Chapter 51
HANNAH
R ob sauntered into the apartment like he owned the place and made a big show of presenting her the flowers before shoving his hands in his pockets, a knowing smile on his face as he took in Hannah’s state of dishevelment.
‘Sleeping in this morning?’ he teased, all the while taking in the space and offering an appreciative whistle. ‘Nice digs. Very nice. Quite the bachelorette pad …’
‘How the hell did you get up here? The doorman …’
‘Is a huge fan,’ he interjected and yes, of course, she should have guessed that Rob’s charm ensured that the waters parted for him wherever he went.
Which presumably explained how he’d found out where she was living too. No doubt a quick call to someone in the New York office would have easily done the trick. Especially when the rumour mill had ensured that many in Lotus PR were aware of his and Hannah’s history …
Two years before, Rob had signed with the LA office after winning his first big Major and was looking for ways to boost his brand.
‘Less Rory McIlroy and more Grayson Murray,’ he’d told them, grinning. ‘I want to cause a stir.’
Hannah initially had no qualms about taking him on as a client. Blond and blue-eyed, Rob hailed from San Diego, and had that easy, laid-back Californian charm that wooed his fans (especially those of the female variety), appealed to sponsors, and made him a quickly revered figure on the PGA tour. He had charisma and star power written all over him and she’d been excited to be the person who propelled him to new heights.
Needless to say, that charm ended up working far too well on her too.
From the outset and by mutual agreement they’d decided to hide their relationship – it was not a good look, professionally speaking. Even though the agency didn’t have any strict company policies against dating clients, Hannah was deeply mindful that it was something you simply shouldn’t do if you wanted to be taken seriously.
Rob seemed happy enough to go along with her need for secrecy and, for a while, things felt comfortable and steady – they kept a low profile as a couple and simply enjoyed being in each other’s company.
Not long after Hannah moved in with him, however, she noticed that his growing success started to go to his head. He began craving the cameras more and more and expressing contempt for younger up-and-comers or more talented seniors who attracted larger crowds on the tour.
And then one day Rob went rogue – and did so without a thought or inkling of concern about what it might do to her career.
When he unexpectedly pulled her into a camera shot after winning a tournament at Torrey Hills and kissed her on national TV before muttering in her ear, ‘ This is how you cause a stir,’ Hannah couldn’t believe he could publicly humiliate her like that. While there in attendance in a professional capacity, suddenly she was thrust into the spotlight and their relationship immediately laid bare.
Of course, it wasn’t a bad look for him; he craved the cameras and the headlines. But her ethics and professional integrity were soon under question. Rob was the talent, after all. He had nothing to worry about. He was the one who paid her for her services.
Soon the media – and worse, people in her industry – were making tongue-in-cheek comments about exactly what ‘services’ Hannah was providing. She’d endured the whispers, seen the disdainful looks from colleagues at the agency and felt the awkwardness when she walked into a room and all talking ceased.
She had never in her life felt so humiliated. So cheap and small.
Which was why she’d left LA for New York and a brand-new start where nobody would point and whisper. And taken a stand with Rob, telling him that she wanted to end it, stupidly believing that he’d admit to his mistake and find a way to rescue their relationship, to fight for it even.
But that hadn’t happened, so Hannah had had little choice but to assume that their time together meant nothing to him, that she meant nothing to him.
Buoyed and supported by Zoe, who to be fair had expressed from the outset that there was nothing about Rob Kendrick that couldn’t be fixed by a brick to the head, Hannah had vowed to move on, hold her head high, make a fresh start elsewhere and forget all about him.
She believed she had done that quite successfully too until recently, whereupon that pesky cat had inadvertently ensured that her ex knew her true feelings, and all the hurt and shame she’d endured in the aftermath.
And had promptly ghosted her after, all promises of a reunion while he was in New York for the tournament suddenly forgotten.
Yet, inexplicably here he was now in Courtney’s apartment, standing right in front of her.
Hannah put the flowers on a side table against the wall in the entryway.
‘I’m sure you know this place is not mine. And it’s early actually.’ She self-consciously brushed her fingers through her hair and tucked a few errant strands behind her ears. Glancing down, she quickly realized the front of her robe was open, her silk pyjamas exposed, and she wasn’t wearing a bra. She wrapped the robe around her body and tightened the sash.
Then looked up and met Rob’s gaze. As if reading her thoughts, his eyes flicked ever so briefly along her body, his gaze lasting a moment too long.
Swallowing hard, Hannah crossed her arms. ‘Why are you here?’
