by Jess Bentley
“All right, enough of this nonsense. You've got two choices. One: do this interview, dish out the dirty on David and help us run this piece. I will even give you some extra money for that, for God knows you can use some cash. Do that and you can keep your job, or else…” He doesn’t have to complete his sentence—I know what he means.
A hundred scenarios play in my head. Nothing would please me more than leaving this office and being away from this man’s influence forever. But there are bills to be paid, pending bank loans and my father’s bar to be saved.
I can’t.
I’m desperate and like anyone else in my position, I have no choice.
“What about the piece I'm already writing on David?” I ask.
“Forget about that bullshit,” he scowls.
“But you told Shauna…”
“Shauna can go to hell. I don’t care about what she or anyone else has to say anymore.”
Why this sudden change in his stance? Last I saw him, he was deathly scared of her. I wonder if I should voice my thoughts aloud but Max speaks on his own.
“You must’ve heard the news,” he gloats. “I'm going to be one of the Griswolds soon. I will have more power and more money in my lap than I’ll know what to do with. Do you think Shauna or anyone else in this town can ever do anything to me again? Please. Just wait and watch. Max Jefferson has big things lined up,” he says with his chin high.
The more he speaks, the lower he falls in my eyes. I want to throw up when I think about how highly I thought of him earlier, how I gave myself to him. Anguish turns into anger, my nostrils flare and I want to throw something at this despicable man.
“So what is it gonna be Carrie? I don’t have all day,” Max comes right up to me, trying to intimidate me with his presence.
“There is only one choice, really. If you’re fired, the company doesn’t even owe you anything. There is nothing in your contract that entitles you to severance pay and if you don't agree to my demands, I will personally make sure that you never work in this town again.”
His self-satisfied smug face sets off all the restraint I was struggling to have, and in a shock to myself, as well as to Max, I slap him on the face, and slap him hard.
“That, Max, is my answer. To hell with you and to hell with this town.”
I know that I’ll probably come to regret this. That Max will do everything in his power to destroy my career. But this had to be done.
I’m tired of being bullied, of being treated like a nobody. David is the only guy who treats me with respect, who appreciates my intelligence and who accepts me the way I am.
There’s no way I am going to betray him like that.
Chapter 96
After I leave work, I go straight home. While part of me is glad to be away from that office, and especially from Max, I have a lot of other worries. Worries that even the tub full of ice-cream I devour in a quick half-hour won’t ease. Of course, there’s the ever-present financial worry, and the desperation to save my father’s bar.
But most of all, I’m worried about David and what his reaction will be to that damn article that had pictures of us kissing. How the hell did they even get this picture? David has enough on his plate already and I don't want to be the reason why there’s a new scandal in his life.
I hope I'm more to him than just a scandal.
I never expected anything serious to happen between David and me. Our night together was just that, a night to remember—and then to forget. Maybe. In this moment, the idea of losing him, especially because of some silly gossip magazine, irks me immensely. These gossip magazines are hell bent on ruining my life. The thought almost makes me laugh.
When I left the office, I turned off my phone. Partly because I don't want Max to call but mostly because I’m not sure what I should say to David. As I turn it back on, there’s a text from him. ‘Where have you disappeared to? Call me.’
It takes fifteen minutes to build up courage before I dial his number. I absolutely hate awkward conversations.
“’Ello, love,” David answers in his husky voice and a smile instantly appears on my face.
“Hey, David. How are you?”
“Absolutely fantastic. And you?”
“I'm okay.”
“Just okay. We can’t have that! Why don’t you come meet me at the clinic. I'm going in for an important checkup and I need my good luck charm around,” I can feel his smile through the phone.
“David…” I say in a small, apprehensive voice.
“Yes, Carrie. I’ve seen the pictures. Don’t you think we look cute?” He sounds giddy as a teenager. I’m taken aback for a moment.
“You mean you're not mad?”
“Mad? Why should I be mad? They took such a fantastic shot of us in the perfect sunset light. If anything, I should pay them for a better copy. I could frame it.”
“Oh, David. I was so worried you’d be mad at me.”
“Carrie, my dearest, you’re the last person I could be mad at.” The way he says it, in that perfect posh accent of his, just melts my heart. Then his tone changes. “But I will be mad if you don’t hurry up and meet me at the clinic. Just take a cab and we’ll go back home together once I'm done.”
“All right, babe. See you later.”
All my worries evaporate as if they never existed in the first place, replaced by immense excitement to see David. I want to ask him if his coach has created more problems for him after this latest scandal, but I decide to leave it for later. Grabbing my favorite sun dress, a nice wide-brimmed hat to save me from the harsh LA sun, and a pair of vintage sunglasses that I haven’t used since I went on a trip to Napa, I’m ready.
By the time I arrive at the hospital, David’s already gone in for his scans. Scott, Shauna and Willie sit patiently in the waiting room. This must be really important since all three of them are here.
“Hey, Carrie,” Willie says, getting up and giving me a hug.
“Hey, guys. Any news so far?”
“Nah. Nothing till he comes out,” Shauna replies, busy typing furiously on her phone. Scott just looks away, tension on his face.
