Yeah…my girlfriend. That’s exactly what Brooke is, and it’s something that is actually real between us. At least, in my mind.
Between all the tiptoeing around the actual subject of what we are to each other, and couching our feelings in terms of “let’s have a good time” and “we’ll extend the charade for the benefit of everyone,” I came to one stunning conclusion tonight.
There mere fact that I’m beyond furious at Nanette and I’m heading there right now to deal with her so Brooke doesn’t have to and can get some sleep means that she is without a doubt my girlfriend, and it’s as real as it comes.
My personal interactions with Nanette have been nominal, mostly observations, because Brooke is right, she likes to hear herself talk. Those observations include watching her that first night we met for drinks and the following night when it was just me, Brooke, Dax, and Nanette. We had dinner and drinks, and yeah, Nanette held the spotlight for most of the night. I wasn’t surprised Dax took her home that night, but I knew he would cut her loose very soon. He’s not looking for anything long term, but he’s the type of guy that is monogamous. I know he just wants it to be with someone who is at least pleasant to be around if they’re not fucking.
Once in the car, the first thing I do is call Erik. It’s almost 1 A.M., but I know I’m not waking him up. Not on a Friday night.
When he answers, it’s with a, “What’s up, dude?”
It’s surprisingly quiet in the background, so my question is answered before I have to ask it.
“I was hoping you’d be at the Sneaky Saguaro with Nanette,” I say with frustration.
“Um…yeah…no! That chick is bananas,” he returns in a low voice. “No offense to Brooke, you know.”
“None taken,” I assure him. “Where are you?”
“I’m at this girl’s place I met tonight,” he murmurs, and I can hear the smile on his face. “She’s in her room getting changed into something more comfortable, and we both know what that means.”
With a short chuckle, I reply, “Yeah…know what that means, bud. Have fun.”
“Will do,” he says, and I prepare to hang up, but he asks, “Hey, why are you looking for Nanette?”
“She just called Brooke stating she was broke and needed a ride from the Sneaky Saguaro. She said she wasn’t with you, but I wanted to check and make sure in case she was lying. There’s something off about that woman and I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“She called me yesterday and tried to make plans,” he returns with a slight level of disgust in his voice. “Right on the heels of Dax cutting her loose. Sorry…I don’t do sloppy seconds, but she wouldn’t accept no for an answer. She said that was fine if I didn’t want to go out with her, but she’d love to still hang out with the group. Wanted to know how to get in contact with Legend, but no way was I giving him up. Just a little too stalkerish for me.”
“I hear ya,” I commiserate. “Look, get back to your girl in the comfortable clothes.”
Erik busts out laughing and then we sign off.
Bummer. I’d hoped that he was there and would do me a solid to get her home. It was a long shot, but I didn’t trust what Nanette had said, so it was worth a try.
When I pull into the parking lot of the Sneaky Saguaro, I’m pissed that Nanette isn’t standing outside. With a lot of grumbling and cursing under my breath I park the car and make my way inside to look for her. The place is packed—standing room only—and I know it’s going to be hard to find her. I wind my way through the various seating areas of the main floor before moving up to the second. I canvas almost the entire area when I finally spot her.
Dancing on top of a table surrounded by men.
Actually, by a few of the Vengeance rookies, I note: Vance Gather, Derek Kemper, and Guy Demere. I don’t think any of the three are over twenty-one, but that won’t stop them from drinking. Either they’ve got fake ID’s or the management here is serving them anyway because it’s good business to have professional hockey players hang out at your establishment.
When I reach the table, I get fist a fist bump greeting from Derek, but before I can say a word to the other guys, Nanette sees me. She’s wearing a short cherry-red form-fitting dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. Her eyes, glazed with alcohol, light up when she sees me and she holds her hand out to me as she yells, “Yay…Bishop is here! Come up and dance with me.”
I ignore her and turn to Vance, who’s looking at me in shock that I know the girl on the table. “How long she been like this?”
