On the Shore (Cottonwood Cove, #3)(40)

He chuckled. “Brinkley Reynolds’ picture is splashed everywhere, dude. That pap caught a photo of her jumping in front of you and telling him to step the fuck off.”

I scrubbed a hand down my face. “That fucker. It’ll blow over.”

“Not sure. People on the internet seem to be loving it. I mean, she’s this hot-as-hell woman jumping in to rescue the big, bad Lincoln Hendrix.”

“Are you drunk?” I asked dryly.

“Fuck off. I’m telling you, it’s a big fucking deal. People are running with it. It’ll work out nicely with her announcement, though. Everyone will know you’re working together, not dating. Right now, everyone wants to know who she is. But this has definitely drowned out Jaqueline’s interviews.”

“Never a dull moment.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m picking her up. She’s going to show me around town. I’m shadowing her today instead of the other way around.”

He laughed. “You like her. Why don’t you just admit it?”

“I do not. We’re friends. We work together. She also has a no-dating-professional-athletes rule. She’s pissed at me more often than she’s not. And I’m moving across the country soon. There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t go there. Can’t happen.”

“My, oh my. This is so fun to watch. I’ve never seen you like this, Linc. I’ve got to admit—I like seeing you squirm.”

“I don’t squirm. And you’re an asshole. But I do need a favor.”

“Name it,” he said.

“We are never giving so much as a breadcrumb to Athlete Central as long as Harvey Talbert is there. Can you make sure all your clients are aware that the dude is a class-A creep?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely. And since I’d reached out to get Brinkley her job back, he’s been trying to keep the communication open for some future interviews. I’ll shut it all down.”

“Thank you. Let him know that as long as I’m an athlete, he won’t so much as get a nod from me. He’s a fucking piece of shit.”

“Well, I guess we know why she didn’t take the job back.”

“Yep. Thanks, brother. We’ll talk soon.”

I ended the call and got out of the car. When I made my way up her walkway to the front door, she pulled it open before I knocked.

“My phone has been ringing off the hook. The gig is up, Captain. Apparently, people know I’m working with you. I’m getting all sorts of job offers.” She chuckled and then did some sort of little twirly dance.

“Yeah, Drew just called. It’ll set up your announcement nicely. And the good news is, you will have options for where you want to work when this is all said and done.”

Thoughts of this coming to an end didn’t sit well with me.

I shook it off and focused on today. Now.

Just like I always did.

She invited me in, and I glanced around her place. I’d only ever made it to the front door, and I’d never been invited inside. The place was cute and cozy.

Very Brinkley.

She was wearing a white tank top and a pair of denim overalls, just like the first day that I’d met her.

“Exactly. It’s all very exciting. Everything is set with Sports Today. They sent over my contract for the announcement, and they keep bringing up a future job opportunity for me. It’s madness.” She smiled and threw her hands up in the air and shrugged.

“You deserve it.”

“I do, don’t I?” She laughed. “Okay, so… I’ve got lots of things set up for us to do today. We’re starting in the garden. I’m growing my own food, and I love it. Follow me.”

She handed me a pair of red floral gloves and laughed when I tried to shove my hands into them with no luck.

“I told you—big hands, sweetheart.” I smirked.

She sucked in a breath. “Yeah, you’ve mentioned that many times.”

We spent the next hour with me following her around. I didn’t mind it. In fact, following this woman around while she was down on her knees, with a perfect view of her ass, was my new favorite way to spend my day. There just wasn’t much happening in her garden, as apparently, she’d planted seeds, and from what I knew from my mother’s experience gardening, she had a long way to go.

We talked about the fact that she was going viral on the internet.

She was completely unfazed and much more excited about the professional opportunities that were now coming her way.

We spent the next hour making vision boards. I made fun of her the entire time, as she had me cut out words and photos from magazines and stick them on this canvas board. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was having a damn good time.

It didn’t matter what I was doing—just that I was doing it with her.

“All right. That’s enough of this for the day. Now it’s time for all the good stuff. Buckle up, Captain. Things are about to get very exciting.”

I didn’t need to buckle up.

I was here for it.





fifteen





Brinkley





“So, this is what you do when you aren’t with me?” Lincoln asked as I guided him to the gated entrance at Maddox and Georgia’s house because he’d insisted on driving. I gave him the code to type in, and the grand iron gates opened, and we made our way up the driveway.