Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1)

by Lindsey Gray

  “I will. Thank you, Mrs. Breyer. I’ll see you Monday.”

  “Bye-bye, hon.”

  Emma slumped back in her seat when she ended the call. The plane taxied to the gate and the passengers gathered their belongings.

  “You all right?” Kelly asked as she touched Emma’s hand.

  “Yes. I’ll be squaring off with Big Bobby on Monday night.” Emma shrugged and gave Kelly a weak smile.

  Kelly didn’t seem surprised at the news but appeared as nervous as Emma at the idea. “God help us all.”

  “I’ll get the Breyers’ travel plans finalized and give them a call. You have the photo shoot tomorrow with Gwen and Bobby. Do you need me to be there?” Kelly asked Emma as they gathered their bags from the luggage carousel.

  “No.” Emma pulled up the handle on her suitcase. “I’ll meet you back at the office when I’m done. It will be nice to sit behind a desk again.”

  She heard Ben snort and glanced over to her camera crew. The boys hated sitting with her in the office in LA. With any luck, her office at IWA headquarters would be entertaining enough for the rest of the shooting schedule.

  Emma and Kelly parted ways when they reached the curb where Phil waited next to a black Chevy Escalade limo.

  Emma stopped short at the view and was almost knocked over by the crew behind her.

  “Phil? What the …” Emma asked her driver while he stood with a grin.

  The back door of the limo opened and out popped a familiar head.

  “Annie?” The sight of her sister-in-law was not what she expected.

  Annie got out of the limo and pulled someone out behind her.

  “Nell?” Emma placed her hand over her mouth at the surprise. Nell had avoided her since the loss of the MacLean matriarch. She had been told Nell was at the funeral but never saw her.

  A curvier version of her twin sister, Nell was just as beautiful as Annie, but one hundred times more insecure.

  Emma saw Nell’s nerves come to the surface as the crew surrounded them. A bob of her throat, a hesitant step, and Nell walked into Emma’s open arms.

  “I’m sorry,” Nell whispered.

  Emma swallowed hard and held on tight to her friend. Even though they hadn’t spoken, she knew Nell felt the same loss.

  Emma pulled back from Nell with tears in her eyes. “What are you guys doing here?”

  Annie wrapped her arms around the other two ladies. “We are going to celebrate. First we are off to the spa for a day of pampering and beauty to get you ready for your first IWA photo shoot. Then, we are off to dinner at O’Rourke’s.”

  “O’Rourke’s?” Emma questioned. O’Rourke’s was the bar to go to in Marblehead. Annie tended bar there while Harry was in law school, so Emma and Nell always felt comfortable hanging out there.

  “Yes, O’Rourke’s. Teddy O’Rourke is running the place now and the food is so much better. Plus, where would I want to celebrate both of my sister’s new jobs at?” Annie smiled and glanced at Nell.

  “You?” Emma asked Nell.

  “Yes, I was offered the director of the teen program position at the Boston Public Library. I start in two weeks.” Nell’s entire face lit up as she told Emma she had finally gotten her dream job.

  “So, you’ll be moving to Boston?” An idea sparked in Emma’s mind.

  “Eventually, I don’t think I have time to get moved before I start. The commute is going to be awful.”

  “I know what we can do.” Emma ushered them all into the limo, bags, friends, and crew. The ladies began to formulate a plan to make one of their teenage dreams come true.

  “Please tell me we can get massages every week,” Annie moaned as the three ladies sat down at their table at O’Rourke’s. “I think they’re in order after all your flights home.”

  Nell and Emma nodded in agreement. Once they had both gotten over the fact they were almost naked in front of a stranger, they both let themselves enjoy the full body massage.

  “I’ll make sure “massage with my BFF’s” is on my calendar every week,” Emma replied. “I think one of the places my real estate agent suggested is not far from there.”

  Nell took a sip of water before shaking her head. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you buying a place and letting me live there.”

