Page 85 of If We Never Met

"No. She asked for his room number. I didn't give it to her. I said I'd leave him a message, and she thought about that. Then she said she'd like to write him a note, so I gave her paper and a pen, and she went into the living room and took about fifteen minutes to write her message."

"Do you know what it said?"

"No. I wouldn't read his private message. I put it in an envelope and slid it under his door." Lizzie paused. "But the woman did say something odd to me."

"What was that?"

"She said Mark seems like a nice guy, but people should be careful around him."

"That doesn't sound good."

Lizzie shrugged. "Maybe she's a jilted lover."

"Maybe." She didn't like that this woman was hanging around and trying to talk to Mark. She didn't like the warning she'd left, either. She needed to speak to her mother, but she had to do it when her mom wasn't with Mark. Hopefully, she'd be able to get her alone later tonight or tomorrow morning.

"I thought you were lonely, bored, and depressed," Micah said as he sipped his beer. "I was wrong. Let's talk about Keira."

Dante set his beer down, thinking it was ironic that they were talking about Keira at Micky's Bar and Grill, where it all started. "Keira is…amazing."

Micah raised a brow. "Amazing, huh? That's an impressive adjective for you."

"She's an impressive woman."

"Is it true then? She broke up you and Nikki?"

"No. Nikki and I were done a long time ago. I just didn't have the energy to break up with her until she showed up here in town and manipulated the press and reminded me exactly who she was."

"She was hot."

"She was a lot of other things, too. Actually, that's not true. She was basically one-dimensional. It was all about being a celebrity, an influencer. Everything was a photo opportunity. She was never really with me, even when she was with me. She just wanted me in her pictures."

"I'm sure it was more than that."

"It wasn't. What I can't stand is how she spun our breakup into some kind of crazy betrayal. She even pretended that Keira was her friend. They met once for ten minutes like eight years ago. Nikki didn't even remember her until Keira mentioned it."

"But you do like Keira. Nikki must have picked up on that."

"Maybe she did. I don't know. I just want her to move on and for the tabloids to leave me alone."

"You generate a lot of clicks, Dante. I wouldn't expect this to end anytime soon."

He shrugged. "I talked to the reporters today. We'll see if they are happy enough with what I said to leave us alone."

"What did you say?"

"I defended Keira. I told them I was here to rehab, and my plan was to be back to my team when I was done. Whether they believe it or not, I don't know, but I had to say it."

"Is that the plan? Is your shoulder going to be ready for the pressure you want to put on it?"

"I sure as hell hope so. I don't know who I am without the game. It's been a part of me since I was six years old."

"Well, to me, you'll still be a pain in the ass."

"Nice," he said dryly.

Micah leaned forward, his gaze turning more serious. "You know what I've always admired about you, Dante?"

"What?"

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