4. Nick
Chapter four
Nick
Your no-dating policy. I didn’t realize Maddie knew I had a no-dating policy. Not that it seems to be helping me now. I should have made it explicit, and maybe then people would believe that I’m not dating this fraudster.
That’s what I said to Maddie on the subway ride back anyway, and I teased her about keeping track of my dating life. She blushed. It’s the first time I’ve seen her blush. Cute.
But yes, my no-dating policy is one of my compromises. And for exactly this reason—I can’t trust that whomever I date is not going to backstab me. And also because I can’t make any long-term commitment. I need to put all my energy into making it as a musician and the family that I have—my band.
MusEn has rescheduled our meeting, so instead of meeting with them this afternoon, we’re in my one-bedroom apartment.
Amira, Sayo, and Kyla are sitting crammed together on my couch.
José is sprawled out on a chair next to my guitar rack.
I’m pacing back and forth in front of my dining room table.
Our last album is playing low through my speakers.
Amira looks up from her phone. “MusEn wants to confirm again that you’re not dating this Cara, even though you already told them that you’re not.
They are not happy with the press about you and her now that it’s also public that she defrauded some older couple and served jail time.
They’re even more worried now that she’s a bad association, and they don’t want to spend the money to clear your name when they haven’t even picked you up yet.
Especially when this is so counter to your entire image of being open and down-to-earth, this vulnerable heartthrob. ”
The Squirrel ran an article today asking whether I was the hidden criminal associate who helped scam the older couple with “Cara” (whose actual name was Karigan).
Apparently, the older couple had testified during the trial that “Cara” had a personable and attractive boyfriend.
The Squirrel is alleging that it was me, without any facts, obviously, to back that up, with this horrific headline: Was Nick Devlin the Secret Associate Who Helped Karigan “Cara” Fonston Defraud an Elderly Couple Out of Their Life Savings?
Total clickbait. I’d like to sue The Squirrel for character assassination, but a lawsuit is the last thing I want to focus on right now.
“They don’t believe my denial? How can I persuade them?” I ask. “Maddie showed me that article about that woman’s jail sentence. As if I’d date her.”
“They’re wavering,” Amira says. “They don’t want to bet their money on someone who’s already starting with this PR liability.”
I fold my arms, frustrated. This psycho woman is ruining my chance to make it big? All these years of hard work, and some fraudster wants to piggyback on my success and drag me down in the process?
Not on my watch.
I don’t even know this woman.
“Should I give them some sort of sworn statement?” I ask. “Take a lie detector test? Find this retired couple and have them issue a response that they’ve never met me?”
“The damage is already done. It’s not that the label truly believes you’re dating Cara,” Amira says. “But now you’re associated with her.”
“We need a bigger story,” Kyla says. “The truth—the one-line retraction—never gets the same publicity as the original headline.”
Amira’s phone beeps, and she stares at her screen. “Nick, you seem to be working overtime. Are you dating Maddie?”
“No,” I say.
“She’s sitting in your lap. And you’re carrying her in your arms?” Amira asks, holding up her phone to show me the photos.
“What? Who caught that?” I stare at the images. Somebody photographed us last night on the fire escape. Wow. That is crazy. No privacy. Is this what becoming famous is really like?
“Tell me the truth,” Amira says. “It would be good if you were dating. We could run with that. Girl next door vibe. That would be a bigger story.”
“Maddie and I are friends,” I say. “And she’s a reporter. We’re not dating.”
“Wow. This woman is insane,” Amari says. “She’s got another video asking if you’re cheating on her. How did she get that up so fast? She’s racking up the views.”
I stare at that video. This is like some dystopian reality.
“At least the title of the Maddie article asks if this is your real girlfriend,” Amira says.
“Or am I a playboy? Keep reading.” I scroll through the comments. “It’s not great. I should warn Maddie.”
So much for José calling me “the monk” because I stopped dating. Here I am, trying to keep my nose clean, and it’s only hurting me.
“Are you sure there’s nothing between you and Maddie?” Sayo asks. “Because these photos are hot.”
“She tolerates me. Do you know why she was out on that fire escape? She came out to complain that I was making too much noise, and she tripped.”
“She’s not looking at you like she barely tolerates you,” Amira says.
“She’s dazed by pain,” I say.
José pulls up the photo on his phone. “The bunny slippers are a particularly nice touch. She’s the exact opposite of this Cara woman.”
“Couldn’t you guys fake date to get us over this hump?” Amira asks. “You can deny you’re dating this other woman, and we can do some cute photo shoots with you and Maddie? That’s even better than my previous idea of you volunteering at various charities.”
“Fake date?” I ask.
“I think celebrities do it all the time for publicity reasons.”
“Maddie will never agree.”
“Do you even have any other female friends?” José asks. “All you do is work. Plus, it needs to be somebody we can absolutely trust.”
“We can’t trust Maddie. Imagine what she can do with this. I fake dated a rock star. It’s an even better headline than What It’s Like to Date a Wannabe Rock Star, ” I say, the bitterness of Christina’s betrayal still seeping into my voice. “I can date one of you.”
“No way,” Amira says. “My parents are not going to accept my dating you. They’ve only recently accepted that this is a legitimate career and that you’re a good guy who’s not going to expose me to some seedy underworld of drugs. I’m not risking that.”
“My boyfriend might have something to say about that,” Sayo says.
“I don’t think we can bring in yet a third woman. That’s way too hard to manage,” Amira says. “We’ve got this perfect setup here with this headline—Is this your real girlfriend? Yes . Gosh. And you were hiding it by living next door to each other. Trying to protect her privacy.”
“In two tiny apartments. Right.”
“Promise me you’ll think about it,” Amira says. “I have to go home for dinner.”
Sayo, Kyra, and Amira depart together, leaving José, who looks like he’s taking great pleasure in my current predicament.
“Should you really be enjoying this?” I ask. “This is our future on the line.”
“I’m definitely enjoying this way too much, given the stakes.” José drums his fingers on my table in time with the beat. “You’re rusty because you haven’t been dating. Where’s the infamous Nick Devlin charm? You’ve been neighbors and friends for a while now. You obviously trust her.”
She’s never going to agree.
Unless I promise to move out so she can have peace and quiet next door .
If we sign this deal and make some money, I could afford a fancier apartment.
But this apartment is fine for what I need.
This life is so up and down. I don’t want to spend money when my income could dry up.
Plus, where else am I going to find a place that has a secret entrance/exit? That seems all the more necessary now.
I rub my forehead with both hands. I had to get caught with the one woman who will say no. Where is the famous Nick Devlin charm now?
José shakes his head. “Don’t you have any bargaining chips?”
“I’m looking up the cost of soundproofing right now.” I google it on my phone.