  Emma took Nell’s hand. “You’ll be doing me a huge favor. I will be out of town three to four days a week and I’ll need somebody to take care of the place. We’ve always dreamed of living together in Boston. I can afford my own home. You can’t believe what someone paid me for my apartment in LA. Way over asking price just because I lived there.”

  “I insist on you letting me pay for some things. Groceries and laundry stuff for sure.” Nell took another sip of her drink.

  “We’ll work everything out.” Emma smiled and caught the hint of excitement in Nell’s eyes.

  “It will give me an excuse for me and Sam to make day trips into the city. While Emma’s traveling, I can help you get settled.” Annie loved being a stay at home mom, but a project like a new house to put together was a chance for her to spread her decorator wings once again.

  It was all coming together. Emma was learning the ropes of her new job. She would be able to move out of her father’s house and create a home with one of her best friends. Another plus would be a private place for her to entertain a certain wrestler she had her eye on.

  Their meal was filled with a lot of laughs and wonderful stories from their youth. The cameras captured every moment, including the bevy of men who stopped by the table to say hello.

  One man stood out from all the others.

  “Hello, ladies. Good to see you, Emma.”

  “Derek. Hi.” She got up from her seat and gave him a big hug.

  He held her tight for a moment before he pulled back and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

  “Please, sit.” Emma sat and Derek took the seat next to her. “You forgot to mention you’re a vice-principal now. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. It’s been challenging learning about all the students instead of the ones in my classes or on the team.”

  “How did the wrestling team do this year?” Emma asked as the idea her father had posed about a visit to the team came to mind.

  “They’re a terrific bunch of kids and did better than they did last year, so I’m pretty happy.”

  “I know school is over, but do you think they would be up for a visit from some of the IWA?”

  Derek’s eyes widened. “Really? I mean, it’s not the reason I came over, but they would love meeting them. We’re doing voluntary workouts all summer long so it would make their summer so much sweeter.”

  “Some of them are in town on Friday. I’ll see if I can set something up if you want to give me your number.”

  “Sure.” Derek pulled out his wallet and retrieved a card with his office number at the school and jotted his cell phone number on the back. “Give me a call when you figure things out or if you just want to talk.”

  “Okay.”

  Derek got up and leaned down to give her another kiss on the cheek.

  “I’ll give you a call.”

  “Talk to you soon,” he replied before he walked away.

  Emma turned her attention back to Annie and Nell, who stared at her with their evil twin smiles.

  “What?” she questioned.

  “You know what.” Annie kicked Emma under the table. “It’s so obvious he’s still hung up on you.”

  Emma’s blush covered her cheeks. “He’s a wonderful guy, but I don’t think we could make a go of it again. Besides, he might be seeing someone.”

  “He’s not,” Nell stated as if it were fact.

  Annie and Emma turned to Nell with questioning looks.

  “And how would you know?” Annie asked.

  “He goes to my gym. Girls talk in the locker room about coming there just to ogle him. Several of them asked him out, but as far as the rumor mill goes, there hasn’t been anyone since Sarah Beth
.” Nell shrugged.

  “I’m not anxious to go back to the high school, but it would be nice for the kids to visit with some of the wrestlers.”

  “Uh-huh. One wrestler who has seemed to get under your feathers?” Annie nudged her sister who nodded in agreement.

  “I’m sure I haven’t the slightest idea of what you’re talking about,” Emma replied before her cell phone rang. The caller ID told her Rob was calling. With the cameras watching she had to act professional.

  “Good evening, Mr. Breyer.”

  “Oh, so all business tonight, Miss MacLean?”

  “Yes. What can I do for you tonight?” She hoped he would catch on to the fact the cameras were still rolling even though it was past their regular eight o’clock cut-off time.

  “I needed to confirm some details for the photo shoot tomorrow. Gwen wants us there at seven, right?”

  “I believe so. Oh, and I talked with your mother this morning. Kelly has set up the travel arrangements for your parents to be in Chicago on Monday.”

  “Yes, I got an earful from my mother already. She can’t wait to meet you.”

