Love Match (5 page)

“Look, Travis,” she said as he released her.

Travis held a hand up to stop her. “That was just a hug,” he said. “Between friends. We can be friends, right?”

Maya still wasn't sure how involved Travis had been in Nicole's scheme to get Jake into bed and wind up getting a part in a Hollywood movie out of it. To think there was even a scheme for that kind of thing still made Maya's head reel.

Travis was a good guy. Too good, at times. Or too perfect, was more like it. Maya wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but she was still skeptical. At the same time, there was no reason they couldn't at least try to be friends while she figured him out.

Well, maybe there was one.

Maya looked over to the corner of the club again. Jake was gone. It bothered Maya how happy she was to see that the girl was still there.

“Maya?” Travis asked. He'd have to be blind not to notice her looking away like that.

“Sure,” she said tentatively. “We can be friends.”

“Great!” He put a casual arm around her. “As friends, I think we need a round of drinks to celebrate your not victory.”

“Yeah,” she said as they headed for the bar. “To my
not
victory.”

Travis ordered cocktails for Maya and the girls. The Underground specialized in nonalcoholic concoctions that were just as tasty, but without the hangover aftereffects.

Following a toast to the nonvictory that was tastier than her earlier cupcake toast, Maya pulled Travis into a private
conversation. “I'm glad you came over,” she said. “That took some guts knowing how things have been.”

“I wanted to give you time,” he said. “And I hoped that with some distance you'd realize I wasn't part of Nicole's plan to break you and Jake up. Not a willing participant, at any rate. I'm sorry I put you in that position and I'm truly sorry that Nicole was able to use me to get to you.”

“I know,” Maya said, even though she still didn't know for sure. “And thanks. I'm glad you came over to say that. It was … brave.”

Travis looked unusually shy. “Well, in the interest of honesty in our friendship, I should admit there is an ulterior motive. I have a message to deliver from Dad.”

It was never a good thing when Nails Reed had a message for her.

“He wants to see you in his office first thing tomorrow,” Travis said. “Didn't tell me why.”

Of course, the only thing worse than a message from Nails was a request for a face-to-face meeting. Once again, the Academy was beginning to feel like home. Except this time, she was afraid of being grounded.

At her old school, Maya had only seen the principal when it was time for an assembly. Maybe she ran into the woman once or twice in the halls, but she'd never actually spoken with her. And she'd certainly never been called to the principal's office. Maya had only been at the Academy for a few months and she'd already logged more face time with this principal than she had in all her schools combined since kindergarten.

It probably wasn't right to think of Nails as the principal. He was more of a “headmaster.” Whatever the correct terminology, he was the head guy in charge and it was never a good thing to be summoned to his office. On the bright side, she didn't have a security escort this time. That was an improvement.

The door opened and Nails flashed her the smile that used to gleam with an extra CGI sparkle in toothpaste commercials. “Maya!”

“Hi, Mr. Reed,” she said as he ushered her into his office. Maya still wasn't quite comfortable in there, no matter how plush the smooth leather chairs were. And they were pretty plush.

“Congratulations on your showing in Toronto,” Nails said. “It's impressive to see how much of an impact the Academy has had on your game.”

Maya blinked twice. That sounded a lot more like a compliment to himself and his school than it was to her and her accomplishments. “Thanks?”

“Nothing makes me happier than seeing a student making the most of her time with us,” Nails added. “To think how far you've come in such a short amount of time, I expect you'll be giving Ms. King a run for her money soon enough.”

“I'm just here to play,” Maya said. She didn't want to give him any ammunition to use against her by letting on that she had issues with Nicole.

Nails nodded. “Yes, that's how we all start out. Only thinking about the game. But I'm sure you've come to see by now how much work it takes to play these games.”

Maya honestly had no clue what he was talking about.

“Just look at my son. He puts in more effort than the average student. Not because he's my son. Because he knows that's what it takes to succeed.”

