Chapter 24
BECCA
“Do you want to tell me why I needed to come as a chaperone tonight?” Ember asked as the bouncer held the door open to the Blarney Stone. It was dark, loud, and shoulder to shoulder with people, or maybe it just felt that way because my nerves were stretched so thin.
I adjusted the strap of my purse. “I didn’t want to show up alone.”
“You just saw Nate a few hours ago. I don’t know what the big deal is.”
I looked at her over my shoulder. “Because technically, no one knows we’re together yet.”
Nate thought it would be a good idea to pretend that we “accidentally” ran into each other. I was trying to convince myself that this wasn’t a terrible idea because what could possibly go wrong?
“You might want to grab a drink first to loosen up. You’re way too nervous. The bar is back there, come on.” We wove our way around the tables and waited behind two men who were grumbling about how long it was taking to order a beer.
Once they paid for their drinks, we squeezed into an open spot as the bartender reached across the counter. “What’ll it be?”
I studied the bottles lining the back and thought that over for a minute.
I was a mood drinker, so I never knew what I wanted until the last minute.
The bartender looked like he was getting impatient with me, and I didn’t want to keep holding up the line, so I ordered a vodka soda while Ember ordered a Cabernet.
“So, what’s the plan here?” Ember turned to the side while we waited for our drinks.
“I don’t have a plan,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, trying to hear her over the drunk group of guys standing off to the side, arguing over the Lakers game playing on the giant screen behind us.
“Well, this should be fun.” Her expression shifted. “And speaking of fun, you’re never going to believe who called me again today?”
Judging by the tone of her voice, I had a pretty good idea. “What did Kyle want now? And I thought you blocked him.”
Kyle was her ex-boyfriend who didn’t know when to quit.
“I did.” She picked up her wine and slid her credit card to the bartender. “He keeps calling from random numbers.”
I folded my arms tightly. God, I hated that guy. Kyle was beyond persistent. He was an entitled asshole who didn’t respect boundaries.
“You realize that’s not normal, right? It’s borderline creepy. It’s been six months.”
I wish she would find someone. Maybe then he’d leave her alone.
“He’s only doing it because he thinks there’s a chance that we’ll get back together. I genuinely don’t know what else to say to him at this point. It’s exhausting.”
I took a sip of my vodka and winced from the burn. It felt like my throat was on fire.
“Damn, this is strong.” I set my glass down. “Ember, you need to start taking this more seriously. Normal guys don’t keep calling from random numbers. How does that not concern you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Because I know Kyle, okay? He’s just relentless.”
She was trying to brush off his obsessive behavior and pretend it was no big deal. I didn’t like it, but I knew her. She was stubborn as hell and needed to handle him on her own.
I grabbed my phone from my pocket when I felt it vibrate from a text.
Nate
I can see you. We’re to the left. Come over and don’t be nervous. You see these guys all the time.
I lifted my head and, sure enough, there was Nate, leaning back on his stool, baseball cap pulled low, beer in hand, and staring right at me.
Ember nudged me. “You are practically glowing.”
“I am not glowing,” I said, sliding my phone back into my pocket. “I’m just anxious because this is the first time we’ve stepped out of our secret bubble.”
Maybe I was overthinking, but this felt different. It was a reminder of who he was and the type of attention he attracted.
The bartender handed Ember her credit card back. We grabbed our drinks and were about to walk away when someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind.
“Becca, hey.”
Oh, God. No. I knew that voice.
I turned slightly, and standing there was Benji Oliver, holding a beer in one hand and the other shoved inside his expensive suit pocket, which was a little over the top for a sports bar if you asked me.
“Hi, Benji,” I said, trying for a polite smile. Benji was a colleague—a sports reporter for a major network and a pain in my ass.
“Well, damn, I knew that was you. How have you been?” he asked, like we were old friends, instead of the guy who asked me out repeatedly and always got shot down. “It feels like I don’t see you around much anymore.”
“I’ve been good, but busy,” I said politely.
“Busy, huh? I feel like every time I run into you lately, you disappear before I get a chance to talk to you.”
I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and sipped my drink. I wasn’t going to touch that comment with a ten-foot pole.
“Benji, this is Ember.” I motioned toward my friend, who leaned against the bar with her eyebrows raised, silently asking, What do we have here?
He shook her hand and looked over his shoulder. “My buddies and I have a table if you and your friend want to join us.”
Yeah, that would not be happening.
“Thanks for the offer, but we are all set.”
