Chapter 2
Chapter Two
W hat the heck was she going to do? Why had she agreed to this assignment? Danielle stood in the hallway after most of the reporters and players had cleared out. She was chewing on her finger nail as her mind raced through the events earlier.
“Are you okay?” Thomas asked as he glanced over at her while he slipped his camera into his case and shut the lid.
Danielle snapped her gaze over to him. She straightened and dropped her thumb from her lips. She could almost hear her grandmother’s voice in her mind, telling her that chewing on her nails was a nasty habit.
“Yeah, sorry,” she said, turning to focus on her cameraman.
If she were honest with herself, no, she wasn’t okay. Not in the slightest. Even though she’d thought she’d prepped herself to see Zach, nothing could have prepared her for the stomach-full-of-rocks-on-the-verge-of-tears experience she had had while standing in front of him, with a microphone tipped toward his lips.
So much history. So much pain. All of it was wrapped up in that six-foot-three and solid frame of muscles guy she once knew. Once kissed…
She closed her eyes for a moment as she forced back all the feelings of regret and pain that came rushing back to her whenever she thought of the Stedman boys. Which was getting harder and harder now that her own Stedman boy was turning eight.
Only, the Stedmans had no idea that Jesse existed. And she was going to keep it that way.
“I’m worried about you.” Thomas’s voice wiggled its way back into her mind.
Realizing that she was standing there, looking like a complete idiot, Danielle cleared her throat and gave Thomas her camera-ready smile. “Just a long day. And now I’ve got to go home and be mom to my bouncing-off-the-walls kiddo.”
She sighed as she glanced down at her phone and at all the text messages that had piled up. Sunny was a great babysitter, but she had a tendency to panic.
Which made covering late night games more and more difficult.
Tapping on the phone icon, she brought the receiver up to her cheek. Three rings later, Sunny answered with her true-to-name disposition.
“Hey Ms. Danaher,” she said.
“Sunny, it’s Danielle.” She hated it when Sunny called her Ms. Danaher. It made her feel old. And at twenty-eight, she shouldn’t feel old.
“Sorry. Right. Hey, Danielle.”
Danielle sighed. “You texted me?”
Sunny paused and then snorted. “Oh, yeah, that. Jesse refused to do his homework…but we figured it out. He’s now watching some Lego show.”
Danielle glanced down at her watch. Nine o’clock. Great. That meant Jesse was going to be a bear tomorrow. “Oh, okay. I’m glad you figured it out. But he should probably be going to bed soon.”
Sunny clicked her tongue. “Right. Got it. Jesse, your mom wants to say something to you.”
Danielle tried not to sigh. Sunny was forcing her to be the bad guy. It wasn’t like Danielle wasn’t used to it. As a single parent, she was getting used to taking on all the parenting roles, but it did get draining. But what could she do? Dating was out of the picture, and Isaac? A familiar twinge settled in her stomach when she thought about him. Isaac was gone. The only other support she had were her parents who were on some extended cruise through the Pacific. The Stedman’s didn’t even know Jesse existed which left Danielle alone.
Bring on good cop/bad cop.
“Hey, mom,” Jesse’s voice filled the air.
Danielle’s heart softened at the sound of her son’s voice. “Hey bud. It’s way past your bedtime and we’ve got lots to do tomorrow. Go to bed, okay?”
Jesse paused and then let out a groan. “Okay fine.”
Danielle thanked him then told him to mind Sunny before he grunted and the line went silent. Danielle dropped her phone into her purse and glanced over to see Thomas studying her. She sighed and forced a smile. “Boys.”
Thomas smirked as he grabbed the camera case handle and tipped it up. “How is Jesse?” He straightened with equipment hanging on each shoulder and his fingers curled around the handles.
Danielle sighed as she pushed her purse higher up on her shoulder. “Typical kid. You know. Hates school and homework. Just wants to stay home and play video games.” Danielle’s stomach clenched as she thought about her son. She hated that he was growing up without a father figure in his life. She loved her dad and knew how important someone like that was.
Too bad she stunk at picking men. After a few doozies, she decided that love just wasn’t for her and she should stop while she was so far behind.
Thomas chuckled. “I get that.”
Then he glanced over at her and steadied his gaze. The intensity with which he stared at her made her cheeks flush. What was that? It must be residual feelings from seeing Zach.
“I can come over sometime. Maybe we could all go out together?” He shrugged as if he didn’t care what her answer was, but from the hopeful look on his face, she doubted that was true. Suddenly, warning bells went off in Danielle’s mind.
