Chapter 4
Chapter Four
T hree Months Later
Danielle stood in front of her mirror, inspecting her dress. Butterflies danced around in her stomach as she twisted from one side to the other, trying to catch all the angles of the skirt and bodice.
She hated that she was nervous. She hated that she cared. And most of all, she hated the fact that Zach had held true to his word when he said he wasn’t going to help her out. She’d waited to be told that she was not longer the PR person for Zach Stedman, but that phone call never came.
Now, three months later, she was getting ready for her first exposé about the life of an NFL player.
She grumbled as she pulled her long, curly hair from the braid she’d put it in and shook it out. The curls bounced as they framed her face. She glared at herself, hating the fact that she’d allowed her emotions to get all tangled up again.
Zach was Zach. Why did she care what he thought of her? Why did she care what she looked like?
“Wow, you look like a hottie tottie,” Sunny said as she waltzed into Danielle’s room. She was wearing shorts and a black tee. True to her name, her bright blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail and her cheeks were flushed, no doubt from the heat outside.
“Hey, Sunny,” Danielle said as she pulled at the skirt of her dress. Maybe she should change. She didn’t want to look like she was trying and if Sunny’s interpretation of the dress rang true for other people, that meant Zach might think she cared what he thought…which she didn’t.
“Is it too much?” she asked, turning to face Sunny.
Sunny flopped down on Danielle’s bed and then propped herself up on one elbow. “Heck no. It’s about time the men of Atlanta knew the hot woman underneath all the sweatpants.” She wrinkled her nose as she tipped her head toward Danielle’s overflowing laundry basket.
“I don’t wear sweatpants that much,” Danielle said as her sheepish gaze ran over the first few items in the laundry basket, each of which happened to be sweatpants.
Sunny grabbed some of the gum in her mouth and twisted it around her finger. Danielle shot her a disgusted look, but Sunny didn’t seem to care. Instead, she furrowed her brows as she studied Danielle. “Yeah, this is good for you. You’re starting to turn into a hermit. You need to get out.”
Danielle winced at Sunny’s words, suddenly regretting the fact that she’d let everything spill to her babysitter when she came home from the club that night.
Zach had loaned her Paul who’d driven her home. Danielle made Paul promise to never tell Zach where she lived, to which Paul agreed. He had this older brother/dad quality to him and she couldn’t help but trust him.
Sunny, on the other hand, was less discreet and almost had a heart attack when Danielle told her that she knew a Patriot. Now, she was more than happy to doll Danielle up just so that she could meet the whole team.
“It’s not like that, Sunny,” Danielle reminded her.
Sunny snorted and grabbed one of the accent pillows on Danielle’s bed. She hugged it and leaned forward. “But why can’t it be like that. It’s been so many years since everything happened. You can move on from that, can’t you?”
Danielle swallowed. Her stomach twisted with Sunny’s words. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about that. There were a few times since the night at the club that she’d seen Zach—even if he promptly turned away from her. And in those moments, she reveled in the familiarity she felt when she was around him.
There was a part of her that missed that whole family. She missed Isaac. The Stedmans. And most of all, Zach. They’d been friends. And it hurt to see him and realize that that reality was no longer an option for her.
Not with Jesse involved.
“Where’s Jesse? You’re here to watch him, not give me relationship advice.” She gave Sunny a pointed look.
Sunny held up her hands as she climbed off the bed. She’d been in Jesse and Danielle’s life since Jesse was three and they moved into this apartment building. Danielle loved her like a little sister. Which was why she kept her around even if she tried to pry into Danielle’s personal life.
“I get it,” Sunny said as she made her way out into the hall. A moment later, she stuck her head back in, “Just think about.” She sang out as she jumped out of the way to avoid a pillow that Danielle had just thrown at her.
Danielle laughed as she brushed down her dress and turned. After glancing at her watch, she let out a groan. If she didn’t leave right now, she was going to be late.
Grabbing her purse, sandals, and phone, she closed her bedroom door and made her way out into the hallway. “I’ve gotta go, buddy,” she said as she zeroed in on Jesse and made her way over to give him a kiss on the top of the head.
Jesse was engrossed in a book and waved his hand to shoo her away. Danielle didn’t obey as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “Mind Sunny while I’m gone,” she said, dipping down to meet his gaze.
