Michelle Betham - Final Score

‘What happened after I left yesterday, Amber?’

She slowly turned to face him again, but she said nothing.

‘What happened?’

‘I didn’t plan it, Ryan. I really didn’t plan it.’

‘Another one of those quick fucks up against his office door, huh? Is that what it was?’

‘Ryan, please…’

He walked over to her, his dark-blue eyes never leaving hers. ‘So, it’s okay for him to touch you, is it? It’s okay for him to fuck you, because you sure as hell didn’t want me in there.’

‘Ryan…’

‘Jesus, Amber!’ He turned away, pushing both hands through his hair. ‘Knowing it’s coming really doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.’

‘I’m sorry.’

He swung back around to face her. ‘And that makes it all okay, does it?’

She shook her head, desperately trying not to cry. What good would that do?

‘You never even gave us a chance.’

‘And if I had, would that have made this any better? No. All it would have done is make this situation ten times harder to deal with.’

‘Oh, so, you think this is the easy way, do you?’

‘You’re not being fair.’

‘Neither are you, Amber. Neither are you.’ He walked over to Rico, crouching down in front of his carry-seat, taking his tiny hand in his. ‘We made this little guy, you and me. And look at him. He’s incredible!’ Ryan stood up, walking back over to Amber. ‘Without him I really don’t know where I’d be now. And you did that, Amber. You gave me my reason for changing. You gave me Rico, and for that I am so grateful – so grateful that he’s here. Because you alone were never enough.’

Amber turned her head away from him, tears pricking the back of her eyes and she blinked hard to try and stop them from falling. ‘Things are different now, Ryan. Between me and Jim. They are so, so different.’

‘How?’

She faced him again, not caring that she was crying now. What did it matter any more? ‘I can’t tell you.’

‘He’s spouting crap, Amber. Whatever he’s told you, he’s fucking lying. Because that’s what he does.’

‘That’s not true… This isn’t some game…’

‘Isn’t it? That’s exactly what it is. And the last person Jim Allen wants to see win is me.’

‘Amber, can I have a word?’

Amber looked up from her desk in the Cloud Sports office to see Max standing there. ‘Yeah. Sure. Is something wrong? I didn’t know you were coming down here today.’

‘One of your guests on Scoreline tonight is a new player on my books so I’m here to provide a bit of moral support.’

‘Is that all?’

He fixed her with a look, smiling slightly. ‘Nothing gets past you, does it?’

She turned her attention back to her emails. ‘You’ve heard Jim and I are getting back together, then?’

‘It’s definite?’ He perched himself down on the edge of her desk.

‘Well, we haven’t sent out a press release or done a five-page spread in Hello , but it’s on the cards. Yes.’

‘And you’ve told Ryan?’

‘You know, I’ve told Ryan or you wouldn’t be here.’ She looked up at him again, chewing the end of her pen; a habit she’d never really grown out of. ‘Is he okay?’

‘He’s fine.’

‘Really?’

‘I’m not in the habit of lying to you, Amber. I’ve seen a new side to Ryan Fisher since he became a dad.’

Amber sat forward in her chair, the end of the pen still in her mouth. ‘We haven’t made anything public yet, Max. Me and Jim. We’re still playing it very much by ear, but, I think we’re gonna be okay this time around.’

Max raised a more-than-cynical eyebrow. ‘You think?’

‘I know.’

‘You seem very sure.’

She sat back in her seat, swinging her jean-clad legs up onto the desk. ‘He isn’t the man everyone made him out to be.’

‘Oh yeah? Care to enlighten me?’

‘You’re my agent, Max, not my therapist.’

‘And that’s another reason I’m here. You got time for another photo shoot while you’re down in the capital?’

‘What kind of photo shoot? I’m not doing Ice magazine again. Once was enough.’

‘I’ll be sure to let them know.’

Amber pulled a face, still chewing on the end of her pen.

‘It’s another men’s magazine, though. And before you start, it’s not one of those where they’re asking you to get your tits out.’

‘Such an eloquent way with words you have there.’

‘It’s one of the bigger ones. One of the more classy ones.’

It was Amber’s turn to raise a surprised eyebrow. ‘I’ve just had a baby, Max, so this had better involve me wearing clothes.’

‘Can you do sexy power woman with maybe just a hint of cleavage on show?’

‘Are you kidding me here?’

‘No, I’m being deadly serious.’

She looked at him, narrowing her eyes slightly.

‘They want to do a piece on you and your rise to the top of football broadcasting.’

‘I’m at the top of football broadcasting? Nobody told me.’

‘Do you ever turn that flippancy level down?’

She sat back up, finally removing the pen from her mouth, throwing Max another look.

‘I’ll leave it with you, then,’ he sighed, standing up and slipping his phone into his top jacket pocket. ‘Oh, and Amber?’

‘What?’

‘Think carefully about what you’re doing.’

She knew that sentence was loaded with so many meanings, but she let it go. Of course people were going to question this latest decision of hers to go back to Jim, but did it matter what anyone else really thought? As long as she and Jim were together.

She picked up the pen again and returned it to her mouth, sitting back and staring out around the office she called home at Cloud Sports, grateful it was empty. She was glad of the peace. It wasn’t usually so quiet, but this morning had seen something going down at Endleigh United, one of the big London clubs – the club Jim had managed for all those years before he’d made the decision to move up north and take the manager’s job at Newcastle Red Star. So most of her colleagues had shot off down there to see what was happening. Amber had preferred to make the most of the peace and catch up with any updates via the Cloud Sports News Channel on the large, flat-screen TV on the wall beside her desk. She was due to do a spot of presenting on Cloud Sports News later that afternoon, in between filming a couple more episodes of Back of the Net and preparing for her evening stint on Scoreline . Just thinking about the amount of things she had to fit in before she got the chance to switch off and relax almost made her shudder. But at least being busy kept her mind occupied.

‘What I wouldn’t give to be that pen.’

Her stomach suddenly flipped over and she couldn’t help smiling as she heard his voice behind her, felt his hand on her shoulder, his fingers lightly stroking the back of her neck. She quickly stood up, slipping her arms around his waist, unable to stop herself from kissing his mouth, falling against him as though she hadn’t seen him in months, instead of just a couple of days ago. ‘What are you doing down here, handsome?’

‘It’s a long story.’

Amber frowned. ‘Oh yeah? Well, I’ve got time to listen.’ Sort of. She had a little bit of time, but not all that much. And now he was here she wished she had more.

‘I’ve just come from Parkfield.’ Parkfield Stadium was the home of Endleigh United. But why had Jim been down there? Shouldn’t he have been back in Newcastle, preparing for this weekend’s game? ‘They’ve sacked Ken Hollins. My replacement.’