Chapter 19
brEAKING: ALAIA JACKSON GETS HER BIG brEAK? And possibly loses her heart in the process
Alaia
My heart pounds in my chest as I enter the Hideaway Haven Resort. I can’t believe this is happening. I squeal but slap a hand over my mouth before anyone hears.
I’m actually interviewing several members of the Steel City Seals. Eek! Tanner arranged for me to interview Gage, Nolan, Brock, and Corbin.
Granted. The four offensive players are his closest friends and teammates. But still. They didn’t have to make time in their busy schedules to speak to me. I’m not a real journalist. I write the Siren’s Spill gossip column for the Smuggler’s Gazette. I’m no one.
I slap the judgy voice in my mind. Metaphorically, of course.
I’m not no one. I’m Alaia Jackson. Aka Alaia Grant. A serious journalist. Who just hasn’t caught her big break yet.
Today could be the day. A chance to catch a break and save the Gazette before I’m a journalist without a job.
I inhale a deep breath, straighten my back, and march toward the conference room I reserved for the interviews.
I paste a smile on my face and open the door. “Hi, Nolan.”
The quarterback drops his phone onto the table and stands. “Alaia, good to see you.”
“Let’s find out if you think it’s good to see me after I grill you.”
He chuckles. “Grill away.”
“Do you mind if I take a selfie with you first?”
“Nope.”
We stand in front of the wall with the logo of the Steel City Seals and I snap a picture.
“You’re too serious,” I complain as I review the picture. “Pretend I’m Terri.”
His eyes widen and I quickly snap another picture.
“What do you know about Terri?”
“This is Smuggler’s Hideaway. You can’t keep a secret here.”
His lips tip up in an almost smile and – click! – I snap another picture.
“What are you going to use these pictures for?” he asks as we sit across from each other.
I hold up my recorder. “This okay?”
“It’s fine.”
“Thanks. I’ll probably use the pictures on social media. Or maybe in the newspaper. It depends on which interview is the best.”
“And how do you determine what’s best?”
I shrug. “Usually, Mike, he’s the editor-in-chief of the Smuggler’s Gazette, decides what articles are ‘newspaper worthy’.”
His eyes sharpen. “You don’t sound impressed with Mike.”
I sigh. “I don’t hate Mike. He’s a nice guy. But whenever I want to write a more serious article, he nixes it. Instead, I end up writing about crab day on the beach.”
Mike is yet another man who believes I can’t stand on my own. Who needs to manipulate things for ‘my own good’. Joke’s on him. He won’t be the one to save the Gazette. I will.
He chuckles. “The article was hilarious.”
My head rears back. “You read it?”
“Duh. You’re dating one of my closest friends. Of course, I read it.”
Dating? My brow furrows. According to Tanner, his closest friends know the truth. Do I correct him? Or let it slide? I squirm in my chair as I try to figure out how to answer. I hate being indecisive.
Nolan barks out a laugh. “Your face.”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
I slept in my apartment last night. The twins shouldn’t have had an opportunity to torture me. I pat my eyebrows. Still there. Phew.
“Nothing’s wrong with your face except you appear constipated. I know you and Tanner are faking it.”
My shoulders drop. “I hate lying to people I like.”
He grins. “You like me.”
I narrow my eyes on him. “Don’t push it. I know why Terri’s pissed at you.”
He growls. “You can’t write about what’s happening with Terri.”
I glare at him. “Terri’s my friend. I would never betray her by writing about her love life.”
He gulps. “Love life?”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re going to deny it?”
“Damn.” He shakes his head. “I agreed to this interview as a favor to Tanner. I didn’t realize you’re a hardcore journalist.”
I scowl. “I’m a serious journalist. Just because I haven’t had my big break yet doesn’t mean I’m not serious.
Do you think it’s easy to write about sheep escaping or crabs attacking tourists and making the articles funny but not ridiculous?
Let me tell you. It’s not. And then there’s the Siren’s Spill.
Will any newspaper ever take me seriously if they know I wrote a gossip column? ”
“Whoa. I’m sorry. I was joking around.”