Jesse gave her a noncommittal, mm hmm, and focused back on his book.
Danielle ruffled his hair one more time and then stood, making her way into the kitchen. “Get him outside. I swear all that boy does is read.”
Sunny set her phone down and nodded. “You’ve got it, boss.”
Danielle handed over a ten-dollar bill in case Sunny wanted to take Jesse out for lunch and then gave them one last wave before unlocking her apartment door and stepping out into the hall.
Heat hit her almost instantly and the smell of old carpet and must. She sucked in her breath out of instinct and held it as she glanced around. The air must be out in the hall. As she made her way over to the elevator, she passed by the window unit that was rattling.
She paused, glancing down at it only to have it exhale a tiny puff of cool air and then blast hot air on her. She winced as she straightened. No doubt, it would take Roger ages before he fixed the unit. Just like everything else that was falling apart in this building.
Danielle had promised Jesse that she’d get the two of them out of this place, but with every bill that sat on her counter, she was beginning to realize that was a dream that just might never come true for them.
Perhaps this was their life.
She took a deep breath as she stepped onto the elevator. She couldn’t think like this right now. She needed her wits about her if she was going to have to talk to Zach. No doubt he’d be there, pushing her buttons.
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her phone. Her mom had texted about their Bahama trip plans. Courtney, her best friend, had texted that Racer, her three-year-old son had finally pooped in the potty.
Danielle laughed as she texted a thumbs-up. By the time she scrolled to the bottom, she noticed a text from a number she didn’t recognize.
After clicking on it, she scanned it.
Zach: At the gym today on 4th and Wilson. See you there.
Danielle stared at the message. For some stupid reason, her heart began to pound just a tad faster than it should. Zach had been right that night at the club. They were professionals. She could do this. There was no way a serious reporter would let her feelings get the better of her.
Plus, she’d needed to keep Seth happy and if she complained, she was pretty sure he’d find a replacement. Who wouldn’t want to be up close and personal with an NFL player? And when that NFL player was Zach Stedman, she was pretty sure Katie Couric would take the job.
The elevator doors opened and Danielle stepped out. She glanced at her watch. After she messaged the team’s PR specialist that she was planning on meeting Zach at noon sharp, she wanted to make a point of being on time.
At least, that’s what professionals did and she was a professional. But, judging from the time on her watch, she was going to be late.
Groaning, she pressed on the bus schedule app and scanned it. The next bus wasn’t for fifteen minutes. With that, plus ride time, she was going to be late.
She cursed under her breath as she stepped out into the hot Georgia summer. Heat pricked at her skin from irritation and humidity. She reached into her purse and grabbed out a ponytail holder, cursing herself for even thinking that she could handle it being down this time of day.
She made her way over to the bus stop only to halt her movement.
Standing next to a black Lincoln was Paul. He had a book out and was leaning against the passenger door. His baseball cap was pulled down over his eyes. Danielle had to blink a few times before she could believe what she was staring at.
“Paul?” she asked, walking up to him.
Paul glanced up and smiled. “Hello Miss Danaher.”
Danielle studied him. “It’s Danielle. Did Zach send you?” Her stomach lightened at the thought of Zach thinking of her like that. But she really shouldn’t be surprised. Zach had always been the more thoughtful Stedman.
“No, ma’am. I figured a sweet girl like you shouldn’t be riding the bus. Besides, he’s been at the gym all morning, I doubt he’s even noticed I’ve been gone.”
All the elation that Danielle felt at the thought of Zach asking for her to be picked up left her body. And then, she felt stupid. What was wrong with her? She doubted Zach had even thought of her once since they spoke. He was famous. She was pretty sure he could have his pick of the women in this town. To think she was on the top of that list was down right ridiculous.
“Oh, well. That’s nice,” she said. She really meant it, but the tone of her voice came across as sarcastic.
Paul studied her for a moment and then whatever he’d been thinking, he must have pushed aside. Instead of answering her, he pushed off the car and opened the door, waving toward the inside. “It’ll be a quicker and more pleasant ride, I can promise you that,” he said, giving her a warm smile.
