If We Never Met

by Barbara Freethy

"But the surgery was six weeks ago. In all that time, we never got together. We barely texted."

  "Again—your choice."

  She was rewriting history, but she was very good at that. "I don't want to rehash the past."

  "Then stop."

  "Nikki, you have to hear me. We had fun for a while, but we need to move on."

  "You're just in a weird place right now, Dante, because of your injury. Once you're back on top, it will be like it was before."

  "It won't be, because I've changed."

  She stared back at him in alarm, as if his words had finally sunk in. "That's not true."

  "It is. Having to deal with a possible career-ending injury has made me look at my life differently."

  "You're making a huge mistake, Dante. I'm a catch."

  He smiled at her proud self-confidence. "Believe me, I know that. The next story in the press will be how big a fool I was to let you go."

  "That won't be the story," she said harshly. "It won't be your decision to break up; it will be mine. I will have let you go. In fact, that's the real reason I came to Whisper Lake. I needed to break up with you in person."

  He could see the wheels spinning in her head. "Whatever you want to say is fine with me. I don’t want to hurt you, Nikki. I do care about you. But we don't want the same things. You love to travel, to party, to be seen, and after traveling with my team for months on end, I want to stay in one place. I don't want to take pictures every second. I don't want to be part of a media story."

  "Well, that's part of my career. I had to make sacrifices for you—sit in the stands and watch endless games that you weren't even in some of the time. If you had to pose now and then, what's the big deal?"

  "It's just an example of how different we are. You should find someone who wants to be in every picture with you."

  "I'm not that superficial, Dante. Our relationship is about more than photos."

  "Is it?" he challenged.

  Her lips turned down in a pouty frown of annoyance. "Well, it could have been, but you were the one who was always leaving or pulling away. I still think things could get better once you've completely recovered and you're back in your real world. I get along great with your teammates."

  "You do. They'll all think I'm nuts."

  "They wouldn't be wrong."

  He nodded, knowing he was doing the right thing for both of them. He felt like a weight had just slipped from his shoulders, one he'd been carrying too long.

  "Well," she said, as the silence lengthened between them. "I guess we should go, but I'd like us to leave together with your arm around my shoulders."

  He was beginning to remember just how many public moments she'd directed. "Whatever you want. Let me pay for the champagne." He waved the server over to the table and handed her his credit card.

  They sat in an odd, uncomfortable quiet. There should have been more to say, but there wasn't, and that only reinforced his decision to call it quits. Nikki took out her phone. He did the same. A moment later, the server returned, and he signed the receipt with relief, then ushered Nikki out of the restaurant. Since she'd taken a cab to the restaurant, he drove her back to the inn. She spent the ride on her phone.

  When he parked at the inn, he said, "Can I help you get a flight home tomorrow?"

  "Already done. I'll be heading back to Denver tonight."

  "That was fast."

  "There's no reason to go slow, is there?" she challenged. "You're not going to change your mind. And I'm not going to waste time crying over you."

  "I am sorry, Nikki. We had some good times."

  She drew in a breath. "We did. We still could. But, clearly, you're lost in some alternate reality. When you finally wake up, it will be too late. Then you really will be sorry. Because I don't give men second chances."

  "I know."

  They got out of the car and walked into the inn together. When they hit the second-floor landing, he paused. "Do you want me to help you with your bags?"

  "I'm sure the inn can send someone to do that." She paused by her door, her sharp gaze raking his face. "Were you lying before?"

  "About what?" he asked warily.

  "Keira. Was it as innocent as you both said it was? Or is she a part of this?"

  "She's not the reason we're breaking up, and those photos were innocent." Those two answers were the truth, even if they weren't the whole story.

  She gave him a long look. "You might be lying to me or you might be lying to yourself."

  "Or I'm telling the truth."

  "I guess we'll see."

  As she moved into her room, he exhaled and then headed up the stairs. He tossed his phone and his keys onto the dresser and then stretched out on the bed, looking at the ceiling. Breaking up with Nikki had been the right thing to do, and it felt good to make one decision about his life, to have something under his control. But the rest of it was still a cloud of confusion.

  Would he get his life back? And if he did, would it be the same? How could it be?

  The injury had not only derailed his career, but it had also forced him to stop and look at his life, at his relationship with Nikki. Had it always been so superficial?

  He'd never thought about it before, but their relationship had mostly been a series of one-night stands or weekends together. He'd met Nikki right before the season had started, and after the first three weeks of dating, he'd gone off to spring training. Then the season had started.

  Nikki had popped in and out of Miami. Occasionally, they'd meet up on the road somewhere. They'd spent a lot of time in clubs and at parties, but not doing real world stuff. They hadn't had to deal with mundane issues like who needed to take out the trash or who spent too long in the bathroom. It had all been fun and sex and a lot of drinking. They'd certainly never had to deal with one or the other being sick until he'd gotten injured, and that hadn't gone well.

  Well, he and Nikki were done, and she was definitely leaving with her pride intact. He didn't know if her bravado was a defense mechanism or if she was even more narcissistic than he'd realized, but she'd turned the breakup into his biggest mistake, not hers. That was fine. He didn't care what she had to say about him. He was just happy not to have to deal with her anymore.