“You know.” He angled his body closer. “I’ve been meaning to ask you to grab a drink with me. Maybe this is a sign.”
The guy did not know how to take a hint.
“Benji.” I sighed. I was just about to turn him down when a warm hand settled against my lower back. It was firm, calming, and familiar.
“Hey,” Nate said casually, stepping up beside me. “Everything good over here?”
Benji’s posture straightened immediately. “Hey, dude. How’s it going? I ran into a few guys from the team. Didn’t realize you were here too.”
Nate’s hand tightened on my back. “I’m doing just fine.”
“Great game last weekend. You were on fire, dude.”
Of course, he was sucking up.
“Thanks. I appreciate it, but I can’t take all the credit. It’s a team effort.”
Nate appeared calm and kept his expression neutral, but there was something subtle underneath his tone. He wasn’t being obvious about it, but I could tell he didn’t like this.
Benji, who was completely clueless, drifted closer to me. “Becca and I were just talking shop. I just invited her and her friend to sit with me at my table. You’re more than welcome to join us.”
Nate’s eyes met mine. I could tell he was trying hard not to let his irritation show. I silently begged him not to cause a scene.
He cleared his throat. “Actually, Becca and her friend are with us.”
Benji glanced between us, like he was trying to piece something together that he wasn’t expecting. “Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll let you guys get on with your night. If you change your mind, my table’s open.”
“It was good seeing you, Benji.” Nate didn’t even shake his hand. He left it exactly where it was against my back.
“You too. Good luck next weekend.”
The second Benji disappeared through the crowd, Nate turned me around to face him. “Does he flirt with you like that often?”
“Sometimes, but I don’t think he will anymore.”
“Good. I never liked the guy. He talks too damn much and doesn’t listen.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Do you realize you just made a statement?”
“Did I?” He didn’t look particularly sorry.
I looked up at him, wondering what the hell he was drinking tonight. “He is going to tell everybody that we’re together.”
He brought his hand up to the back of his neck. “Fine by me.”
He was unbelievable.
“No, Nate. It’s not fine. My boss asked me to keep this quiet, and you basically outed us.”
He winced. “I’m sorry, but was I supposed to let him keep flirting with you?”
I crossed my arms. “You can’t just jump in and piss all over your territory every time a man talks to me.”
His jaw ticked. “I didn’t jump in. For all he knows, we’re friends.”
I gave him a look.
He sighed. “Okay, maybe I was a little obvious.”
“A little.” I tilted my head. “You were one step away from causing a scene.”
He met my eyes, steady and unapologetic. “But I didn’t.”
“Wow,” Ember said loud enough to make us both turn our heads. “Did I just interrupt a moment, or are you two just going to stand there and eye-fuck each other all night? The tension between you two is hot.”
“I think you’re confusing tension with something else.” I shot her a glare, telling her to behave herself.
Nate chuckled beside me and held out his hand. “I don’t think we’ve met. It’s nice to finally meet you, Ember. Becca talks about you all the time.”
“Don’t believe a word she says.” She glanced between us with a smirk. “Now that we’ve got all the drama out of the way, how about we actually go sit down and enjoy ourselves?”
“Follow me.”
We trailed behind Nate and walked toward the back corner, where his teammates sat crowded around two high-top tables pushed together. Jax and Ryder were sitting on one end under a low-hanging light with an alarming number of shot glasses in front of them.
Jax’s lips kicked up like he was a frat boy who had just spotted a free keg of beer. “It’s our favorite reporter, Becky, the ball-buster.”
Everyone’s attention turned to me.
“Ignore him.” Nate shook his head.
“You look pretty tonight.” Jax stood and spread his arms wide for me to walk into. “If I had known you were coming, I would have dressed up.”
I patted his shoulder. “You look just fine, stud. I love your shirt. It matches your eyes.”
He lifted a brow, glancing down at his blue button-up. “I’m glad you found something to love about me.”
“Don’t get too excited,” Nate grumbled, pulling me out of his friend’s hold. “She was being sarcastic.”
Laughter rippled around the table.
Jax’s eyes lit up as soon as he spotted Ember behind me. “And who is this pretty lady?”
“Guys, this is my friend Ember.”
After the introductions were done, Ryder slid an extra stool up to the table. “Have a seat, ladies.”
Ryder was the resident good guy. Always making people feel comfortable.
Nate leaned into my ear. “Why do you look so tense?”
I shifted nervously and shot him a look. “I didn’t realize the entire team would be here tonight.”