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  The curious glance she got from departing guests reminded her Eddy was taking too long. Again. He took too long with everything.

  “Sure?”

  “Yes.” Ava pushed at a lonely pebble with her foot to avoid his gaze. “I had offers from bigger networks but I chose HTV because I want to prove I could be in control. That there’s a part of my life not decided by forces or situations beyond my reach.”

  “What made you feel not in control before?”

  The question stumped her. It slashed at her insides, spilling blood and making a mess. Tears rolled down Ava’s cheeks. It was meeting Youri again that had her feeling raw. When he pressed a handkerchief into her hands, she took it blindly. “I thought you wouldn’t pry.”

  “I shouldn’t have pried, but I wanted to.” His phone vibrated, the sound overly loud in the night's stillness.

  As he checked the caller I. D, Ava studied him closely. Brayden Marshall was actually her face cap guy? Freaking hell. Except for a phone call to Robin during the week, she hadn’t really given much thought to face cap guy as she focused on reviving her dying career. In that moment, Ava savored how glad she was to see him.

  “I can’t believe Brayden Marshall is my face cap guy,” she enthused.

  “Your ‘face cap guy’?” His eyes crinkled at the corners in a way that made him even more attractive.

  “Yeah, like we totally connected I would have talked to you all night, Eddy teased me enough about that by the way.”

  “I wasn’t teased, but I hadn’t laughed so much in years. Thanks.”

  “Robin isn’t letting go off the hand fan soon, if you wanted it back.”

  “She can have it,” he said absently, eyes tracking the movement of cars in and out of the driveway. “You’re a journalist.”

  “Ermm, I think that’s obvious after--”

  “It wasn’t a damn question.” He grimaced. “I apologize.”

  Ava forced her mouth shut with an audible click. “You curse,” she said faintly.

  “Rarely but yes. Why?”

  She blinked and shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “I’ll like to be friends,” he intoned, “I liked talking with you. I had a great time at Navesink. But you’re a journalist.”

  “I imagine for a media shy guy that’s like--”

  “A huge risk.”

  Ava scowled. “I was looking for the perfect analogy.”

  “Just call as it is.”

  “What were you doing over at Navesink?” she asked without thinking.

  His mouth turned down at the corners. “You’re a journalist, should have guessed from the hundred questions.”

  “Hey! They were ‘get to know you’ questions.”

  “You’re a journalist, Ava,” he said like that explained everything.

  “An out of work one. Maybe you should reconsider being friends if you think I’m the type of person to leak your secrets,” she said with no small amount of irritation.

  With a precise, controlled movement, Brayden put his phone away and gave her his full attention. “You’re right. But hear this, if you use me to further your career underhandedly, I will bury you.”

  The words carried no heat. The declaration fell from his tongue in a matter-of-fact way. A gentleman indeed. “And they call you a gentleman.”

  “I’ve never seen myself as one. Can I call sometimes?”

  Ava looked away. It wasn’t like she never had men proposition her before and she never hesitated to mention Eddy. Why was it so hard now? “I-I don’t know, I mean I have, you know,” she ended lamely.

  His dark brows pulled together in genuine puzzlement. “Know what?”

  “Eddy,” she whispered.

  “I don’t want to be friends with Eddy,” he returned bluntly.

  “I have a fiance, Brayden,” she enunciated succinctly.

  More puzzlement. “I know that.” An eyebrow flew to his hairline. “Do I need his approval or something?”

  Ava chewed the inside of her lip to hold back laughter. If she said yes, how would he reply? “No, I’m just wondering if that would be a problem later on.”

  “Why would it? I’m not interested in having sex with you — that’s what you’re asking, isn’t it?”

  Shocked, Ava could only manage a nod.

  “And you-- you love your fiance, yeah?”

  A simple question. One Ava didn’t see coming. Did she love Eddy? Her mouth went dry and the muscles of her hand spasmed. Her hands tightened on her clutch purse.

  “Ava?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I do.”

  “Remember our conversation about supporting Arsenal? Why do something just to win versus whether because it gives you joy?”

  “Yes.”

  “My life is literally a succession of punches, I take my joy where I can. Especially when I can afford it. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she cleared her throat, “I think I do.”

  “Good. Come on.” Now, he seemed impatient. As they exchanged numbers, Ava glanced at the time on her phone and was shocked. They had spent almost thirty minutes talking.

  “Where’s the boyfriend, anyway? He’s keeping me waiting.”

  Ava didn’t bother correcting him. “Are you dating anyone?”

  He stopped and eyed her warily. “Is it the reporter or the friend asking?”

  Her hand landed on his shoulders before she could stop herself. “Shit, sorry. Eddy has warned me about that--”

  “You hit like a girl, I’m good.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Really? I’m disappointed.”

