27. Nica
27
NICA
The next morning, I found myself in the backseat of Stella Rivera’s Mercedes. The smell of coffee filled the car, along with excited chatter between her and Audrey. I clutched the travel mug Ryan had given me and listened to them catch up.
“Quinn’s ready to get back to it. I think he’ll be practicing right after Christmas. No idea when he’ll be ready to play, though,” Audrey said.
“I’m so glad he’s recovering so well,” Stella exclaimed.
I forced a smile. A weird ambiguity wrapped around me. On one hand, I was glad for Quinn and Audrey. On the other, well. Quinn’s return would put Ryan back on the bench. And, in my opinion, my guy deserved to start.
Stella glanced at me in the rearview. “My real question is, can we please get the whole story on Nica and Ryan? How did Mrs. Quentin Paris become Ryan Molloy’s paramour?”
Audrey squealed and turned to grin at me. “Yes! Tell us everything.”
My cheeks heated. “I don’t know how you met Quinn or you met Ethan.”
“The team, duh.” Audrey shrugged.
“We were seventh-grade enemies. Stop deflecting, woman,” Stella said with a laugh.
“Fine. Your wedding, actually,” I said with a nod to Audrey. A giggle slipped out of me. “He, uh, had to order all these goofy drinks with sex names. I was at the bar. He was so embarrassed.”
They were both grinning. “That is so cute,” Stella said.
“It was cute. I didn’t know who he was. And then I didn’t see him again until Audrey here assigned me the article.” I skipped several details there, but it was close enough.
She arched one eyebrow. “Oh, shit. I didn’t realize I was helping fate along.”
“Yeah, me neither. But, um, yeah. That’s how it went.”
Audrey clapped her fingers together. “I love it! I take full credit for this match.”
Stella snorted. “Don’t mind her. Point is, you two are adorable together. I’ve got to admit, Nica, I’ve had my doubts about you. Auds always knows what she’s doing when it comes to PR, but I wasn’t a fan of letting you get too close.”
I shrugged. “It’s fair. I couldn’t believe Audrey was so cool with me, either.”
“Well, clearly she was right to be. And you are nothing at all like I expected a superfan influencer to be.”
Audrey cupped her ear. “Can you say that again, please?”
“I did not expect her to be so cool,” Stella shouted. Her grin said she knew what was coming.
“No, no. The first part.”
“You were right, Audrey Paris. About this one, at least.”
I laughed at their silly back and forth. Clearly, they were old friends. The kind I’d never really had.
The thought tugged my heart, but I wasn’t sad. I hadn’t grown up going to boarding school or any of the things that they had. But I did have Vinny. And I had myself. And they made me feel welcome here. That could be enough.
Audrey turned back to me again. “I’m right about this part, too. Would you be interested in a job with the team?”
I choked on my coffee. “Job?”
“Joey’s assistant. Joey took over my job when I became head of public relations. He’s handling all of the media on his own. When I was in his position, he was my right hand. He needs someone to help him cover social media and press communication. You’d be perfect.”
Bubbles filled my chest. My head filled with the implications. A full-time job with the freaking Commodores . A job where I could do what I was good at. No creeps ordering martinis and feeling up my ass. No worrying about sponsorships or where the next paycheck came from.
A job in Seacrest.
I’ll have to get a new car fast. The bus is so slow. Maybe I can get a little place there. No way can I stay with Ryan, but… but maybe a little bit. And I could see him more, at least.
“Oh, hell yes,” I whispered when I realized Audrey was waiting. My throat tightened. “I’d love that, Audrey.”
She did a little arm dance in her seat. “Great. You start Monday. Joey’s gonna be thrilled.”
We parked in Boston and made our way to Newbury Street. Yet again, I found myself in that adorable dress shop. The other WAGs were already there. They waved when they saw Stella and Audrey. I noticed the moment they noticed me. A lot of them smiled and waved.
Jazzlynne Russo, however, tossed her hair and narrowed her gaze. A not-unkind smirk touched her lips. “I cannot believe Quinn’s stalker is Ryan’s girlfriend. Are you for real, girlie?”
Audrey started to defend me, but I shrugged. “One was a job. The other is a choice. You dated Quinn before Dustin. Was that change for real?”
Her brows arched into upside-down Vs. “Oh, she knows her team gossip.”
“About Quinn when he joined the team? Hell yes, I do. Again, it was my job.”
That smirk twisted around her mouth and turned into a smile. “Okay, you’re legit. I like you. And, yes, the change was real. Quinn and I were never serious. Dusty is…”
Her smile turned dreamy as she toyed with her engagement ring. She met my gaze again, and I flashed a smile in return.
“Quinn and I were never anything,” I said softly. “But Ryan is… everything.”
My cheeks heated. None of them spoke. But I could see by their expressions that I’d just quashed all suspicions about me and my intentions.
After that, the day was all about dress shopping with the girls.
