City of Champions

by Barlow, Chloe T.

  Tea grinned and nibbled at his chin.

  "That's because you're incorrigible, Griffen Tate. I don't want you to change, but I will try to be more open with you about how I'm feeling. Losing the last parts of Jack that are in my life is terrifying to me. I won't lie."

  "You can't lose him from your life. I would never let that happen. He'll always be with us."

  "I know that, Griffen. So, I've been thinking. How do you think the name Althea Taylor Tate sounds? I would change my middle name to Jack's last name when you and I get married. I'll still take your last name, though. Would you be okay with that?"

  Jenna's heart swelled with relief to hear Tea had apparently been handling her issues just fine without her and Aubrey constant meddling into her life.

  "Gorgeous, I think that is the most beautiful name I've ever heard."

  "And please know I love everything you're doing with Johnny. I appreciate it so much. I'm sorry I wasn't more receptive to your idea to adopt him. Of course you're worried about what could happen if you don't have a legal claim to him. What if I died…"

  Griffen clutched her arms and moved closer to her body.

  "Don't even say that, Althea."

  She giggled lightly and stroked his hair.

  "Sorry. See, you share your feelings with me right away. That's so wonderful. My point is, I get it, and I think it is a beautiful thought. I know it would make Johnny happy, too. And your idea about moving…"

  "I've had a lot of ideas lately, haven't I?" he laughed.

  "You have. To show you how much I love them, I found a house on Shady Avenue in the Squirrel Hill area of the city. It's kind of big, but it's old and historic and completely beautiful. It has an amazing yard and a wrought iron gate, just like in some nineteenth century novel. I won't have a view of the rivers anymore, but maybe that's a good thing. Plus, it's really close to Jenna and Aubrey. I think it would be good for them, so we can make sure they see Johnny as much as possible."

  "Althea, it sounds perfect. I'll buy it for you today."

  "You haven't even seen it!"

  "Don't have to. If you love it, I love it. I love you."

  "I love you so much, too. Not sure if the realtor will pick up the phone on New Year’s Day, but I'm getting excited!"

  "Speaking of excited…" Griffen growled at her, creeping his hand underneath the hem of her shorts.

  Jenna started to realize just how inappropriate her snooping was becoming. As Griffen moved his hands to start undoing the buttons of her pajama top, Jenna turned and quickly ran toward the kitchen. In her haste, she knocked a book off a small table in the hallway.

  She cringed and heard footsteps behind her. With a blush, she turned and saw Tea walking toward her, cheeks completely flushed, as her fingers fumbled with the buttons of her pajama top.

  "Jenna…um, you're early."

  "I know, I'm sorry."

  "It's okay, let me just get dressed. Johnny is playing with my mom at that little park nearby. There's only an inch of snow from last night but he was insistent he wanted to make a snow man."

  "No rush. I'll just go watch the parade. Go spend some more time with your man," Jenna instructed her with a wink.

  "Thanks, Jenna," Tea said, giving her a hug.

  Jenna relaxed in the kitchen for half an hour, watching the parade on the little TV Tea had on her kitchen counter before Vivian and Johnny barreled into the room.

  "Dang, Miss Jenna. You are positively glowing. What have you been up to?" Vivian asked after pulling her into a warm hug.

  "Auntie Jenna! Hi," Johnny exclaimed, waiting for her to sit back down so he could climb into her lap. Tea and Griffen joined them, both looking flushed and relaxed in a way that had Jenna very eager to see Wyatt again.

  "Hi, Jenna, good to see you again," Griffen said, with a happy grin, as he put an arm around Tea's shoulders.

  "Hi, y'all. I'm so glad to see all of you. I'm hungry, too. Tea, I swear you and Viv make the best expatriated Southerner’s New Year's Day dinner on earth."

  "It helps a lot to have my mom here to help."

  "I'm sure."

  "I love those earrings, Jenna. Where did you get them?" Tea asked.

  "They were a gift."

  "Oh, really? Who is this generous person?" Vivian asked meaningfully, as she handed the grown-ups mimosas, with a plain OJ for Johnny. "Could they be the reason you're fixing to make me need to dim the lights with how bright that smile on your face is, girl? Who is he?"

