Page 52 of Second-Rate Superstar

Breathless, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

Letting her off the hook, I pulled away, giving her some breathing room. “I come bearing an invitation.”

She tilted her head, suspicion written across her face. “An invitation? To a party?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I wanted to see if you would like to come to Thanksgiving at Jaxon and Natalie’s house.” When Dakota merely blinked at me, I added, “With me. If that wasn’t clear.”

“Um.” Dakota’s eyes darted around the room, and I watched as she attempted to rack her brain for an excuse to say no. “I can’t. I have plans.”

“Oh yeah?” I quirked an eyebrow. “With Bristol?”

She flinched, knowing Bristol would rat her out in a minute if she said yes, and that wasn’t true. Bristol was on my team and hadn’t been subtle in declaring our alliance.

“No. She’s spending the day with her family.”

“Okay. So, who are your plans with? A boyfriend I should be on the lookout for?” My smirk was automatic. I loved watching her squirm.

Narrowing her eyes, she grumbled, “Real cute.”

Flashing her a broad smile, I ducked my head. “Why, thank you.”

“With an ego to match,” Dakota muttered. Taking a deep breath, she replied to my original question. “You don’t know them.”

“That’s fair,” I mused. “Well, if you won’t come with me, I would love to accompany you wherever you’re headed.”

Calling her bluff, I sat back and waited for her next move.

Satisfaction coursed through my veins when it became apparent that I’d backed her into a corner. It was a calculated risk, offering to crash her plans. I was fully prepared to bow out of a family and friends Thanksgiving to spend it with Dakota. I didn’t get many full days off and wanted to spend it with her.

Sighing, she huffed. “Fine. You got me. I don’t have plans.”

“Great.” I clapped my hands like it was a done deal. “So, you’ll come with me?”

Timid blue eyes met mine as she chewed on her lower lip. “I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea. We’re just friends, and this sounds like a family affair. Not sure I should be meeting your parents, even if I have already met your brother and sister-in-law.”

She didn’t know it yet, but in Natalie’s mind, Dakota was already family. Bringing over food for her and the kids while the team was out of town had sealed the deal. Natalie didn’t let people in easily. But once she did? There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for the people she cared about.

I was fortunate that Jaxon had brought her into my life. She knew what it was like to struggle under the weight of expectations you would never reach, and saw me drowning. Natalie provided a life raft before anchoring me in a way that allowed me to keep moving forward—even on days when it felt impossible.

Setting Dakota’s fears aside about an awkward “meet the parents” moment, I replied, “Found out this morning that my parents are stuck in Minnesota. An early snowstorm blew through, and flights are canceled.”

“Oh.” It was written on her face that she was out of excuses.

“It messed up plans for a lot of people here in Hartford. Liv’s family—you met her at the hospital—is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and in the same storm’s path. They were going to have their own Thanksgiving, and my mom was going to cook at Natalie and Jaxon’s. Usually, it’s her sisters-in-law, Amy and Lucy who cook the meal, but with newborns, they were planning on taking a year off. So, everyone decided to converge on the Slate compound and have a good old-fashioned Friendsgiving catered instead.”

Boldy taking her hand, I asked, “So,friend, will you join us?”

Dakota sighed. “What happens if I politely decline?”

I shrugged. “That’s no problem. It’s fully within your rights to do so. Just know that I will be wherever you are.”

“Are you seriously blackmailing me into attending Thanksgiving at your brother’s house?”

She eyed me carefully, but I could see the tiniest hint of humor in those blue depths. I could only imagine the type of banter she wrote in her books. I was more determined than ever to find a covert way of snagging a copy and discovering what made this girl tick.

“Blackmail is such an ugly word,” I said in mock disdain. “I prefer to view it as strategic coercion.”

“Call it what you will,” Dakota shot back. “But it means the same thing. Don’t forget who you’re dealing with. I make a living on finding ways to express equivalent ideas with different words.”

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