I felt supremely strange about whipping out Ryan’s platinum Amex to pay for a gown that cost more than a month’s rent. Guilt tingled in my gut amid all of their chatter and last-minute purchases. Finally, it was my turn to pay. I took a quick breath and slid the card to the cashier. Certainly, she was going to read the name, frown, and accuse me of stealing it. She’d call the police, keep me in the stock room until they came to investigate how the hell I’d obtained?—
“Thank you, miss. You’re all set.”
What? Really? Robotically, I took the card back from her manicured fingers and dropped it into my purse. My garment bag got tagged with a receipt that had MOLLOY scrawled across in Sharpie.
Damn imposter syndrome. Not a convenient moment to want to fade into the background. I took several deep breaths as I stared at the slip. Just before I could freak out, Tanya slipped her arm through mine and guided me to the exit. Apparently, we were ready for lunch.
Seated in the booth, I whipped out my phone under the table.
Me: I got a dress. I’m sorry if it’s too expensive.
Minutes later, he sent back a string of laughing emojis.
Ryan: It’s not. Did you get shoes, too?
“Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” Ana asked.
“Oh, uh, I realized I didn’t get shoes.”
Stella grinned. An oddly wicked light sparked in her eyes. “Shoes are next. I need new boots.”
No one else seemed to understand what made her smirk, either, so I ignored it and nodded. My thumb moved under the table.
Me: We’re shoe shopping next.
Ryan: Good. Stop worrying about the $$. Just have fun.
Me: Definitely probably not worrying.
He laughed at that. I could picture him adjusting his glasses and shaking his head at me. Somehow, that took the edge off my nerves. I pushed the phone into my purse and joined the conversation.
By the time we left Boston, I’d bought shoes, new sexy underwear, and fresh makeup. I tried not to think about the amount of money I’d spent. Being around the ladies and watching them flash credit cards without blinking helped. We listened to the game as we rode back to Seacrest. All three of us hung on the commentary, squealing and groaning at the plays. In the end, we eked out a 3-2 win that had us all cheering as Stella rolled into town. She dropped me off at Ryan’s house. I pulled my stuff out of her trunk and waved goodbye.
It was only then that I remembered I had no car.
“Shit. Shit .” I looked around frantically. What the hell should I do? It was freezing, and the bus to Hartford stopped nowhere near here.
After a few minutes of freaking out, I realized I could use his card to call a taxi back to Hartford. I pulled out my phone just as it lit up with a call.
“We won.” His voice was tired but happy.
I grinned. “I know. We listened on the drive back. But, uh, I’m in a jam. I’m at your house. Is it okay to use the card for a taxi home?”
“Of course. Or you can just go inside. Use code three-four-three-four on the pin pad.”
My brows knitted. “Go inside and do what?”
He laughed. “Stay? Sleep? Shower? Things one normally does in a house?”
“You… I can’t stay in your home while you’re gone!”
“Why?”
My mouth opened and shut. I had no good answer to that.
“If you don’t want to, don’t. But you can stay as long as you want, Trouble.”
“You trust me to stay in your house?”
“Should I not? Are you going to steal all of my shit?”
I snorted. “Nope. I’ve got your credit card. I can buy new shit.”
He laughed. “Exactly. Henrik is with the neighbors, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.”
I went inside. With a sigh, I set my bags on the chair in the living room. The lights came on as if by magic. “Did you do that?”
“Yep. Tell the automation what you want.”
“Sheesh. This is wild. Oh, by the way. I have news. Audrey hired me to be Joey’s assistant.”
“Nica, that’s awesome. Congratulations.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. It gave me a warm glow in my chest. “Thanks.”
He yawned. “Between you, travel, and the game, I’m wiped. Gonna say goodnight now, but I miss you, Trouble. Stay in the house if you want. Use the card for whatever. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Giving me Cinderella vibes, Goalie.”
“Hmm. Afraid I’m no Prince Charming. Just a goalie with more house and cash than makes sense for one person.”
“Is that all you are?” I murmured.
His tone softened. “No. I’m a goalie who’s crazy about you.”
I spun around in a little circle. “Oh, good.”
He laughed again. “Night, beautiful.”
“Goodnight, baby.”
We hung up. I looked around, debated with myself once more, and went up to the bedroom to shower and sleep.
On Sunday, I woke early to get the bus to Hartford. When I was there, I packed my suitcase full of trousers and my best sweaters for the week. Since I had no car, it only made sense to stay at Ryan’s as I began my new job. There was a shuttle bus that circled Seacrest with a stop not too far from the house. Much easier than the 90-minute slog from my apartment.
I’d just filled a duffel bag with miscellaneous essentials when my phone vibrated.
Bruce: Meeting? Coffeeshop in 30?
Me: Why?
Bruce: Closing biz.
I groaned and tapped a thumbs-up. Thirty minutes later, I walked into the corner coffeeshop to find him already in a booth. He had his gassy face on.