  As for the media, who knew what would come next? That was probably in Nikki's hands. But she'd spent a lot of time on the story she'd spun today. Hopefully, she'd just stay quiet for a while and let everything die down. That would be the best thing, although he suspected he was being overly optimistic.

  Sitting up, he grabbed his phone and punched in Keira's number. She probably didn't want to hear from him, but he needed to speak to her.

  "Hello?" she said, a wary note in her voice.

  "It's Dante."

  "I know. Why are you calling?"

  "Two reasons. I broke up with Nikki."

  A longer silence than he would have expected followed his words. "Okay," she said finally. "Why?"

  "A lot of reasons. She's leaving Whisper Lake tonight. I wanted you to know in case any of the media hang around town to ask you about her or us."

  "Is her story about us all being friends going to hold?"

  "I don't know. I'm sorry she ambushed you the way she did."

  "I was surprised, but I wanted to help. I felt a little guilty that things weren't completely innocent between us."

  "You have nothing to feel guilty about. And I didn't break up with her because of you. That's the truth, Keira."

  Silence met his words. Then she said, "You mentioned you were calling for two reasons. What's the other reason?"

  "When I left the rehab center today, I witnessed an argument between Mark Langley and a middle-aged, red-haired woman. She told him he was going to be sorry. He said he was already sorry. He told her it was over, and she said he was wrong. Then he jumped into his car and left. A moment later, she did the same."

  "Really? Did he say her name?"

  "No. He didn't say her name, and I don't know who she was."

>   "Maybe it's that woman, Mandy, the one who called him a few days ago when I was in his office. He said basically the same thing on the phone."

  "I know you think this Mandy is the sister of the woman who died. Have you seen her photo online? Does she have red hair?"

  "I never looked Mandy/Amanda up. I stopped digging. I thought I was being paranoid."

  "Maybe you weren't."

  "Maybe I wasn't. Thanks for telling me."

  "Of course. Keira…" He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure where to begin.

  "Just say goodnight, Dante."

  "I'll say goodnight, but I don't want to say goodbye."

  "You will eventually."

  "But that's not today. So, I'll see you around." He disconnected the call before she could say the word he didn't want to hear.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "I don't want to hurt you," Hannah said as she came into Keira's boutique late Friday afternoon.

  Looking into her friend's troubled gaze, Keira steeled herself for what was coming. "Let's go in the back." She motioned for Connie to take care of their sole customer and then headed into the sewing room. "I know you're worried about your dress, Hannah," she said, as they moved into the next room. "The wedding is a week from tomorrow, and I haven't finished it yet. But I can promise you that it will be done." As Hannah opened her mouth, she rushed forward. "If for some reason, you don't want to wait, maybe you've found another dress you like better, it's fine. You can tell me. I'm very aware that my inability to finish the gown is stressing you out. I won't be hurt."

  "It's stressing you out more than me," Hannah said, walking over to the gown that was hanging in plastic on a rack by the wall. "I told you it was beautiful weeks ago. But you keep insisting there's something more you want to do."

  "There is. I want it to be perfect for you, Hannah."

  Hannah turned to face her, giving her a bewildered smile. "Keira, I'm not perfect. I never have been. I have red hair and freckles and skin that hates the sun."

  "You're beautiful, Hannah."

  "I'm just me. And this dress is me. It doesn't need more."

  "Just give me the weekend. If I can't do better, I'll call it a day."

  "I just hate that you're killing yourself over something that I love."

  "I'm not killing myself, but I have a vision, and I want to make it happen. You're just being nice, saying the dress is okay."

  Hannah sighed and gave her a pointed look. "Seriously? Since when am I just nice, Keira?"

  "Well…"

  Hannah laughed. "That's right. We've known each other for a long time. I can be snarky and impatient and hold a grudge way too long. Like I said, I'm not perfect. Neither are you. And you need to deal with whatever is driving you toward this quest for perfection."

  "Honestly, I don't know what it is. I'm just feeling stuck. It didn't happen with Chelsea's gowns, or her wedding dress, or her awards dress. The bridesmaids' dresses have gone well, but now I feel blocked."

  "Because you're exhausted. You can't do everything, Keira. Last I looked, you weren't wearing a cape."

  She sat down at her sewing table. "I could use a cape right about now."

  Hannah took the seat adjacent to her. "I hate to add to your burden, but since you're too busy to check social media, I feel compelled to share some information you might need, unless you already know?"

  "Know what?" she asked warily.

  "The photos from your threesome date at the Lakeshore Bistro are online."

  "It wasn't a threesome."

  Hannah grinned. "Well, whatever you want to call it, the three of you looked very good together. Although, I could see by your expression that you did not want to be there."

  "I didn't. I had no idea that Nikki had alerted the press. She just asked me to have a drink with her. I thought we'd chat. I'd explain that there was nothing going on with me and Dante. But she ambushed me, and she set Dante up as well."

  "But you all went along with her?"

  "There didn't seem to be another option, not with all those cameras focused on us." She paused, seeing something else in Hannah's gaze. "What aren't you telling me?"

