8. Chapter Seven
After dinner in Moose Jaw, Kace hasn”t seen or talked to Bri. Her confessions knocked him off his feet. Not only because the confessions themselves shocked him but because of the honesty in her answers. He saw her differently that night. There are many different sides to this woman, and he doesn”t know how long he can keep this relationship he feels brewing as fake. And based on the way she looked at him, he”s pretty sure she feels the same way he does. Which is exactly why he hasn”t been able to get her off his mind since that night.
The first thing he did when he got back to his place was look up the awards show. A couple of awards his ass. She”s up for seven, and it works with his schedule. Their relationship will most definitely make the headlines and kick ED to the back pages. And for some reason, the idea of being Bri Waters” boyfriend makes him happier than he”d expected. Fake or not, he plans to show her how a real man treats a woman. Outside the bedroom. Unless she asks really nicely.
The media”s been in a frenzy after Carl gave a full account of their dinner together, along with a picture he took with his cell phone when they weren”t paying attention. They stared captivated by each other, and everyone believes the rumors aren”t just rumors. It also helped every paparazzi got a shot of him protecting her and holding her hand as they walked into the restaurant.
Tonight, he played Galveston, and he looked up to find Bri in the Twister”s VIP section with Tessa, both wearing opposing jerseys. The anger radiating from Rudy made everything even better because the media kept focusing on Kace and Bri. Rudy should”ve been happy they beat the Twisters in a near-sweep, but he hated every minute of it.
After the game, Brett waits for Kace outside the locker room, and Rudy hurries after them. Kace rolls his eyes, but he keeps walking to find his brunette superstar. He plans to get her number tonight, so he doesn”t have to wait so long to talk to her. He”s been itching to even text her since their dinner.
”You kicked my ass tonight,” Brett says. ”Is it because of the sexy pop star sitting in our box with the hot blonde?”
Brett”s the only person who knows about the relationship idea their reps came up with, and he”s been sworn to secrecy. The last thing he needs is Rudy finding out about this and going to the press. Especially because Kace doesn”t know if this is completely fake yet or not.
”I almost forgot Tessa was here. She probably got the box because she”s dating your trainer.”
”The hot blonde is?”
Rolling his eyes, he punches his shoulder playfully. ”No, Bri is. It”s a really messed up situation I”m in. Yes, Tessa. She and Bri are best friends.”
”You”re on a first name basis with her friends now?” Rudy asks from behind them.
”What”re your plans after this?” Kace asks, ignoring Rudy tagging along like the annoying little brother no one wants.
Brett shrugs. ”I want food, but that”s about it. You?”
”If Bri”s waiting like I hope she is, I plan to take her out. You should come with.”
They push open the double doors, and his stomach drops when he sees not only Bri but Sasha. And no Tessa this time. Oh, God.
”I”m a huge fan,” Sasha gushes, her blonde hair in loose curls. The way Kace always said he loved, but she never wore it that way. At least until she saw Bri with the same hairstyle on his lap.
Sasha”s been to many of their games, likely hoping Bri would show up to meet her in person. She just got her wish, but Bri looks so unimpressed she looks bored. ”Thanks.”
Sasha runs a hand through her hair, and they get stuck in the tangles at the ends. ”Where do you get your hair done? I”ve been thinking about going brunette.”
”My stylist does it,” she says, and her eyes widen with a warning look as Kace comes into view. ”Hey, you.”
Kace places a hand on his chest and sighs dramatically. ”Waiting for me? I”m honored.”
Her hand waves to fan her face. ”Of course, I”m waiting for the hot hockey star. Now, as much as I like stadium food, I”m starving. And I can only imagine how hungry you must be. Any chance you want to take a girl out to eat?”
”Rudy and I would love to join you!” Sasha says, a wide smile on her face. ”Where are we going?”
Brett laughs, but Kace shoves him.
Bri turns and looks at her for the first time. ”No, thanks.”
Sasha”s face falls. ”Excuse me?”
Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes for only a moment before softening her face to answer Kace”s ex. ”Look, I appreciate you being a fan. And if you want me to sign something, I”d be more than happy to. But you have to realize how weird this is with you being Kace”s ex, who”s with his teammate and former best friend. If you didn”t realize it was weird, hopefully now you do.”