“What’s the business?”
“Hello to you, too, Nica.”
I ignored that and waited. Bruce huffed. “I’m impressed you got the money so fast. But you failed to mention the revenue for the article you wrote for Puck Drop Daily .”
“Because that had nothing to do with our agreement.”
“We were fifty-fifty partners.”
“On the social media accounts. Not on my whole life.”
He smirked and opened his phone. “Look, we can play nice, or we can do it another way. I want half of the money from the article, and we’ll be done. Or else…”
He laid the phone on the table, facing me. It was a photo of Ryan and me. We faced each other on the porch at The Pub, so clearly it was taken that night I went to see Vinny. I flipped to the next picture. A close-up of us kissing. Ryan held my face. My arms hugged his neck.
“Go back two.” Bruce’s voice had a wicked smugness to it.
A video of us arguing. The audio was soft, but I could hear myself say imposter syndrome and what it felt like to kiss you. And I could clearly hear him say, All you want is a paycheck.
I glared at Bruce. “What the fuck is this?”
“Collateral. How much did you earn off the article, Nica?”
“A thousand. That’s all.”
“Hm. In that case, I’ll take it all and delete these. Otherwise, I wonder who’d like to know about your boyfriend’s imposter syndrome or your paid arrangement?”
My jaw slid side to side. I had $1,100 in my account until I got paid again. With a sigh, I whipped out my phone and opened my banking app. “Done. Delete them. I want to watch you do it— permanently. ”
He showed me the phone while he selected the files, deleted them, and then emptied the trash folder. I nodded and moved to leave.
Bruce shook his head. “You were always so smart, Nica. That’s what I liked about you. I’m so disappointed to see you be such a fool over this hockey player. I thought you had your head on straighter than that. We were such a good team. Good luck with your choices.”
I didn’t rise to the bait. Just stormed out of there, got my shit from my apartment, and got the bus back to Seacrest.
Ryan didn’t have a game, so he FaceTimed that night as expected. Try as I might to fake cheerful, he saw right through it. “Spill it,” he commanded.
I sighed—and told him everything. My stomach was cold with dread while I watched him process the story. “He blackmailed you? You paid him?”
“Yeah. But he deleted the files.”
Ryan snorted. “From his phone. If he’s anything more than a fool, he has them backed up somewhere.”
Panic brought tears to my eyes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize he’d followed me. I never thought he’d be such a prick.”
“Didn’t you? He was a prick enough to take half your money.”
My chin wobbled. “I’m sorry, Ryan.”
He did a double-take at the screen. The anger faded from his face. “Hey. I’m not mad at you, silly. I mean, I’m concerned about your life choices hanging around with a bro like that. Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it. Just, uh, do you have his email address by chance?”
“Yeah, that’s how I pay him.”
Ryan smirked. “Text it to me.”
“Don’t email him. Just leave it alone.”
His smirk deepened. “I’m not going to email him. I’m going to make sure he gets our message.”
I didn’t understand, but I sent him the address. The text went through, and Ryan nodded. “Definitely probably not about to do some computer wizard shit that’ll have him deleting this account. Talk to you tomorrow, Trouble.”
He winked, and the screen went black. I gaped at the phone for another moment, unsure whether I wanted to laugh or groan. In the end, I did both—and then I texted Bruce.
Me: Last message you’ll get from me. If those files happen to be anywhere else, I want them gone. If they ever appear anywhere, I’ll know it’s you. Don’t be that guy.
Bruce: You never need to worry, Nica. I’m a man of my word.
“And I’m a woman of mine,” I whispered to the phone.
The job was a dream from the first hour on. Joey was thrilled to have me on board, and I got to write social posts all day hyping the team. By the time Ryan returned on Friday, I was quickly settling into the job. I was also a little too settled into his house.
And as for Bruce, well. First, I started getting emails from him inviting me to join weird websites and mailing lists. Stuff like iliketowatch.com and “Voyeurs Anonymous.” Then, a few days later, Bruce texted me his new address in case I ever needed to contact him. He added a note: “If you get anything saying I’m inviting you to a peep show or something stupid like that, just delete it. Idk what happened, but obviously it’s a scam.”
I showed it to Ryan when he walked in that afternoon. He smirked and shrugged—and then kissed me and carried me to bed.
“What did you do, Goalie?” I asked on the way upstairs.
“Just looking out for us, Trouble. Nothing too untoward.”
I hugged his neck. “I’m not used to someone looking out for me.”
“Not used to having someone to look out for. But I think we’ll both acclimate quickly.”
“Do you mind that I’ve been camping out at your house?”
His eyes cut to me. “Yeah. It’s a real problem. And I’m about to show you just how bothered I’ve been about it.”
The bedroom door slammed behind us. For the next hour, my goalie made it crystal clear just how bothered he was to have me around.