Instead, I get two texts and silence.
Same as always. He never lets himself take things to the next level. Must be an occupational hazard.
I pull into my building’s garage, kill the engine, and trudge toward the elevator.
Noah was tense tonight when I saw him. Distracted. Something was bothering him, and he wouldn’t tell me what.
Squaring my shoulders, I know why. We’re not friends. We’re not anything beyond PR director and player.
No matter how much I want that to change.
CHAPTER 12
NOAH
I thoughtwhen I left Chicago, I’d left my past buried there, too.
Turns out, your worst decisions always rear their ugly heads, even if you’re thousands of miles away.
Hey Noah. Heard you’re in Oakland now. We should catch up.
I stare at the screen, and my stomach drops.
Alex Naylor. Sports journalist. The guy I dated for eight months a few years ago. The guy who taught me never to mix my personal and professional lives.
The guy I hoped I’d never hear from again.
I don’t respond and just delete the text. I try to push it out of my mind, but my phone buzzes again an hour later.
Come on. It’s been three years. Can’t we be adults about this?
Then another.
I’m in town covering a story. Let’s grab coffee tomorrow.
And another.
I know you’re seeing these. Don’t ignore me, Noah.
I sit on my couch in the dark, a glass of whiskey in hand, trying to figure out how to make this go away.
Alex doesn’t take no for an answer. He’s a persistent bastard.If I ignore him, he’ll show up at the arena. He’ll start asking questions. He’ll dig until he finds something and then he’ll use his poison pen to create a story. Just like he did in Chicago.
And the last thing I need is Alex Naylor anywhere near my team.
Gritting my teeth, I stab his number into my phone and wait.
“Noah. Knew you’d come around.” He sounds pleased with himself when he answers. Like he broke me.Again.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“I want to see you, just like I said in my texts. It’s been a long time.”
“Not long enough,” I say in a terse voice.
“Come on,” he says. “I’ve changed. Give me a chance to prove it to you. Just meet me for coffee.”
“I don’t really care if you’ve changed, Alex. You’re not my problem anymore.”
