19
Kennedy
Ever since the media had broken the news of Nash potentially being off the market, gossip and social media had been speculating nonstop about who the mystery girl might be.
They dug up old photos of women he’d taken to events, been spotted with around the city, or—my personal favorite—been caught kissing.
Not one of them, however, was short with long dark hair.
I’d been wearing my hair pulled back in a low bun at work, not wanting to attract any more attention than necessary. Louise, however, figured it out pretty quickly.
“Hi, Kennedy,” she said as she breezed into my office that afternoon, carrying two steaming cups of coffee and flashing a wide, cheerful smile.
Her dark, curly hair was swept into a high ponytail, and a stylish navy scarf was wrapped snugly around her neck.
The fitted tweed jacket with subtle maroon and blue accents, paired with sleek, dark pants, made her look every bit the polished professional.
The extra gleam in her eyes told me she was either having a really great day or had some exciting news.
“Hi, Louise,” I replied, watching as she set one of the cups in front of me.
I hadn’t realized how badly I needed more caffeine until it was right under my nose.
I smiled up at her in gratitude. Not only was she a fantastic assistant, but she’d also become a good friend.
She always seemed to know when I needed a pick-me-up.
“Wow, thank you,” I sighed, wrapping my hands around the warm mug. The rich aroma of the coffee hit my senses, promising to clear the lingering fog from a long, sleepless night—though I wasn’t about to complain about the reason for it.
Louise’s brown eyes sparkled as she took a seat in one of the chairs across from my desk. She looked entirely too pleased with herself, like she had some juicy tidbit she couldn’t wait to share.
“You’re welcome,” she replied, settling in with her own coffee. Then, with a sly smile, she added, “So, did you hear the latest news about the hockey hottie?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, though my pulse immediately quickened. She’d gushed about Nash before, and she was just like Sammy, very much into celebrity news.
“Hockey hottie?” I raised an eyebrow, trying to sound casual. “You mean Nash Reed?”
Louise leaned forward, still grinning. “You know it. He’s all over the media again. Something about a mystery woman. The speculation is getting wild!”
I felt my heart skip a beat but managed to keep my expression neutral. “Wow,” I replied, trying to seem disinterested while my mind raced. “I guess people really love a good mystery.”
“Yeah. Did you see what people are saying and what he told the press?” Louise asked, her eyes gleaming.
“When? This morning?” I could feel a wave of nervous energy rolling through me. I had spent all of last night wrapped up in Nash. He hadn’t mentioned anything about talking to the media, and I hadn’t exactly kept up with the interviews.
What the hell had he said?
“Last night, this morning . . . I’m not sure exactly when.
” Louise leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs in that casual way that told me she was far more intrigued than I was comfortable with.
“They keep updating the story as they get more information. Apparently, the reporters asked him about his girlfriend, and get this—he didn’t deny it. ”
My heart nearly leapt out of my chest. He hadn’t denied it? What was happening? Nash hadn’t mentioned a word about this to me. Trying to play it cool, I forced a laugh that came out more like a snort. “Oh,” I managed. “Did they get any details?”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “He gave a ‘no comment’ to anything related to the mystery girl they saw him kissing.”
That was a relief. I felt a little of the tension ease from my shoulders, but before I could fully relax, Louise hit me with another bombshell.
“There was another picture posted this morning.”
I nearly choked on my coffee. “Another picture?”
“Yep,” she said with a grin, clearly loving the drama.
“Okay. I’ll look at it later.” I forced myself to smile when my eyes met Louise’s.
“I really need to get going. I have some urgent emails to respond to,” I said, trying to sound casual as I gently dismissed her.
Truthfully, I wanted nothing more than to pull up my web browser and search for anything Nash-related, but I had to maintain some level of professionalism.
This was work, and anything involving Nash was not part of my work life—at least not publicly.
That had been my rule from the beginning.
“No,” Louise said, her tone unusually firm as she stood up. She placed the coffee cup on my desk and walked over to the door, shutting it quietly. “Look at it now,” she demanded, her eyes narrowing as she turned back to face me.