  "What?"

  "Come on, you can't kid a kidder. I know that look, and it's pretty obvious since you're usually the serious one amongst all these maniacs," Vivian added with a conspiratorial wink.

  "Wait, Jenna, are you actually seeing someone?" Tea asked. Jenna caught Trey's knowing gaze out of the corner of her eye as he entered the kitchen. He was holding a very expensive-looking bottle of French wine.

  "What's everyone so worked up about?" Trey asked.

  "Jenna has a new man in her life," Tea said effusively.

  Trey looked at Jenna with the hint of a conspiratorial smile, but didn't comment.

  "Well, um, it's Wyatt McCoy. Oh, speak of the devil," she added when her phone began buzzing. Wyatt was calling her, but she would need to call him back. Sharing this with them was too big a moment.

  "What? Oh my God, that's amazing," Tea said, clearly shocked. "Are you two a thing?"

  "Yeah. A very real thing. I was wondering if you'd mind if I had him come over today to have dinner with us?"

  "Of course, we don't mind," Tea exclaimed. "This is so neat."

  "Wait, why does that name sound so familiar?" Vivian asked.

  "He's the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Roughnecks, Mom. And he's insanely good-looking. Not as handsome as Griffen, of course," Tea added, kissing Griffen's cheek. She grabbed her laptop and started messing with it before adding, "Let me Google him for you."

  After tapping on the keys quickly, Tea gasped loudly and threw her hand to her mouth.

  "What is it, Althea?" Griffen asked, looking over her shoulder, before gripping the edge of Tea's chair so hard it looked like it would break in his hands.

  "What's wrong, you guys?" Jenna stood and walked around to try and catch sight of what had them so upset.

  "Jenna, I don't know if you should look. Oh, honey…"

  Violent waves of nausea racked her body with each photograph that flashed across the screen. It was so surreal Jenna could almost convince herself she was dreaming…almost.

  Almost every moment she and Wyatt had shared were somehow now broadcasted for the world to see, and mock, in vibrant high-definition.

  Oh God, these pictures are everywhere. Was every day together a setup? An attempt to discredit me? How could Wyatt not have known — not been involved with it?

  These had been special and exciting experiences for her, but now, they were all frozen in time with a patina of betrayal and hurt. Every memory of falling in love with him had morphed into something evil and ugly, as though the last few weeks were being twisted in the reflection of a fun house mirror. Where beauty and hope had previously been, now only remained disgrace.

  She felt hands on her shoulders and the nudge of a chair behind her knees. Jenna was so light-headed, she thought she might actually faint. In the distance she saw Trey smack his hand hard against the wall of the kitchen.

  "I'm gonna fucking kill him," he growled.

  "Not if I kill him first," Griffen added.

  Jenna kept staring at Tea's laptop screen, pulling up one Web site after another. It seemed like the whole world was looking at her — laughing at her. Distant voices were trying to speak to her, but she could focus on nothing but her own internal words of shame.

  "Jenna, say something," Tea pleaded.

  "You need to stop looking at that shit. I'll throw that laptop out the window if I have to," Trey threatened. Practically mute, she shook her head and clicked over to another Web site.

  Tea grabbed her hands and yanked them away
from the keyboard, forcing Jenna to look at her.

  "Let me go! I have to see it. I have to see what he did to me!" Jenna suddenly shouted, trying to pry her hands out of Tea's grasp.

  "Auntie Jenna, what's wrong?" Johnny asked her.

  "She's okay, Johnny," Tea answered. "Mom, can you take Johnny to his room to watch cartoons?" Tea quickly looked back over at her, ready to deliver a command. "Jenna, you need to snap out of it. Now. Maybe it's not as bad as it looks."

  Jenna breathed deeply and finally responded, "They quoted him, Tea. They don't do that unless they aren't worried about being sued, right?"

  "Well…"

  "That's what I thought."

  "But maybe there's something we don't know. Remember when you told me to talk to Griffen after he admitted to investigating Jack's death?"