Maya didn't have to ask which son he was talking about. Nails rarely brought up Jake as an example, unless it was a bad example. That was one of the things that drew her to Jake in the first place. Maya felt like she was the only one who saw him
for who he really was instead of the guy his father made him out to be.

Nails still had to drive his point home. “Travis is there for the school every time I ask. Heck, he's there before I ask: leading tours for prospective students; mentoring younger classmates; standing in for me at events when I'm unavailable.”

Maya nodded along with the list of Travis's accomplishments. She already knew most of it. Travis worked his butt off. There was no doubt that he did it to make himself a better student athlete all around, but Nails was fooling himself if he didn't realize Travis did it mainly to please his father.

“With those things in mind,” Nails continued, “your school needs a favor.”

Finally, he'd come to the point. It must be a doozy of a favor, considering all the lead-up. Did he want her family to make some kind of donation? He knew better than anyone that she was at the Academy on a scholarship.

“We have a new student,” Nails said. “Someone you've already met. Diego?”

Maya had almost forgotten all about Diego and the whirlwind trip to Rio with Travis. So much had happened between then and now. It was weeks after Diego said he'd be ready to start at the school. But what could Nails want from her? Diego played soccer. Did he want her to give him a school tour?

“I'm hosting a small reception to welcome him tomorrow night,” Nails continued. “Just a few faculty members, the soccer coaches, nothing major. I was hoping to have a familiar face there for him. Would you be free to join us?”

That was it? That was what he'd called her to his office for? To invite her to a party? “Sure,” she said.

Nails's mouth opened, but nothing came out. A brief look of surprise crossed his face before he regained his composure. He was smart enough to realize that Maya caught the expression and it now hung between them like an unanswered question. “I'm sorry,” he said. “I'm accustomed to negotiating these kinds of things with the students. With Nicole it usually takes several rounds of offers and counteroffers before she agrees to help the school. I don't often get a yes on the first try from anyone who is not my son.”

“It sounds like fun,” Maya said. Actually, a stuffy reception with the faculty sounded like the exact opposite of fun, but she looked forward to seeing Diego. It wasn't that long ago since she was new at the Academy. She still remembered how overwhelmed she'd felt. It would have been nice to see a familiar face when she arrived.

She also would have liked a small reception in her honor, if she was being completely honest.

“Kicked out again?” Cleo sat curled up in a ball on the edge of the fountain outside of the Administration building. Her eyes remained focused on the screen of her phone as Maya stood over her.

“You can't get a single that easily,” Maya replied. “You're stuck with me, roomie.”

Cleo finally looked up. “So what was it about? Did he bring you in for a meaningful conversation about his sons?”

Maya let that one go. “He invited me to a party.”

“No. Seriously.” Cleo read the look on Maya's face. “Seriously? He wants you to go to a party? He couldn't just text you?”

“I guess he wanted to make me feel obligated to go before he asked.”

“That sounds like a Reed.”

Maya filled Cleo in on the invitation as they walked to class.

“Sounds boring,” Cleo said.

“Yeah, but if the biggest favor the school is going to ask for is for me to attend a party—”

Cleo stopped on the walkway so suddenly that she nearly took out a skateboarder who'd been maneuvering to slip around them. “What makes you think that's the only favor he's going to ask for? Maya, you're not even anybody yet and Nails wants stuff from you. I hate to say this, but imagine what it's going to be like when you're at Nicole's level.”

“But you're already at Nicole's level,” Maya reminded her. “You actually won your tournament.”

“A junior tournament,” Cleo reminded her right back. “It's not about wins and losses. It's about being the whole package. Look at you! You're the package. I'm just … me.”

“Cleo—”

“Don't get me wrong,” Cleo quickly added. “I like my particular package. But the school won't be trotting me out for any photo ops. Not the Wicked Witch of the Green.”

“Don't say that about yourself!”