He shrugged and turned on his heel, striding silkily through the apartment like a tiger.
‘I wanted to see you,’ he said, non-committal, as he strolled over to the window, taking in the expansive view of the park beyond the glass. ‘Quite the vista.’ And again, as if he owned the place, blithely lifted the sash window, letting in some fresh morning air.
‘Yes,’ she replied distractedly. ‘But again, what are you doing here? And why now when you were in the city last month and I didn’t hear a word?’
He turned to face her, and his expression transitioned from playful to serious.
‘First of all,’ he began, ‘I owe you an apology for being the biggest idiot in the world.’
She stared at him, not sure what to say to this and also how he had deftly side-stepped her question. Though she could probably guess exactly what Zoe would say if her friend were here.
‘I know I messed up, and it kills me that I hurt you. I realize now what I did was inexcusable. That message …’
‘Why did you need me to spell it out though?’ Hannah asked, perplexed. ‘Surely you must have known what that little stunt would do to me professionally?’
He sighed. ‘I honestly wasn’t thinking at the time,’ he admitted. ‘I was just on top of the world and I wanted to share that with you. With everyone.’
He certainly sounded sincere. As she stared into his baby-blue eyes, all the great times they’d had together came flooding back. Then remembering how he could so easily turn on the charm when he wanted something, Hannah headed into the kitchen and placed a pod in the Keurig, determined to keep her composure. Forget the tea, she was definitely going to need coffee for this conversation.
‘That message was weeks ago though,’ she reiterated. ‘And you said you’d be in town for the tournament last month. I know you were. So why not come and see me then? Why now?’
Rob’s eyes softened and he did the puppy dog eyes thing.
Don’t fall for it, she warned herself.
‘I wanted to come and see you when I was at the tournament, babe. But honestly … I didn’t know what to say. I hated how we ended things and I needed to think about … next steps.’
Next steps? As if her feelings were to be considered as part of some kind of strategy ? There was more to this visit than met the eye, she was sure of it. She turned to face him, determined to say her peace but keep her cool.
‘Well, now you know why I left. You disrespected me. You humiliated me on live TV. You thought of yourself only. You didn’t care a whit about what the fallout would be for me or my career, how I would be judged by my colleagues, my boss, and my clients. You made me look like a fool,’ she finished softly.
He slowly crossed the space between them, pausing ever so briefly by the door to her bedroom. He glanced into the room and took in the rumpled sheets and the mattress, the bedsheets likely still warm. Looking back at her, Rob’s eyes twinkled suggestively, and she knew exactly what he was thinking about.
She straightened her shoulders and did her best to remain non-plussed.
‘I know what’s on your mind,’ she challenged. ‘And I can tell you here and now that is not going to happen.’
He chuckled and moved closer. ‘See, it’s stuff like that. You get me, Hannah. You know me.’ He took a few more steps and studied her from the opposite side of the kitchen island, where her phone rested since the night before. ‘That’s why we were so good together. And could be again.’
Putting a hand on the device, Rob idly spun it around on the marble top in lazy circles. The movement woke the screen and she glanced down to see a slew of notifications, patiently awaiting her response. And right at that moment, almost as if the other party was aware she was in the vicinity, it started to buzz with a fresh incoming call.
Frowning, Rob snatched the phone and looked at the caller display. The smile dropped and his blue eyes now sparkled with something else as he stared at her.
‘McKenzie …’ he spat darkly. ‘I honestly didn’t believe it but … Are you actually serious, Hannah?’
Then all at once, she realized why he’d suddenly shown up at her door like this, a mere week after those paparazzi shots of her and Ward in the park. He’d evidently seen them and recognized her.
Rob didn’t want Hannah, but he didn’t want anyone else to have her either. He’d always been the kind of guy who needed to be top dog and couldn’t stand the notion of anyone snapping at his heels. As a fellow sportsman, he presumably viewed Ward as a more worthy rival and was now looking to reassert dominance.
Realizing all this, Hannah wasn’t sure whether to feel disappointment, or relief. She grabbed at the phone, trying to snatch it back. But it was no use. He was taller and faster, and he easily pulled it back out of her reach, sauntering away toward the living room window.
‘Rob, stop it,’ she insisted, holding out a hand. ‘Give me that. I need to take that—’
Glancing back and smirking at her helplessness, Rob accepted the call.
‘Good morning …’ he greeted, haughty superiority oozing off him. She moved for the phone again, but he brushed her off. ‘I’m afraid Hannah can’t talk at the moment,’ he mocked in a suggestive growl. ‘She’s a bit … indisposed.’