Chapter Twelve
Bryna was almost finished with her game-day makeup when her phone buzzed next to her.
Change of plans. I’m in town tonight not tomorrow. Meet at my place?
“Shit!” she cried.
Jude’s text could not have come at a worse time.
For the past couple of weeks, they had been seeing each other whenever he was in town. Primarily, they would spend their time locked away in his bedroom, but he was supposed to take her out tomorrow night. She had no intention of missing that opportunity.
The only problem was, she had a football game tonight. There were only two home games left in the season, and then she would be done. They would have the state championship and then some competitions in the spring, but tonight was one of her last chances to cheer at Harmony. Not to mention, she had never missed a game before. If she didn’t show up, everyone would freak out.
But she couldn’t get enough time with Jude.
A night here. Half a day there.
She wanted more.
I have a commitment. I’ll get back to you.
She sent the message and then completed her makeup. She couldn’t believe she was even contemplating missing the game, yet all she wanted to do was head over to Jude’s place right now.
I’ll make it worth your time.
She smirked at the message. You’d better.
Get out of it for me?
You don’t even know what it is.
Does it matter? You would tell me if you wanted me to know. I just want to see you.
She sighed. What was one game anyway?
I’ll see what I can do.
First, she needed to get herself out of her responsibilities as captain of the cheerleading squad. Everyone was going to flip, but they would just have to deal. She had never missed a game before, but there was a first time for everything. After she worked that out, she had to reason a way out of getting out of the house unnoticed by her family.
Bryna pressed the speed dial for Avery’s phone and waited for her to answer.
“Bri! Hey!”
She dived right in. No pretenses. All business. “I have to miss the game tonight. So, you’re in charge in my stead. Don’t fuck this up, and really try to do some justice to my title.”
“Wait, what?” Avery asked in disbelief.
“Are you suddenly deaf?”
“No. No. Sorry, Bri. I just…you’ve never missed a game.” She sounded frantic and panicky.
“Which is why you are going to have to do a spectacular job tonight or else I’ll have to reconsider your spot as my number two.”
“Of course. I’ll do what I can,” Avery answered immediately. “But what’s wrong? Are you all right? Did something happen?”
Bryna shook her head. Honestly, she could do without the questions. “I’m sick.”
“But you were feeling fine this afternoon in class.”
“Avery, stop with the third degree. I’m sick and can’t make the game. That’s all. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Bryna hung up the phone in frustration. She hadn’t thought it would be that difficult to miss the game. Shaking off Avery’s concern, she dialed the number for the cheerleading coach, Coach Baker. She gave a slightly more believable excuse for her absence, and by the end of the conversation, the coach was completely supportive of her staying at home and taking it easy. Perfect.
She was changing out of her uniform when Pace barged into her room.
“Jesus, Pace!” She quickly turned around and threw on a T-shirt.
“What are you doing?” he asked, stopping in the doorway.
“I was fucking changing.”
His eyes glanced down at the discarded uniform. “Why?”
“I don’t feel well. I’m staying home. I put Avery in charge.”
“No, really. Why?” he asked disbelievingly.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Because I’m sick, you idiot. Now, get out of my room before I cough on you, and you catch it. Don’t want Harmony to miss their star quarterback, do you?” she asked sarcastically.
“You would have to be laid out and dying to miss a game, and you’re standing here, arguing with me.” He looked at her questioningly. He clearly didn’t believe a thing she had said.
“Well, I must be dying because I’m not fucking going.” She walked across the room and shoved him through the door. “So, leave me alone,” she said, slamming the door in his face.
Bryna breathed a sigh of relief. She jotted out a text to Jude, letting him know that she would be there within the hour. After waiting for Pace to leave the house, she slipped into a slinky gold dress and black booties, and then she disappeared from the house.
* * *
Jude wanted their first public outing to be a surprise.
Bryna assumed it would be somewhere fancy, preferably an upscale expensive restaurant in West Hollywood. When he pulled up outside of Aim, her heart started hammering wildly in her chest. She definitely had not expected him to choose a place where she could have been found with Gates when they were together. She couldn’t be seen by anyone who might recognize her, not when she was lying about being sick to miss the football game.
Luckily, Gates was out of Los Angeles, on tour promoting Broken Road, and all her friends who might have also been at Aim were currently at the football game she was skipping. It made her antsy to be on her home turf, but the likelihood that someone would recognize her was slim. At least she hoped so.
Jude valeted his Jaguar and helped her out of the passenger seat. Then, they walked into the restaurant. As Jude spoke with the hostess, Bryna carefully surveyed the room for anyone she knew.
The restaurant was small and intimate in the front with a back room for large parties. It was all modern décor with high ceilings, plush white padded booths, and minimalistic decorations. As far as she could tell, she didn’t recognize anyone. It had been a while since she had been here anyway. Maybe her luck was with her.