“I didn't. Grant Adams did.” Cleo handed her phone to Maya. That stupid blog was up on the screen. The headline of
the latest post was the exact line that Cleo just quoted. The article went downhill from there.

Maya shut off the phone, as if making the blog disappear from the screen would take it off the Internet. “What has that guy got against you?”

“Probably broke his heart to find out I was into girls and would never give him the time of day.”

“Cleo, I'm into guys and I'd never give that jerk a second glance. He's probably some loser who lives in his mother's basement watching the Golf Channel all day.”

“I was thinking he's locked away in the attic,” Cleo said. “Where he's forced to be quiet when his parents have friends over so nobody knows he exists.”

“No, they keep him in the doghouse, where—”

“Maya?”

Maya was horrified to think someone had overheard their conversation. She was even more horrified to turn and see that it was Nicole's agent.

“Jordan?” Great. Nicole must have complained about Maya slipping into the locker room after the final. Jordan was probably there to tell her to stay away from her client.

“Isn't this fortuitous, running into you here?” The pleasant tone of Jordan's voice didn't sound like there was a warning on the horizon, but Maya kept her guard up. Cleo, meanwhile, had totally frozen in place unable to speak. Her eyes bugged out like she was excited to be in the presence of royalty.

“Are you looking for Nicole?” Maya asked. It seemed unlikely since Nicole didn't have any morning classes. Jordan, of all people, would know something like that.

“No,” Jordan said. “Nicole isn't my only client on campus, you know.”

Maya hadn't known that, actually, but it made sense. An agent as powerful as Jordan must have clients all over the world.

“I'm sorry we didn't have a chance to chat at the Open this weekend,” Jordan continued. “You played very well.”

“Thank you.”

“It got me thinking, actually,” Jordan said. “I'm always on the hunt for new talent. Call me sometime if you want to talk.” A business card appeared in Jordan's hand, almost like magic. Just as suddenly, the card found its way into Maya's palm.

“Chat later?” Jordan said in lieu of good-bye.

Maya watched her walk off, as speechless as Cleo.

“What was that?” Maya finally asked when she found her voice.

“Oh, nothing much,” Cleo said. “Just one of the top agents in the business wants you to be her client!” She punctuated her statement by slapping Maya on the arm.

“Ow!” Maya rubbed the spot that was already turning pink. The golfer obviously didn't know her own strength. “Oh, come on. She was just being nice.”

“Maya, I've never met her, but Jordan Cromwell doesn't exactly have a reputation for nice. More like for being a barracuda.”

Maya slipped the card into her purse. “She probably gives these cards out all the time. If she was really interested in me, she would have set up an appointment or something. She just ran into me.”

“You're kidding, right?” Cleo asked. “Oh, wait. I forgot. You're still new.”

Maya had been at the school for a couple months, but Cleo was right. Most of the time Maya felt like she'd just stepped off the bus.

“Let me break it down for you,” Cleo said. “Jordan comes to the tennis courts. She's on the fields, the pools, even stops by the greens from time to time. Occasionally you might see her in the Admin building. But I have never, ever caught of glimpse of her by the classroom buildings. Nails likes to keep the academics away from the business side of things. Most agents don't care about that, so you see them all over the place. But Jordan Cromwell respects the system. That's why she gets the first call about students to watch for. She doesn't want to mess that up by crossing the line.”

“You think Nails called her about me?”

“You really think she needed a call? You're the story out of Toronto, not Nicole. I can't say what's going on behind the scenes, but I do know one thing: running into Jordan here was no accident.”

Maya pulled Jordan's business card back out of her purse. It was just a small piece of white card stock with some writing on it and a company logo. Nothing special. And yet, suddenly, Maya felt like she was holding on to a golden ticket.

It was shaping up to be a week's worth of British entertainment for Maya. On Monday she'd gotten a golden ticket. By Tuesday evening she felt like she'd been transported into an old-time English drama.