“We just got here, man,” he says as his eyes go from me to Nanette and back to me again. “You know her?”
His tone is slightly condemning, and that actually amuses me and makes me respect him at the same time. He knows I’m dating Brooke, the coach’s daughter, and he’s suspicious I’m stepping out on her. Nanette goes back to dancing, ignoring us all now. She has a beer in one hand and her hair fisted in her other to hold it on top of her head while she rotates her hips lewdly.
“She’s Brooke’s friend, just visiting. She just called us to come pick her up.”
Vance nods in understanding. “Like I said…just got here. Said she’d give us a table dance if we bought her a beer, and well, wasn’t going to say no to that.”
Not sure quite what the look on my face says, but Vance can see I’m not happy about the situation. “But she seems really cool, man.”
I know he offers this only because he doesn’t know the nature of Nanette’s relationship with me or Brooke. So I clue him in. “Yeah…she’s really not, so you’re going to thank me for taking her off your hands.”
Turning my attention back to Nanette, I yell at her to be heard above the music and din of bar chatter. “Nanette…let’s go.”
She either doesn’t hear me, is too drunk to understand, or is ignoring me. She keeps dancing, looking out around the bar to see if anyone is watching her in return.
“Fuck,” I mutter before reaching up to grab the beer out of her hand. I hand it off to Vance.
That gets her attention and she turns angry eyes at me. “Hey…What the hell, Bishop?”
“Get down and let’s go,” I say to her, holding my hand out so she can step from tabletop to chair to floor. She glares at me a moment, dropping her fistful of hair.
Then she appraises the situation, which tells me she’s not as drunk as I’d thought. There’s a flash of something calculating in her eyes, and then she’s flinging herself at me. She actually just sort of drops from the table, assuming I’ll catch her, which I do. She’s in my arms no more than a few seconds before I’m dumping her on her feet.
She sways a bit and throws her arms around my neck. “Oh come on, Bishop…let’s dance. Why do you have to be such a drag all the time?”
Reaching back, I lock my hands around her wrists and peel her arms off me. I hold them tightly in front of her body while she smirks at me. “I am not here to dance with you, drink with you, or even talk to you. I’m picking you up for Brooke because you rudely called her and demanded it. Now grab your purse and let’s go.”
Her face sours and her lips press into an ugly flat line. She jerks her wrists from me and waves one hand toward Vance, Derek, and Guy, who are standing there watching this unfold with their eyes bugging out. “I’ve got new friends. I’m going to stay out for a while.”
She turns and gives a sexy pout to the guys. Vance immediately takes two steps back, hands held in front of him. “Sorry, but we have plans to be elsewhere and have to go.”
Vance shoots me a quick look as if to ask if that’s the right thing. I give him a curt nod, because I don’t want any more of the Vengeance tied up with this woman. They turn and start to walk away, but I call out, “Hey.”
Three heads turn to look at me over their shoulders. “I don’t care that you’re underage drinking. Just be smart and carefu
l, okay?”
“Got it, Bishop,” Guy says, answering for the other two, who are merely nodding.
“Have fun,” I tell them before bringing my gaze back to Nanette. She’s now standing with her arms crossed over her chest and one hip jutted out, still glaring at me.
“Let’s go,” I say as I turn to the side and motion her to precede.
“Fine,” she snaps, and grabs her purse from one of the chairs. She stomps past me, pushing her way roughly through the crowd. With a sigh, I follow her.
Nanette gives me five minutes of blessed silence on the ride to Brooke’s house before she starts talking. She turns slightly in her seat to face me, her range of motion limited by the seat belt. “Why are you such a downer tonight?”
This comes out as a bit of a whine, which causes me to grit my teeth.
“Not a downer,” I say neutrally without taking my eyes off the road. “Just tired and a little bent out of shape I had to come get you.”
