Champagne Brunch: The Stiletto Sisters Series Ainsley Claire (primary phonics books .TXT) 📖

“What about a girlfriend? Do you have a girlfriend?” Detective Lenning asks.

Jeremy shakes his head. “No.”

“Any girls you hang out with?”

“No.”

Eventually they exhaust their supply of questions and send him on his way. I stick around and promise Jeremy I’ll follow up with him later.

“He spends a lot of time with you?” Nate asks.

“Yes. He emancipated himself last year, so he’s here in the City alone. He has a business manager who takes care of his spending and invests his money, but he’s just a kid. As you can see, he’s pretty shy. I think when my neighbor presented herself yesterday, he was embarrassed by her appearance and didn’t know how to handle it when she offered to bring tequila over.”

“Makes sense that he wouldn’t necessarily recognize if someone were being too aggressive with him.” Detective Lenning nods.

“Are you willing to share what was in the letter?” I ask.

Detective Lenning looks at me a few moments. I don’t understand the reluctance. Finally, he removes a piece of paper from his pocket. It’s a photocopy of a handwritten letter.

Dear Mr. Jordan,

I’m writing you on behalf of my fiancé, Jeremy Hamilton. Moving forward, we request that you forward all information regarding issues, his status on the team, and salary negotiations to me. Jeremy is my king and soon-to-be husband. From this day forward, our decisions will be made as one. I’m in charge.

Kitten

I re-read the letter several times. “I’m assuming there was a return address, a phone number, or an email address?”

“She included Jeremy’s address, so that’s part of our concern. She knows where he lives.” He takes the paper back and returns it to his jacket pocket. “It may be nothing, but we need to keep our eyes peeled.”

“I understand. He’s a good kid with a lot of talent, but he’s only seventeen and grew up in a sheltered community.” I carefully add, “He doesn’t have much life experience.”

Nate nods. “I understand.”

We talk for a short while longer, and I get up to leave.

“Mr. Remington, one last thing…” Detective Lenning calls.

“Yes?”

“Have you encountered any overly aggressive women recently?”

I think back to the two phone numbers I got walking SoBe today, the prospective intern in the tunnel outside the locker room yesterday, and Mindy. I shrug. “Nothing unusual.”

He nods. “You’ll let me know if something seems to spike?”

“Of course. Do I need to arrange for some sort of security for Jeremy?”

“Can you stay close to him?” Nate asks.

“I suppose. He stays at my place every now and again, but mostly because he sees me more as a father or brother figure, not his agent.”

“Would you be upset if another agent swooped in and signed him?”

I nod. “Of course. My portfolio is diverse—I have three professional surfers—but my focus is eight baseball players, and three of them are here playing for the Prospectors.”

“Are you from the Bay Area?” Detective Lenning asks.

“No. I moved up from LA to be closer to Jeremy—that was the deal I made with his parents when I signed him.”

“Will you move back to Los Angeles in the off-season?” the detective asks.

I shake my head. “No. Jeremy will go home to Nebraska, and as long as I’m close to an airport, I’m fine. San Francisco is beginning to grow on me.”

Nate puts his hand on my shoulder. “Good to hear. I’d like to introduce you to someone who can help with security when it becomes warranted. Can you join me for dinner tonight?”

“Sure. Can I meet you somewhere? I need to run home and let my dog out and then I’m free.”

Nate smiles. “Wonderful. Let’s meet at Birdsong. I can get us a reservation for, say, seven?”

Birdsong has a Michelin star and a six-month reservation wait. I hope my shock isn’t evident on my face. I nod. “See you then.”

When I get back to street level, I’m pleased to see that enough of the game crowd has dispersed that I can actually get a rideshare home to let SoBe out and be back to the Mission neighborhood in time to meet Nate. I try not to think about my dinner tonight. Sitting down with an owner can change the trajectory of a player’s career, and not always for the good. I’ve heard positive things about Nate Lancaster, but one misstep could have my three players on three different teams.

After walking SoBe, I race out the door and head over to Birdsong. I’ve never been before, so I am excited about that aspect of this evening. When I walk in, a beautiful blonde is waiting at the table.

“Hi. I’m Axel Remington.” I extend my hand, and she smiles broadly.

“Hello. I’m Lilly Duval. Nate and Jim should be here shortly. They tend to get caught up in things and run behind constantly.”

I feel like I know a secret. I sit down, and we make idle chit chat, mostly about today’s game.

I can’t help but notice the large ring on Lilly’s left hand, and I remember something about Nate getting engaged when we were negotiating adding Jeremy, Crispin, and Jake to the Prospectors’ roster.

“You could have brought a date,” she says after a moment.

I chuckle. “I’d have to have someone to bring, which I don’t.”

“You’re single in this city?” Her brows rise.

I look at the napkin in my lap. “I was seeing someone down in LA, but she decided she didn’t want to move here, so it’s just me and SoBe.”

“SoBe?”

“He’s my rescue greyhound. He’s a seven-year-old puppy who spends more time on his bed in my office than running.”

“Are you from Southern California?”

“I grew up in Orange County, in Laguna Beach.”

“Oh, I love Laguna Beach. I’ve been there for the Festival of the Arts several