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Alex sat down on the couch. The pizza smelled amazing but not as amazing as her new job. The Salvatore brothers would offer some distraction until Cane was finished. Her phone vibrated on the table. It scooted across the surface with every ring. She recognized her best friend’s number.
“Hey Vanessa, what’s up?”
“What’s up? You tell me. You’re dating Cane fricken Clayburn and you didn’t tell me. When did that happen?” Vanessa demanded.
Alex glanced over at Cane, and prayed Vanessa wasn’t loud enough to be overheard. Alex slid off the couch and took the call in her bedroom. “It’s complicated. And we’re not telling anyone.” Guilt stabbed at Alex’s chest. They had been best friends since college. Vanessa knew her better than anyone. She knew exactly why things would never work out with Cane. Alex should have told her. She thought about it after the first night. To call and pour her heart out but that wasn’t Alex’s style. And she didn’t need to give her best friend the opportunity to tell her how incredibly stupid she was. She already knew that. Cane made her stupid. When she was around him, she forgot. All the hurt disappeared. Ahh, she was crazy. This was such a bad idea.
Vanessa laughed. “That’s cute, Alex. But there is no secret, the entire world knows.”
“What? What are you talking about? I haven’t told anyone. I promise. I would never tell anyone before I told you.” Alex pulled on the ends of her hair.
“That’s sweet, but you don’t need to worry about telling anyone. Everyone knows now.”
A sinking sensation pulled down sharply on the pit of her stomach. Vanessa didn’t even have to explain. She already knew...the pizza delivery guy.
How stupid was she? Here let me take your picture. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. And she was wearing his jersey with nothing else. His god damn name was written across her back. Oh shit. Her chest tightened. She concentrated on filling her lungs with air but her body would not cooperate. This was not okay and it was certainly not professional. This wasn’t the message she wanted to be sending to the network. Hire me on a full-time basis. I sleep with players. Oh, God. “Okay, I have to handle this. I’ll call you back tomorrow.”
“It is what it is. It’s your business and now the business of every American with the internet. Laters.”
Alex shook her head and cut the call. She could always count on Vanessa to keep it real. There was no pretending with her. Alex took a deep breath to brace herself before she typed in Cane’s name. Instantly it returned with stories of him sleeping with a reporter. A reporter, wasn’t horrible. There were lots of sports reporters...not many women but still enough to muddy the water. She continued to scroll until she saw it. Her name. She was named publicly as the reporter sleeping with Cane. Okay, she could handle this. She logged onto her socials. Oh shit. All but one hashtag was about Cane or her and Cane. Number one was #CaneSacksAlex, number two was #CaneBedsAlex. Her entire feed was full of hashtags about Cane. #CanePlaysAlex #CaneTDSAlex #CaneMVPSAlex #AlexRookieOfTheYearCane #AlexBedsCane #ABC. Bile rose in the back of her mouth. Not okay.
This was really not okay. She turned off her phone and closed her eyes so she could pretend she had not just seen the demise of her career, but the words were burned into her head. Even when she closed her eyes, they were there. She let out a stream of air. Regroup. Focus. Plan. Suddenly strong arms were wrapped tightly around her.
“Breathe,” Cane whispered.
She tried. Did he know? Had he seen it too? What was she thinking, of course he did, and that is why he had her in his arms. He wanted to comfort her. It was obvious. It didn’t matter, in this moment she didn’t care. As soon as he let her go, realization would flood her, but right now this was good. His arms around her. It was what she needed.
“How did you find out?” she whispered.
“Coach called me.”
Alex’s heart sank. This was real. Everyone knew. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.
Cane pulled back. He tilted her chin until their eyes met. “Don’t be sorry. I’m not sorry. I have a sexy girlfriend and the world knows about it. I’m good.”
Alex squeezed her eyes shut. “All my credibility has been dumped into an ocean of missed opportunities.”
“Look at me, Alex.”
She forced herself to open her eyes.
“I am not ashamed of us. You should not be ashamed of us. No one will ever accuse you of favoritism. You do remember the articles you have written about me, right? You’re definitely not doing me any favors because I am the best lover you have ever had.”
Alex smiled despite herself. “True.”
“True, that I’m your best lover. I’m going to need that in writing.”
“Yes, that too, but true that I have not shown you any favoritism.”
“Yeah, the opposite of that, actually. So, we can play this two ways. Admit it and let the story burn itself out, or shut it down hard. I haven’t told anyone. I doubt you have told anyone. There are no pictures of us together. Just the word of a pimply teenage boy. All I need to say is that the woman wasn’t you. It’s up to you, Alex.”
Alex nodded. He was right. She wasn’t in any of the photos. They could just deny it. That is what they would do—act like it didn’t happen. They would be more careful. She needed to remember that people recognized her since the Max Argyle interview. The piece had been picked up nationally. She was recognizable now in the small circle of sports fans. She would not make that mistake again. “Yes, let’s deny it.” She pressed her lips together.
Cane’s smile faltered, tightened even but he nodded. “If that’s what you want.”
“Yes, that’s what I want. No one can know about us. Ever.”
“Fine.” His deep voice was curt. He sighed as he turned and went back to the kitchen.