Liam's gaze met hers. "I promise I can play well with others."
"A new character would be a new marketing and merchandising opportunity." Raymond stuffed his phone away and began typing like mad into his tablet. "The public knows you're hurt, Liam, so we should play that up."
"No offense, Ray, but I'm not injuring myself further."
"Of course not. In the first game, Fin can come out like usual, but with his crutches. Still try to do his stunts, but falls." Pausing, Raymond lifted a brow. "Falls carefully, where your leg won't be compromised. And that's when the new character comes in."
"I've got it," she blurted then patted Liam on the shoulder. "If you want to keep with the shark theme, my character could be a nurse shark. And we can make her like a real nurse, wearing scrubs and a stethoscope. She can come over and reprimand Fin and point him off the field. Then the announcer can say something about how I'll be taking over while Fin recovers."
Liam nodded and a crooked smile lit his face. "Only, Fin isn't following directions. He keeps trying to sneak onto the field during games."
Laughing, she bounced up a few times on the balls of her feet, unable to check her enthusiasm. She shifted closer to him, caught up in the power of his smile and how it deepened when his gaze landed on hers. "I love it. And my character can chase him off and play up her frustration to the crowd. It'll be great."
Raymond nodded, typing faster. "We can do recorded scenes with you two in costume, too. Videos one or two minutes long, showing the nurse shark taking care of Fin, with him doing antics and being a bad patient."
"How will the scenes work if we can't talk while in costume?" Claire turned toward Raymond. She hadn't had that limitation in her college mascot days.
"There'll be music and you'll be able to convey enough with your actions. We'll add in a narrator or subtitles if necessary." Raymond punched a button hard then looked up, a smile curving his thin lips. "We'll film the first few on Monday. I'm thinking we'll broadcast them during the afternoon games while the other team is warming up, maybe in between the top and bottom of the fourth inning. And they'll go up on the website the following day. If this pans out the way I think it could, we'll sell more tickets." He glanced at Claire. "We usually have one afternoon game during the week and it can be tough to fill those seats. This just might do it."
Liam frowned. "How? I mean, I like the idea. I'm all for any way I can still be Fin. But I don't see how this will sell more seats than usual."
Raymond stroked his beard, eyes focused on the stands before his gaze settled on Liam and Claire. "Because it's going to become a romance."
"A what now?" Claire felt heat rush to her cheeks. She spun toward Liam. He stared at Raymond with the same surprise she felt.
"A romance. A few episodes in, Liam will pull out a bouquet of flowers for the nurse shark. After that, we can show their first date. The first kiss. Maybe even a fight, and then how Fin wins her back." He made another note. "Corporate will need to think of a name for the new character."
Her thoughts spun, taking in the news and tossing names around that would go well with Fin. "How about Fiona?"
Liam grinned and nodded, and even Raymond smiled. "Fin and Fiona. I like it."
"It's cute." Slade grinned, looking far too pleased. "The fans will eat it up. Fin and Fiona swimming in the sea..."
"Dude, you're messed up." Liam's laughter rang out and warmth washed over Claire's chest. He looked so happy, the full-on smile reaching his eyes, crinkling them at the corners. His gaze flicked to hers and shifted from friendliness to smoldering. "What do you say, Claire? Want to let the fans watch us reel each other in?"
She groaned at the pun but she wouldn't have any problem showing an attraction to Liam. "How many fish puns do you have?"
Slade rolled his eyes. "Too many. And don't worry, you'll hear them all. He's a born comic."
Raymond motioned toward the dugout. "I have calls to make and meetings to set up to get everyone up to speed on our newest mascot. Claire, let's get you squared away on that paperwork now, and then Liam can show you around while we wait for the costume designer to arrive."
She stepped toward Ray, then glanced back at Liam. "I'll see you soon?"
"I'll hobble my way up to Ray's office in a bit. My assistant here," he grunted when Slade's elbow connected with his stomach, "will make sure I get there. Then we'll strategize about Fin and Fiona's first meeting." He reached toward her and then dropped his hand back to his crutch. "I'm looking forward to working with you."
"Me too. I can imagine this isn't the way you wanted the season to begin, but I promise to do all I can to help you. I think we'll make a great team." Claire waved and followed Raymond through the stadium's maze of hallways. She could provide the antics and stunts that Liam wasn't able to do. And the added story of a romance between the mascots might mean they'd keep her on for more than half the season, maybe even long after Liam healed. The amount they were willing to pay her to essentially have fun didn't hurt either, and would go a long way toward paying off her student loans.
For so long, she'd been the responsible one. She'd never really had the chance to be a kid. Becoming the new mascot might be her last and best shot at being
