run, but I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Cool. What about you?” he asks Spencer.

“Sure.”

I turn my attention back to Spencer and Amber while Seg makes an announcement to everyone else that they should join us. We deserve a little downtime.

Amber lowers her voice but manages to keep a safe distance from Spencer. “I need to nail down the details of the food drive. I’ve already got it set up, but I need to let them know how many people will be there. Have you had a chance to get with the team?”

Great. Just what we need. More charity drives.

“Not yet,” Spencer tells her as he shoves his hands into his pockets. “But I will.”

“You’ve said that already,” she says, her tone a little haughty.

Hmm. I think I should probably head on out. Based on how she’s talking to him, apparently this isn’t just a quick question.

“And I will,” Spencer assures her firmly.

“Look, if you’ve got a problem with me, I can talk to Mark and Phoenix about this. I can’t let your inability to work with me affect me doing my job.”

Oh, boy. That sounds like a woman who’s got an issue right there. I begin to wonder if something happened between the two of them recently. I haven’t kept up to speed on what’s going on with Spencer, really, but that’s because I’ve been so caught up in Ellie.

Spencer frowns. “I don’t have a problem with you, Amber.”

“Are you sure?” There’s a hint of vulnerability in her tone.

Doesn’t the girl get it? When you break up with a guy over voice mail, what the hell do you expect? Him to open his arms and welcome you back into his world? Yeah, not gonna happen, Red.