Chapter 7 - Ava
AVA
Present
The car was parked, but I’d been sitting in it for ten minutes.
The engine still purred, and cool air from the AC brushed my face.
Still, I was hot from the inside out because I got caught up in the past yet again.
I’d been unwillingly tossed back into time because of some peppy pop song about a first kiss and just one little spark, playing on the radio.
Before I knew it, I was reliving my first kiss.
It had come a little late, but I didn’t regret it.
It was perfect. That kiss had led to that one little spark as the song mentioned, that made me tumble head over heels for my brother’s best friend.
Of course, it just took one kiss. Ever since Ethan had brought Lincoln home one afternoon, I’d had the biggest crush on him.
I’d already been half in love with the guy before anything happened between us.
Before that fateful night, Lincoln always treated me like… well, his friend's little sister.
I touched my lips as if I could still feel the weight of Lincoln’s on mine a whole twelve years later. Even my heart sped up like it did when the kiss happened.
“God,” I muttered, stabbing the off button on the radio. “Stupid song.”
I came back to the present and the reality that I was supposed to hate my first love now.
“There is absolutely nothing left between us,” I grumbled as I gathered my bag and phone.
“As a matter of fact, that summer fling was just…” A fantasy Lincoln and I had foolishly allowed ourselves to fall into.
We’d been young and na?ve to think there would be a future for us.
My next exhale was a little shaky because I always got so emotional after thinking about what was and what could have been.
Shaking my head, I got out of my rental.
I needed to get my head in the game… literally.
I’d done so much research on football that I was reciting past Super Bowl scores in my sleep now.
There was enough football jargon floating around my brain to drive me mad.
Jaden should be impressed.
I fixed the strap of my crossbody bag and tried not to look too much like someone who had Googled “what to wear to a pro athlete workout”. With a wry twist of my lips, I glanced down at my yoga pants and sneakers.
Taking a deep breath, I took off toward the entrance of the facility.
Today was my first official day of work.
While my stomach fluttered with nerves, I wasn’t too worried about interacting with my subject.
Jaden struck me as a down-to-earth guy. He seemed sweet, and there was a happy innocence about him.
Today, he and his teammates were doing strength and conditioning workouts.
“To focus on speed, agility, and injury prevention,” I recited as I approached the double glass doors. Seriously, I was like a walking encyclopedia of all things sports now.
As soon as I entered, I was hit with the smell of eucalyptus. I advanced, looking around for a bunch of giant football players. I spotted them through another glass door and hesitantly approached. Would they feel weird having a random woman show up at their session?
However, when Jaden spotted me from the bench he sat on, lifting what looked like more than my body weight in dumbbells, he sprang up with a huge smile and waved. I smiled because at least he seemed happy to see me.
I yanked the door to the gym open and was hit with the smell of ambition… with a generous helping of sweat. It was six in the morning, and these guys were already at it, tossing weights like they were nothing.
“Hey, Ava, you made it.” He was drenched in sweat but wore a huge smile. He had such golden retriever energy.
“Morning, Jaden. You guys get going early, I see.”
“Yeah. Let me introduce you to some of the guys.”
I followed him, my head on a swivel, taking in everything and everyone.
There was state-of-the-art equipment everywhere.
The gyms in LA sure were different from the simple ones back home.
The grunts and murmurs of conversation stopped when we approached the group.
The guys were all equally sweaty, muscular, and most were shirtless.
I couldn’t help thinking about how jealous my co-worker, Melody, would be.
She’d be in paradise in this room of fit, perspiring men.
“Guys, this is Ava Montgomery. She’s writing that feature about me for the…”
“Springfield Sentinel. In Massachusetts," I added.
“That’s a long way from home for an article,” someone said.
“I’m from Massachusetts,” Jaden said. “It had to be a paper from my home state, man. You guys are going to see Ava around for a while. So no dirty jokes.”
“Unless they’re funny,” I interjected. “In which case, go for it.”
A few of them laughed.
One gave a mock salute.
Another nodded and said, “I like you, ma’am.”
“God, please don’t call me ma’am.”
There was another hum of laughter.
“Why do you get a hot reporter, Cole?” One of the guys asked. “That’s not fair.”
My eyebrows shot up. Before I could utter a word in response, everyone’s gazes shifted to the door.
I didn’t have to turn around to know who they were all looking at.
I felt Lincoln before I saw him. Sure enough, when I glanced over my shoulder, there he was coming toward me.
My traitorous eyes admired him in a black T-shirt that stretched across his chest. He was as fit as any current pro athlete.
He didn’t look happy to see him, and I didn’t blame him. I was a total bitch to him the other night.
“Ava,” he greeted. His voice held a sharp edge. “You’re early. Very early. You didn’t have to show up for a workout session.”
I gritted my teeth to bite back my heated retort. Was he going to be a thorn in my side every step of the way?
“Guys,” he greeted warmly.
I almost rolled my eyes at his making it clear I was the only one he wasn’t happy to see.
There was a chorus of ‘sup, Linc and hey, man.
The ass then proceeded to ignore me as if I were a stain on the gym floor.
I turned to Jaden, who watched me and Lincoln with curiosity. “Don’t mind me. Go ahead and do your thing,” I said. “We’ll talk when you’re done.”
Jaden nodded. “Sure thing.”
I moved off to one side where there were floor-to-ceiling windows that gave a nice view of the parking lot.
