“Is that something they would do before you met Tucker?”
“Oh, yeah. All the time.” She holds open the back door for me, and we step outside. “I had to turn down so many guys, even though I needed the money, because they wouldn’t stop hitting on me. There’s only so much shit you can take, you know. The money doesn’t always matter, even though for us it kind of does.”
“Yeah, I get that. Working with the public sucks enough. I couldn’t imagine tutoring dumb jocks. They all think they’re God’s gift to women.”
She laughs and then pats me on the shoulder. “I’ll see you on Friday… if everything goes as planned. Don’t work too hard.”
I shake my head, a smile plastered on my face. “You, too. See ya later.”
By the time I reach the bus stop, Julian is already there, waiting for me. Because why else would he be here?
“This is cute.” I push my hands to my hips, coming to a stop in front of him. “Do you even know how to read a bus schedule?”
He lifts a strand of my hair and twirls it around his long finger. “No, but I know you do.”
“And where are you trying to go, Richie Rich?”
Julian rolls his eyes at my nickname. “Stop calling me that.”
“You’re rich,” I point out.
“No, my father is rich. Big difference.”
“You have a trust fund with your name on it. So, that makes you rich.”
“Whatever,” he huffs. “It’s just money.”
“Just money? I could kick your ass for saying that. You have no idea what it’s like to bust your ass for ten dollars an hour and then have to go to another shitty job that barely pays enough money for you to eat.”
“No, I don’t,” he admits. “And I hate that you have to live this way.”
“Well, thanks for your concern, but that doesn’t change anything.” I attempt to step around him to get closer to the bus stop, and he blocks my path. “Do you mind, Julian? I can’t afford to be late.”
“Let me drive you there,” he offers with a sincere look on his handsome face.
“No, that’s okay. You don’t have to do that.”
He holds up his hands and sighs.
We stand next to each other in silence for a while until I check the time on my phone about to freak the hell out.
“Where is this bus?”
“What’s wrong?” Julian says.
“The bus is fifteen minutes late.”
“Maybe it broke down. Doesn’t that kind of stuff happen all the time?”
What the hell does he know? He’s never taken a bus before.
“Sure. It’s happened to me in the past. But…”
My voice trails off as I think of an alternative. The next bus is an hour from now, which would make me over thirty minutes late. Mrs. Rizzo is a nice old lady, but I don’t want to take advantage. I could call and explain… or I can take Julian up on his offer.
“Is that ride still on the table?”
He smiles down at me. “I thought you’d never ask.”
A few minutes later, a black Escalade appears at the curb in front of us.
“A bit much, don’t you think?” I look up at him, one eyebrow raised. “You couldn’t get us an Uber?”
His nose wrinkles in disgust. “No, why would I do that when I have a driver?”
“You’re such a snob,” I say as I get into the SUV.
He climbs in behind me, his hand dangerously close to my ass. Jerk.
“I’m not a snob,” he says in his defense.
“Not a snob?” I look around at the fancy interior, finding it impossible not to laugh. “Yeah, says the guy who has someone drive him around the city like some spoiled prince.”
“Can we not fight?” He crosses his thick arms over his muscular chest, his eyes fixed on me from the opposite side of the car. “Please.”
“Fine, no fighting. But admit one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“That you’re a snob.”
He narrows his eyes at me and doesn’t respond.
“I’m sure plenty of girls like the whole Chuck Bass thing you’ve got going on here, but I’m not one of them.”
I always compared him to the rich, hot douche from Gossip Girl, because his character was the only real frame of reference I had when it came to rich pricks.
He snorts. “Chuck Bass is a fictional character.”
“He was probably based on you.” I can’t contain my laughter, and surprisingly, Julian laughs along with me.
“I missed this,” he says.
My body stiffens from his confession. “You missed me yelling at you? Maybe you need to get a life.”
“You always called me out on my shit,” he continues. “And you never liked any of this… stuff. None of it ever impressed you.”
“Because I liked you, you idiot.” My tone is cold, devoid of any emotion. “Not your money or any of this crap. I could have cared less if you were a billionaire or had two cents left to your name.”
Now, it’s my confession that causes him to go rigid. I can tell by the look in his eyes that what I said hit him hard. Julian cared about me once. I know he did. And for a split second, his rough exterior fades, allowing me to see the side of him I have also missed. I never understood how two people who were so different could come together as one the way we did. We were perfect together. I felt like he was the missing piece in my life. And when I found him, I latched on too hard. I was too afraid to let him go and that fear killed us. It ruined everything.
Neither of us moves, let alone speaks, for the rest of the ride. When the car stops in front of Rizzo’s Bakery, I’m surprised the locals outside aren’t snapping pictures. This isn’t the kind of neighborhood that sees many fancy cars.
I slide along the bench toward the door. “Thanks for the ride, snob.”
“You’re welcome, brat.”
When I open the door to Rizzo’s Bakery, I find Mrs. Rizzo in the front of the store boxing cookies for a customer. She glances up when she sees me and gives me a soft smile.
“Hey, Mrs. R.” I wave to the older woman who owns the bakery.