“Right this way,” the hostess said, directing them to a booth in the back.
Bryna took a seat facing the room, so she could see if anyone she knew came in the door. She didn’t mind being seen with Jude as long as he didn’t find out how old she was, and it didn’t interfere with cheer. Either of those things could be potentially catastrophic.
“Bri?”
“Yes?” she asked, snapping out of her trance.
“You seem out of it,” Jude said. His hand rested comfortably on her waist, bringing her back to reality. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded confidently. She couldn’t let him know how out of her element she was at the moment. “Of course. I just wasn’t expecting Aim.”
“You’ve been here before?” He sounded surprised.
“I’ve been everywhere in Los Angeles,” she said mysteriously.
He arched an eyebrow. “That’s a sidestep if I’ve ever heard one.”
She fluttered her eyelashes and gave him a sly look. “Doesn’t sound like me at all.”
He laughed and looked down at the menu. She followed suit and sighed quietly in relief that he hadn’t pushed the subject.
When the waiter came over to take their order, Jude requested a bottle of red wine along with their meal, and then they were left alone once more.
“I’m glad we were able to do this tonight,” Jude said.
“Me, too.”
“I haven’t dated in a long time, Bri, but I really want this to work, and I’d like to get to know you better.”
A smile lit up her face. He wanted to move forward with their relationship. The earrings were the first step, then going out on their first real date, and now, this.
It had been fun, concealing her identity thus far, but she was curious about him. She wasn’t ready to tell him about Harmony yet. She needed to be secure in their relationship before she let him know that she was in high school…or that she was only seventeen. Small, minor details for later.
“So, we can start out slow and figure this thing out as we go,” he suggested.
“I think I’d like that.”
“I thought this could be the beginning of slow,” he said with a wink. He produced a flat square Tiffany’s box from his jacket pocket and slid it across the table.
Bryna slowly reached forward and took the box in her hand. This was slow?
“If Tiffany’s and Cartier are slow, what is fast going to be? A private jet and a weekend in Saint Barts?”
He chuckled and gestured for her to open it. “I like to give gifts, and since you obviously love the earrings I got you”—her hand went to the diamond earrings in her ears—“I wanted to get you something to match.”
Bryna slid the white ribbon off the box and lifted the lid. Inside was a slim bangle with inlaid diamonds. It was so perfect and elegant. She slipped it onto her wrist and stared at the way it glittered and sparkled in the light. Completely classic and timeless, she could wear it with anything.
“I love it.”
“Good.” Jude reached across the table and took her hand in his. He gently ran his thumb across her wrist where the bangle rested, taking in all the diamonds shining from the jewelry he had bought her.
Shortly afterward, their food arrived. They ate while chatting about their shared love of sports cars and college football. Bryna didn’t tell him why she loved Las Vegas State so much or that she hadn’t gone there, but it didn’t stop her from giving him shit about the fact that he had graduated from their biggest rival, University of Southern California.
After they finished their bottle of wine, Jude paid the check, and they were on their way out the door to return to his place.
A woman called out from a table near the door, “Bri!”
Bryna stopped and turned to face the woman. She silently prayed it wasn’t anyone from Harmony. That would be a tough fucking thing to explain away. When she got a glimpse of the person, she realized that she didn’t recognize the stranger at all. How the hell did this person know her?
“Hey!” Bryna said with false enthusiasm.
The woman stood and gave her a hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Yeah, I’ve been so swamped.”
“I heard about you and—” She stopped, looked up at Jude, and then bit her lip. “Well, I see you’ve moved on.”
Bryna shrugged noncommittally. So, this woman knew her through Gates. At least she had stopped herself from saying his name. How many Gates were there in the city?
“Anyway, so good to see you again. Next time you’re out, stop by the club.” She stuffed a business card into Bryna’s hand. “Bring your new boyfriend, too. I’m sure Max will put you on the list.”
Max was a promoter friend of Bryna’s who would get her into all the hottest nightclubs. Bryna glanced down at the woman’s card. Dee Zion. No recognition. Must just be a club promoter. Phew!
“Will do, Dee. Thanks,” Bryna said before leaving her behind.
Jude looked at her questioningly as they waited for the valet to bring around his car. “Who was that?”
“Honestly, I have no clue.”
“She clearly knew you.”
Bryna shrugged. “That happens sometimes.”
He narrowed his eyes and seemed to assess her. “You know, when we first met, I thought you looked familiar.”
“I get that a lot, too.”
“You aren’t some hot model or actress I should know about who will make me feel stupid for not recognizing earlier, are you?”
“Why? Because I wear nice shoes and always carry my passport?” she joked.
“Oh, fuck. You are, aren’t you?”
He actually looked a little afraid for a second before she broke down laughing.
“No. I’m not a model or actress. I’m just me, and that’s good enough for the attention.”
“Good enough for me, too,” he said, opening the car door when it rolled up and helping her inside.