by Jamie Wesley
So, what they had, no matter how hot and blistering it was, had to stay in the past. He couldn’t touch her without wanting more, and more wasn’t possible. Their relationship had to remain a one-night stand. That’s just the way it was, and he would have to be okay with that. Could he be?
Yes. Right?
His phone buzzed, offering a welcome distraction from his uncharacteristic indecisiveness. Stealing a glance back at Elise’s door, he dug the phone out of his pocket and headed toward the parking garage. His pace quickened as he read the message. Shit. How could he have forgotten? He never forgot.
He glanced back one more time. Only one person was capable of making him forget everything else going on in his life.
Chapter Seven
“So the prodigal son finally decides to put in an appearance,” Caitlin said as Christian rushed into their mother’s dining room. He shot his sister a narrow-eyed glance before stopping at their mother’s side to kiss her cheek.
“Caitlin,” their mom, Miranda, warned.
“What?” his twin asked, all fake innocence.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “Filming ran later than I thought it would.” A lie, but saying he’d forgotten their monthly family dinner would be unacceptable. To him or to his sister and mother. Thank God for Caitlin’s “Where are you?” text.
He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten. He never forgot. He valued the get-togethers with the two most important people in his life too much. The dinners had only become more special to him since the Mack news had come to light.
Caitlin’s eyes rounded. “Oh, that’s right, your project filming Elise Templeton started today. How could I forget?”
“How did it go?” his mom asked.
“Got any juicy stories to tell?” Caitlin added.
“Good,” he said to his mom. Christian gave his sister his best pointed stare as he took a seat opposite her at the dining room table. “And the answer to your question is no.”
She wrinkled her nose, not at all intimidated. “Too bad.”
“Where’s Brady?” Her fiancé could be counted on to keep her in line. Well, no, he couldn’t because no one could, but he could act as a distraction at least.
“He’s in New York filming a shoe commercial.”
Christian nodded. He liked Brady. The guy who put such a huge grin on his sister’s face couldn’t be too bad. He joined their dinners sometimes when he was in town, but Christian was happy to have only the Monroes here tonight.
“Tell us more about Elise,” Caitlin prodded. “Every time I’ve been around her, she’s been super intense.”
Maybe he should rethink his position about Brady’s absence.
He helped himself to the lasagna on the table and poured himself a glass of sweet tea before answering. If his sister was going to be nosy, she could wait. “She’s smart. Dedicated to her job.”
“She has to be. I’ve seen some of the abuse she’s taken on social media for having the nerve to be a woman and her father’s child.”
“The people saying that are idiots.” He realized he’d been a bit too vehement when he noticed Caitlin and his mom eyeing him way too intently. He cleared his throat and turned to his sister. “Made any headway in the wedding planning?”
Caitlin’s side-eye told him she knew he was trying to change the subject. He breathed a sigh of relief when, instead of calling him on it, she said, “As a matter of fact, we have.”
After dinner, Christian took the dirty dishes into the kitchen and began loading the dishwasher.
His mom came in after him. “Honey, you don’t have to do that.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Yes, I do. You cooked, and I was late.”
She patted him on the cheek. “You’re right. I was just making sure I’d raised you right.”
Christian laughed and continued loading the dishes. He felt her eyes on him. He turned, lifting his eyebrows in question.
“Have you seen Mack?” she asked.
The plate he was carrying slipped out of his hand and clanked against the countertop. He managed to grab it before it toppled to the floor. He stuffed it in the dishwasher and turned back to his mom. She was always well put-together. Tonight was no different. Her hair was pulled up in a twist. She wore black pants and a red cotton top, a simple, but elegant outfit. She was petite, like his sister, but her small frame was completely disproportionate to her strength of character. They hadn’t had much growing up, but she’d always been there for her kids, making sure they were taken care of. She would know in a heartbeat if he lied.
“Yes,” he said.
She nodded, like she’d expected the answer. “That possibility was my first thought when you told me about your new gig.”
He laughed softly. “I wish you’d mentioned it to me. I didn’t think about it when I opened my big mouth and said yes.”
Her normally smooth brow furrowed. “Are you going to be able to handle seeing him on a regular basis?”
“I am handling it. I was doing just fine until Cait brought him into our lives. I want nothing to do with him.” His mom sighed heavily. He frowned. “What? Don’t tell me you’re not mad at him.”
She shook her head. “It’s not a matter of being mad. I’ll always hate what he did, but I made my peace with him a long time ago. It got to the point that I knew I couldn’t let my anger rule my life anymore.” Her lips split into a small smile of remembrance. “Especially when I was chasing after two kids determined to run me ragged.”
“I don’t feel angry. I feel nothing.”
His mom sighed again. “I wish I could believe that. Then again, I’ve had a lot longer to adjust than you have.” She wrapped her arms around him. He returned the hug, inhaling that mom scent of perfume and powder he remembered from his childhood. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I know. I want the same for you,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She barely came up to his chest, but she was his rock.
