Page 71 of Just for the Cameras
“Her name is Maple,” I say, my voice terse, my entire body on edge.
Dad holds his hand out to her, and Maple takes it. “Um, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. St. John.”
“Call me Troy,” he says as he lets his eyes rake over her. I nearly black out with rage. “Aren’t you a cute little thing?”
I press my hand to my dad’s chest, backing him away from her and offering him a warning glare that makes him chuckle.
“Miss Baker, why don’t you take a seat?” Coach Keenan says. “Looks like we need to talk.”
Unsure, she takes a seat in front of Keenan’s desk. I stand behind her protectively as my least favorite people in the world smirk at her with wide grins, like she’s their prey.
And she’s about to be devoured.
What the fuck are they up to?
CHAPTER 14
MAPLE
Note to self: getting sideswipedby a police car hurts.
I already sent a text to Phil letting him know I was in a car accident and that I wouldn’t be able to make it to work today. Thankfully, he was kind about it.
But the three people right in front of me seem like they couldn’t care less about the pounding in my head, the heated bruises on my face, and the aching fracture in my wrist.
Gretchen, Coach Keenan, and…Graydon’s father all carefully study me as I shift uncomfortably in my chair, Graydon directly behind me.
And even though all of them have their eyes on me, it’s hard not to let my gaze float over to Troy St. John.
Just like Graydon, he’s a powerhouse of a man, even in his older age. Maybe an inch shorter than Graydon, his chest and shoulders are wider than the average human’s, with muscles wrapped all around them. His hair is thick and buzzed, dotted with salt and pepper, along with his short beard. Besides the eyes, he looks exactly like Graydon. Troy’s eyes are blue, and even though they are a light version compared with Graydon’s dark and stormy eyes, Troy’s seem to be full of so much more sin.
“We wanted to bring you in here quickly because it seems as though Graydon made an announcement in the training room that was quite impactful,” Coach Keenan says.
I know exactly what he’s talking about because the moment Graydontold everyone I was his girlfriend, I felt the direct impact of that statement all the way to my fractured and bruised bones.
“Really playing up the role of a PR relationship, are we?” Troy asks, looking at his son.
“Again, why the hell are you here? This doesn’t pertain to you.”
An evil smirk passes over Troy’s features. “Was visiting with my good friend when news broke out, and it just seemed like too much of a fun opportunity to pass up.”
Not that I can see Graydon, but boy, oh boy, can I feel the tension and anger rolling off him from behind me.
Without even having to do a deep dive into Graydon’s personal life, I can tell you right now that there’s no chance in hell these two celebrate holidays or birthdays together. From the sound of it, they only see each other in forced circumstances like this.
Nothing’s planned.
And not an ounce of love is passed between them despite the hug Troy offered his son when we first entered the office.
“Why don’t we stay on track?” Gretchen asks as she looks at her watch. “I have some NDAs to check on with the training staff to make sure none of this has leaked just yet.”
“Then why were you taking pictures of us in the training room?” Graydon asks.
She was?
I didn’t even notice.
“Because you’re going to an event tomorrow together. There will be questions about her wrist, so why not use this as an opportunity for the public to see how generous the Foghorns are with their medical attention?”
