Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
JADE
“Julian pushed the limits of my patience. I was not above throwing a palette of paint at him.” - Clara Foss, Painted Inferno
Why do I feel like I made a deal with the devil?
I stare down at the entire thread Nicole sent to me with people talking about Matteo and the women he’s dated. It doesn’t look like he’s ever been in a confirmed relationship, although it’s not unusual for him to be seen in public with different women.
Maybe he’s just the devil disguised as a hot hockey player with a known playboy reputation. The one who has enough confidence for his entire team.
Regardless of who he is, I woke up yesterday morning with a massive hangover and a brain brimming with inspiration. I filled a few pages of my notebook with random thoughts and ideas.
“So, let me get this straight,” Ellie starts after she finishes chewing a piece of her sushi roll.
I lock my screen, not needing to see anymore.
I’ve already done enough of my own research too.
“You left us Friday to go to a diner with Matteo fucking Ford and ended the night by making a deal with him?”
Chewing my own food, I slowly nod my head. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
“I don’t understand his side of the deal,” Nicole chimes in from across the table. “There has to be something more than just talking and hanging out with him, right?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug, shaking my head as I set my chopsticks down on my now empty plate. “I told him I won’t be exchanging any sexual favors.”
Ellie claps her hands. “Yes, girl, establish those boundaries.”
“Hockey players are known for their superstitions. If you think about it, it makes sense.”
Aiden had some weird ones when we were dating, although I didn’t pay much attention to them. He kind of kept me separate from the hockey world, which at the time, felt weird, but I didn’t question him on it.
Looking back now, I couldn’t have been any stupider.
“He said he scored a goal, and they broke their losing streak after we met.”
Nicole’s eyes widen. “You’re his new good luck charm.”
“Like those rabbit foot keychains.”
Nicole and I both look at Ellie. Nicole’s face contorts. “Um, maybe not exactly like that.” We share a quiet laugh before she looks at me. “What about you? Any progress with your book?”
“The spark I needed—it’s come back to me,” I admit, a smile creeping across my lips as my stomach does a somersault. “I’ve been jotting down notes and have a few ideas that feel promising. I’m just not sure what I want to do yet. But to answer your question, yes.”
I need to have something for my agent tomorrow, but I feel a hell of a lot more hopeful than I did before. I have twenty-four hours to get something ready for her.
“You found your new muse.”
The smile spreads across my face. “I think I did. Although, this whole situation is a first for me.”
Ellie waves her hand dismissively. “It’s fine. You’re just doing it for the plot.”
That’s exactly what this is. Something about him leaves me feeling inspired and he’s already agreed to help me figure out this story. It’s like our very own pact, in a way. I help him, he helps me.
A laugh bubbles in my throat. “Oh my god, it’s a plot pact.”
“Literally,” Nicole laughs, her head tipping back as the three of us cackle. She straightens and gives me a pointed look.
I look back and forth at both my best friends. “I’m going to miss you guys.”
Nicole looks sad and Ellie’s face contorts. “I’m not going anywhere,” she says. “We’ll still see each other when I’m home.”
I’m immediately embarrassed by the amount of sensitivity I’m showing. Ellie’s new degree earned her a promotion... one that requires a great deal of traveling.
“You’re right,” I admit, nodding my head. “Sorry, my mind is just all over the place.”
Nicole smiles. “I’m just a few hours away.” Her eyes squint with a hint of mischief. “Just so you know, we’re going to need all the details with your new little friend.”
Details? Matteo and I are not dating. We have a mutual agreement—an understanding. We’re both using each other and no one is going to be benefitting in a way that will be anything worth sharing.
“I told you, it’s not like that.”
“For now,” Ellie says with a wink. “Nicole’s married and all the men I’ve met suck. I’d rather just hear your stories instead.”
“I have nothing to tell other than fictional ones.”
Ellie sighs. “Why are all the good men fictional?”
“Because they’re written by women,” Nicole chuckles. “Well, except for my husband. It’s like he crawled right off the pages of a romance novel.”
I lift a brow. “You practically trained him.”
Nicole smiles, lifting her finger as she presses it to her lips. “Shh. That secret is only for the girls.” She glances around like she’s checking to make sure no one is listening. “We can’t let the men know.”
“My lips are sealed.”
Ellie nods in agreement. “I’ll never tell.”