“Hello, dear. Do you mind helping Shannon in the back?”
“Of course.” I say hello to the customer and then slip behind the counter and head into the back of the store.
“Hey, Shan,” I say to Shannon Brady.
She sways her hips back and forth as she kneads the dough in her hands, rocking out to the classic rock music cranking through the speaker on her phone. At first, she doesn’t hear me. Not until I wave a hand in front of her face does she look up at me.
“Oh, hey,” Shannon says. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I just got here.” I stuff my bag in between Shannon’s things on the shelf beneath the counter dusted with white powder to keep it from getting covered in flour. “What do you need me to do? Mrs. R said to come back and help you.”
“Grab some dough.” She tips her head at the giant silver bowl on the table between us.
“Can I use the stand mixer or do you want me to do it by hand?”
“Go ahead.” She points at the mixer on the table to my right. “I only do it by hand because it relaxes me. Plus, I feel like there’s so much more love added to the food when it’s done by hand. There’s just something more personal about it, you know.”
Not really, but I bob my head in answer and take a handful of dough. We work for a while, with nothing more than the songs flowing from her phone to fill the void.
After we have enough dough to make a dozen loaves of bread, Shannon says, “I heard you won a date with Julian Rivers. Jamie said Julian went home after the auction and was acting all weird when the guys mentioned it.”
I cock an eyebrow at her. “Julian was talking about me to his friends?”
She nods. “Yeah, they were riding his ass pretty hard about it. They think he rigged the auction, so you would have to go on a date with him. I told Jamie that’s ridiculous.
He could have just asked you out if he wanted to date you again. Right?”
“Well, actually, no.”
She looks confused. “Really? I thought you were in love with him.”
“I was years ago. Not anymore.”
“Oh,” she mutters. “I thought you still liked him. That’s what I told Jamie. Sorry, I hope he didn’t say anything to Julian.”
“That might explain why he showed up at my work today.”
“Crap.” She covers her mouth with her hand, speaking between her fingers. “My bad, girl. I didn’t realize he would start pursuing you again. I thought you still liked him.”
“Because I avoid him?”
“Yeah, I guess. You seem to go out of your way not to be around him, and usually, when people do stuff like that, it’s because they like them.”
“I could never date Julian again. Last time almost killed me.”
That’s not too far from the truth. I was so upset after our breakup, doubting everything and everyone in my life. It almost ruined my friendship with Sadie. I was lucky that she was able to ride the wave of insanity with me. She went to all of my appointments with Dr. Saxon, who talked me through the hard times.
“You took it pretty hard, huh?”
I nod. “You could say that. My life hasn’t been any kind of picnic. I don’t need some rich asshole meddling with my life again.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Shannon says. “But they’re not all like that. Jamie is nothing like what you’d expect from the son of a billionaire.”
“Didn’t his dad grow up like me?”
She nods.
“That’s why. He came from humble beginnings and raised Jamie that way. But guys like Julian don’t know what it’s like to struggle. His idea of a struggle is Gucci running out of his favorite pair of boxer briefs.”
She laughs so hard she snorts.
“Are you coming to Jamie’s game this weekend?”
“I had to move a few things around, but I’ll be there.”
“So will I.”
She glances over at me, one eyebrow raised. “You just said you weren’t going to date Julian.”
“For our auction date, I have to go to his game and the party at his house afterward.”
“Sit with us at the game.”
“I am. Sam already invited me.”
“I like Sam,” she says. “She’s too nice for Tucker if you ask me. I like her a lot. She has some balls on her. Kinda like you.”
I smile at her comment. “How will I find you guys on Friday?”
“Did Julian give you a ticket yet? You need one to get into the game. All of the team tickets are in the same section, on the ice, right behind their bench.”
“Seriously? I have to sit behind their bench?”
“They’re great seats,” she says.
“I’m sure they are.”
“Not a fan of hockey?”
I laugh. “Is it that obvious?”
“You’ll be fine. Just sit with us. Jamie usually has a bunch of drinks and junk food sent over during the game.”
Since they started dating, Jamie has come into the bakery a few times to order obscene amounts of pastries and cakes for the guys in his house. He’s a nice guy and genuine from what I can tell. He drives himself here, unlike someone I know. Not once has Jamie acted like some spoiled, entitled billionaire. I’ve always liked that about him. If only Julian would show me the side to him I know is hiding in there, behind all of the sexy smirks and flashy toys. Maybe one day he will. But that’s a big maybe.
Chapter Seven
Briana
Julian spots me the second I look over at his usual table. He wasn’t there ten minutes ago. I know his schedule well enough to avoid him, so I’m surprised to see him in the cafeteria at this hour. I hold his gaze for a few seconds, hating myself for how much I’m letting him win. It feels like he’s winning, at least.
Since the auction, Julian has randomly appeared everywhere I go. At my work. Outside of my classrooms. Across from me in the cafeteria. Is he following me?
While I can’t say for sure that he’s keeping tabs on me, it seems convenient that he stopped by Broad Street Beans, when he hasn’t come into the shop since we broke up. He just so happened to be there in the nick of time to give me a ride to work. And it’s even more unlikely that he switched his schedule to eat lunch in the cafeteria at the same time as me. For two years, I have managed to dodge him. Now, I can’t seem to get rid of him.