She doesn’t respond at first, which makes me think she’s calculating something. I feel her fingertips on my shoulder, then she shifts in her seat and slides her hand behind my neck. In a throaty voice, she purrs, “I could show you some fun tonight, Bishop.”
Keeping one hand on the wheel, I use my other to pull her hand off me and push it back to her side of the car, gently but firmly. It’s my voice that bears the true message. “Don’t put your hands on me again, Nanette. It’s not wanted and won’t ever be returned.”
“Fine,” she grumbles, and slumps down in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest again.
I have no clue if she’s drunk or not, but her words aren’t slurred and she walked okay out of the bar. But while I have a captive audience, I figure I’ll go ahead and delve. “I heard you have a job interview with the Vengeance organization next week.”
“Yup.” I glance over at her to see her examining her nails on one hand.
“What’s that all about?” I ask. “Why do you want to get a job here in Phoenix?”
She shrugs. “Why not? This seems like a nice place, and once again, Brooke has the perfect life here, so why can’t I?”
“What does Brooke have to do with it?”
“Look,” she says, turning to face me. I spare her a brief glance to let her know I’m listening, before putting my attention back to the road. “I’m just at a good point in my life that I could make a career change. I came here to check the area out. Then Sebastian told me about the job, so I thought, why not?”
“Nothing wrong with that,” I say neutrally. I don’t mention that Brooke was hoping to move into merchandising. She had not told Nanette about that, so I wasn’t about to. “But can I give you some advice?”
She gives a sigh. “Sure. Go for it.”
“Be a little bit of a better guest to Brooke,” I tell her bluntly, shooting her a look that locks in place for just a moment.
“What do you mean?” she asks, and to her credit, she sounds dumbfounded.
I know I can’t change her personality. Someone so stuck on herself is not going to miraculously become humble. But I can plant a seed. “Just…try to be more aware. Help out around the house. Be gracious to Brooke. Don’t call her in the middle of the night because you’re broke and need a ride.”
I brace and wait for anger. I get curiosity instead. “Why do you care? What you have with her is a sham. It’s not real.”
I laugh and turn to look at Nanette. “Now that’s where you’re very wrong.”
“Really?” she asks in a skeptical voice.
“Really.”
Chapter 21
Brooke
I pull the rest of the bacon off the griddle, sliding it onto a plate lined with paper towels. I cooked an entire package this morning because I don’t know how much Bishop will actually eat on game day, but I didn’t want to underestimate. I won’t start the eggs until he gets up, which should be soon. He’d set the alarm last night for 8 A.M. because he has a morning skate at ten. Then it’s off to rest until he has to get to the arena for the game tonight.
The sound of creaking on the floorboards causes me to turn that way, ready to level a smile at him. Instead it’s Nanette padding through the living room and heading into the kitchen. She’s holding her hand to one side of her head and I’m guessing she’s nursing a nice hangover. She’s wearing a bathrobe, but I’m thankful it’s one of those big, fluffy ones that covers her almost neck to toe.
“Hey,” she says in a hoarse voice as she enters the kitchen.
“Hey,” I say cautiously. “Want some coffee?”
“I can get it,” she says with a wan smile, and rounds the kitchen island to help herself.
I turn to the toaster and load it up with bread. “Would you like some breakfast? Bacon’s done and I can whip you up some eggs.”
“No, thank you,” she says, and the politeness actually causes me to turn and look at her. She’s leaning back against the counter, sipping a cup of coffee. She lowers the mug and admits, “My stomach’s not feeling that great. Way too much alcohol last night.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “Want some ginger ale or something?”
She shakes her head. “I’m good. But I can totally help you make breakfast if you want.”
“I’ve got it covered.” I smile to her and turn back to the toaster.
“I’ll help with the kitchen after,” she says, and it’s a good thing I’m not facing her or else she’d see the shock she’d just given me by the offer to help. Apparently, Bishop’s words must have made an impact on her last night.
