Page 189 of Tangled with the Tight End

I sit up in bed and she hands me her phone.

“Start it over,” she says.

In the video, an animated woman is waving her hands around saying, “You guys! I found it. You wanted the goods? I got the goods! See this?” The photo of me and Declan pops up behind her on a green screen background. “Well … I got her name! Ready for all the lore? We’re talking about Winona Carter. She grew up in the same small town as Declan, but she’s younger—totally went for him because he’s a professional athlete. You all know the Ginger saga. Well, this looks like Ginger two-point-oh.”

She moves closer to the camera for dramatic effect, “Could you find someone more mismatched for Declan O’Connell than this woman?” A photo of me that I’ve never seen before pops on the screen and the video ends.

“What in the world?” I say.

“There’s more,” Cass says, taking her phone and scrolling and then handing it back to me. “This one.”

Her brows draw up in a pained expression.

I push play. This one has two people talking like they’re on SportsCenter. But it’s not a sports commentary. Instead, they’re talking about my personal life.

One woman says, “It seems Declan O’Connell has a soft spot for women who are trying to pick his pockets.”

The other woman says, “Was she his nurse?”

“She was.”

“That puts him in a vulnerable position. I mean, who wouldn’t fall for their nurse?”

“Right?”

And then that same photo of Declan and me is splashed on the screen.

My stomach feels like someone drilled a hole right through it. My mouth is dry. When I hand Cass her phone, my hands are shaking.

“Oh, Win,” Cass says.

“It’s okay,” I tell her. Or maybe I’m telling myself.

My phone rings and I jump. I pull it off the side table.

“Declan,” I tell Cass.

She nods and leaves the room.

“Have you seen?” he asks in lieu of his usual greeting.

“Yes. Two of them. Is there more?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” He blows out a breath. “I hate this.”

I hear the anguish in his voice. I want to sop it up—to make this better for him. This is the last thing he needs right now. His focus needs to be on coming back strong. I don’t want to be a complication in his life causing a negative media stir while he’s trying to salvage the end of his season.

I breathe in, drawing strength from his voice. “They don’t know us, Declan. They don’t know me. Don’t let it get to you.”

“To me? What about you?” His voice is practically desperate. “This is the last thing I want you to go through.” He sighs. “It’s my fault.”

“How is it your fault? You aren’t saying these things about me.”

“I wanted to protect you from all this.”

“Declan. You’re a public figure. I knew that going into this. It will pass. Now they know who I am. Curiosity has been satisfied. They’ll say their piece and move on.”

“That’s what Kate said too. Our Director of Communications.”