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And now I have to worry about whether his intentions are going to become clear some other time.
Chapter 48: Grayson Nash
A Fake What Now?
On Sunday morning, I wake up with the kind of hangover that reminds me I’m not as young as I used to be.
Beckett and his family decided to tour the Strip today, and I’m thankful they don’t expect me to be their tour guide since I’m not exactly up for shooting the shit.
A shower and some ibuprofen help a little, and coffee helps a little more, but I’m still dragging. Part of me thinks it has more to do with Ava not being here than it has to do with how much I drank last night.
What the fuck is that shit? These feelings are unfamiliar as they pulse through me, and now I’m regretting that we didn’t just tell Beckett the truth.
Especially when my phone starts to ring.
When I see who’s calling, I have this gut instinct that I am going to need more coffee.
I answer on speaker as I make my way to the Keurig. “Good morning, Ellie.”
“Hey, Grayson. I’m calling so we can put a plan together to mitigate damage.” She sounds as tired and worn down as I feel. And…wait.
What?
Mitigate damage?
Maybe I drank more than I thought last night.
“Okay, first, let’s back the truck up for just a second. What do you mean, mitigate damage?” I ask as the Keurig makes a loud whirring sound and starts to drip the coffee into my cup.
“Oh, you haven’t seen the headlines,” she murmurs. “There’s a viral video of you at the ball last night telling an unidentified man that you’re just hanging with Ava to keep the media off your ass.”
“A viral video?” I repeat.
Austin Graham. That motherfucker.
“The comments are ripping you to shreds,” she adds. “I’m so sorry to be the one to tell you, but you hired me to be the one who fixes this.”
“How the fuck are we going to fix this?” My voice is a little frantic as the reality plows into me.
Why would he do this?
Because he fucking hates my family, and I’m the latest target since I’m the newest. Take out my brothers by taking me out.
Maybe I’m the most vulnerable since my reputation was already on shaky ground with the local media given the nepotism claims that have followed me here.
I feel like I’ve always heard the same thing from publicists. Don’t listen to the noise. Ignore the rumors. Tune it out. Focus on the game.
That’s all great advice, but this is different. This isn’t just rumors about me and my latest hookup.
This is a personal attack from a teammate.
And it doesn’t just hurt me this time. It also has the potential to hurt her.
Fuck, I can’t let Ava see this, but it’s not like I have any way of controlling it. And maybe she’s already seen it anyway.
With Beckett here, it’s not like I can overreact to it. Thankfully he’ll be out for a few more hours at least, but when he gets home…then what?
Maybe it’s time I just fucking fess up to him.