“Therein lies the problem. Everyone’s always joking around. No one takes me seriously.”
He leans forward. “I’ll be serious. Are you going to break Tanner’s heart?”
“As you pointed out less than three minutes ago, my relationship with Tanner is fake.”
And fake it will remain. I don’t care how much my heart bled for him when he told me about his family. He’s a friend. I care for him as a friend. Nothing more. More spells trouble. The loss of freedom and independence. I don’t need another man who doesn’t think I can stand on my own.
Besides, Tanner doesn’t want a relationship anyway. He’s hardly going to break his ‘no relationships’ rule for little old me.
“From the outside looking in, it doesn’t appear fake.”
“Because I’m an excellent actress.”
“Tanner is a goofball on the outside, but his feelings run deep.”
I bristle. “I’m aware. I know there’s more to Tanner than the goofball player he shows the world.”
“You’re defending him. Did you forget you’re pretending to date him?”
Trust me. I didn’t forget. I wish I could forget. Especially when he touches me. I never should have let him kiss me on Sunday. What was I thinking?
I wasn’t thinking. Obviously. Tanner was hurting and I wanted to make him feel better.
Drowning pirates in the sea. I’m more worried about Tanner and how he feels than protecting my heart. Which can only mean one thing.
I’m falling for him.
This is not good. Tanner may want to expand our relationship from fake dating to friends with benefits, but it’s still not real. It’s a game to him. He doesn’t do relationships. After finding out about his family, I understand why.
“Alaia, you okay?” Nolan asks and I remember I’m sitting in a conference room at the fancy resort on the island.
Interviewing Nolan is supposed to be my big break. A chance to save the Gazette. Not a revelation about my feelings for Tanner.
I clear my throat. “Let’s get to the interview. Is football your first choice of a career? Did you always want to be a football player?”
“Actually, no. I wanted to be an actor.”
I lean closer. “An actor?”
“I used to participate in all the plays and musicals back in junior high. Then, in my freshman year of high school, I landed the role of Biff Lowman in Death of a Salesman. He’s a—”
“Former high school football hero whose life has stalled.”
Nolan’s eyes widen in surprise.
“English major.”
“Anyway, I thought I’d go all method and learn how to play football. I tried out for the high school football team, and before I knew it, I was the quarterback on the varsity team.”
“I didn’t know this, and I’ve researched the backgrounds of the entire team.”
His cheeks darken. “I don’t usually blurt out how I used to be a theater geek.”
“Nothing wrong with a theater geek. I may have been in a few plays myself.” I clear my throat. This is a golden opportunity. Nolan is giving me information no one else has. “Do you miss it?”
“I miss the challenge of it. Don’t get me wrong. Being the quarterback on a team determined to win the Super Bowl is a challenge. But I miss the challenge of learning my lines. Of researching the background of a character and slipping into their life.”
“Wow. You were pretty serious about this.”
I continue to pepper Nolan with questions for the next hour. I’m fascinated by his history. A history no one knew. This is too good for the Smuggler’s Gazette. I could pitch it to magazines. This might even be better than Coach Knox’s story.
Someone knocks on the door before it opens up. I glance over my shoulder and Tanner peeks into the room.
At the sight of him, all the thoughts and worries about falling for him come whooshing back with a fury. This is the man I’m falling for. But shouldn’t. The man who comes with entirely too many red flags.
“Everything okay?” He scowls at Nolan. “Are you being nice?”
“He’s a great subject for an interview.”
Tanner studies my face for a moment before nodding. “Okay. But if any of these idiots are mean to you, let me know. I’ll teach them a lesson.”
I bristle. Why do men always think I can’t stand on my own? “There’s no need to threaten violence. I can handle myself.”
“I know you can. It’s still my job to protect you.”
Those words cause tingles to spread throughout my body. He knows I can handle myself? He isn’t trying to manipulate things for ‘my own good’?
What I wouldn’t do to have Tanner around to protect me every single day for the rest of my life.
But this is fake. I remind myself. Tanner doesn’t feel the same way as I do.