”Why?”
”Well, because Kace and I were able to bond so quickly over our exes cheating with lesser versions of ourselves. Now, you two have a good night.”
Sasha”s mouth drops open, and Rudy freezes in place. Kace sees a similar look of shock on Brett”s face, and Kace wants nothing more than to kiss Bri. Not just because he wants to know what her lips feel like but because of the pure devastation on Sasha”s face.
”Ready, babe?” Kace asks. ”You remember Brett, right? Do you mind if he joins us?”
”Not at all. He owes you two meals now, right? Or did you get your raincheck for the game in Moose Jaw already?”
Brett laughs. ”Girl has a good memory. I don”t like that, by the way,” he jokes.
Kace wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her against his side, taking note of how tall she is when she wears heels. ”I could kiss you for that.”
”I was a fan of yours before, but I now worship the ground you walk on. And I think I might love you. Never in my life have I seen Sasha stunned silent.”
”Was I too harsh?” Bri asks as they walk outside. ”I wanted to be clear that she and I will not be friends. I don”t like people I know right off the bat can”t be trusted, but I don”t want to be mean about it.”
They climb into the back of the SUV, and there”s not much room for her with the two men. Kace made sure to get a larger vehicle this time around, just in case, but he hadn”t had the forethought to consider Brett coming with them. She looks unsure where to sit, and Kace pats his lap. He loves the way she climbs up without any hesitation. Brett gives him a look, but he just wraps his arms around the beautiful woman who just made his entire week.
”You were perfect,” he says and kisses her cheek, hoping this isn”t too much affection for her. He had to do something with his lips and this woman.
”Okay, good,” she says and leans into his chest. If she”s bothered, she”s putting on a damn good show.
They pull up outside the steakhouse they always go to after a Texas game, and both men shield Bri from the onslaught of cameras by keeping her sandwiched between them until they find the secluded table at the back. Another round booth.
”Is this okay?” Kace asks her. ”I never asked where you wanted to eat. You seem borderline vegetarian, and this is the second steakhouse I”ve brought you to.”
She slides into the booth, letting both men sit on the outsides, and she laughs. ”I grew up in Texas. My grandpa was a rancher. He”d roll over in his grave if I became a vegetarian. I just limit my red meat intake, but we”re in Texas. It”s one of the only places I allow myself to really indulge. I”m totally getting a steak tonight.”
Confidence. She only seemed to have it on the stage before, but he likes this side of her. He hopes he has something to do with the sudden comfortability she feels. But he”s quickly taken off-guard when Brett starts with his usual flirtatious nature.
Bri takes it in stride, laughing when appropriate, but she keeps sliding closer to Kace until their legs touch. His anger at his friend tampers with the physical touch of the beauty next to him. They eat their meals with her damn near in his lap, and he”s not upset about it in the least.
Brett and Kace scarfed down their T-bones with multiple sides of carbs while Bri ordered a filet with steamed vegetables and a salad. She”d ordered just water this time around while Brett drank a tall beer. For a non-athlete, she”s one of the healthiest eaters he”s ever met.
”Can I bother one of you two to hop out? I need to use the restroom,” Bri says once they”ve finished their meals.
Kace scoots out of the booth to let her out, and he glares at Brett when he sits back down. ”Knock it off!”
”What?”
”You”re flirting with her.”
”I thought you said this wasn”t...” he looks around and lowers his voice, ”real.”
So that gives him a right to flirt with her? What does he think will happen? He”ll bed her while Kace is the face of her new relationship? ”That doesn”t mean she”s fair game for you to try and hook up with. Besides, she”s not that type of girl.”
”Do you like her?”
”Who wouldn”t like her? Besides, you weren”t the only one who thinks he fell in love when she put Sasha in her place.”
Brett leans back, a large smile on his face. ”You do like her! Fake my ass. It”s also not hard to see she”s the complete opposite of Sasha. It”s actually the best thing you”ve ever done.”
”I don”t know, okay? I just got out of the relationship with Sasha, so I”m not really sure where my feelings are. Or hers, but you don”t get to swoop in and charm her like you always do. She”s off-limits just like any other girl would be.”
