Page 2 of The Stunt
I furrow my brows, kind of offended because, well,guilty.I guess I’ll work on that in the off-season.
“Anyway,” she goes on. “I’d like to set you up with one of my other clients. We’ll do a few public outings, get the paps to take some photos. You know, stir up a buzz. Then we can get her in a box at some of your games. The fans will go nuts for the two of you.” A proud grin covers her face as she sits back in her chair.
There is no way I’m doing this. I can’t have any distractions. We are a week away from hopefully clinching playoffs and the Blizzard are the favorite to win the Super Bowl. I’m also in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. All I have to do is stay focused and it’s all within my grasp.
“Ummm, I can’t,” I say. “I mean, I don’t date during the season.”
She scoffs. “Maverick, you don’treallyhave to date,” she says, confusing me.
The imaginary light bulb above my head starts blinking as I piece together what she’s saying. “You want me to like,fake it? For publicity?”
She nods her head. “Basically, yes. You guys can go out to dinner and maybe hold hands. Kissing would be optional. I’ve spoken to representatives from the NFL and they agree that this has potential to really ramp up viewership if the Blizzard makes it to the Super Bowl.”
Just when I thought I understood what was going on here, I’m confused again. “What does this have to do with the Super Bowl?” I ask.
She leans forward, clasping her hands together in front of her with a cocky smirk. “Because you’d be fake dating the headliner of the halftime show.”
My eyebrows just about jump off the top of my face with how surprised I am. “You want me to go out with Bella Simon?” Ichoke out. “As in, the biggest pop star on the planet?That Bella Simon?”
“Yes,” she replies. “That Bella Simon.”
I rub my hands down my face, forcing an exhale. “Wow. Twyla. I don’t know?—”
She sighs loudly, cutting me off. I know when to shut up around this woman, so I stop, letting her speak. “You’re the best guy for the job. You’re well liked, not just in Boston, but around the entire country. You never cause trouble, rarely go out, and your dating history is harder to find than my car keys when I’m already late for work. I wouldn’t ask if I thought someone else would be a better fit.”
I try to find the right words to argue without sounding like an asshole, but it won’t matter. She knows how to read between the lines. “Do you really think people will believe that me and Bella Simon would have anything in common? I’m a farm boy who still saves change in a jar by his bed. She’s,” I choose my next words carefully, “Privileged and has probably never looked at a price tag a day in her life.”
She raises a dubious brow. “You think she’s spoiled.” It’s not a question. And yes, that’s exactly what I meant.
“Isn’t she?” I shoot back.
Her expression softens. “You’d be surprised. Give it a chance, Mav.”
I don’t know why, but for some reason, I’m intrigued.
You know what?Fuck it.
“Okay,” I say. “Set it up.”
TWO
BELLA
“Let’s go again,”Sammi says, queueing up the music on her phone. We’ve been finalizing the choreography for the Super Bowl halftime show since about five this morning. It’s after noon and I just want to get this perfect so I can grab lunch.
My dancers take their places and I step back up to the microphone, lip-synching along while they move flawlessly around me. Grabbing the mic from its stand, I walk left, into the group of dancers as I sync up with their steps. We manage to make it through the number without any mistakes, prompting Sammi to dismiss us for our lunch hour. We’ll be back at it after we fuel our bodies with the sustenance we need to get through another round of grueling choreography this afternoon.
It should knock me on my ass, but after doing this since I was fourteen years old, rehearsals like this are like a second nature to me. I’m twenty-four now and I’ve gotten pretty good at pretending like preparing for a big performance like this is my favorite thing ever. It definitely makes things go smoother when the choreographer is happy. Sammi is kind of new to my team, but we’ve become pretty close in a short amount of time. People even confuse us for sisters when we go out because we share thesame shade of dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Our matching sassy attitudes are just a bonus.
I pull off my sweater, setting it down on the floor before sitting on it. Reaching for my lunch box, I unzip it and pull out the sandwich I made before I left this morning. I try my best to bring food from home when I have time to make it. Like a lot of child stars, I didn’t grow up with much. My parents spent every dollar we had on opportunities for my brother and I. Bryce excelled as an actor, booking commercials before he could even speak.
But me? I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything but sing. Even as a little girl, I would force my family to sit on the couch in our basement as I performed a full set-list, singing into the unplugged microphone that went with my cheap karaoke machine. I took vocal and piano lessons for hours while my friends played outside. I spent every weekend in the dance studio, learning how to move my body to perfection while other girls my age were having their first kisses. I missed out on a lot, but I was determined to make it.
When I was fourteen, I uploaded a video of myself playing the piano, singing along to Burn by Ellie Goulding. Almost overnight, my whole life changed. The video went viral and my parents’ phones were blowing up with calls from people who claimed they could make me into the next big thing.
And, that, they did.
A year later, I headlined my first arena tour.