  Emma bit down hard on her lip to keep herself from slipping up in front of the cameras. “I look forward to meeting her as well.”

  She heard Rob laugh on the other end and gathered he understood she was stifling her answers.

  “While I have you,” she said, “I was wondering if you were free Friday afternoon. I was hoping to get some of the wrestlers together to visit the wrestling team at my old high school.”

  She heard him flip a couple of pages. “Nothing I can’t move around. Chance is in town. Who you like me to see if he can join us?”

  “Yes, please check with him. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Good night, Emma.”

  “Good night, Rob.”

  Emma ended the call and found the twins smiling at her again.

  Annie turned to Nell. “Can you say triangle?”

  “Tri-an-gel,” Nell stated in three separate syllables.

  “No triangle.” Emma set her phone down on the table. “Derek and I are just friends and Rob’s …” She tried to think of a way to explain the situation in line with Aaron’s plans. “He’s growing on me.”

  “Bet you’d like him to grow something in you,” Annie added with a laugh.

  “You are terrible,” Emma retorted with an embarrassed laugh of her own. “I think you should go home and back to your hubby. Maybe you’ll stop thinking about my love life and focus on your own.”

  “Believe me, there is nothing wrong with my love life. God, Harry can still go for hours. And his tongue—”

  Emma clasped her hands over her ears. “No. No. No. That’s my brother you’re talking about.” She removed her hands and shuddered at the thought.

  “Fine. You get yourself a hottie so we can talk about him. Bachelor number one.” Annie pointed to a table by the door where Derek sat with a friend. “Or bachelor number two.” Annie pointed to Emma’s phone.

  Emma never saw herself with Derek again. She knew it wasn’t even possible. As for Rob, he was the one setting her on fire. His touch, his kiss, his whispered words during their late night phone calls. She wanted to share all those details of with her two best friends, but she wasn’t sure how.

  “Seven AM looks good on you,” Rob remarked when he sat down in the stylist chair next to Emma.

  “Thanks,” Emma snorted. She wore a hoodie with her favorite pair of worn jeans and a purple tee shirt with Bazinga printed across the front. With little sleep and even less time, she threw her hair up into a messy bun. Along with her black framed glasses, she seemed more like a nerdy teenager than a sophisticated reality star.

  “I just wanted to say sorry about the question the other night. I really wasn’t meaning to stir anything up with Big Bobby. Bill is a good friend and I have a lot of respect for him.” Emma gave the entire speech while playing with her hoodie strings and avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.

  “You know Bill?” Rob asked.

  “Um, yeah.” She glanced up to see the confusion on Rob’s face. “He owns a gym in LA. I’ve been training there for about five years.”

  “So, Harry really wasn’t kidding when he said you have skills in the ring?”

  “Bill seems to think I’m pretty good. I just do it for me mostly. It’s hard enough going into the ring in a skirt and heels. I don’t think I could do it in the scraps of material the Bombshells do.”

  They both turned when the door opened and saw their photographer, Gwen, approaching.

  Rob leaned in close enough to whisper. “We will talk about this later.”

  “You two ready to do this?” Gwen asked when she approached them.

  Emma leaned in to check herself out in the mirror. “Might take a couple of hours and several layers of makeup. Hope you cleared your schedule.”

  Gwen laughed along with Rob. “Don’t worry. Angela has everything she needs to get you together. Tom is getting your suit, Rob. Make yourselves comfortable.” Gwen patted both of their shoulders and left to set up her equipment for the photo shoot.

  “I need coffee to get comfortable,” Emma moaned while she rubbed her temples.

  “Lucky for you, I picked some up on my way over.” Rob held out a large to go cup of coffee to her.

  She turned and accepted the drink with a smile. “Thanks.”

  One sip of the warm, rich liquid calmed her nerves.

  “Ahhhh. I didn’t drink any this morning. I could kiss you for this.”

  “I wouldn’t be opposed to kissing you. I’d kiss you even with coffee breath.”

  She turned to Rob and took in his smile with his dimpled, unshaven cheeks. Beyond him, she saw the camera lens. The early hour and his alluring blue eyes made her forget millions of people would eventually see their exchange.

