Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

brOOKLYNN

I'm chewing on the corner of my nail while my knee bounces like it's about to take flight. I don't know what to do. Except, I feel like I don't have a choice. The time on the phone in my hands continues to march on, and I know I have to leave here in a few minutes in order to make it to the restaurant on time.

Of course, he picks a five-star in Raleigh. It's going to take me forty-five minutes to even drive there. But that's not what has me upset or nervous. Not in the slightest. It's because Forrest's father called and wants to meet with me for lunch.

That has me nervous.

Beyond nervous.

And I can't even call Forrest about it because he's training all day. Not that I would, because I think that whatever this is, it's going to upset him. The last thing Forrest needs is more upset. He's already had enough on his plate.

Granted, I've had enough drama the past couple of days, too. Kiki's video is still going strong, as are the threats and the messages. And just because she wants to be that kind of bitch, she's made more.

Like, a lot more.

She's made at least three videos a day and continues to lie. Not only is she saying that they're engaged, but she has also been his girlfriend since high school and has been the lone supporter of his career. She's the one who made him.

All lies.

And those lies are making the salon suffer.

Which means that I need to make some of my own decisions here shortly. Because even though it's been a few days, the vultures aren't just circling. They're acting. And that acting means our phones haven't stopped ringing for the past twenty-four hours. The voice mail is full of nasty messages.

I've also had clients cancel.

Clients who I've had for years. They think I'm the other woman. They think I'm a whore and a bitch. They think I'm not a girls' girl, and to me, that's the worst thing to come out of this. I inhale a deep breath and hold it for a moment before I let it out slowly.

Grabbing my phone, I touch the Google Maps app and put in the restaurant's address, then start the GPS. As I move through the house, I wonder what I'm going to do about the salon. If this doesn't die down, all I'm doing is hurting my friends by staying on as an owner.

I need to call my dad.

He's going to be the voice of reason and the person who can give me the best advice. After this meeting with Forrest's father, my next focus is my dad and myself. Pleading with Kiki will get me nowhere. She's just a big bitch. But if I take myself out of the salon, that's taking away a target.

She wants to ruin me, and that's fine. Ruin away. But I'm not going to let my friends get ruined in the process. I know exactly how hard they've worked for this salon, and I'm not going to let it be buried because of a little bitch who isn't getting what she wants, which is something she never had a chance of having in the first place.

I'm not surprised that the restaurant has valet when I pull up, but I don't use it. Not that I can't afford it, or don't know how, but because if I want to storm out… I want to storm out and not have to wait for anyone.

Smoothing down my skirt, I straighten my shoulders and move toward the front door. The only sound I hear is the clicking of my heels against the concrete sidewalk. Everything else is white noise. I am so damn nervous.

"May I help you?" the hostess asks, her smile bright.

"I'm meeting Mr. Westwood," I murmur.

She jerks her chin, then takes a step backward and asks me to follow her. I do, my knees trembling more with each step I take. I'm not surprised when I approach the table where Forrest's father rises and then sits when I take my own chair.

"Miss. Greene," he murmurs. "I took the liberty of ordering you some sparkling water. Is there anything else you'd like?"

"No, thank you," I rasp.

I have no freaking idea what to say. This is his thing, and I'm going to just watch him and wait. Thankfully, he doesn't take long. He clears his throat and leans back in his chair slightly, his eyes focused on mine.

My gaze is focused on his as well, my whole body alert for whatever blow is about to come because I'm under zero impression that this man is here to welcome me warmly into his family.

"I've heard about Kiki's actions, but that's not why I'm here. I do have to tell you that I don't agree with what she's done."

Well. At least he's not a complete piece of shit, but I still think he's a piece of shit. So I wait because I know there is more coming my way. I build up my armor, ready to deflect whatever it is he's going to throw at me.

"Let's get down to the reason I called you here. Forrest won't be getting a dime from the estate until he quits playing this silly game and comes to work for the family. He will also not get a dime if he stays with you."

He stares at me during a long lull in the conversation because I don't know what he wants me to say, and he doesn't speak. He continues to stare at me, his gaze searching mine, and then he smirks.

"Okay," I whisper, unsure of what to say.

"How much will it take for you to walk away?" he asks.

My heart shatters.

"You're asking me how much money I'll take to break up with Forrest?" I ask.

He dips his chin, though I notice he doesn't verbally agree. Interesting. "He won't get his trust fund until you're gone and his ass is in a chair in my office building."

Pushing the chair out from the table, without having even touched my water, I stand and look down at him.

"I won't be taking a single penny of your money, Mr. Westwood. And if you find it's necessary to have Kiki treat me the way she has, then I don't know how to fix that. All I can say is that I feel sorry for all of you, and I'll pray for you."

I turn around and walk out of the restaurant. I have nothing else to say to him. Absolutely nothing. I make my way to my car, start the engine, and without a single thought in my head, I drive straight to my father's office.

I was going to call, but this needs to happen in person. I need his advice like I've never needed anything before. Because I'm in over my head. Completely and totally in over my head. I have no idea what I'm going to do… what the right thing to do is.

Because I know what I want, but I can be selfish sometimes, and I don't want to do that. Not with my friend's lives at stake. Not with Forrest's future and his children's future at stake. No, I need my dad for this one.

FORREST

I'm not ready for this game. Even if I was ready, I'm not ready. I've been too caught up in all this drama to focus on my game. I know Coach is probably going to ream my ass when this opener game is done. There's no way I'm going to be any good.

"You gotta get all that shit out of your head," Reid shouts over to me as we stretch on the ice.

Nodding, I look behind me to the reserved seats where the girls sit. Our own little cheering section seems to be growing as these guys add women to their lives one by one. Something that I think is amazing, but when I scan the women, I see that someone is missing.

That someone is usually the brightest star in the stands—at least to me. She's also the sexiest and the only one I want there. She never misses a game, not unless there's an emergency at work, and I know she canceled all her appointments today.

"She never misses a game. She'll be here," Otto calls out as he skates by me.

He's right. She will. I need to let this shit go, even though I want her here with me right this fucking second. I just need to know that she's okay. All the shit that's been going down, I'm worried about her.

"Besides," Alexei shouts, gaining my attention.

Standing up, I jerk my chin in his direction in a silent motion for him to continue. His brows snap together as he looks down at me.

"It's your birthday. She would not miss your game or your party."

He's right. She wouldn't miss this night. Shaking off the doubts, the stress, and everything else, I finish warming up. My focus is no longer on who is in the audience, what is going on in the outside world, or anything like that.

It's now the game.

And the ice.

The sound of my skates cutting the ice beneath me fills my thoughts. Pushing every single other noise out of my mind, I focus on that one. On the ice. The cuts. The game. Because this is everything.

This is my world.

My life.

My happiness.

At least it was, but is any of this worth shit without Brooklynn? Because she is what makes me whole. She fills that part of me that I hadn't even known was missing. And without her, nothing else means much.

Brooklynn has become my driving source. I've never felt this way before. And I can't help but feel as if it's all going to slip between my fingers at any given second.