“Do you need me to write a statement for you or something?”
Please say yes. I can’t be doing interviews or any of the other stuff that usually follows a scandal. I want to do my job, keep my head down, and live a quiet, private life out of the limelight.
Carteristhe limelight.
“I’m hoping it won’t come to that.” I sit in silence, unsure what he means by that, but hating it all the same. “The favour I’m asking for is a bit bigger.”
My brows shoot up. “Bigger?”
“Like…monumentally bigger.”
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. How can a man I don’t even know cause me such intense headaches two out of the three times I’ve interacted with him?
“Would you… I don’t know, go along with what I said in that press conference for a bit?”
I bark out a laugh. The man has got jokes.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t laugh with me. That sobers me up pretty quickly.
“Wait, you’re serious?”
“You think I would have called you up and done this as a joke?” he asks.
“Absolutely not.” Like, never in one billion years am Iannouncing I’m Carter Forkerro’s girlfriend to the public. I’m not playing the part of his arm-candy, even if it’s just for one moment, one photo, or one statement. Never. It’s not happening.
“Arden.”
“Nope.”
“Just for a few weeks. A few months, tops.” He’s begging, and as powerful as I feel having this man plead with me to help him, it isn’t enough to change my mind.
A few weeks? Months?He’s insane. I’m booking him in for a head CT.
“No.”
“You can come to my games. I will take you to all of the dinners and events that you want, if that’s what you like to do. The worst case scenario is you leave this with a new friend.”
Except that isnotthe worst case scenario here, and him thinking that shows he has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about. There are one million moreworsescenarios than that worst case scenario.
“I hate hockey and I hate dinner.”
“You hate dinner?” he asks slowly.
Now I do. “Yep.”
“We’ll revisit the hockey thing later.”
“It’s not happening.”
“Dinner?”he barks out.
“Plus, I don’t need any new friends.”
“How do youhate dinner?”
“Carter,” I cut him off, letting out a frustrated breath. “If they need a statement, I’ll give them a statement, alright? I don’t think knocking that guy’s teeth out was the right way to handle that, but I don’t blame you for doing it. I’m grateful that you stepped in for me.”
All he does is grunt in response to that.