  “Not today, big boy.” She attempted to laugh it off.

  “That’s not never.” He winked at her.

  I’m so screwed.

  The black Gucci suit, white shirt, and black tie suited Rob better than anything he’d ever worn for a photo shoot. Yet when he saw Emma walk on the set, his collar and pants tightened.

  She drove him crazy with all the purple she wore. The tee shirt and matching tennis shoes at the workout facility, the purple blouse on Mayhem, the Bazinga tee shirt, and the gown she just walked out wearing.

  She seemed a little uncomfortable with the slit up to her mid thigh on the left side of her dress. She kept patting her thigh in what he assumed to be an attempt to preserve her modesty.

  “You are stunning.” Rob took Emma’s hand and twirled her around. He heard a few clicks and assumed Gwen already snapped a few photos.

  Emma let out a squeal before Rob brought her into his arms. “You’re pretty sharp yourself.”

  “Perfect,” Gwen called. “Now, let’s get some with the bell.”

  Rob led Emma over to stand in front of a white wall where a cherry red ring bell hung. They each took turns ringing it, moving and turning when Gwen instructed them to. Some stern glares toward each other and away mixed in with a few shots of Rob acting smitten while Emma’s back was turned to him made a perfect first shot of the two of them together.

  Time flew and Rob was sad to see Emma walk back to the dressing room to remove her dress.

  “Come see some of these shots,” Gwen called to him.

  Rob loosened his tie and walked over to where she had set up her laptop. A few clicks and Gwen brought up a proof sheet of the photos.

  “Holy shit!” Rob focused on the first several shots Gwen had taken before she posed them. The way Gwen captured the image of Emma’s dress floating through the air mesmerized him. The ease and joy on her face, as he held her hand above them, was priceless.

  “Pretty fine, Rob,” Gwen commented while she enlarged the shot he’d admired.

  “Me? No. She’s …” He brought his hand to his throat and rubbed while he swallowed hard.

  “We
ll, well, well. Is Bobby breaking his dry streak?” Gwen chuckled and she crossed her arms in front of her.

  “For her, absolutely.” Rob’s last serious relationship was so long ago. At least before he met Gwen three years before.

  “You’re serious?”

  Rob turned to catch her surprised expression. “Do you think I’m incapable or something?”

  “No, I thought this thing between you two was part of the story. From what I see here, I can honestly say I’ve never seen you look so good. Happy is new for you.”

  “I think I like it too.”

  “Go get changed. My sister is going to work her magic on these real quick to give you and Emma an idea of what we’re going for.”

  Rob turned around to walk back toward the dressing room and froze at what he saw. He had assumed the cameras had followed Emma, so the sight of the lens fixated on him caught him off guard. After a few slow steps in the right direction, he hurried along wondering how much the camera caught.

  “This thing between them is real?” Troy asked Ben when he called to relay how the photo shoot went.

  “It appears genuine. Al and I agree there is something more here.”

  “Fantastic! This is going to make the season finale ratings go through the roof. Film as much of the two of them together as you can. You know how to push the envelope, don’t you Ben?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Send me all you have by the end of the day.” Troy hung up with a huge smile on his face. A juicy romance was just what Hunt for Life needed after the whole firing thing blew up in his face.

  Irene assured him Emma’s employment contract was unbreakable. Firing the nerdy girl was sure to be gold and skyrocket the ratings. Things didn’t turn out quite the way they planned. Emma was supposed to make a fuss and come back, fueling the rift between her and Irene, not quit. Thankfully, Irene spent plenty of time on her knees or in his bed to make up for it. Now, if he could just find a way to spin Emma’s latest romance, things might get back on track.

  “You are amazing, sis.”

  Gwen stared at the computer screen where the photos were displayed that her younger sister, Ellie, edited.

  “You wanted the best on this one. I had some time. Not a problem.” Ellie clicked a few more places on the screen and adjusted a few things at Gwen’s instruction.