“We’ve been asked to follow the team into the summer, documenting what different key members of the team are doing. Apparently, they are trying to drum up more sponsorships and think that this is the best way to do it. I’ve assigned a few other reports to members of the team and for you, I’ve assigned Zachary, The Stud, Stedman.”
Danielle stared at the words. Zach? They assigned Zach to her?
What the heck was she going to do about that? He was the absolute last person she could stand to be around. One minute into a conversation with him and she’d confess everything—she was sure of it. He had a way of getting things out of her. He always did.
That was one of the reasons she had to stay away from him. The feelings that grew inside of her that summer were deep and wrong. She loved Isaac, but every time she was around Zach, things changed. And after that kiss, she was pretty sure she would never be same. And the fact that the kiss happened after Isaac died made her feel that much worse.
There was no way she could spend time around Zach. Not for a summer. Even if it was just a few snippets here and there, documenting what the team was up to, she was pretty sure she might crumble from the memories.
Maybe if she could convince him to demand a different reporter, there might be a chance for her. She’d just ask him to submit a complaint. It was easy. Right?
“Hey, Dani-mani.”
Danielle froze, her finger mid-scroll, as the familiar sound of Zach’s voice washed over her. Her stomach sank as her heart rate picked up. The familiar nickname that Isaac and Zach had used for her wasn’t helping her resolve to stay away from him.
Glancing up, she saw that a black Lincoln had pulled over. Zach’s face could be seen from the rolled down window. Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw his familiar, chiseled features, which had only deepened over the years. He’d definitely turned into one of the handsomest men she’d ever seen.
Which was probably why her body was responding to his stare as it swept over her. She cursed her burning cheeks as she gave him what she hoped was a relaxed smile. Why did she have such a reaction to him? What was wrong with her? This was not the reaction of a woman who had gotten over anyone.
What was he doing here and what did he want from her? She was pretty sure her conversation with him earlier hadn’t left much to the imagination. She’d been short and to the point, not allowing any interpretation other than that she wanted to keep things professional. Feelings couldn’t get involved again.
“Where are you off to?” he asked, glancing over at few people who had gathered by the bench. Danielle hadn’t noticed them until now.
She pulled her purse up onto her lap as she swallowed. Evening time in Atlanta had a way of bringing out all sorts of unsavory characters. She’d been in a few altercations to know this. But, she was a single mom. There wasn’t much she could do. Money was tight and she couldn’t be splurging on a vehiclewhen Jesse needed baseball cleats and the apartment had unpredictable plumbing.
“I’m waiting for the bus,” she said, in the calmest voice she could muster. She wasn’t sure where Zach was going with this, but she knew that opening up about her transportation methods probably wasn’t wise. Not when Zach was staring at a man whose hand was shoved into his coat pocket and his hat was pulled down low over his face. He kept twitching in a way that told Danielle—and from the look on Zach’s face, Zach—that he was going through withdrawal.
“Can I, um, give you ride?” Zach’s gaze made its way back over to her. The honey brown color of his eyes had deepened and she could tell that he was internally fighting something as well.
“I, um…” She was torn between riding the bus next to someone who smelt of urine and getting into Zach’s car. Both sounded about the same in terms of uncomfortableness. She chewed her lips as Zach raised his eyebrows.
Then, his door swung open and he stepped out onto the curb. She was stunned speechless as she took in how much he’d changed since she last saw him. His dark hair swept across his forehead. She swallowed as he approached her.
She heard a few gasps and whispers as it seemed the crowd suddenly realized just who had gotten out of the car. Her cheeks burned as he stopped a foot in front of her and knelt down.
“Come on, Dani. Let me give you a ride.” His voice softened and she could hear the emotion in it. “It’s what Isaac would want me to do.”
She closed her eyes for a moment at the mention of Isaac’s name. He’d been the one she thought she’d been destined for. The one she’d been engaged to. The father of her son. Too bad she was pretty sure that summer, he was about to call things off. She didn’t have evidence, but Isaac had been pulling away which wasn’t something she told anyone. How could she? TheStedman’s hated her enough, they didn’t need her telling them that she’d suspected Isaac had been involved in some unsavory things.
It was better to forget the Stedmans. Every one of them.
But, when she opened her eyes and saw Zach’s familiar gaze and how earnest he looked, her resolve floated away with the Georgia wind. His elbows were resting on his knees for balance and he was studying her face.
Finally, she sighed and nodded. A cheer rose up around them as she stood and stepped forward to follow Zach. She glanced behind at the people who had gathered there. A few women nodded in understanding. Danielle fought the urge to tell them that there was nothing good about her getting into Zach’s car. In fact, it was the exact opposite of good.
But, she’d already made the decision to get up and was going to follow through with it. Zach extended his hand for her to go first, so she did.
After a few steps toward the car she felt the light pressure of Zach’s hand on her back. It startled her, causing her to whip her gaze over to him. He dropped his hand and his cheeks flushed as he cleared his throat. Feeling bad, she wanted to explain her reaction, but knew she couldn’t. Instead, she hurried to the door and opened it before he could insist on doing it for her.
She slipped onto the soft leather seat, shut the door and then took a deep breath. All sorts of regrets were filling her mind, but she pushed them away. She’d made the decision to get in, she might as well own it.
“Well, hey there,” a deep voice startled her.
Glancing up, she saw an older man with salt and pepper colored hair in the front seat. He was smiling at her in a grandfather sort of way. “Name’s Paul,” he said, stretching around to offer her his hand.
“Danielle,” she said, taking it.
He squeezed her fingers before letting them go. “Nice to meet you, Danielle.”
