21 Chapter 21

A week after Drew and Adam were assaulted by Drew's gambling bookie, things had finally gotten back to normal. Adam and Eve headed to Florida for a much-needed break. Adam had booked a hotel room on the beach for them with a stunning view. Nothing too over the top since Eve wasn't much for excess.

It was their first day there and everything had been going smoothly. They were relaxing on the balcony and enjoying the warm morning breeze, listening to the waves crash onto the beach. Eve sat watching as her boyfriend actually seemed relaxed and laid back for the first time in weeks. It was a refreshing change from his typical stuffy self. Eve was taking photos of the view when a weather alert popped up on her phone.

"Adam, sweetheart. There's a tropical storm coming in tomorrow tonight. Around the time we were going to meet your family for dinner. It looks bad. Do you think we should reschedule?"

Adam just ignored it, waving it off with a flick of his wrist. He pulled his sunglasses down from his head seemingly unfazed. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Typical Florida weather." He crossed his legs, putting them up on the balcony banister.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, babe. Don't worry about it. It's just a storm. When is your interview?"

Eve got up from the lounge chair. "In an hour. I should go get ready. What are you going to do while I'm downtown?"

"Probably go for a run down the beach and hit the gym. I'll grab some lunch at the hotel restaurant. Want me to call for a car to take you to the office?"

"That would be great." She leaned over, giving him a big hug. "You have fun and I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't let some beach bunny steal you away before I get back."

"Never. Good luck, babe." He reached for her hand, kissing her knuckles.

She gave him a quick kiss. "Thanks. I can use all the luck I can get."

***

An hour later, Eve was walking into the Daytona office of Ashford Sports. Her dream job was just at her fingertips. The tall, pristine office building was as impressive as the stadium itself that stood in all its glory, just across the street. She entered the white and black contemporary lobby that was adorned in red and silver embellishment. Colors matching the enormous Ashford Sports logo that hung over the reception desk. She was surrounded by football-inspired subtle decor and bustling employees, presumably heading out to lunch, or to their next business meeting.

As Eve entered the lobby, she was in awe heading to the reception desk. The massive oval-shaped desk, centered in the middle of the room, made the receptionist behind it look small in comparison. The young redhead was beaming with a happy aura from across the desk. Greeting Eve with an almost obnoxiously over-enthusiastic smile. The girl seemed to be happy with her job, or maybe just life in general.

"Welcome to Ashford Sports Daytona. Home of the OFL. I'm Lilly. How may I help you?"

"Hello, Lilly. I'm Eve Calloway. I'm here for the personal assistant's position. I have an interview with Ms. Grace Ashford at noon."

"Oh, yes. Eve. They are expecting you. You are a little early. Ms. Grace will love that. She is big on being punctual. Please have a seat and I'll have one of the interns take you right up."

The perky redhead called on her phone to someone to take Eve to the room where she would start her interview.

The intern showed up moments later. The boy, who looked to be barely college age, led her to a large office overlooking the city of Daytona. She could see the Daytona Speedway track in the distance and the OFL Hurricanes stadium across the street. "Please wait here. I'll let the boss know you're here. Would you like something to drink while you wait?"

"No. Thank you for asking. I'm fine."

Eve settled into a guest chair seated in front of the office desk. She looked around, noticing family photos of the Ashford family across the room. Eve thought whoever this office belonged to must really love their family. Just as she suspected the Ashford family to be like.

She got up from her seat to look over the black and white photos in matching frames. One photo, in particular, was one of none other than Hunter Ashford. He was smiling ear-to-ear in his football uniform at his biggest Superbowl win a few years prior. He was holding up a little girl on his shoulders. The little blonde girl was giggling and throwing her arms in the air. Eve figured it was probably a player's family member or a fan. The little girl was clearly giggling while he was laughing along, celebrating, as ticker tape was floating around them.

The door swung open and Grace Ashford bounced in with a gleeful smile. "That's my brother from his last year in the NFL. That was his big final game before he retired on top. I don't think I have ever seen him as happy as he was that day."

Eve turned around, smiling at Grace. "Yes, I was a big fan. It was a great game. My favorite of his whole career. I remember crying because I was so happy they won. He set the record for the longest pass in a single season that night, beating out Tom Brady's record. Hunter is my favorite quarterback. You're Grace, right?" Eve shook her hand. "I'm Eve Calloway."

Grace pulled her in for a big hug. "Oh, thank God. Another girl in the office. I'm so glad you're here. I need someone to help me even out all this office testosterone. It sucks being the only girl at Ashford Sports that knows what a first down or a line of scrimmage is."

Eve giggled at Grace's perky demeanor. "I haven't gotten the job yet. But I can definitely tell you what the line of scrimmage is."

"May not have the job yet, but if I have my say, you're in. I read your resume and talked to your references. You got this girl! I think you'll be hired on the spot. Please. Sit. Let's have a girl chat."

Grace pranced over, sitting in the large office chair. Eve sort of giggled inside. Grace was sure a happy, energetic person.

Eve sat down across the table from her, a little bit confused. "Wait. You said 'if' you have a say. So, you are not the one who hires me?"

"Well… not exactly. My brother's the one who needs a new assistant. He's going to be impressed by how much you know about football. He wants to test you out as his assistant for a while. He thought it would be good to train you personally before moving you up to his recruiting team. He runs the Daytona division as well as the OFL. He has been stretched a little thin between running the whole league and the Hurricanes. He's having trouble finding the right people to help him out. I'm usually running Ashford Sports, but I have been here trying to take up some slack. We are from Florida so the Hurricanes are sort of his baby. We have other people who run the other leagues. Once you advance, you will be the head recruiter for the Hurricanes and his right hand. Your old boss said you know more about football than any guy he knows. Girl power sister! I love it!"

Grace was excited, but if Eve just heard right, she was going to work for Hunter. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

It was a male-dominant job environment and Grace wanted Eve to get this job. It meant a lot to the future of women in the football league's operations. She was pushing for more women in the office who really knew the business, not just wanting to meet hot football players.

"So, I'll be working for… um... Hunter Ashford? The Heisman and Vince Lombardi Trophy winner, Hunter?" Eve felt like she was going to faint.

Grace shrugged playfully, almost giddy to have a girl she had something in common to talk to. "I'm excited for you. The fact you may move up to recruiter and talent manager is A. May. Zing. Amazing! I won't be the only woman to head up a division of Ashford Sports, which is so cool. I run the main operations with my father, but we will see a lot of each other. I touch on all aspects of the company. One thing I push for in our football league is more qualified women in the workplace. One day, maybe even start a legit female league. Not those leagues where women were bikinis. That's not fair to those girls,"

"I totally agree. I think that's degrading. Quite frankly, I feel sorry for those women having to dress like that. It must be painful to be dressed in little-to-nothing and slamming into each other. They need the same respect as the male players. Sounds like you really have a plan to get women on track to success here. I love it."

"Absolutely. Here our women get equal pay and equal opportunities as the men. I will make sure of it."

"Wow! Grace. That is outstanding and —"

About that time, the door burst open with a large brooding man looking over a manila folder, interrupting the conversation. "Ms. Calloway. Thank you for coming. Let's start your interview."

And there he was. The infamous Hunter Ashford.