  "You were mad because you didn't like what he told you. I don't even have that luxury. Griffen didn't make you learn about what he'd been doing from the New York Times."

  "I just don't want you to jump to a bunch of conclusions you'll regret. It's hard to know exactly what to think about his motives. I only just learned you were dating him."

  "Tea, don't add guilt to the mix. We can't really talk about keeping a relationship secret," Griffen interjected.

  "I didn't mean that at all," Tea insisted, as she began stroking Jenna's hair. "It's just I can't really know if all these things this reporter, Olivia 'whoever,' says about him using you are true without knowing more. Maybe he has an explanation. The existence of these pictures may look bad, but you can't deny how happy you look in them."

  "I look happy in them because I am…I mean, I was. I love him, Tea…"

  "Oh, honey." Tea wrapped her arms around Jenna trying to soothe her, but she wasn't even sure if she remembered how to breathe.

  Leaning back, she stared into her dear friend's shimmering hazel eyes, watery with emotion, and whispered, "It looks so bad, though. Like he set me up. How could she have all these pictures of us — know where we were all the time?"

  Tea furrowed her brow, clearly trying to come up with a good counterargument. Before she could speak, Jenna jumped in her seat at the sound of a loud knocking at the door.

  "I'll get it," Trey said as he strode over, motioning for everyone to stay seated. "We don't know who it could be."

  Jenna heard Wyatt's voice in the distance and her heart was overcome with pain. She wanted so much to run to him and let him say it was okay, but the weight of her fears had immobilized her.

  Tea stared at her intently before asking, "Jenna, do you want to talk to him? Give him a chance to explain?"

  Jenna looked at her worried eyes and shook her head, "I can't see him right now. I don't trust myself to even know what is the truth or a lie. Tea…I don't think I know how to love the right person."

  "Don't say that, honey. Maybe it is better you have a little time. Come here."

  Tea drew Jenna back into her arms and she could feel her friend shake her head in the direction of Trey. He must've been watching for her answer because she saw him turn back to the door.

  "She doesn't want to see you, man."

  "Move it, Trey. I need to talk to her."

  "Leave before I make you leave," Trey growled at him and slammed the door.

  "Jenna!" Wyatt was screaming on the other side of the door, banging on the wood for several minutes.

  "Dammit, that boy needs to quit while he's behind," Vivian said, from the other end of the room. "I put Johnny in his room. He doesn't need to hear all this. Let me mix up something stronger than mimosas. I have a feeling we're going to need them. Let's each have an old-fashioned. Tea, honey, where do you keep your sugar cubes?"

  When the pounding and shouting finally ceased, Jenna thought her heart stopped beating with it.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Tea handed Jenna a cup of coffee before spooning out a bowl of buttery grits for Johnny's breakfast. He began shoveling the hot cereal into his mouth without a care in the world. Jenna, on the other hand, still felt like hers was ending. She'd taken Griffen and Tea up on their offer of staying with them for the night. The mere thought the press might be waiting outside her apartment was enough reason to hide out in Tea's crowded duplex for a little while longer.

  Before she could take a sip of her coffee, the front door opened and Aubrey barreled inside, throwing her purse and duffel bag on the floor.

  "What are you doing here, Aubrey? You're supposed to be in Denver!" Jenna said, completely shocked.

  "I told her you were here. She saw the Olivia Hayes article," Tea answered.

  "Auntie Brey!" Johnny jumped out of his seat and rushed into her arms.

  "Hey little man. Wow, you’re really sounding like a big boy. Your 'R's' are coming along great. Can you head to your room and grab some face paint so we can make a mess with each other?"

  "Man, you guys keep making me leave. This sucks."

  "Johnny! Don't say that word," Tea chastised. "I know it stinks, but we'll have fun in a couple minutes, okay?"

  "Sorry, Mom," he pouted. Tea leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek and he kissed Brey's cheek before running off to his room.

  "Jenna, of course I'm back. The second I saw those headlines, I got the first flight home. It was a total bitch to fly home on New Year’s Day, but I knew you'd be having a meltdown."

  "Thanks, Brey," Jenna said to her, as Brey hugged her seated form.

  "You're welcome, babe. Though I am disappointed you kept your sexy times from me."