“What is his problem?” I mutter, clutching the spoon in my hand.
Sadie glances over her shoulder at Julian, catching Cole Harker’s attention in the process. He raises his hand, and she waves to him, which he returns. “He likes you, Bri. I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
“Julian’s following me. Anymore, he’s everywhere I go.”
She shrugs and takes a sip from her soda. “I think it’s cute.”
“Stalking isn’t cute,” I shoot back. “It’s a crime.”
She laughs, choking on her soda. “Stop it. You’re overreacting. Julian isn’t stalking you.”
“Did you tell Cole we would be here today?”
She nods.
“And did you happen to tell him which days I work at Broad Street Beans?”
Sadie stuffs her mouth with the last bit of her chicken wrap to avoid my question.
“You did,” I gasp. “Didn’t you?”
She flashes a cheeky smile with her mouth full of food.
“You little bitch. How could you do that?”
I’m annoyed but not mad, and she doesn’t take my words to heart.
Sadie rolls her shoulders, washing down her food with a few more sips of her soda. “I might have mentioned when you work in case Cole wants the best friend discount.”
I snort at her comment. “None of the guys on the hockey team come into Broad Street Beans.”
“That’s because they’re not supposed to drink a lot of caffeine.”
I cock an eyebrow at her. “Why do you know that?”
“You’re not the only one who’s dating an athlete.” Changing the subject, she says, “What are you wearing this weekend?”
“Clothes,” I say with a wicked smile.
She shakes her head, a smirk tugging at her mouth. “You’re such a pain in my ass sometimes. Really, what are you wearing for your date with Julian?”
“Whatever.” I shrug. “It doesn’t matter. Jeans, I guess.”
Her mouth opens in horror. “Are you kidding me, woman? Please, tell me you are. I won’t be home this weekend. Remember I have my cousin’s wedding in The Hamptons.” I nod to acknowledge and she continues, “I’ll give you something to wear. Please don’t wear some ratty shirt and jeans for your date.”
“I still can’t believe you have a legit date with Cole next week.”
“Don’t do that,” she snaps. “Don’t deflect just to avoid talking about Julian.”
“It’s crazy you were able to outbid everyone,” I continue with a goofy look on my face that she frowns at. “Weird, huh? I have to go on a date with Julian, and you have one with your dream man. After all of these years of trying, you somehow manage to outbid every girl on campus.”
For whatever reason, I have this gut feeling that Sadie planned to raise my paddle for me all along. She could have handed it back to me. Instead, she held it in the air, unwilling to lower it until after my number was declared the winner. It was too convenient. And now, she has a date with Julian’s best friend.
Sadie shrugs, unaffected, her eyes pointed at the table across from us to avoid meeting my intense stare. “Luck was finally on my side.”
“But weren’t tons of girls bidding on him?”
“I was very aggressive,” she challenges. “We only have a few months left. I had to win the date.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes, where I finish my food and Sadie casually stares over at Cole, pretending she’s not checking him out. If he were to look over, he’d see
her violating him with her eyes. She licks her lips like she’s starving and can’t wait to sink her teeth into him. She could have talked to him when I was dating Julian, but every time they were in the same room, she would run away, too afraid to hold a conversation with him.
She’s ballsier now, which is probably the reason she won the date this year. But still, I have this odd feeling. Something is off about this situation. Maybe it’s just my paranoia getting the best of me. Dr. Saxon says it’s normal for people who come from my background to have trust issues. And those issues are the cause of most of my problems.
“On a serious note,” Sadie says after a long pause. “We need to discuss your wardrobe choice for this weekend. I won’t be home to pick out your clothes like I normally do.”
“That’s because I hate fashion. Clothes are nothing more than a utility for me.”
Sadie sniffs, pretending as though I hurt her feelings, but her coy smile says otherwise. “You should wear a dress.”
I laugh at her outfit choice. “I’m not a puck bunny. No way in hell will I wear a dress inside a cold rink with a bunch of meathead hockey players around to ogle me. Nope, not happening.”
She frowns. “You’re the hardest person to dress. You never like anything I give you.”
“I love this shirt.” I point at the oversized tee that says I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie with a silly smile plastered on my face. “You gave it to me for Christmas, remember?”
I expect her to at least smile or force one, but Sadie doesn’t look amused.
She groans, and her face scrunches. “Julian is expecting you to go to the party at his house after his game. What are you going to wear to it?”
“Not a dress. Why can’t I wear jeans and a T-shirt to the party?”
Her frown turns into a scowl. “You’re killing me, babe.”
“I’m not Dress-Up Barbie. I can figure out something before I leave for the rink.”
“I wish I didn’t have to go home this weekend.” Sadie sighs. “If my favorite cousin weren’t getting married, I would be your wing-woman at the game and party. I’m afraid you won’t even show if I’m not around.”
“I’m meeting Shannon, Sam, and a few of their friends at the game. So, don’t worry about me. I won’t be alone.”
Most Desirable Player Page 5
