The Right Swipe

by Amanda Horton

  Veronica leaned over and then took the magazine from his hands, looking at the picture of herself and Joel walking out of the locker room. NFL Star Joel Marketis Finds True Love was the caption, and then there was a wholly falsified story about how she and Derick met and their beautiful life together. The Duets app was mentioned several times and Veronica felt her anger spike.

  “You had a photographer following us?” she asked Joel.

  He shook his head, “No, I didn’t arrange for those pictures to be taken.” He turned and looked at Derick, “Did you have anything to do with this?”

  “No. What are you two so upset about? Publicity is a good thing.”

  Joel ignored him and watched her carefully. “Veronica, there are always photographers hanging around the stadium. Someone must have taken this picture and then saw the billboard and put two and two together.”

  “And I got the extra publicity for free.”

  Veronica looked at Derick as his words registered and then looked to Joel for answers. “What’s he talking about?”

  “He’s talking about the endorsement fee I was paid for the billboard ads,” Joel told her. “A while back, Derick asked if he could use my picture on some of his advertising and told me I’d have to actually become a member so that it didn’t look weird if anyone started asking questions.”

  “So, you didn’t want to sign up for the online app?” she asked.

  “Not really. I didn’t think they worked, but then I received your profile, and it said we were 98% compatible. You contacted me, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “You can thank me for helping him try out a dating app! In fact, I’m thinking that maybe we should keep having pictures of you two show…”

  “Shut up, Derick,” Joel hissed, watching Veronica carefully.

  Veronica was furious. She looked between Derick, who seemed to be oblivious to her anger, and Joel, who was looking very uncomfortable. She opened her mouth to lambast him, but then took in their surroundings and decided against it. Shoving her chair back, she stood up and directed her comments to Derick.

  “I’m afraid I can’t stay for dinner. Excuse me.”

  She walked away from the booth with Joel calling after her.

  “Veronica? Wait. Where are you going?” he caught up to her and directed her into a small serving alcove, away from the staring eyes of the other patrons.

  “Get out of my way, Joel. I never…I can’t believe…just leave me alone.” She tried to shove past him, but he blocked her path.

  “What the hell, Veronica. So, I got paid to do a little advertising, and I joined the app just like everyone else…”

  “No, not like everyone else,” she fired back in a harsh whisper. “I need to get out of here.” She shoved past him and made it outside before he caught her again, grabbing her hand and pulling her to a stop to the left side of the restaurant’s doors.

  “Damn it, stop walking away and talk to me. What are you so upset about?”

  “I have every right to be upset. I feel used, Joel. How do I know your buddy in there didn’t set this whole thing up as another publicity stunt? How do you know he didn’t orchestrate our being matched together and stick that photographer on us?”

  “It’s wasn’t…it’s not like that. I promise you, Derick had nothing to do with you and I being matched.”

  “And that’s where I can’t believe you. I thought you were different. I was beginning to think that maybe online dating apps weren’t a playground for playboys and predators.”

  She turned and started walking again. He followed her and then called out, “Veronica, you can’t walk back to your car. It’s dark.”

  “I can see that,” she called back over her shoulder. He started to follow her again, and she called out again, “Don’t follow me.”

  She was both relieved and hurt when his footsteps stopped, leaving her to walk back on her own. The streets still had plenty of people on them, so she wasn’t concerned for her safety. No, she was hurt, and she was angry. She’d known there might come a time when Joel’s popularity got in the way but knowing that someone had been following them around and watching them…she couldn’t stop wondering if Joel had known all along.

  She didn’t cry, but instead, held onto her anger, keeping the wound from gaping wide open and consuming her. She’d thought Joel was different, and she’d allowed herself to become vulnerable by falling head over heels in love with the man. Knowing that it might have all been a ruse hurt. Deeply.

  *****

  Back inside the restaurant, Joel found Derick still sitting in the booth, calmly eating his salad. Derick looked up when he approached and asked, “Couldn’t convince her to come back inside, huh?”

  Joel clenched his fists and then picked up the magazine and tossed in Derick’s lap. “How dare you!”

  Derick picked up the magazine and laid it to the side and then picked up his fork and resumed eating. “I didn’t take those pictures. What are you so upset with me about?”

  “I’m upset that you don’t get it. I told you I didn’t want my personal life dragged into the ads and such.”

  “And I adhered to your wishes,” Derick told him calmly. “But this magazine, well, that’s a game-changer. You and your love life are hot news right now so why shouldn’t I capitalize on it?”