  “Don’t be. Women are great, many are doing great things--”

  “But?”

  “Men have the advantage of muscle mass which makes the achievements of women even more amazing.” He glanced at his watch once. “Let’s go find the boyfriend.”

  Eddy’s orange colored Nissan pulled to the curb. He wound the windows down and waved her over. But when he caught sight of Brayden, Eddy lost it. It was embarrassing. He fell three times on his way to them. Nance was worse, giggling and batting her eyelashes.

  Though after he vowed to suck Brayden’s cock if they ever met, she shouldn’t have been surprised by his squeals and exclamations right now. Had she really found that crude joke funny? Now, picturing Eddy on his knees before Brayden gave her the willies. Ava shuddered.

  Brayden gently refused the request for a selfie and extricated himself when Eddy launched into an over the top narration of how they almost met as teenagers and on and on he went. Had she behaved the same way?

  After listening to Eddy and Nance rave about Brayden for over ten minutes on their way home, Ava could feel a headache coming on. They dropped Nance off five minutes later.

  Eddy asked, “What was he doing talking to you, fucking God.”

  Her stomach tightened with an emotion she couldn’t name. “He was on his way out and I had a fangirl moment and prolonged it.”

  “Thank God you did, I would have fucking missed it.”

  It was an innocuous question, why did she feel the urge to lie?

  “In Eddy’s words, I fucking fall for the wrong men, every fucking time,” Nance hissed as they made the rounds through the mass of suited men and gorgeous women.

  “You’ve broken the record, not even Eddy can manage two ‘fuckings’ in one sentence,” Ava said, taking a sip of her champagne to mask her excitement.

  “Yeah,” Nance said with a glum expression on her beautiful face.

  Ava had had enough. “OK, that’s it.” She pulled Nance into an alcove and forced her chin up. “I told you that man was an ass. He tried to grope me at our end of the year party but you wouldn’t listen. I know it’s hard--”

  “You don’t, you and Eddy have been going strong for over four years, so you can’t even comprehend my heart break. I loved him, Ava!”

  Ava barely stopped herself from giving into an instinctive eye roll. A week after the ‘self-sabotaged meeting’, hearing from Frank was the
last thing she expected. When Frank surprised her by asking that she represent the station at a sports charity dinner, an invitation only event only the top networks were privileged to attend, she nearly shit her pants. Dressed in her best evening gown, with full beat makeup and even with her feet aching something fierce from the heels, she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Of all the reporters her little known network could have sent, she was the last option. As the lowest on the pecking order and the only female, she was still surprised and stoked.

  “We need to come up with a plan to get him back,” Nance whispered, eyes turning from heartbroken to feverish determination in an instant.

  “Now?”

  “Well, he’s right here. I checked. Maybe I should have worn the blue dress instead of this one?”

  Nance’s dress cost five times more than Ava’s. To think she brought Nance and Eddy along for emotional support. This charity dinner was the biggest thing to happen in her career and she needed a level head to avoid saying or doing the wrong thing. That was why she asked Nance along. She didn’t think Nance would cry and moan, change her make up twice and dresses five times just to be sure she looked exactly right, but she had.

  “You know, you’re my friend and I more than anyone understands and love your melodrama, I even enjoy it sometimes,” Ava breathed.

  Covering her face with her hand, Nance cried. “I know I’m a mess but don’t give up on me, please. Not now, I need you now most of all.”

  “And how many times have you needed me most of all, especially when I needed you.” She caught Nance hands and pulled it from her face. “The man is fucking married. He never belonged to you, forget him.”

  With a wretched sob, Nance crumpled to pieces before her. Ava clenched her fists tight, praying for control. Why had she thought Nance would put her drama aside for once, for her? From the alcove, the sound of light chatter, connections being made and careers plummeting reached her ears. Her career was among the plummeting ones. She had cried and fought for a chance. Frank finally gave her one and here she was comforting Nance. What was she doing?

  Ava drew back. When she spoke, her voice was eerily calm. “Go home if you can’t pull yourself together. I will call you a cab.”

  Her chest was tight with repressed emotion as she turned to go. Nance sniffed, and the sound caught at her heartstrings. Ava hesitated. During the rollercoaster that was her life the past year, how many times had Nance arrived with ice cream, champagne and even weed? Was she about to be among those bitches who chose a career over friendship?

  “That’s it, go,” Nance sniffed. “You think this will make Frank give you a chance? Face it, you’re not as beautiful as the other reporters in other news stations. The men fight over them and make a request for them.”

  Shock rippled through Ava and she had to tighten her hold on her purse to keep upright.

  “Yes,” Nance laughed, her pretty face twisting into an ugly, unrecognizable mask. “Your precious sport rejected you not Frank.”