“Oh, honey, I am. I raised the two best kids a mother could ask for.”
He stepped back. “I’m not like Cait. She wants everybody to be happy. I can’t forgive like she does.” He didn’t know if he ever would. If he wanted to.
She laughed softly. “Who are you telling? There’s nobody on this planet who knows both of your personalities better than I do. I don’t expect you to be like her. I never have. I know you’ve thought a lot about this because that’s what you do, and you’ve come to the conclusion that what you believe is right.”
His shoulders tensed. “I have.”
“There’s not a lot of room for gray in your world, which has led to a lot of success.”
“Exactly.”
“But it can also work against you.”
Christian grabbed a cup and dropped it in the dishwasher. “What are you saying? That I should become best friends with Mack and pretend like the past never happened?”
“No. I think this whole situation is still eating you up inside. More than anything, I want you to have peace. In whatever form that takes. I don’t think you’re there yet. Instead of dealing with the situation, you’ve blocked your emotions.”
He hated seeing the worry in her eyes. “I’m okay. Truly.”
She lifted on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “Then that’s all I can ask for. Let me go see what Caitlin is up to. She wanted to show me a potential wedding dress.”
Christian finished loading the dishwasher, resolving to put their conversation out of his head. Failing in his quest. Was his mom right? Was his determination not to think about Mack or forgive him costing him?
He returned to the living room, where his mom and Caitlin sat next to each other, heads down, poring over what looked to be a bridal magazine. “That magazine cannot possibly be that interesting.”
They both looked up at him. This close together, their resemblance was obvious. He loved them both fiercely.
“So says you, little brother,” Caitlin said with a mock sneer.
“I do,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“I’m done with the dishes, so I’m going to head out.”
“I need to get going, too,” she said.
They said their good-byes to their mom and walked outside. Instead of stopping at her car, which was parked in front of his, Caitlin took a few extra steps to block his car door.
He sighed. “Do you mind?”
She didn’t move. “You like her, don’t you?”
He blinked, although he knew who she was talking about. Playing dumb was his best defense. “Who?”
She shot him a look. “That didn’t work when we were five. It’s not going to work now. I didn’t want to say anything in front of Mama, but I saw you and Elise sneak off at my engagement party.” She held up a hand. “And no, I don’t want to know what happened.”
“Good, because it’s none of your business.”
She eyed him. “You sure this whole situation is a good idea?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
Caitlin wrinkled her nose. “Because she has a rep for being a hard-ass.”
“Give me a break. People only say that because she’s a woman succeeding in a predominantly male field. She’s worked hard for everything she’s accomplished and should be applauded for it.”
His sister’s index finger zoomed into the air. “Aha! I knew it!”
Christian sighed. She was determined to drive him crazy tonight. “Knew what?”
“That you like her. You’re extremely protective of those you care about.”
He studied her. “Do you have a problem with that, after what happened between her and Brady?”
She waved her hand. “No, that’s water under the bridge. She never wanted him anyway. Besides, she apologized to Brady and me.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “She did?”
“Yeah. Months ago. I didn’t feel like it was my place to pry about why she was hitting on one of her players, but I didn’t doubt her sincerity. I asked Brady, but he said he never got the real story from her, either.”
Christian wasn’t surprised. She’d given him pat answers throughout the day. Pretended like the jerks at the restaurant didn’t bother her. As a filmmaker, it frustrated him. As a man who hated to see the pain on her face no matter how quickly she covered it up, it galled him. Brought out every protective instinct he possessed. Which was crazy. He barely knew her.
“I don’t think she’s a bad person,” Caitlin said. “Just private. Driven to succeed no matter the cost. I know that’s not your thing.”
No, it wasn’t, so, blazing hot chemistry aside, why couldn’t he stop thinking about her?
…
Elise dropped the phone back on to its cradle, taking more than a little satisfaction in the resulting crash. Why couldn’t things ever be easy? Why had she ever thought they would be? Why had she thought because she’d climbed the ladder of success and finally gotten the job she’d coveted for eons, it would be smooth sailing from there? Yeah, right. More like a rollercoaster. That ride to the top was exhilarating, but she was in the middle of that terrifying descent to the bottom, and she could do nothing to stop it.
She dropped her head against the seat back and closed her eyes. Breathe. She needed to breathe. But that was kind of hard to accomplish when anger and frustration warred with each other for supremacy inside her body.
Someone cleared his throat. Her eyes popped open. Not someone. Christian.
He stood there watching her. Looking too good for her own good.
She frowned. “What are you doing here?”
“Filming, remember?”
“Oh. Right.” In all the unpleasantness of the past few minutes, she’d forgotten about their “special project.” At least he hadn’t been there to film her failure.
He held his hand up before she could say anything more. “I have something to say.”
She cocked her head to the side, confused, but intrigued. “Okay.”
He moved directly to the front of her desk. “I want to apologize for how I acted last night. You owe me nothing, and I shouldn’t have stormed out like that.”