Lincoln and Jaden had a quick, hushed conversation.
My eyes narrowed on them. Was Lincoln warning Jaden about me?
What was his deal anyway? The way he behaved, you’d think all journalists were spawns of Satan.
I pulled out my notebook and pretended to be busy, but I could feel Lincoln coming closer. While I kept up a nonchalant air, my insides tightened into knots. I braced myself for the impact of his apparent annoyance with my presence.
“Enjoying the show?” he asked, stopping beside me.
I glanced at the scene of muscles bunching and glistening skin. “Half-naked, sweaty guys working out? Sure. Every woman’s dream.” I then hit him with a saccharine smile and got the satisfaction of seeing his jaw tighten.
He didn’t move, so I asked, “Anything I can help you with, Lincoln?”
He glowered at me so hard, I was in danger of melting. “You didn’t have to be here at six in the morning. You’re not TMZ.”
I sighed. “Is this how it’s going to be the entire time? You, hot on my heels like a helicopter parent listening to everything Jaden tells me?”
“First of all, he’s a grown man who can do whatever he wants. I stick around to protect his best interests because that’s what he pays me a shit ton to do. And this morning isn’t about you. I came to remind Jaden about an appointment later.”
“What appointment is that?” I asked, aiming my pen at my notepad.
Lincoln eyed the notepad as if it were a vile creature from Hades. “None of your business.”
“I beg to differ. Jaden Cole is my business for the next few weeks.”
“Then he can tell you.”
I huffed and dropped my trusty notepad. “Since you’re of no use to me, goodbye, Lincoln.
" I gave him a sugar smile and went on to ignore his existence as he had ignored mine earlier.
From my periphery, I caught his withering stare.
A part of me wanted to break and call a truce because this friction between us was ridiculous.
Lincoln didn’t say another word, just turned and walked away.
I watched his retreating form through the glass door until he disappeared.
The moment he was gone, my shoulders sagged as the tension drained from my entire body.
I hadn’t realized how tightly I’d been coiled.
I even breathed easier. Lincoln was going to drive me crazy.
I shook off the thought and did what I was sent to LA to do. Observe my subject. He was laughing with one of his teammates as they good-naturedly ribbed each other. He seemed to get along with everyone in the room. So, my initial impression of him was right.
Eventually, my gaze drifted to the parking lot. I did a double-take when I spotted two people between a car and an SUV. One of them was tall and wore a hoodie with the hood obscuring his face. Odd for such a warm morning.
The other was a dark-haired woman. Even from this distance, she looked familiar. I squinted, trying to make her out. She looked like a pop star who was being shoved down all our throats recently. I’d even written a few pieces about her… against my will. She even had the same platinum-blonde tips.
It was her! Nyla Monro, who went by Phoenix Sky.
At first, I found it strange for a rising pop star to be in a random gym parking lot.
But then I remembered that this was no random gym, and celebrities were everywhere in this town.
She could be one of the players' girlfriends.
Maybe the person in the hoodie was that player, and their interaction was innocent.
However, the longer I observed, the less convinced I became that their meeting was all that innocent. What was it that she handed to the mystery guy? Moreover, why were they looking around like they expected to be caught doing something naughty?
“Interesting,” I murmured.
“What is?”
I jumped and spun around to make eye contact with a pair of dark brows. “Jaden. Hey.”
“You alright, Ava?”
“Sure. I was just…” I glanced out the window. The girl had disappeared—I would love to have confirmed that it was who I thought she was. But the guy was walking back to the building, and his profile was barely visible.
“Do you know who that is?” I asked Jaden, pointing to the figure in the hoodie.
He squinted. “Yeah, that’s Tanner Boyd. Tight end for the Chargers.”
“Your rival?”
He shrugged. “Sure, but our biggest rival is the 49ers.”
“Right. Is Tanner dating anyone?”
“There are rumors that he’s been seeing that singer…”
“Phoenix Sky?”
“Uh-huh.” His eyes took on a teasing glint. “Hey, I’m starting to feel a little jealous of your attention being on Tanner rather than me.”
I grinned. “Don’t worry, I was just wondering if you guys are friends.”
“Nah. I mean, we might have chatted once or twice at a few events, but that’s about it.”
“Good. Good.”
He gave me a raised-eyebrow look.
“I mean… never mind.” I was relieved he had nothing to do with anything shady. Lincoln had already warned me a million times about protecting his client’s image. Things were tense enough between us, so why rock the boat?
“How was your workout?” I asked. “How often do you do this a week? Is it always a team session?”
He chuckled, and I gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry. One at a time.”
“Cool. First, I need to get out of these sweaty clothes.”
He answered my questions as we walked to the showers. Outside the door, he asked, “Are you going to shadow me in there, too?” He slicked back his dreads and then folded his arms. “Because I wouldn’t mind.”
I rolled my eyes. “You wish. I’ll see you when you get out.”
He smirked and disappeared inside.
As I waited, I tried to forget what I’d seen in the parking lot, just as I had the rumors of drug use at Jaden’s house party. Should I ask him about those rumors? The image of Lincoln, with his suspicious squint, popped into my mind.
No. It was best I steer clear.
“Mind the business that pays you, Ava,” I whispered. Right now, that was Jaden’s feature. However, my journalist brain refused to leave well enough alone. I couldn’t shake what I’d seen in the parking lot.