”I didn”t mean anything by it, I swear.”
Kace nods. ”Yeah.”
”I”m sorry, Kace. I can”t help that I ooze charm and charisma, but I”ll try and dial it back around her. The last thing we need is her falling in love with me, and then it blows this whole plan out of the water. Because then you”d have to kick my ass, and we”d both put our teams at a disadvantage to face off for the Cup because we”re injured. It”ll become too big of a problem.”
Ooze charm and charisma his ass. ”Bri”s just being nice and entertaining you. In case you hadn”t noticed, she all but climbed in my lap to get away from you.”
”Speaking of Bri... where”d she go? Shouldn”t she be back by now?”
Kace looks around, suddenly worried. Did she get sick? Or did someone show up and she needs rescuing? Both men slide out of the booth and look around frantically for her. Camera flashes catch their attention, and he breathes a sigh of relief.
”There she is,” Brett says and points to her as she bends down and smiles for another picture. ”Do we help her?”
Kace tries to catch her eye to see if she needs him to swoop in and save her, but she focuses on the table of preteen girls and signs autographs for them. ”I think she”s okay,” he says, his eyes never leaving her.
After close to fifteen minutes, she makes her way back to the table. ”Sorry,” Bri says and slides back into the booth. ”I didn”t plan to be gone that long.”
Kace looks at her as he slides back in beside her. ”What was that?”
”A birthday party. The birthday girl, Kali, just turned twelve, and she almost fainted when she saw me. Her dad asked if I”d come over and wish her a happy birthday, and then one thing turned into another. They were a sweet group.”
”You took a lot of pictures and signed autographs. That”s really sweet of you,” Brett says.
Their server walks by, and Bri waves him down. ”Do you know who their server is?” she asks and points to the birthday table.
”Stephanie, I think.”
”Can you get her for me, please?”
He nods, staring star struck as though he just noticed who she was, and he hurries away.
Within seconds, a frazzled-looking woman with short black hair hurries to the table. ”Hi, I”m Stephanie. How can I help you, Ms. Waters?”
Bri smiles at her. ”Hi, Stephanie. You can call me Bri. You”re serving that party there?”
”Yes, ma”am. I feel so bad for the father. He came in with expired coupons, and my boss won”t accept them. He also has gift cards that aren’t working, and I don”t know that he can pay for the meal. Her mother just passed, and this is the first time she”s wanted to do anything since the funeral, which he told us, but my manager won’t budge.”
”Your manager isn”t willing to help make something work?” Brett asks.
She shakes her head. ”My manager”s an asshole. Sorry!” Her eyes widen as she looks at Bri and covers her mouth. ”That was rude.”
”Hey, we”ve all had managers who were assholes,” Bri says with a smirk. ”I”ll take their tab. Can you also bring me a notepad and pen?”
”You”re paying for their whole tab? Oh, bless you. I was going to try and pay what her father couldn”t from my tips tonight. I”ll be right back. Thank you.”
Kace stares in shock. ”Did you know there was a problem?”
”Her dad started pulling out every card in his wallet when he looked at the tab. The last thing he wants is his daughter knowing he can”t pay for her birthday dinner. And knowing she just lost her mother breaks my heart.”
Stephanie walks up and hands everything to Bri with shaking hands. ”Would it be inappropriate to ask for your autograph? I know it”s super lame to ask, and you can totally say no, but I”m a huge fan. I tried calling the radio station a thousand times to win tickets to your show tomorrow night, but I wasn”t lucky. This is so much better, I think.”
Smiling, she signs the paper. ”What”s your last name?”
”McDonald.”
”Here,” she says. Scribbling on two other pieces of paper, she hands them to the server. ”The top one”s for her father, and the bottom is for the birthday girl. Thank you, Stephanie.”
”Thank you. And... thank you for not being a jerk.”
”You”re welcome?” Bri says and laughs.
She flushes a bright red and hurries away. Bri pulls out her wallet and her phone, typing on the screen.
”How bad is the bill?” Brett asks.
”More than he”d be able to split on cards, I think. But it”s not bad considering how many kids there are,” she says. ”Sorry, I”m not trying to be rude. I need to have Nia put will call tickets in for Stephanie.”