  “You’re just saying this to hurt me, but we’ll get past this and--”

  “He promised,” she cried, “he told me he would leave his wife and now he just-- just celebrated an anniversary with a page from the fucking Juno magazine.”

  “God, I’m sorry, but Ihave to go.”

  “Go, go damn you.”

  Ava took a minute in the restrooms to touch up her makeup before joining the festivities. Surprisingly, she had a great time. She joined conversations she could and listened to many others. Thirty minutes before the speeches and special recognition session for outstanding social achievements were due to begin, a fizzle of excitement spread through the crowd.

  “Hi,” Nance whispered at her side, pulling her attention from the source of the sudden chatter. “I’m sorry about before-- Frank’s here.”

  Ava pasted on a smile to face her boss. Frank Ringwald managed and owned a stake in their fledgling news station, HTV. As an intern, Ava had a great time learning from the experienced reporters, anchors and editors at the station. After her internship, while her colleagues fought over the juicy offers from the bigger networks, Ava chose to remain with HTV for the learning experience. Due to her small size, it was easy to approach a news anchor or even Frank for anything but at the bigger stations it was impossible. Young new hires slaved away in tiny cubicles and rarely ever got the chance to see the sun let alone talk to reporters higher up the pecking order.

  She had thrived under the close tutelage of experienced reporters and the homely atmosphere at HTV until Frank grabbed her buttocks one evening while they were working late.

  Now, she forced her pasted on smile to grow wider. “Hello--”

  “You are late.” Frank noted without preamble. With his wife by his side and an entourage of friends watching curiously, he couldn’t have chosen a more perfect moment. Hot color suffused Ava’s cheeks.

  “I’m sorry about that and--”

  “If Youri Richards hadn’t requested for you personally, I wouldn’t have given you a thought. Remember that.”

  As he walked away with his wife, taking their active audience with them, Ava remained rooted to the spot. At times like this, she wondered if she made a mistake remaining with the station.

  “Who’s Youri Richards?” Nance asked.

  Ava sucked in a breath. It never failed to amaze her when Nance asked such questions. “Everyone knows Youri.”

  “You forget I’m an editor, a fan of the written word not some sportsman paid heaven and earth to do something ridiculous but hot.”

  “He was one of the ‘bottom’ projects Frank shoved on me, you know after…”

  “Yeah. But what does that have to do with now?”

  “The reason yours sincerely was invited to this special event is because he wanted me personally.”

  Nance pumped her fists. “Yes!” Then she became subdued. “I’ve told you how it goes even though I regret the way it came out. I’m sorry.”

  Ava grinned, moving with the sea of well-dressed people as they headed to their assigned seats. “I’m not.”

  “You’re not?”

  “Youri’s story is inspiring, maybe we’ll get to meet him. At twenty-four he was the hottest commodity on the market, slated to become the most marketable athlete in the world--”

  “Where Brayden Marshall is still alive and doing his perfect man act?” Nance scoffed. “Don’t exaggerate.”

  “I’m not. It was my project remember? It was the last race of the season, and with a pretty great ranking the twenty-four years old race car driver slash hottest thing in town ended up in a coma.”

  “Oh, fuck.”

  “He woke without both legs. Then he became depressed and suicidal, went out of the radar. He just disappeared without an interview or a word to his fans. Then after I demanded Frank stopped punishing me for saying no or I’ll sue. So he gave me the assignment of interviewing the elusive Youri.”

  “How did you pull that off?”

  Ava deftly changed placeholders so they could all sit together when Eddy arrived. “You haven’t joined us then, we could have laughed over the shock on their faces when I returned with a masterpiece.”

  “How did you find him and get him to interview?”

  “I stalked him, found people who knew him and stalked them. When we finally met, we connected. He reminded me of…someone. Plus, he had a great story, the comeback story.”

  “It doesn’t matter whether he races again or not, not that I know if that’s even possible. But his story is incredible.”

  “Ladies,” Eddy murmured, dropping down to his seat with a sigh.

  “What took you so long?” Ava pouted.

  With a wan grin, Eddy ran a hand over his hair. “I’m not sure Frank wanted me here, he piled on work before he left.”

  “Fucking Frank,” Nance muttered. “Only a man cut from the same cloth will be a personal assistant to that man.”

  Eddy bristled, leaning forward to lay into Nance. Even t
hough Ava agreed in the tiniest, unreachable corner of her mind, she didn’t have the strength to deal with another Nance and Eddy squabble. “Guys, this is my night. You can do this tomorrow, thank you.”

  With a shake of his head and a smile of admiration on his lips, Eddy said, “If she behaves, I will.”

  By that time, the main reason politicians, actresses and sportsmen with great causes were gathered rolled around. The previous YES female athlete of the year took the stage.