CHAPTER 22 JOLENE

I walk into the meeting after everybody else, unsurprisingly, but I'm right on time. "Sorry," I apologize anyway. "I was chatting with someone I'll be interviewing later."

It's not a lie, exactly.

"Great," Marcus says, and he gets started talking about his vision for this week.

I glance up when I feel Rivera's eyes on me, and his are narrowed as he studies me. I let my brows dip when my eyes meet his as if to say what are you looking at or maybe go fuck yourself, but I don't say anything out loud.

"Bailey, how was Nash's speech?"

I focus on the question and not on Rivera as the attention in the room lands squarely on me. "The speech was incredible. He talked about taking risks on and off the field, and I've already pulled up the footage from his time as OC where we see him taking risks. I snagged some sound bites and even scored a breakfast with the guy, so I have plenty of material to carry through a few different angles."

"Amazing work as usual, Jolene. Rivera, where are we at on the high school recaps? Graduation is right around the corner." Marcus keeps talking, but I lose interest as I jot down notes about additional stories and features I can create out of the speech I listened to over the weekend.

Who else on the team takes risks both on and off the field? I could do an entire spin-off series if that's the coach's game plan.

And I know his brother Asher is a risk-taker. Obviously he avoids anything that could get him in trouble with his team, but he's an extreme sport enthusiast.

Having siblings on the same team is rare in the league, but having a brother coach his younger brother is almost unheard of. What a great dynamic to talk about as we head into a new season. Just like the Kelce brothers were the talk of the big game when they faced off against each other, the Nash brothers will be the talk of the season here in Vegas, and I could not be more excited to feature brothers in my stories all season.

I just wish the pairing wasn't two brothers from the Nash family.

It's a tough pill to swallow, but as much as my parents have conditioned me against them…I have to admit, a large part of the open wound I felt where he was concerned was healed this weekend. I think I'll always have something against his father, but that doesn't mean I have to punish the sons forever…does it?

I just pray it doesn't all come unraveled once again. If it does, I fear this time I'll be left with scars that'll never heal.

The meeting ends, and to my extreme relief, Rivera doesn't say a word. We each head out to our own cubicles to get some work done, and I text Sam to let her know the plan.

She's in for meeting her new boyfriend.

It's a little before lunch time when Rivera approaches my cube.

"I heard you went into Nash's hotel room this weekend," he accuses.

My brows dip together. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Did you stay the weekend with the guy?"

I blow out a breath. "I don't need to defend myself to you. Marcus already knows I had to stay with him, so you can kindly go fuck yourself."

"Hell of a way to talk to someone who has shit on you. You should really watch your back, Bailey."

"Why? To keep you from stabbing me in it?" I hiss.

He laughs, and it's a little sinister.

I glare at him. "You don't have anything on me."

"I have pictures," he says.

"Pictures can be manipulated. Everybody knows that. It's not proof of anything." I'm bluffing, but he doesn't have to know that.

"We'll see who everyone believes when I publish them, then."

I roll my eyes at his empty threat. He won't use them because if he does…then he has nothing on me anymore. No other way to threaten me. "What do you want from me? I'm sorry I was promoted over you, but I got this job fair and square."

"Because you're female. That's the only reason you got it. Not because you're a better reporter than me," he hisses.

I let the insult roll off my shoulders because I have to. I can't let it affect me every time someone says I got the job because of my vagina or I'll spend my entire life affected. "You believe what you want to believe. The fact remains, I'm the correspondent. You aren't. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." I turn away from him and back to my desk.

"We'll see for how long," he says, and the threat feels like much, much more than just a guy who didn't get the job he wanted.

Rivera and I go back further than our time here at the station as colleagues. He and my ex—Jonah's father—are close friends.

I've never trusted Ryan Rivera, and I never really liked him…but I was never scared of him. Until now.

I head home for lunch so I can chat with Sam ahead of Lincoln coming over, and I tell her about my run-in with my scorned colleague.

"He's just jealous," she assures me. "You got the job because you're better at what you do than he is. Plain and simple."

"I know that. You know that. Rivera, however, does not know that. His threats scare me. I don't know what he's capable of, but I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

"Good thing you don't have to throw him, then," she murmurs.

I twist my lips. "I guess. On a totally different topic, Lincoln will be here soon, so fire away any questions you may have."

She glances up at me. "I just have one. How's it going to look to your parents when your best friend is supposedly sleeping with the enemy?"

"That's a great question, and one I hadn't really thought of the answer to just yet. I guess we just…see what happens?"

"Or we have a public falling out." She shrugs.

"Then where will Jonah and I live?"

"Stay here. It'll make it all that much more of a story, right?"

I wrinkle my nose. I'm not sure whether she's right or not. I don't necessarily want that to be the story.

I blow out a breath. "Fine."

"Hey, are you really okay with this?" she asks quietly.

"For the sake of my career and my family, I don't think I have a choice but to be okay with it."

She smiles sympathetically, but it doesn't change the fact that the thought of her so freely being able to attend events with the man I spent a secret weekend with hurts a little more than I thought it would.