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“Mmhmm.” She types something on her laptop and then turns the screen to face us.
Displayed is an online tabloid with a headline that reads:
NFL Bad Boy Back Again! You can take the boy out of the city… Nathan Sterling was spotted last night dancing with a mystery woman, but later that night was seen arguing with on-again, off-again girlfriend, Courtney Warner.
Beneath that is a picture of Nathan pinching the bridge of his nose while facing a woman that I recognize instantly as actress Courtney Warner. I recognize the gala in the background, but Nathan looks wrecked in the photo, his hair loose from the slicked-back style he’d had it in, dinner jacket long gone.
What exactly happened after I left?
A stab of jealousy hits me, as I slip him a sidelong glance. He’s still looking at his folded hands in his lap.
Lila says, “This gala was supposed to be good press for the team. I believe I asked you, Ms. Rossi, to go there and get some good content… but all that I’ve seen online this morning is… this.” She waves at the screen. “More love life drama, which is just what I want to get away from.”
Great, apparently my hours of posting this morning were a complete waste of time.
“This isn’t her fault,” Nathan says immediately.
“Regardless, I don’t think there are enough Instagram posts in the world to draw attention away from the spectacle you made of yourself last night. So, I’m asking, Izzy. As the person in charge of these things, what do we do?”
My eyes widen, but I quickly remind myself that I’m great at my job, and I can handle this. It physically hurts to ask these next questions, but I have to do it. Hoping Lila doesn’t read into any subtext, I say, “Is Courtney Warner going to be sticking around? Are you together?”
Nathan shakes his head, then groans. “No–I don’t know. We were never serious, but we dated casually back in New York. She seems to think something different, though. I tried to set her straight last night, but that went about as well as you can see it did.” He motions to the laptop.
“Well, we should definitely get that cleared up. Maybe have her release a statement, too. In the meantime, we should have Nathan do some community outreach, get the focus off his love life and back on his career, and I will publicize the hell out of it to turn his image around.”
“Great.” Lila clasps her hands. “Talk to booking and set up some events. Charities, soup kitchens, I don’t care, just make him look like a choir boy.” She flicks her hands at us. “Now, get out of my office.”
Perfect, now I have to spend more time with Nathan, and I have no one to blame but myself. Not to mention the fact that my hot-headed daughter has an equally hot-headed father… that must run in the family, which does not make me excited for Rory’s teenage years to come.
We quietly sulk out of Lila’s office. “I can’t believe you forgot to mention that you have a girlfriend!” I fold my arms and give him the hardest glare I can muster.
“She’s not my girlfriend. I didn’t exactly break up with her before I came here, but I didn’t think I had to. I thought we were casual.”
“Well, I’ve got my work cut out for me, I guess,” I say. The wounded puppy look on his face almost makes me feel a little bad for him, but I’m not the one flirting when I’m in a relationship.
“Izzy, she never meant anything. Honestly, I had no idea she was going to turn up here All I wanted last night was to spend some time with you… but you ran off again, and then she waltzed in… and I didn’t exactly handle it as well as I should’ve.”
I sigh, unsure what to make of it all. “Look, I’m sorry I left like I did… but did you need to make a big scene?”
His nostrils flare beneath the rims of his sunglasses. “I wasn’t trying to make a scene. I was trying to let her down gently, but, of course, some guy was filming me. People are always filming me. They are outside my house, at practice. I thought I left that behind in New York but…” He sighs, shoulders slumping. “I just can’t stand feeling like I’m in an aquarium. So, I firmly told the photographers to give us some privacy, and even that was misinterpreted… I mean, what would you do if you were me?”
As if I needed another reminder that Nathan’s world is unsafe for my daughter. “Well, what’s done is done, and since you completely overshadowed all of my posts about the gala, we better come up with something big for this community outreach project.”
“Well, you’re the marketing genius.” He raises a brow. “What do you suggest?”
“Off the top of my head? How about an AA meeting?”
Nathan scowls at me.
With a sigh, I say, “I’ll make some calls. You keep Courtney Warner out of my posts.”
Nathan nods. “I have to get to practice. You should stick around. See that I do actually work hard at some things.”
“No thanks,” I say blithely, turning and marching down the hall.
“Your loss,” he says.
I lied, of course. I do stick around. I can’t help myself. Sitting in the stands watching Nathan running on the field with the team brings even more memories of high school flooding back.