Feeling bad about giving him a hard time, Danielle nodded. She should be nicer to Paul. He wasn’t Zach. “Thank you. It’s really sweet of you to think of me,” she said, giving him a smile as she slipped into the car.
Paul said a soft, “You’re welcome,” and then shut the door. After rounding the hood, he got into the driver’s seat and started up the car.
Two seconds later, the cool air was blasting through the vents and Paul was pulling out onto the street. Danielle leaned back and felt her body soften as she watched the familiar buildings pass by. For some reason, she relaxed. Maybe it was the smooth ride of the car or the fact that the air didn’t smell like body odor, but she couldn’t help but release all the stress that she’d been carrying around today.
“So how do you know Zach?” Paul’s soft voice asked from the front.
In that one question, all of her stress returned. How much did she want to tell this stranger? How much had Zach told him? If she didn’t get into detail would Paul know that she was lying? She cleared her throat as she shifted against the seat. “I, um…we go way back.”
When Paul didn’t answer, she found herself gnawing on her fingernails. Why was she so stressed out about this? It wasn’t like she was under interrogation. Paul was just trying to have a relaxed conversation—one that people normally had when they first met someone—and yet, she was having a panic attack inside.
“That must have been something, growing up with The Stud .” Paul chuckled under his breath.
Danielle just nodded as she studied the signs and shops that were going by as Paul drove down the street.
“I’m guessing from your silence, there’s something else in that go way back .”
Danielle whipped her gaze over to Paul. How did he know? “Did Zach say something?”
She saw Paul glance at her in the rearview mirror. His gaze was soft and understanding. It made her uncomfortable and relaxed at the same time. Like, he too, knew pain like she did. And that scared her as much as it seemed to connect her to him.
Paul shook his head. “No. Zach is pretty private about those things.”
Danielle nodded as she focused down at her clasped hands. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. In a weird way, it made her sad. Sad that Zach didn’t talk about her. Sad that it probably meant that Zach didn’t talk about Isaac.
The memory of Isaac washed over her, and the feelings of grief that accompanied thoughts of Isaac followed. She swallowed as the familiar emotional tug on her throat settled there.
Thankfully, Paul seemed to notice her change in demeanor because he didn’t push the conversation. Instead, he turned his classical music up which helped Danielle to calm down. She settled back in the seat and studied the world outside of the car. Anything to keep her mind from wandering back to Isaac. Back to the mess she’d created for herself.
Ten minutes passed until Paul pulled over next to a building with the sign, “Theo’s Gym”, and Danielle felt the tension return. “Here we go,” he said, turning around to give her a smile.
Danielle pinched her lips together and nodded. “Yeah, thanks,” she breathed as she pulled on the door handle.
She hesitated as she stepped out onto the sidewalk and closed the door behind her. Paul rolled down a window. “I’m going to park. You go ahead and head in there.”
Danielle chewed her lip as she nodded. For a moment, the desire to turn around and run down the sidewalk, away from this place, pulsed through her veins. What was she doing here? Was she stupid enough to think that things were okay? From the way her stomach was churning and her heart racing, she was anything but okay.
She took a deep breath and dabbed the sweat that was forming on her forehead. It was hotter than hades out here. If she didn’t get moving soon, she just might melt onto the sidewalk and if she was going to do this, she needed to do this now. Shoving her purse higher on her shoulder, she gathered her courage and walked into the gym with her head held high.
Just as she reached out to grab the handle and pull, she was met with resistance. Confused, she tried to open the door again. Nothing. It was locked.
Now she was really sweating. She leaned forward, cupping her hand to block out the sunlight. After glancing around inside, she noticed two figures in the back.
Thankful that this wasn’t some weird way of Zach getting back at her, she fisted her hand and knocked on the glass. From the thumping of the music coming from the building, she doubted that anyone heard her.
She knocked again but neither Zach nor his friend from the bar turned her direction. Instead, they were busy with arm curls, chatting away.
Grumbling, she grabbed out her phone and pressed the phone number that had left her a text earlier. It rang and rang only to end in an obnoxious voicemail from an overly excited girl stating that she’d just missed The Stud and to leave a message and he might call back.
Fed up with standing in the boiling Georgia heat, Danielle shoved her phone back into her purse and headed toward the back of the building. There had to be another door, and gosh darn it, she was going to find it.