Chapter Four
Three Months Later
Danielle stood in front of her mirror, inspecting her dress. Butterflies danced around in her stomach as she twisted from one side to the other, trying to catch all the angles of the skirt and bodice.
She hated that she was nervous. She hated that she cared. And most of all, she hated the fact that Zach had held true to his word when he said he wasn’t going to help her out. She’d waited to be told that she was not longer the PR person for Zach Stedman, but that phone call never came.
Now, three months later, she was getting ready for her first exposé about the life of an NFL player.
She grumbled as she pulled her long, curly hair from the braid she’d put it in and shook it out. The curls bounced as they framed her face. She glared at herself, hating the fact that she’d allowed her emotions to get all tangled up again.
Zach was Zach. Why did she care what he thought of her? Why did she care what she looked like?
“Wow, you look like a hottie tottie,” Sunny said as she waltzed into Danielle’s room. She was wearing shorts and a black tee. True to her name, her bright blonde hair was pulled upinto a ponytail and her cheeks were flushed, no doubt from the heat outside.
“Hey, Sunny,” Danielle said as she pulled at the skirt of her dress. Maybe she should change. She didn’t want to look like she was trying and if Sunny’s interpretation of the dress rang true for other people, that meant Zach might think she cared what he thought…which she didn’t.
“Is it too much?” she asked, turning to face Sunny.
Sunny flopped down on Danielle’s bed and then propped herself up on one elbow. “Heck no. It’s about time the men of Atlanta knew the hot woman underneath all the sweatpants.” She wrinkled her nose as she tipped her head toward Danielle’s overflowing laundry basket.
“I don’t wear sweatpants that much,” Danielle said as her sheepish gaze ran over the first few items in the laundry basket, each of which happened to be sweatpants.
Sunny grabbed some of the gum in her mouth and twisted it around her finger. Danielle shot her a disgusted look, but Sunny didn’t seem to care. Instead, she furrowed her brows as she studied Danielle. “Yeah, this is good for you. You’re starting to turn into a hermit. You need to get out.”
Danielle winced at Sunny’s words, suddenly regretting the fact that she’d let everything spill to her babysitter when she came home from the club that night.
Zach had loaned her Paul who’d driven her home. Danielle made Paul promise to never tell Zach where she lived, to which Paul agreed. He had this older brother/dad quality to him and she couldn’t help but trust him.
Sunny, on the other hand, was less discreet and almost had a heart attack when Danielle told her that she knew a Patriot. Now, she was more than happy to doll Danielle up just so that she could meet the whole team.
“It’s not like that, Sunny,” Danielle reminded her.
Sunny snorted and grabbed one of the accent pillows on Danielle’s bed. She hugged it and leaned forward. “But why can’t it be like that. It’s been so many years since everything happened. You can move on from that, can’t you?”
Danielle swallowed. Her stomach twisted with Sunny’s words. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about that. There were a few times since the night at the club that she’d seen Zach—even if he promptly turned away from her. And in those moments, she reveled in the familiarity she felt when she was around him.
There was a part of her that missed that whole family. She missed Isaac. The Stedmans. And most of all, Zach. They’d been friends. And it hurt to see him and realize that that reality was no longer an option for her.
Not with Jesse involved.
“Where’s Jesse? You’re here to watch him, not give me relationship advice.” She gave Sunny a pointed look.
Sunny held up her hands as she climbed off the bed. She’d been in Jesse and Danielle’s life since Jesse was three and they moved into this apartment building. Danielle loved her like a little sister. Which was why she kept her around even if she tried to pry into Danielle’s personal life.
“I get it,” Sunny said as she made her way out into the hall. A moment later, she stuck her head back in, “Just think about.” She sang out as she jumped out of the way to avoid a pillow that Danielle had just thrown at her.
Danielle laughed as she brushed down her dress and turned. After glancing at her watch, she let out a groan. If she didn’t leave right now, she was going to be late.
Grabbing her purse, sandals, and phone, she closed her bedroom door and made her way out into the hallway. “I’ve gotta go, buddy,” she said as she zeroed in on Jesse and made her way over to give him a kiss on the top of the head.
Jesse was engrossed in a book and waved his hand to shoo her away. Danielle didn’t obey as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “Mind Sunny while I’m gone,” she said, dipping down to meet his gaze.
Jesse gave her a noncommittal, mm hmm, and focused back on his book.
Danielle ruffled his hair one more time and then stood, making her way into the kitchen. “Get him outside. I swear all that boy does is read.”
Sunny set her phone down and nodded. “You’ve got it, boss.”