She blinked. “Thank you,” she said, her insides going all gooey at the sincerity on his face. Her insides never went all gooey. Unless Christian was involved. “An apology wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate it.”
Those perfect lips stretched into a tentative smile. “So we’re good?”
She offered up a small smile. “We’re good.”
He nodded, the look of relief on his face too adorable for words. “So what are you working on today?”
Just like that, her feelings of inadequacy came rushing back, but she had to push through. She wouldn’t let one setback define her. So she needed to do this. She took a deep breath and spoke in a rush. “I have a favor to ask.”
The admission hurt. She didn’t ask for help. Asking for help wasn’t in her makeup. She had learned early on to rely only on herself because people could be taken away from you. But relying on herself in this situation was getting her exactly nowhere, and if she wanted to accomplish her goals, she needed to put aside her hang-ups.
Concern replaced the uncertainty on his face. “What’s up?”
She took a deep breath. “You really know Drew Newsome?”
His eyes narrowed. “I do.”
She opened her mouth to continue but couldn’t force the words out. She didn’t want to admit she’d failed. That she needed help. She waved her hand dismissively. “Forget it. Don’t worry about it.”
Christian shook his head. “No, I’m not going to let you do that. You have something to say, so say it.”
His forceful tone acted like spray starch to her spine. She glared. He didn’t flinch, like so many others did when she went into “don’t mess with me” mode. But he was right. She was being ridiculous. She sighed and flopped back against the chair. “Do you ever feel like things aren’t going to work out no matter how hard you try?”
The corners of his mouth turned down. “I’ve never heard you talk like that. You’re always so confident and sure that you’ll reach your goals.”
“Because I am.” Elise dropped her head into her hand. “But sometimes it gets hard to fight. I do my best. I do my research. Put myself in the best position to succeed. Yet it’s not working out the way I had intended. I feel like I have so many strikes against me, and there’s nothing I can do to get the count back in my favor.”
His frown deepened. “What’s wrong?”
Elise grabbed a pen and gripped it tightly. “I’ve been doing everything I can to reach Drew Newsome. His agent, Tim Barnes, wouldn’t take my calls, which is ridiculous. His client is a free agent and should at least hear what I have to say. Anyway, I got Drew’s cell phone number through my contacts. I called and left messages and sent text messages, but no dice. I guess he told his agent I was trying to reach him, because Barnes finally called me back this morning.”
“Well, that’s progress.”
She sniffed. “You would think so, right? But no. I just got off the phone with Barnes. Apparently, Drew doesn’t want to come to Dallas. Doesn’t think this is the right place for him. Or something. I don’t know. He wasn’t very forthcoming.”
Christian shook his head. “Or at least that’s what the agent told you. Agents are oily. You know that.”
“I do, but it doesn’t matter what the exact truth is. What I do know is I still can’t get Barnes or Drew to take me seriously.”
Christian took a seat in front of her. “Why do you think they won’t talk to you?”
She tossed the pen on the desk. “Because I’m a woman. Because he doesn’t think I’m serious about the job. Because he thinks I’m here on a temporary basis. One or all of the above. I don’t know.”
“Well, I’ve known Drew for a long time, and I’ve never known him to be a jerk. I don’t think any of those reasons would bother him.”
Elise shrugged. “I don’t know
. All I do know is that it’s frustrating, and I can’t sign a player if I can’t even get my foot in the door.” She gripped the desk between her hands, the hard, metal edges pressing into her palms. Pride would get her nowhere if she didn’t get the job done. If she didn’t sign the player she most wanted to sign and prove all the naysayers wrong. Left with no choice, she said the words that were the hardest for her to say. “I need help.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll call Drew and see what’s going on. I’ll tell him he’s your number-one free-agent priority and that you want a face-to-face meeting with him.”
For some reason, tears pricked at her eyes. Maybe it was stress relief. But more likely it was because this man continued to show how good he was when he didn’t have to do so. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll give it my best shot. I know it wasn’t easy for you to ask.”
She wanted to hug him. But that would be really bad and lead to things that didn’t need to be led to. She couldn’t use the excuse that it was late at night and no one else was in the building. So she stayed behind her desk, clasped her hands together, and said, “Thank you for understanding. And could you do it right away? I’m getting a little anxious.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I can do that. If…”
She jerked in the chair. She didn’t like the tone that had crept into his voice. “If what?”
He settled back in his chair, his self-satisfied expression sending a clear message that she probably wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. “In return for me helping you out, I want you to help me out.”
She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Her chin lifted. She was in no position to say no, but she refused to be a pushover. Everyone always said she was a master negotiator. “What do you want?”
“In exchange for me calling Drew, I want you to do some one-on-one interview sessions with me in which you hold nothing back.”
She picked up the pen and gripped it tightly between her hands. Why was he asking this of her? Dumb question. Because he could. Because he wasn’t satisfied with the trite answers she’d given him. Because he wanted to delve deep into her psyche, something she was never comfortable letting anyone do. Because she wanted to sign Drew Newsome more than anything she’d ever wanted in her life, and he knew it.