”That”s why you wanted her last name,” Kace says. Damn, this woman is nothing if not generous.
She just smiles. ”Since I have my wallet out, do you want me to pay for our dinner, too? Or is this the two meals Brett owes you?”
Kace laughs loudly while Brett scowls.
”I got dinner,” Brett grits out but laughs with Kace. ”She has a memory. I still don”t like it.”
They slide out of the booth, and Bri takes Kace”s hand. The feeling of her skin on his makes him burn in the best way possible. The father catches their attention, and he mouths thank you with tears in his eyes as his daughter screams at the note Bri wrote her.
The manager walks up with Stephanie, who stares at the ground like a reprimanded child. ”Ms. Waters?”
”Yes?”
”Hi, I”m the manager, Gene. I wanted to apologize for the situation you were put in by my wait staff. Stephanie should have never asked you to pay for another table”s meal.”
Bri releases Kace”s hand. ”I don”t know what you”re talking about.”
”We never want our elite guests to be put in such a precarious position and feel an obligation to cover other tables.”
”Well, there are two things you”re leaving out of this scenario, Gene. First, I asked Stephanie. I asked for her specifically, and she didn”t ask me anything. Second, I wouldn”t have needed to feel like I should step in if you”d been a considerate human being and honored the expired coupons. I know for a fact this restaurant has a large profit margin, and knowing the situation of that poor man, you should have tried to help.”
He clears his throat, and Kace almost feels bad for Gene as he gets reamed by such a small but mighty woman. ”Regardless, she should have never divulged the information to you. She will be disciplined accordingly. I just wanted to apologize and ask not to have this held against us for any future evenings you wish to spend here.”
Raising her eyebrows, she crosses her arms under her chest. ”Shame on you.”
”Excuse me?”
”You know, I planned to come back because of Stephanie. But you, sir, are the reason I don”t know that I want to come back here. You should be praising this woman for being a good person. She wanted to find a way to pay for whatever was lacking out of her own money, especially after you failed to be a decent human being. Shame on you. And shame on this establishment for having someone like you in a position of power. It”s a significant disservice to this place.”
The man”s jaw drops. ”I”m sorry you feel that way.”
”You should. The owner, Charlie? His grandfather was a good friend of my grandfather. That”s how this reputation got started, you know. He bought the beef from my family, and I think I”ll give Charlie a call and tell him what happened tonight. How you treat those you consider your non-elite patrons as well as your staff. He”ll know how amazing the servers are despite the poor leadership.”
Kace and Brett stand behind her when anger flashes across his face. If this man thinks he”s going to do anything, especially with them standing right there, he”s a bigger idiot than he looks.
”I”m sorry you feel that way,” he says again, this time between clenched teeth.
”It might be in your best interest to look for new employment. Maybe also talk to someone about why you seem to be such a mean-spirited man. It”s always better to be kind. Oh, and Stephanie? Here”s a tip for the table. I also have four tickets waiting for you at will call for tomorrow”s concert. You don”t work, do you?”
Stephanie stares in shock. ”I”m scheduled to work-”
”I think her shift can be covered, can”t it, Gene?”
”Yes, I think we can accommodate that,” he says, his teeth still clenched. He’s going to crack some of them if he doesn’t loosen his grip soon.
”Oh my God! I”m going to a Bri Waters concert!” Stephanie screams. ”Can I hug you?”
Pulling her into a large hug, Bri smiles brightly. ”Don”t ever let people make you lose the kind soul you have. We need more people like you in the world.”
”This is the greatest gift of my life!” she cries, tears streaming down her face. ”Thank you!”
Kace takes Bri”s hand and walks out to the SUV, happy to have a reason to pull her into his lap. Brett and he both remain silent as they process what just happened. And true to her word, Bri calls the owner right there to explain what happened.
”She”s kind of amazing,” Brett whispers.
”She really is,” Kace agrees and rubs his thumb on her thigh.
The look Bri gives him as she talks on the phone makes his heart race, and he knows if things keep going like this, he won”t be able to keep this a fake scenario. She might just be what he”s been missing in his life.