This was not good. She couldn’t get involved with anyone from work. Not when she needed this job to survive. The last thing she needed was a scandal. But she was friends with Thomas and she didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. “Um, sure. Maybe,” she said, stifling the awkward feeling that rose up in her stomach with a nervous laugh.
Thomas’s eyes lit up. “Really? That would be amazing.” He turned toward the parking lot and then paused. “I’ll call you?”
Danielle pinched her lips together and nodded. “Sure.”
Thomas smiled and then started to walk away. He paused and turned around, giving her another smile.
Danielle watched his retreating frame for a few seconds before she made her way to the bus stop. She’d ridden over to the stadium from her tiny apartment in downtown Atlanta. She hated traffic and it stressed her out to drive. Add never finding a parking spot and the bus looked better and better.
She found a bench and sat down. Pulling out her phone, she checked her email only to find that her producer, Seth, had emailed her. She clicked on the email titled, New Assignment, and held her breath. Anything but the Patriots. She had thought she could be professional when interviewing Zach, only to have that notion fly from her mind the moment she saw him standing there. Which only solidified in her mind that her past, really wasn’t in the past.
Which meant being around him was not good.
She skimmed the email before she stopped, the blood in her veins turning to ice as she read the words “Patriot’s individualized exposé.”
She swallowed as she moved up a few lines to catch the entire conversation.
“We’ve been asked to follow the team into the summer, documenting what different key members of the team are doing. Apparently, they are trying to drum up more sponsorships and think that this is the best way to do it. I’ve assigned a few other reports to members of the team and for you, I’ve assigned Zachary, The Stud, Stedman.”
Danielle stared at the words. Zach? They assigned Zach to her?
What the heck was she going to do about that? He was the absolute last person she could stand to be around. One minute into a conversation with him and she’d confess everything—she was sure of it. He had a way of getting things out of her. He always did.
That was one of the reasons she had to stay away from him. The feelings that grew inside of her that summer were deep and wrong. She loved Isaac, but every time she was around Zach, things changed. And after that kiss, she was pretty sure she would never be same. And the fact that the kiss happened after Isaac died made her feel that much worse.
There was no way she could spend time around Zach. Not for a summer. Even if it was just a few snippets here and there, documenting what the team was up to, she was pretty sure she might crumble from the memories.
Maybe if she could convince him to demand a different reporter, there might be a chance for her. She’d just ask him to submit a complaint. It was easy. Right?
“Hey, Dani-mani.”
Danielle froze, her finger mid-scroll, as the familiar sound of Zach’s voice washed over her. Her stomach sank as her heart rate picked up. The familiar nickname that Isaac and Zach had used for her wasn’t helping her resolve to stay away from him.
Glancing up, she saw that a black Lincoln had pulled over. Zach’s face could be seen from the rolled down window. Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw his familiar, chiseled features, which had only deepened over the years. He’d definitely turned into one of the handsomest men she’d ever seen.
Which was probably why her body was responding to his stare as it swept over her. She cursed her burning cheeks as she gave him what she hoped was a relaxed smile. Why did she have such a reaction to him? What was wrong with her? This was not the reaction of a woman who had gotten over anyone.
What was he doing here and what did he want from her? She was pretty sure her conversation with him earlier hadn’t left much to the imagination. She’d been short and to the point, not allowing any interpretation other than that she wanted to keep things professional. Feelings couldn’t get involved again.
“Where are you off to?” he asked, glancing over at few people who had gathered by the bench. Danielle hadn’t noticed them until now.
She pulled her purse up onto her lap as she swallowed. Evening time in Atlanta had a way of bringing out all sorts of unsavory characters. She’d been in a few altercations to know this. But, she was a single mom. There wasn’t much she could do. Money was tight and she couldn’t be splurging on a vehicle when Jesse needed baseball cleats and the apartment had unpredictable plumbing.
“I’m waiting for the bus,” she said, in the calmest voice she could muster. She wasn’t sure where Zach was going with this, but she knew that opening up about her transportation methods probably wasn’t wise. Not when Zach was staring at a man whose hand was shoved into his coat pocket and his hat was pulled down low over his face. He kept twitching in a way that told Danielle—and from the look on Zach’s face, Zach—that he was going through withdrawal.
“Can I, um, give you ride?” Zach’s gaze made its way back over to her. The honey brown color of his eyes had deepened and she could tell that he was internally fighting something as well.