I was awake when they got home. I stayed in the bedroom listening as the front door opened. No conversation and two sets of footsteps heading to the bedrooms. Bishop opened my bedroom door and closed it again, looking dismayed to see me awake with the bedside lamp on.
“Thought you were supposed to go to sleep,” he chided before stripping to his briefs and sliding into bed next to me. He then told me how everything went down with Nanette, including the way she came on to him. He’d also told her to just be a better guest, and apparently she remembered that.
“Hey, Brooke,” Nanette says softly to get my attention, and I turn to face, her eyebrows raised in question. She looks to the side a moment, screwing her face in what I think might be courage, and then starts to just gush as her eyes come back to me. “I’m really sorry about last night. Calling you like that. I wasn’t broke. I just wanted you to come out and have fun with me. I was lonely, and I never expected Bishop to show up. And I’m really sorry I’ve been a bitch and a bad houseguest. I’ve always been a little bit of a slob, but this is your house I’ve been disrespecting and you’ve been nothing but kind. So please…forgive me for being a total bitch. I’m really, really sorry.”
Luckily, Nanette doesn’t see my jaw drop wide open in surprise as Bishop enters the kitchen and catches her attention. He catches my attention too, because he looks amazing just freshly out of bed. He’s got on a pair of workout shorts, a Vengeance T-shirt, and running shoes. His legs are strong and tanned and sexy as hell. He’s wearing a baseball cap turned backward, but by the bright green and navy trim on the edges, I’m sure it’s got the Vengeance logo on the other side.
Bishop gives Nanette a tight smile and then moves my way. He steps behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and drawing me back into him. He bends, kisses me on the neck, and says in a voice that has my toes curling, “Good morning, sexy.”
Nanette turns away quickly to give us privacy. I wonder if that’s genuine, given she blatantly came on to my boyfriend last night. She can blame the alcohol for sure, but in her long-winded apology just now, I note she didn’t apologize for that.
“Want some breakfast?” I ask Bishop, feeling slightly woozy from his attention. It’s been a long damn time since someone has wrapped me up in their arms so affectionately and for no appar
ent reason other than to say good morning in the sweetest of ways. A genuinely painful cramp of longing hits me square in the chest, not that I could have something like that on a more regular basis, but for it to be real with Bishop.
In all the ways I thought this stupid idea of trying to pull off a fake relationship to appease my father would go, I never thought it would be me falling for Bishop. For God’s sake, I’d sought out a one-night stand, feeling that the only time I had in my life right at the moment was to settle into my new career and watch over my father as he embarked on his. I know they say love and romance hit you when you’re least expecting it, but I can tell you it knocked into me with the force of a hurricane, because I truly, honest to God, deep down in my heart, wasn’t looking for this with him.
“I’ve got time for a quick bite,” he says just as the toast pops up. “What do you need me to do?”
“Get yourself some coffee,” I instruct him as I pull out of his arms. I start to slather some butter on the toast before stacking it on a plate. “It will only take me a moment to do the eggs.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Bishop skirts around Nanette, who watches all of this silently. Bishop doesn’t say a word to her as he makes his coffee from the Keurig.
“Nanette,” I say to get her attention. “Sure you don’t want some eggs?”
She shakes her head, then winces as if it caused her physical pain. Pressing two fingers to her temple, she asks me, “Are we good, though? About what we just talked about?”
Well, we didn’t really talk. She talked, I listened. But I have to give her some credit. She apologized for several things, and I know that took something for her to do. So I give her a bright, genuine smile. “We’re absolutely good.”
“Oh thank God,” she gushes with a relieved look on her face. She walks to me and gives me a hard hug. “I was afraid you were going to toss me out today. I really don’t want to be a bother, but do you think I could just stay through next week? I’ve got that job interview with Sebastian, and, well…if that doesn’t pan out, I thought I’d put in some other applications just to see what’s available. I’ll even pay you rent.”
Bishop Page 14