“So are you guys a thing now?” Shauna asks me once she’s done with her phone.
“Er... no. I'm not sure,” I hesitate.
“Oh, you silly girl,” Shauna sighs. “You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, have you?” She shakes her head.
“It was just a kiss, Shauna. It was just a... moment,”
“I hope it wasn’t a moment you staged to get your three seconds of fame,” Shauna gives me a stern look, but I’m offended.
“Shauna!” I say, but it comes out louder than I intended. “I would never do that to David!”
“Come on, Shauna, Carrie’s not like that,” Willie defends me. A sarcastic grunt comes from Scott’s direction but Shauna stares him down.
“You're right. She doesn’t seem like that,” she says to Willie. “Besides, had you staged it, the story probably would’ve been broken by your own magazine,” she nods, as if justifying the proof to herself.
“I bet Max is pretty pissed about this,” she chuckles. “His writer kisses a superstar and he doesn’t even get to break the story. This gives me more joy than I care to admit!”
I’m wondering what to say back to her, when David, along with the elderly doctor with a fatherly face, comes out to the waiting room.
“So, doc, how bad is it?” Willie asks, looking worried.
“It's very—” the doctor lets out a naughty smile from under his bushy mustache and continues, “—good. It’s very good news indeed.”
Scott looks to the heavens. “Thank God! Does it mean that he can play in the Cup Final?”
“Well! If he behaves like a good boy and does what I tell him to do, there’s a chance he might. Whether he can play the full game or not depends on how hard he focuses during his physiotherapy sessions.”
David is smiling from ear to ear. “Thank you, Doctor. I really appreciate your h
elp with this.”
“Well, don’t thank me. Thank the people around you who are taking care of you.” He smiles at me. From the corner of my eye, I see Shauna glance quickly at the doctor and then at me, probably wondering what he’s talking about.
“You seem much happier now than when you first came in. If your girlfriend here,” he nods at me, ”keeps taking care of you like she has so far, I see no reason why you can’t play the full game.”
I'm not his girlfriend. The thought comes to me once again, but this time I don't mouth it. The idea seems rather pleasing in fact.
“What the hell was that about?” Shauna asks me once the doctor leaves. I just shrug.
“Man, this is the best news I’ve got all day,” Scott crows. “Now you can play the cup final!”
“Easy there, mate, let the team reach the finals first,” David cautions.
“The Knights are playing San Diego bro, there is no way they're going to lose to that pathetic team.”
“Still...and I'm still unhappy that I'm not playing in the regional playoffs.” True to his reputation as a team player, David isn’t content being on the sidelines.
“Is the coach miffed about the picture in the papers?” David asks.
“Who knows, I haven’t received any phone calls or gotten any emails. My guess is that he’s too busy preparing for the upcoming games,” Scott replies and David nods his head in understanding.
“Now that David will probably play the final, we need that article to be out on time,” Shauna turns to me. I wince as I realize that I haven’t told anyone that I left my job.
“About that…” I hesitate. “I’ve left that job... for personal reasons.”
“Does it have something to do with Max? I bet it does.”
I don’t want to answer that, not in front of David.
“In any case, the article is off the table I guess.”
“Not necessarily,” Shauna replies, busy thinking something. “Have you handed over your article to Max?”
“No I haven’t. I asked him about it but he didn’t seem to care at all.”
“Good. Since you hold the rights to your own work, we can easily sell it to another magazine. We get a feature and you get paid. Win win,” Shauna smiles.
“Can we do that? That would be awesome!”
“Of course we can. Gimme a day to work my magic,” Shauna gets up to leave. “Plus you could use a break. If what I guess is right, you probably have made an enemy out of Max and he’s going to do his best to make sure that you never work in this town again. Especially now that he is so high and mighty with all the Griswold money backing him up. If I were you, I’d be careful,” she cautions before she and Scott head off.
“Don’t worry girl, there are plenty of jobs in this town, you’ll get another,” Willie consoles me.
“I'm pretty relieved, actually!”
“That’s good.” He smiles back. “Keep your head high,” He gives me a fist bump as he gets up to leave too.
“Fam, now you better get down to working your ass off, because I want to see you play that final,” he says to David.
“I will, mate, you know I will.” A new determination emerges in David’s eyes.
“I guess I won’t be seeing you so often since your family is here, but call me if you need anything, a’ight?” Willie gives a parting hug to David.
Family? Is his mother coming here? A slight pang of jealousy flares at the thought of sharing David with someone else.
“Your family is here?” I ask.
“Yeah. Arriving tomorrow as a matter of a fact. Quite surprising actually.”
“That’s wonderful. Nice to know that there’ll be someone around to take care of you round the clock,” I say. David just smirks.
“You free for lunch?” He asked as they walked out the back toward the car that was waiting for him.
“Well, I'm jobless. So… yeah.”
Avoiding the paparazzi this time isn’t hard as they have no clue that David can escape out the back. David’s excitement at being able to play the Final is infectious. At least three times he tells me that I have to be there, at any cost. Immersed in his world, it’s easy for me to forget my own troubles.