I blinked, taken aback by her sudden assertiveness, but it quickly dawned on me what that meant.
Crap.
“Louise—” I started, but she cut me off, her voice softening slightly.
“Just do it, Kennedy. Please.”
Reluctantly, I sank lower into my chair and picked up my phone.
Sure enough, there it was. A photo of Nash and me at the bar, talking to Mitchell, had made its way onto every social media platform, as well as CelebNews.
My face was almost a complete profile, slightly blurred but clear enough.
Whoever had taken the photo had been focused on Nash, but it would be unmistakable to anyone who knew me.
I swallowed hard, trying to process the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me.
“Damn,” I whispered, letting the phone drop to my desk as I buried my face in my hands. It was all too much, too fast. All this publicity was my own private nightmare unfolding.
“Hey,” Louise said softly, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “So . . . it is you?”
“Yeah.” I sighed, lifting my head, knowing there was no point in denying it. She’d recognized me.
She walked back around the desk and sank into the chair across from me, her expression shifting from concern to mild disappointment.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her voice softer now. “I would’ve kept it a secret if you wanted me to. Now I just feel like such a fool for gushing over your man all the time.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed—hard. So hard, in fact, that tears started to well up in my eyes. “Everyone gushes over him,” I mumbled, fumbling for a tissue in the box on my desk.
“True,” she agreed with a small smile, but she still looked curious. “But why keep it a secret?”
I let out another long sigh. “Louise, I just . . . I didn’t want anyone to know about Nash, especially not here at work. And definitely not considering I was assigned the Men’s Advantage project.”
She nodded, starting to understand. “I can see why that would be complicated.”
“Exactly. I also didn’t want people to think I was just another girl chasing after him because he’s one of the ‘sexiest men alive’ according to Women’s Magazine,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Louise snorted in amusement, a glint of humor in her eyes. “I mean, they’re not wrong.”
I shook my head, laughing again. “I know. But still, I didn’t want people to think I was just another one of his hookups.”
Her expression softened.
“It’s not like that at all,” I continued, my voice quieter.
“Yes, he’s sexy and gorgeous and all that, but he’s so much more to me than just someone to fool around with.
” I paused, taking a sip of coffee, needing a moment to gather my thoughts.
“I’m not comfortable being in the spotlight.
I never have been. That’s why I like what we do here—behind the scenes.
Nash knows that, and we both agreed to keep our relationship quiet.
Especially with this new job. I didn’t want anyone thinking I got it because of him. ”
“So, it’s more than just a hookup,” Louise stated, her voice calm, but I could tell she was genuinely curious.
“Yes,” I admitted without hesitation.
Louise nodded slowly, like she was processing everything I said. Then, she asked, “But why didn’t you mention knowing him?”
I sighed, trying to find the right way to explain. “We grew up together. Nash’s house was right next to mine. We did everything together when we were kids.”
Louise’s eyes widened as she smiled, leaning in.
“We both moved away for college, and we hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Nash didn’t even know I had moved to New York or that I got this job. I ran into him one night at a bar—my first night here, actually. That’s when that picture was taken. We hadn’t seen each other in almost two years.”
“Wow,” she said.
“Yeah . . .”
“And then your relationship changed?” she asked gently, urging me to continue.
“Yes.” I looked up, meeting her gaze as a tear unexpectedly slipped down my cheek.
I wasn’t entirely sure why I was crying.
Maybe it was relief, or the vulnerability of finally talking about it.
I quickly wiped it away and kept going. For some reason, talking to Louise felt easy.
“I’ve always loved Nash, but I never thought he felt the same.
I was always the friend—the one on the sidelines, watching him with other girls.
But it turns out we both misunderstood each other. ”
“Oh, wow.” Louise sat back in her chair with a small smile. “That’s like a real-life movie love story.”
I chuckled through the tears. “Yeah. Let’s just hope it has a happy ending.”
· · ·
I met Sammy inside the arena later that evening.
We had some time to kill before the game started, so we decided to grab a drink.
By now, we’d been in the bar area of the arena often enough to recognize most of the staff.
As we passed the security guard, he smiled but then did a double take.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he had seen the photos.