  "The photos were fine, but this afternoon Nikki went on social media to announce she'd broken up with Dante. She said that while she'd thought you were a friend, she'd learned that you were trying to steal Dante from her. She had a little tear dripping down her beautiful face."

  "What?" she asked in shock. "None of that is true. Dante said he broke up with her right after I left, but it had nothing to do with me. They've been on the rocks for a while. They hadn't even seen each other in six weeks."

  "I believe you, but Dante hasn't said anything publicly to refute Nikki's statements."

  "I'm sure he doesn't want to feed the fire."

  "He might need to respond, because you're the one getting consumed by that fire. He should defend you, Keira. She's dragging your name through the mud."

  "I don't care what Nikki says."

  "You should. You have a reputation, too."

  "People in Whisper Lake know me. What the rest of the world thinks doesn't matter."

  "What about your design business? That could be global. You have to protect yourself."

  Hannah had a point, but she still didn't see any option but silence. "There's nothing I can say. I don't have a platform like Nikki does."

  "Dante has a platform. You should talk to him about it."

  "I'm trying not to talk to him at all," she muttered.

  "Why?"

  "Because talking to him is what got me into this mess."

  Hannah gave her a sharp, searching look. "What happens now that he's not attached?"

  "Nothing happens. He's still just passing through town. If we run into each other, we'll be friendly and polite, but that's it."

  "Oh, come on. You kissed him. He kissed you. You passed just friends days ago."

  "There's not going to be any more kissing."

  "Well, that sucks. Your reputation is being shredded online, and you're not even getting the perks of this situation. If you're going to get reamed for allegedly stealing Dante from Nikki, why don't you just have some fun?"

  "I can't."

  "Why not? You're so serious all the time."

  "It's not that I don't want to have fun." She paused and let out a sigh. "I like him too much already. I don't want to say goodbye to him now. Sleeping with him will only make it harder."

  Hannah gave her a sympathetic smile. "That's true. You do tend to get emotionally involved. What can I do?"

  "Go back in time and tell me I don’t need a date for your wedding, so I won't go online and try to find one and then mistake Dante for my real but boring date."

  "That part was not on me."

  "It all started with you. And by the way, I am not bringing a plus one to your wedding, so you'll just have to deal with the awkward seating assignments. In fact, I'm happy to sit at the bar."

  "Don't worry about that. It was never about the seating. I just didn't want you to feel like the odd man out."

  "Because I'm the last single girl standing."

  "Hey, Chloe is single now."

  "It's not the same. She was married. She has a kid. But you don't have to worry about me. I am not in a hurry to couple up and walk down the aisle. I have a lot going on in my life. I don't need a man."

  "Of course you don't need a man, but you still might want one. Anyway…" Hannah got to her feet. "I have to run. My brother is arriving tonight, and it's family dinner time."

  "How is the family doing?"

  "Everyone is good. My mom is sober and involved with a man who seems to treat her well. My sister, Kelly, is turning out to be a very good mom. And Tyler is coming home, so I can't complain."

  Hannah's family had been through a lot, so she was more than happy to know how great everything was now. "Was it difficult seeing your mom date again?"

  "Yes. I didn't like it, especially because he seemed like a partier to me at first, and
when my mom is involved with a man, she tends to lose track of her own sobriety. But that hasn't happened. He's cut back on his personal drinking and he seems to make her happy." She paused. "Is your mom still seeing her old friend?"

  "Unfortunately, yes," she said, getting to her feet.

  "Do you still have doubts about him?"

  "I do," she admitted. She had even more after Dante's call the night before, but she hadn't had time to look into Mandy yet.

  "Well, it's good to be careful."

  "Unfortunately, it's my mother who's in the relationship, and the last thing she wants to be right now is careful." She walked Hannah back into the shop. "I'll have your dress to you by Monday."

  "All right." Hannah gave her an impulsive hug. "It's all going to work out, Keira."

  "I hope so. I just don't know how."

  Dante's phone was blowing up when he left the rehab center Friday afternoon. There were texts from his brother, Micah, from his agent, Phil Aguardo, and his publicist, Elaine Robbins. From what he could see on his phone screen, Nikki's name was coming up a lot. What the hell had she done now?

  He got into his car and called his agent first. He'd been with Phil since he was twenty years old. Over the past twelve years, they'd grown up together. Now, Phil managed a dozen professional athletes across a range of sports.

  Phil picked up almost immediately. "Dante, have you seen what's going on?"

  "No, I've been in the rehab center all day. But I have a lot of texts referring to Nikki. What did she do?"

  "She made several social media posts claiming that you cheated on her with her former friend, the one in the photos from last night, and that you both lied to her. She feels like a fool for having believed your story. It goes on like that."

  He blew out a frustrated breath. "It's all bullshit. I broke up with Nikki after she manipulated those ridiculously fake photos. And she and Keira met for ten minutes years ago. They're not friends."

  "I figured. The media loves a good scandal, and you and Nikki have been a hot item for the last several months. What do you want to do?"

  "Ignore it."

  "That would be my usual advice," Phil said slowly.

  "Not now?" he asked in surprise.