AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"YourWin a Datedebacle just got worse."
"How could it possibly get any worse?" I ask, truly baffled. There is video of me throwing up on the poor girl's shoes and getting hit in the dick. As far as barrels go, that's pretty much the bottom. There's no way it can get worse.
"Rhonda agreed to an exclusive interview with TMZ."
And I was wrong. It just got worse.
"Fuck me." I hang my head, frustration coursing through me. God only knows what she's going to say after Cal released thevideo and humiliated her. When I tried to call her to make amends right after it happened, she said she never wanted to speak to me again. She's livid, and I don't blame her.
"Maybe it won't be so bad," Kelsey says.
I snort.
"We'll handle it, Gray. Whatever she says, we'll handle it."
"Camila spent the night with me," I say, my voice soft. Worry is a corrosive acid in my stomach, eating through the lining. "Her sister died because of an asshole athlete. How do you think she's going to handle it if Rhonda tells the world I was inappropriate? Or that we fucked?"
"You didn't sleep with her, Gray. You didn't do anything wrong."
"I know that, but the rest of the world doesn't. All they saw was her on her knees in an elevator, and then the fallout. She can go on camera and say whatever she wants to say. Right now, they'll believe her. And there isn't a goddamn thing I can do about it," I mutter. "If Camila believes her…. Fuck, Kelsey. What am I supposed to do if Camila believes I slept with her?"
She's already afraid to tell her mom and Adrian about me. This isn't going to help. If anything, it's liable to convince her to wash her hands of me as a client and a boyfriend. I'll lose her, and there's not a fucking thing I can do to stop it.
"Gray," Kelsey whispers into the phone. "Are you…are you in love with Camila?"
"I think I fell in love with her the minute you introduced her," I say.
"Oh, wow." Kelsey gets quiet for a minute and then she sighs. "You need to tell her what's going on. Blindsiding her with the interview won't go over well."
"Yeah, I know."
"And then we need to figure out how we're going to respond to whatever Rhonda has to say," Kelsey says. "If we need to dodamage control, we need to start thinking about how. If you outright deny whatever she says, it may backfire and make you look like you're trying to hide something. Camila can help us figure out a gameplan."
"I'll tell her," I say. It's not like I have another choice. I'm not going to lose her by lying to her and hoping she doesn't find out. She'll never trust me then, and I need her trust. It's a helluva lot more important to me than whatever Rhonda has to say. I'll walk away from hockey before I lose Camila over some bullshit rumors.
"Everything is going to be fine," Kelsey says, but I'm not even sure if she believes it or if she's just trying to make me feel better. "We'll sort this out and everything will be fine."
"I'm going to wake Camila up," I say.
"Okay." Kelsey pauses. "I'm so sorry, Gray. Had I knownWin a Datewould get this messed up for you, I wouldn't have suggested it."
Blaming her would be easy, but it wouldn't be fair. This isn't her fault. Her idea is raising millions for charity and increasing home-game attendance. She didn't know my date was going to try to blow me in an elevator. She didn't know Cal Hopkins was a bastard. And I can't blame her for the fact that Rhonda is angry that she was publicly humiliated by a member of my team. I'm the one who hired Cal. That's on me.
"It's not your fault, Kelsey."
"I feel like it is," she mutters.
"It's not all bad. If I hadn't gone on that date, Cal would still be my publicist. I never would have met Camila. She wouldn't be sleeping in my bed right now," I say, letting her off the hook. "If I have to take the bad with the good to end up with her, then it's worth it."
"Oh, wow," she whispers. "You really do care about her."
"Yeah, I do."
"I'm happy for you, Gray. For both of you. Call me after you guys talk, okay?"
"I will. Thanks for the heads up." I disconnect and then stand there for a long moment, worried as fuck about what's going to happen next. I don't care what Rhonda says about me. Truthfully, I wouldn't blame her if she decided to ruin me over what happened. It's my fault she was publicly humiliated. But I can't lose Camila, and I'm terrified this is going to send her running for the hills.
I only just found her, but I already know I won't survive losing her. She's mine, the woman I've spent my entire life waiting to find. I knew she was out there somewhere, waiting for me too. Now that we've found one another, watching her walk out of my life will destroy me.