“I, um…” She was torn between riding the bus next to someone who smelt of urine and getting into Zach’s car. Both sounded about the same in terms of uncomfortableness. She chewed her lips as Zach raised his eyebrows.
Then, his door swung open and he stepped out onto the curb. She was stunned speechless as she took in how much he’d changed since she last saw him. His dark hair swept across his forehead. She swallowed as he approached her.
She heard a few gasps and whispers as it seemed the crowd suddenly realized just who had gotten out of the car. Her cheeks burned as he stopped a foot in front of her and knelt down.
“Come on, Dani. Let me give you a ride.” His voice softened and she could hear the emotion in it. “It’s what Isaac would want me to do.”
She closed her eyes for a moment at the mention of Isaac’s name. He’d been the one she thought she’d been destined for. The one she’d been engaged to. The father of her son. Too bad she was pretty sure that summer, he was about to call things off. She didn’t have evidence, but Isaac had been pulling away which wasn’t something she told anyone. How could she? The Stedman’s hated her enough, they didn’t need her telling them that she’d suspected Isaac had been involved in some unsavory things.
It was better to forget the Stedmans. Every one of them.
But, when she opened her eyes and saw Zach’s familiar gaze and how earnest he looked, her resolve floated away with the Georgia wind. His elbows were resting on his knees for balance and he was studying her face.
Finally, she sighed and nodded. A cheer rose up around them as she stood and stepped forward to follow Zach. She glanced behind at the people who had gathered there. A few women nodded in understanding. Danielle fought the urge to tell them that there was nothing good about her getting into Zach’s car. In fact, it was the exact opposite of good.
But, she’d already made the decision to get up and was going to follow through with it. Zach extended his hand for her to go first, so she did.
After a few steps toward the car she felt the light pressure of Zach’s hand on her back. It startled her, causing her to whip her gaze over to him. He dropped his hand and his cheeks flushed as he cleared his throat. Feeling bad, she wanted to explain her reaction, but knew she couldn’t. Instead, she hurried to the door and opened it before he could insist on doing it for her.
She slipped onto the soft leather seat, shut the door and then took a deep breath. All sorts of regrets were filling her mind, but she pushed them away. She’d made the decision to get in, she might as well own it.
“Well, hey there,” a deep voice startled her.
Glancing up, she saw an older man with salt and pepper colored hair in the front seat. He was smiling at her in a grandfather sort of way. “Name’s Paul,” he said, stretching around to offer her his hand.
“Danielle,” she said, taking it.
He squeezed her fingers before letting them go. “Nice to meet you, Danielle.”
The other door opened and Zach appeared as he slipped onto the seat. He shut the door and glanced back and forth between them. “I see you’ve met Paul,” he said. There was a slight smile that twitched on his lips, causing Danielle’s stomach to lighten.
She lowered her eyes and nodded. “Yep.” She needed to pull back. Build that wall between her and Zach so high that nothing could penetrate it. Nothing ever good came from getting involved with a Stedman. Well, except for Jesse.
She could feel Zach’s gaze on her as she studied her hands in her lap. She wanted to turn and face him. He’d been her friend. Someone she’d valued. It hurt to push him away. To remain cold so as to protect her heart.
But what was she going to say? I’ve been hiding your nephew from you? That kiss did mean something to me and yet, I feel like I’m not honoring your brother’s memory when I think that?
She let out the breath she’d been holding. No. She couldn’t do that. It was best to keep quiet and not say anything. Pretend that nothing had happened except a falling out between them, which needed to stay that way.
“I was headed to an after party, wanna join me?” Zach’s soft and smooth voice washed over her, causing her to shiver. She wanted to say yes. She did. But could she?
“I, um, I…” She made the mistake of turning to meet Zach’s gaze. His eyebrows were raised and it was almost as if he were hopeful.
Man, she should not read into that.
She took a deep breath and glanced down at her phone. She was pretty sure that Sunny would be okay with her going out. Maybe she should shoot her babysitter a message quick.
If anything, going with Zach just might give her the opportunity to ask him to insist that he work with another reporter. She was sure spending a summer following him around was the last thing that either of them needed. Getting taken off the assignment would really be a win/win for the both of them. So she gave him a small smile and nodded.
“I guess that would be okay,” she whispered, scolding herself for being so transparent.
Zach’s face lit up as he grinned and turned to Paul. “Let’s go,” he said.