“I’ll make sure that Shauna can get you good money for your article,” he reassures me. “You can count on me. We will make sure that you get a better job next time around!”
While I smile and thank him, as sweet as David’s being, I do want to get a job on my own merit. Besides all I can think about is kissing him and getting wrapped up in those strong arms of his. Forget lunch, I think as I eye his sexy jawline and soft lips. I could go straight for dessert.
The car rushes through the familiar streets of Bel Air and pulls into David’s driveway.
“I'm famished. I hope you are too,” David says as he brings the car to a halt but my attention is fixed elsewhere.
“I think there’s someone waiting for you,” I say, pointing to a woman who’s pulling her luggage out of a car.
“Bloody hell! This is some surprise,” David smiles ear to ear as he impatiently gets out of the car. The woman turns and a big smile comes upon her face too. That’s not his mother? She’s too young.
As I get out of the car, I see a young boy running toward David, who in turn picks him up and swings him around. The woman, who’s probably in her late twenties and decked to the nines, slowly walks toward him, trying to walk carefully in her sky high heels.
“Look who it is. The most handsome lad in Queen’s England.” David tickles the young boy, who’s giggling.
“And the most handsome man in the States,” the woman says with a mischievous smile as she walks up to David and plants a peck on his lips.
“I thought my mum was coming with him,” David nods to the child.
“She would, but she’s getting a bit too old for this,” the woman says in a hard British accent that’s very different to David’s. “So I told her that Id bring him instead.” A disarming smile is on her face, as she throws a judgmental glance toward Carrie.
“Hi, I'm Lucy Lloyd. David’s partner,” she announces herself, as if Carrie is supposed to know who she is.
“Ex-partner—” David interrupts but the woman just gives him an amused smile.
“I'm Carrie.” I shake her hand politely.
“And he is Harry,” David smiles, extending Harry’s little hand toward Carrie.
“Hello, Harry!” The boy shies away and hides in his father’s arms.
“A shy one, aren’t you? Wait till I make a man out of you,” David jostles playfully with him and the boy shrieks happily.
A bad feeling spreads through my body. This situation seems too much like the one with Max. Though David calls her his ex, to anyone watching, it seems like the three are a proper family. I feel massively out of place, and it doesn’t get any better during the lunch that follows. While it’s pleasant for the most part, with young Harry, now well fed, telling us stories from his school and of his journey to America. It’s his first time and he’s beyond excited to go to Disneyland.
“... And I want you to score two goals for me,” The boy lifts two of his fingers, as he wraps up his list of demands.
“Sure why not? That’s all you want?” David looks lovingly at him.
“And maybe one for me too?” Lucy winks.
“Sure, why not? You want something too?” David smiles at me but I just politely shake my head.
Once again, I’m the third wheel. David may have called this woman an ex, but she’s the mother of his child. And now she’ll be living in his house, with their son. The thought eats at me. I don’t need another heartbreak. I simply am not sure I can handle it. As I look at David happily playing with his child and Lucy looking lovingly at both the men in her life, I know I don’t belong here.
Neither do I belong in David’s life.
Chapter 97
After a sleepless night, tossing and turning in bed, the events of the day unfold in my head a hundred ti
mes. Sure, David may have called her an ex, but she didn’t behave like one. Even after hours of contemplation, I can’t come to a conclusion. What I know for certain is was that I can not be a part of a love triangle ever again. Max taught me a lesson and I’m not going to forget it anytime soon.
Once bitten, twice shy.
There aren’t any messages or calls from David but Shauna calls early in the morning, saying quite a few publications are interested in buying the article now that the Knights are in the Cup Final and that it’ll be a good payday for me. She also wants me to head to the Anaheim Knights training ground for the final practice session as I might get ideas from that experience to add on to the article.
My first thought is to say no, but a part of me wants to see David, to seek some answers from him. Unlike the situation with Max, I need clarity from David. Since I won’t go to his house anymore, it might be better to face him on neutral ground.
My quest for seeking clarity fades as I sit with David in the bleachers. He’s in a terrible mood and it’s getting worse by the minute. For once, he’s nervous.
“I can’t believe that they're already considering him for the MVP award,” he says, pointing to Javier’s picture in the newspaper he’s holding. “He’s not even played half a season. Such bloody politics in the sports nowadays, I hate it.” He shakes his head in disgust.
“But if you do well in the final, I'm sure your claim will be stronger than his.”
“Bollocks!” He swears. “The head coach won’t talk to me, he won’t even look at me. They haven’t restored my captain status and from what the coaching staff is hinting at, I might not even play in the final.”
I know how disappointed he must feel. He’s worked very hard to get fit for the final.
“Was it because of our picture in the—”
“No. I don’t think so.” He denies it but I have a feeling otherwise. By now, even I know Coach Miller as a no nonsense guy and he’s probably fed up of David’s inability to stay out of the gossip papers.
David runs his hands through his hair in frustration and sits silently, looking nowhere in particular till his attention is distracted by the footsteps of a child who comes running at full speed.