  "I'm sorry."

  "Hey, Brey," Griffen said, walking into the kitchen. He wrapped an arm around Tea and kissed the top of her head. "I was just on the phone with my lawyer in New York. They're going to try and get an injunction to stop further distribution of the article and pictures, but he said it's a long shot. I'm sorry, Jenna."

  "Not to add onto the bad news," Aubrey said. "But it's good you stayed here last night. My flight didn't land until almost midnight last night, but the paparazzi were camped outside our apartment even then."

  "Oh, no. You're kidding?" Jenna said, feeling completely desperate.

  "I'm sorry, but it's true," Trey said, walking into the kitchen in his boxers. He was pulling an undershirt on over his bare chest, covering his many tattoos and nipple rings. He looked exhausted as he smoothed down the tee shirt and ran his hand through his tousled hair. He'd refused to leave after he saw how upset Jenna still was the night before. With Vivian set to emerge from her room upstairs soon, too, they were having the most depressing slumber party in history. "That's how these vultures work, Jenna," Trey continued, "they're probably at your work, Wyatt's house, everywhere either of you would go."

  "Well, that blows," Aubrey said, as she scooped out some grits for herself.

  "Griffen, what are we going to do?" Tea asked, "should you take Jenna to your place in New York?"

  "You mean our place in New York," Griffen corrected Tea, planting a kiss on her cheek.

  "Yeah, our place," Tea said with a smile.

  "That's better, gorgeous. But no. I really think she's better off here. Pittsburgh is less celebrity-crazed than most places, especially compared to New York. Movie stars are here all the time for filming and pretty much no one bothers them. Besides, I don't want to leave you and Johnny. Trey and I can keep an eye on her, at least for now."

  "Thanks for thinking of it, Tea, but I don't want to go anywhere," Jenna said.

  "You're right. Besides, here we have a better chance of making sure the cops take the time to make sure none of this attention gets out of hand. Carol called me last night. She was really worried about Jenna's safety and already had calls in to her friends at the Pittsburgh Police Department, so hopefully that will help, too," Tea added.

  "Good for Carol," Aubrey said. "I have to say, though, none of this makes sense to me. Is this reporter obsessed with Wyatt, or something?" Aubrey asked, sitting down to her grits and coffee.

  "It seems like more than that to me," Trey said. "Not su
re what, but my instinct says she's got something bigger in mind than a crush on a football player."

  "Yeah, my bet is she wants a primetime feature on Fox Sports," Griffen said bitterly. "And she'll probably get it."

  "Oh God," Jenna suddenly started to panic. "My face will be everywhere." Her heart went cold at the sudden thought of Chase reading about her, staring at the photos of her with Wyatt. She figured he knew where she was, but it made her sick to think of him looking at her.

  Aubrey sat next to her and put her arm around Jenna's shoulder. "It already is, girl. We just need it to blow over."

  "Blow over? You know how hard I worked to get to where I am today."

  "But you really should lay low. What if you stay with us? Griffen will be here, Trey, too. That would make me feel better," Tea said, sitting down next to her with worry creasing her face. "You don't have to go anywhere, right? I think you should stick close. Aubrey, you can stay here, too."

  "Duh, of course. We'll hide out in our pajamas and watch chick flicks with our phones off. It'll be fun."

  "Um, I have an appointment I can't miss tomorrow," Jenna responded softly.

  "Work?"

  "No."

  "What is it, Jenna? Why are you being so cagey?"

  "I don't want to worry you."

  "Well, you're worrying the hell out of all of us right now."

  "If she doesn't want to tell you, she doesn't have to. People are entitled to their secrets," Trey said sternly, squeezing her shoulder in a brotherly way that made her heart hurt. It felt nice to have someone on her side.

  "I know you feel that way, mystery man. Jesus, Jenna, what else is going on? I can only worry so much before my heart explodes," Aubrey demanded loudly.

  "Don't yell at her," Trey said firmly, quickly standing between Jenna and everyone else — protecting her.

  "Who the fuck do you think you are, barging into our lives and telling us what to do? Griffen, you need to control your friend."