  Joel shook his head and asked in disbelief, “You really don’t get it, do you?” Joel sighed and then told him, “I’m sorry I ever let you talk me into this mess.”

  Joel turned and walked away, disgusted and cheated by the man he’d considered a friend. Derick was only out for Derick and his own business. If others got stomped on in the process, Derick didn’t care. Joel had never acted so callously, and because he’d allowed himself to get involved with Derick and now the paparazzi were involved, he’d allowed the one person he cared deeply for to get hurt. He could only hope that after Veronica calmed down, she’d see that he had nothing to do with the magazine and be willing to give them another chance.

  Chapter 15

  The next day…

  Joel was still stinging from Veronica’s abrupt departure the night before. After watching her walk away, he’d tried texting her, but she’d refused to answer. He’d gone back inside, and after having it out with Derick, he’d gone home and stared at his phone. Just before midnight, she finally texted him.

  V: I’m home.

  J: Can we talk for a bit?

  V: There’s nothing to say.

  J: Yes, there’s plenty to say.

  He waited for several minutes, but she didn’t respond. He tried again.

  J: Talk to me, please. I know you didn’t like seeing that picture in the magazine. I didn’t either.

  J: Veronica?

  After several more minutes, he’d realized that he was wasting his time. He spent half the night trying to produce some reason for her to have reacted so strongly to finding out he’d taken money for the use of his picture, but he couldn’t really come up with anything. Paid sponsorships went with being a professional athlete, and he thought she’d understood that.

  The next day, he had a meeting with the board of directors for the children’s center. It had been a bittersweet moment, knowing that he could now pay for whatever was needed at the center, but also knowing that the money was what had sent Veronica off in a huff.

  Today, however, he wasn’t thinking about Veronica. He was entirely focused on creating a plan with the board of directors, along with the executive team of people who kept the center going, to provide a nurturing and educational environment for the kids living at the center. The meeting was scheduled for eleven o’clock and around 10:30, he’d received notification from the security guard down front that Giselle was here to see him.

  He’d allowed her to come upstairs and accepted her offer to ride together to the meeting. Giselle was one of the most skilled women architects in the city and had been helping with the center for as long as he’d been involved.

  “What you’re
doing for those kids is pretty special,” she told him as they rode the elevator down to her little sports car. “Let’s take my car since it’s already parked out front.”

  “Illegally, I might add,” Joel told her with a half-grin as he nodded a greeting to the security guard. “Why didn’t you just use the parking garage?”

  “I knew I wasn’t going to be here very long. This was faster.”

  “Got it,” Joel nodded. “Did you get the design suggestions I sent you?”

  “I did, and with just a few modifications, I think they’ll work just fine. We might also be able to save some money, but I need to talk to Jim and his wife. I figure he’d be the best person to look at what I’ve come up with and see if it’ll work.”

  “Good idea. Jim’s a miracle worker and a pro at setting things up to be multi-faceted.”

  “So, how much money do we actually have to work with this time around?” Giselle asked him as they got out at the center and headed indoors.

  “A million dollars. That should make a huge dent, don’t you think?”

  “If we’re careful, it should fund all of the improvements and then some.”

  “That’s what I like to hear,” he told her as he opened the door and let her precede him into the building. They were in the administration part of the center, and he led her to the boardroom where everyone else was already gathered.

  “Morning, folks. If we could all get seated and begin?” he stepped to the front of the room. “Our meeting this morning is about the future of the center. As I’m sure you’ve read in my e-mail, we need to make some improvements around here. We now have a million dollars at our disposable with which to make these changes and expand the programs currently being offered.”

  Nods of approval moved around the table, and Joel smiled. “Giselle is here, and I’ve asked her to do some preliminary drawings. I’m going to turn the meeting over to her and please, feel free to ask any questions that come to your mind. I want this to be more of a brainstorming, roundtable meeting. Together, we’re going to give these kids what they need and then some.”

  He nodded to Giselle and then took a seat off to the side as she stood up and walked to the front of the room. She did a good job of explaining what could and couldn’t be done, answering questions, and getting feedback on various ideas as the meeting progressed. Two hours later, a preliminary plan forward had been reached that met everyone’s approval and was likely to gain approval from the city planning commission and the Department of Child Welfare.

  Joel was well-pleased and got into Giselle’s little sports car with a satisfied smile on his lips. The only cloud on his horizon was Veronica, but he was hoping he could talk to her later in the evening and get things settled between them. He cared too much for her just to let whatever was bothering her destroy what they had. He wanted a resolution.

  He texted her a dinner invitation –

  J: Dinner tonight? We need to talk.

