I rolled my eyes. “I’m just trying to understand him before I get the interview.”
She nodded toward the screen. “Becca, this is huge.”
I exhaled slowly while staring up at the ceiling. “I know.”
It also had the potential to be a disaster, but I kept that thought to myself.
“Why do you not look excited about this?”
“It’s not exactly what I thought I’d be doing,” I said. “But I know Daphene believes in me, so I’m trying to make the most of it.”
“I know this seems like a step sideways, but I think she’s trying to help you.”
I nodded. “I’m trying to treat this as an opportunity and go along with it.”
She set her coffee on the table. “Just be careful. I’ve seen this play out a thousand times. Girl thinks she is immune to his charms. Athlete smiles. Next thing you know, someone catches feelings and things get messy.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You think I’m that easily swayed?”
“I’ve been working in PR long enough to smell trouble before it even starts.”
She wasn’t wrong; she could write a book on crisis control. We often joked that it was my job to spin the narrative and hers to cover it up.
“Ember, there isn’t a chance of that happening.”
She pointed to my laptop. “How are you not supposed to catch feelings for a man who looks like that and brings presents to sick children?”
Heat flooded my cheeks. I knew where she was going with this, but I was too stubborn to admit it.
“By staying professional.”
She grinned. “You’re going to be spending a lot of time with him.”
I leaned back and folded my arms. “I’m a journalist, not a member of his fan club.”
She smiled as if she didn’t believe me. “Famous last words.” She checked her watch and stood up. “I need to run, but remember what I said about things getting messy. You are too good at what you do and have worked hard to get to where you are. Don’t let some athlete who is easy on the eyes destroy your reputation.”
“Have a good day, Ember,” I said, ignoring her warning.
“You too.” She smiled and gathered her things. “One more thing. You might want to open a few more tabs. Those photos are starting to look more like your screensaver than research.”
I watched her walk out the door, still grinning like she knew something I didn’t.
Once she left, I started organizing my notes with Nate’s face on the screen staring back at me. I tried to shake off her words, but they continued to echo in my head.
Maybe there was more to him than meets the eye. Because this was the first time, I started to wonder if I was wrong about him. And despite my better judgment, I wanted to be the one to find out.
CHAPTER 4
NATE
Madden nightat Jax’s house was always the same. Coffee table covered with pizza boxes, wings coated in way too much buffalo sauce, and Jax aggressively clicking the buttons on his controller, as if that could somehow stop me from scoring.
I was up by six points when he slammed his Xbox controller into the couch like a toddler having a temper tantrum.
“That’s fucking bullshit,” he said, pointing at the screen. “I swear to God, the game is rigged.”
I didn’t even glance up. “You say that about every game.”
