I don’t recommend it. Zero stars.
With a groan, I heave myself up from the carpeted floor of my tiny bedroom and push back the mess of red hair from my face. Blinking sleepily, my vision becomes more clear and I instantly wish it wouldn’t. Because seeing the piles and piles of boxes that surround me just reminds me of how much my life freaking sucks right now.
When I discovered Dirk and his paralegal in bed, very much naked, I had no choice but to move out. It was his apartment, and I had sold most of my furniture before I moved in with him. After two weeks at my parents’ house, I needed to get out. But the Vancouver rental market is awful at the best of times.
Which is how I ended up in a sketchy but furnished one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of downtown. Close enough to commute to work, but definitely not a great neighbourhood.
And a far cry from the high-rise apartment Dirk and I lived in for six months before everything went sideways.
Dragging my feet, I make my way into the tiny kitchen, intent on making some coffee. My phone is charging on the counter, and after the coffee maker is turned on, I pick it up to scroll the news headlines. Only, instead of a mindless scroll, I end up choking on the sip of water I’ve taken when I see the virtual flood of messages waiting for me.
Texts from people I haven’t spoken to in months, years even. Dozens of them. Scrolling through, I see one from my sister and open that one.
SIENNA: OMFG YOU’RE DATING MAVERICK KING?! SADIEEEEEEEEEE! I NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!
Except her message makes absolutely no sense to me. Other than that name… Didn’t Dirk call tattoo guy Maverick? Dread starts to pool in my stomach when I click a link to a gossip magazine she sent. The photo that uploads has me clapping a hand over my mouth to muffle my shriek.
It’s not a great photo, clearly taken on someone’s phone at the bar last night. But it’s clear enough to see who’s in it. Tattoo guy has his arm around me and is looking down at me with an expression on his face that I definitely don’t remember him having. Instead of looking all mean and scary, he almost looks…affectionate? I’m pretty sure it’s when he was giving Dirk shit, and pretending he was there with me, but dang, I didn’t realize he was that good of an actor.
My musings about the photo come to an abrupt halt when the headline steals my attention:Tridents’ Third BasemanMaverick King Seen with Mystery Woman. Is the Bad Boy of Baseball Settling Down at Last?
“Oh my God.” Suddenly Dirk’s shock makes sense. He’s a huge Tridents fan and used to bug me nonstop to get free tickets from Willow. It felt so icky to me, I never asked. Guess that should’ve been a red flag that the rest of him was just as icky.
I scan the rest of the article which tells me nothing except that he’s some hotshot baseball player who’s infamous for getting into trouble off the field. Then it talks about a recent car crash, and how he’s on the injured list and unable to play. My hand comes up to my mouth again as I realize that’s why he winced last night. I scan the text and seebruised ribs and fractured claviclepop out at me. Yeah, even with my limited medical knowledge simply gleaned from working in a hospital, I can imagine those would hurt.
As I’m reading, my phone vibrates with an incoming call. I answer without looking at the number, my mind still reeling.
“Sadie LeDuc? John Tucker withVancouver Daily. Can we get a statement on your relationship with Maverick King?”
My mouth gapes open, then flies shut as I hit the end button on the call. This isn’t good. How on earth did they figure out who I am? Another call comes in from another unknown number. I hit decline, only for it to start ringing again. This time, it’s my best friend Ali.
I answer, but don’t even get a word out before she’s yelling in my ear.
“Holy shit, Sadie. Good job, girlfriend! I knew you had a secret wild side, but baseball’s bad boy? Damn, I’m impressed.”
“For goodness’ sake, don’t be so gullible, it’s all a misunderstanding!” I shout into the phone. Ali falls silent, and all I hear is my own pulse pounding in my ear. “It’s not real. None of it. Well, I mean, I did see him at a bar last night and he did put his arm around me, but that was just to get Dirk to shut up.”
“Maverick King defended you in front of dirtbag Dirk?” Amusement laces her tone. “That’s honestly a better story than my bestie dating the hottest man in Vancouver and not telling me.”
I groan and flop down on my bed. “Ali, help me. What do I do? The press has already found me, my sister is sending me shouty all caps text messages, and it’s complete garbage.”
“Okay, breathe, Sadie.” Ali’s teacher voice kicks on. The voice she uses to wrangle twenty kindergarteners every single day. “This isn’t the end of the world. You’ve got a friend that works for his team, right? You can reach out to her, and I’m sure she’ll be able to help clear this all up.”
I’m already nodding, my breathing slowly settling. “You’re right. Yes. Of course. I’ll call Willow today. Thanks, Ali.”
“I gotchu, bestie. But can I just say, a little romp with Maverick King could be kinda fun!”
That pulls a small laugh from me, even as the idea of a littleanythingwith that man makes me shiver. “You’re terrible. I better go, thanks for having my back.”
“Always.”
I hang up, only to have my phone immediately start ringing again, this time with an unlisted number.
“Oh my God, stop!” I groan, knowing it’s futile. I decline the call and drop it on the counter. Any calm I’d found talkingto Ali is gone as I watch the screen continue to light up with a never-ending barrage of calls and messages. I start to shake as I step back from the phone, staring at it in horror like it’s a ticking time bomb. The tremble continues until I sink down to the floor, feeling beyond overwhelmed.
I didn’t think my life could get any more out of control after the Dirk mess. But this is beyond anything I could have imagined.
Somehow, I need to make it through my work day and get a hold of Willow. Ali’s right, she should be able to help me clear this all up. And then we can have a laugh about how the media actually thought for a hot minute that I, Sadie LeDuc, would be dating one of the Vancouver Tridents.