  V: I’m having dinner with Steph tonight. It was planned weeks ago.

  J: Why don’t you come over after you get finished?

  “So, I was thinking…Joel, you’re not listening to a word I’ve said,” Giselle complained.

  Joel glanced up from his phone and shook his head. “Give me a minute.”

  V: It will be late, and I have to work early tomorrow morning.

  J: I want to see you.

  “I feel like I’m talking to myself,” Giselle told him. “Who are you texting, anyway?”

  Joel sighed and looked up again. “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “I was giving you a few suggestions about the children’s center, but obviously your mind is elsewhere.”

  “Yeah, it is,” Joel told her. His phone beeped as another message came in, and he looked down.

  V: Sorry, maybe tomorrow.

  That was not the answer he was hoping for, but he consoled himself with the knowledge that she was talking to him again. That had to mean something positive for their future together. Deciding to end on a positive note, he sent her one final message:

  J: Have a good time tonight, and sleep well. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

  He waited for a reply, but when it didn’t immediately come, he pocketed his phone and settled in for the rest of the ride home. They reached his apartment, and Giselle once again parked illegally. As he started to get out of the vehicle, she reached out a hand and stopped him. “Hey, what about dinner this evening?”

  Joel looked at her and gave her a soft smile. “Giselle, I can’t. That woman I was with when you dropped the keys off is my girlfriend. She’s special, and I won’t risk jeopardizing it.”

  “Ah. I wondered. You looked pissed off to see me that night.”

  “I don’t want anything to screw this up. I care for her.”

  “I can see that. So, you probably want the other key to your apartment back, huh?”

  Joel smirked and nodded. “Yeah. I noticed you only gave me back one of the keys.”

  Giselle smiled and removed the key from her glove box and handed it to him. “I wish you all the best, Joel. You deserve it.”

  “As do you. Thanks for the ride and your work at the center.”

  “No thanks necessary for either. See you around.” He headed up to his apartment and settled in to watch some football games that he’d recorded. There was another big game on the horizon, and with everything else going on, he’d not spent enough time studying the opponent. The Patriots needed this next win and Joel wanted to be prepared.

  Chapter 16

  Veronica was having a hard time focusing on anything besides the online dating apps and the disaster that she now filed Joel under. The tears had finally come in the wee hours of the morning, but after crying for a long time, she’d gotten in the shower, determined to use this experience as the impetus to finally make a difference for men and women all across the United States.

  Joel and Derick had used her. This was the perfect example of how someone could meet people through the dating app, but their profile and who they really are completely different. She knew what Derick had gained from using her and Joel – yes, she could admit that Joel had been used as well, but he hadn’t seemed to mind. Derick got publicity for his dating app that he wouldn’t have been able to buy.

  Joel, on the other hand, had gotten some sex and a little bit of cash. He’d gotten some publicity as well, which wasn't uncommon as Joel was always getting his name and picture in the papers and news rags. It went with being a professional athlete. However, he'd never been seen with someone he was presented as being in love with. Just models. She was sure being seen to be in love would be good for his image.

  Her phone chimed, and she read Joel’s text messages. She really wasn’t interested in talking to him and finally just told him to contact her tomorrow.

  She swiped her phone off so that she wouldn’t be tempted to continue texting with him. Right now, she felt used and was still trying to figure out what to do next.

  She pushed aside her other projects and began writing down her thoughts and everything that had transpired since she’d first submitted her application for membership to Duets. It read like a soap opera as she put it all down on paper. When she got to the part about Giselle, she realized she’d wanted so badly to be able to trust Joel, that she’d believed what he’d told her and had ignored the little questions about why the woman still had a key, forcing them to the back of her mind.

  By the time she was finished writing everything down, she had several pages of notes. Needing a little guidance, she headed to the senator’s office.

  “Sir, do you have a moment?”

  “Of course. Come on in, Veronica.”

  “Sir, could you read something and give me your honest opinion of it?”

  “Certainly. Have a seat.”

  Veronica handed him the papers and then sat on the edge of the seat while she waited for his remarks. After a few minutes, he put the papers down and looked at her thoughtfully. “You’ve
done quite a bit of research. I assume you are writing this from personal experience?”

  “Yes,” she replied with an embarrassed blush. “I was wondering what you think I should do next.”

  “Hmm. Well, I think you should get your story out there, anonymously, of course. Why don’t you take your notes and put them into a small story? I bet the newspapers would be interested in printing it.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. There’s nothing more powerful than an authentic story that comes straight from the horse’s mouth.”

  “You’re suggesting I contact the Boston Globe?” Veronica asked.