The conversation shifts away from men and we finish up our meal before the three of us go our separate ways.
My footsteps are light as I head down the street, making my way back to my apartment.
I’ve spent so much time writing myself in circles or just avoiding the creative process in general.
I’ve been afraid of the future, because I wasn’t certain I’d have one in this career.
And for the first time in a long time, I’m ready for whatever comes next.
I stare down at my notes. Ripped pages from my notebook are askew across the floor. Some with the words scratched out and others are rolled up into tight balls of frustration. Not a single idea feels like the one. I need a story unlike anything I’ve ever written before.
I need a story that everyone is going to stop their lives for and rush to the nearest bookstore to purchase.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. Maybe I’m not good enough anymore. Maybe I need to just call it quits and find another job. I feel the inspiration, but I’m too indecisive. Too afraid. What if the idea I go with isn’t enough to salvage my career?
My phone vibrates, and I sigh, picking it up. My heart skips a beat when I see his name.
Matteo
You alive?
It’s been two days since we shook hands and made a deal. I gave him my number after he walked me home in the wee hours of the morning. It was a stipulation to our agreement. How else would we use each other if we didn’t have a way of getting a hold of one another?
Jade
Barely. This book is going to be the end of me.
Matteo
What’s going on? Maybe I can help.
I don’t know if he can help, but at this point, I will take anything I can get. I have so many ideas, I just need to figure out which one sounds the best.
Jade
Can I call you? I think it would be easier.
Matteo
Yes.
Ignoring the nervous ball twisting in my stomach, I tap on his name to call him before I get the chance to second guess myself. I’m not sure Matteo is the person I should be bouncing ideas off of, but his part of our pact is to help me, so…
“Hey,” he says, answering on the second ring. He sounds a bit breathless. “Shit, hold on.”
There’s a rustling sound in the background, maybe a door slamming and then he’s back on the phone. “Sorry about that.”
“Everything okay? I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“You’re never a bother, Sunny. I just got home from dinner at my friend’s.” He pauses for a second. “Theo.”
“Why do you call me that?”
He’s quiet for a moment, then asks, “Call you what?”
“Sunny,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Because you’re like the sun. You shine brighter than everyone else around you. I know if I get too close, I’m bound to be burned.”
My heart stumbles over itself before breaking out into an unsteady rhythm of erratic beats.
“So, how can I help?”
Right. The reason why I called him.
“I have too many ideas and I need help picking the perfect one.”
“Let’s hear them.”
Putting him on speakerphone, I open my notes app on my phone and begin to list them off. The first few are similar to books I’ve written before. Friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, two single parents falling in love.
“I personally like to write the forbidden stories. The ones where they shouldn’t or can’t be together but find a way to end up together.”
“Oh, I like that,” Matteo says slowly, his words penetrating my ears. “What if you work off the forbidden aspect? Like rivals, maybe?”
The idea swirls in my brain, slowly sinking its tentacles into the crevices of my mind. “This is something I can work with.”
“It’s a romance, right?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t write anything that isn’t.” My fingers move quickly across the screen, my mind bubbling with ideas as I jot it all down. “They could be opposites. Bad boy, good girl. Maybe he’s from the wrong side of the tracks and thinks he’s not worthy of love.”
“He could have trust issues and that makes him hesitant to fall in love. He doesn’t think it’s something he’d ever want, but she ends up changing it for him.”
“This is brilliant. I think I have what I need to get started.” A smile pulls across my lips as I finish typing the note out on my phone. “This little plot pact is really going to come in handy.”
“Plot pact?”
I stifle a laugh, rolling back onto my side. “My friends and I came up with a name for what this is. You know like the saying do it for the plot? Except mine is kind of literal because I’m writing a book.”
“Hm.” Matteo lets out a soft chuckle. “The plot pact. I like that.”
“Me too,” I say, unable to fight the yawn that forces itself upon me. “I should probably get some sleep. I need to get up early and dive into this story tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I should go too.”
“Thanks for your help, Matteo. I’ve seriously been struggling to pinpoint an idea and you really helped.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he says quietly, his voice tender yet thick with something undetectable. “Goodnight, Sunny. Sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight.”
We both linger a second longer than we should and I’m the one who severs the connection, ending the call. My chest feels lighter and as I close my eyes, the darkness pulls me under with his dark gray eyes following after me.