Petite Madeleine: Drew's Story (Meadows Shore Book 3) by Eva Charles Page A

hint. Today wasn’t going to be that day.
    Rogers got right to the point. “What are you going to do about Ross Simms now that he’s been released?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Nothing? He’s a good get. You need an ace, and a player who’s been around for a while, knows the ropes. He’ll give you that. You’ve got too many rookies on this team.”
    “He hit his girlfriend with a closed fist.”
    “Have you seen the tape? I hear it’s not as bad as the women’s groups are making it out to be.”
    “Don’t need to see the tape, the police report that’s been all over the news is enough for me.”
    “It’s a mistake to give up on him so quickly. One of your rivals is going to pick him up and then you’ll be screwed.”
    “They can have him.”
    “You’re not going to take the team very far with that line of thinking.”
    Drew forced himself not to close his own fist and introduce it to Jim’s face. “Do you know how many kids look up to our players like they’re heroes? For right or wrong, they’re role models. And do you know how many of our fans are women? Exactly what message would we be sending them if we put someone like Simms on our team?
    Drew tossed his phone on the desk. “And you’re wrong. Simms has nothing to offer these young guys. The atmosphere around here would be toxic with him on the team. In every locker room there’s at least one guy, at least one, who’s watched his mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, cousin get slapped around while growing up. And the rest of us have women in our lives whom we love and respect. There’s no way someone like Simms is stepping foot in the clubhouse, not while I’m here.”
    “You don’t make all the decisions around here, do you?”
    “No, but fortunately the people I work for have the same feeling about this kind of shit that I do. And if they didn’t, well, then I’d be forced to look for another job.”
    Jim Rogers walked away shaking his head. Drew had engaged with him much more than he should have, but the idea of bringing a piece of crap like Simms onto the team made his blood curdle.
     
    * * *
     
    Drew met Cassie at her place, and they ate dinner at a small Italian restaurant on Federal Hill, within walking distance of her apartment. She let him put his arm around her on the way to restaurant. The progress was excruciatingly slow, but it was moving in the right direction. He’d take it. After dinner they went to a small bar to listen to a band with a talented drummer.
    “What?” she asked above the music.
    “Nothing.”
    She tugged playfully at the front of his shirt. “Tell me. What’s going on between those cute little ears of yours?”
    “Well there’s an emasculating phrase if I’ve ever heard one. My ears, like everything else about me, aren’t little. Or cute.”
    She rolled her eyes. “No, they’re just the right size for your head, but they are cute. Now ’fess up. What were you thinking about with that silly grin on your face?”
    “I was wondering if you still wear beautiful, sexy underwear. Where the bras and panties always match.”
    She looked away, gathering the length of her hair at the base of her neck, and flipping it over her shoulder.
    “Hey, you wanted to know what I was thinking. The tops of your ears are pink,” he said, and then leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I always loved the way your breasts looked covered in pretty lace, or not covered by anything but my hands.”
    When he pulled back, she looked like she’d seen a ghost. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that about her breasts. He scrubbed his hand over the shadow on his jaw. Fuck.
    “Cassie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like a pig.”
    The color was still gone from her cheeks. This wasn’t just about an inappropriate remark. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong. I need to get home.”
    “Nothing’s wrong, but you’re whiter than a sheet, and…”
    She bolted from the stool and out of the bar. He grabbed her arm