Page 74 of Score to Settle
A pulse of anger courses through me. “He’s ten times the man you are, Scott. What are you doing in Denver, anyway?”
“Didn’t you hear? I’ve got an interview for a job in sales at Arquette Media on Monday. A friend of mine works there and just showed me around. I thought I’d spend the weekend getting to know the city. I like what I see so far,” he adds, smiling in a way that makes my skin crawl. “I think the corporate side of media will suit me better.”
A sinking dread settles in my gut. Scott working at Arquette Media? In the same building as me? I can picture it now—seeing his smarmy, self-satisfied face smirking at me in the elevator every morning.
“Good luck with that,” I say, not meaning a word as I turn away, wanting distance between us before Jake arrives. It’s still in the back of my mind that I haven’t been entirely honest with Jake about Scott. The thought squirms in my stomach. It’s never felt like the right time to explain, but that’s sounding more and more like a weak-ass excuse.
Before I can move, Scott’s hand reaches for my arm. “You could put a good word in for me, couldn’t you? With your friend, Mia, and her mom?”
I’m surprised by the faint note of desperation in his voice as I shrug his hand away. “Why would I do that?”
He purses his lips. “Because I could very easily tell your new editor—Tim, is it?—what it says on your HR record atInsight. Considering what’s going on with you and Jake Sullivan now, he might be interested to know it’s not your first dalliance with inappropriate behavior.”
It’s the exact thought I’ve had more than once over the last few weeks, worrying what people will think of my relationship with Jake—what Tim will do—but I’m not about to let this weasel blackmail me.
I grit my teeth and step back. “You’re a piece of shit, Scott. There’s no way I’m helping you.” I also make a mental note to message Mia to make sure Scott doesn’t get the job. “You and I both know that HR record is bullshit.”
He continues like I’ve not spoken, tapping his chin as he speaks. “Funny how you’re writing a feature on an NFL player, now I think about it. The last time I checked, you didn’t know a thing about football. Didn’t you always say you hated the game? You wouldn’t have lied to get the job, would you, Harper?”
My cheeks flush pink and Scott’s smile widens.
Fuck.
“Thought so.” He steps close again. “How about we get a drink later and talk about how we can have each other’s backs here.”
Unease slides down my spine. I haven’t been honest with Tim or Jake about my past and now it feels like it’s all coming crashing down. I just never thought Scott would be the one to topple it. I’ve really messed up. The thought makes me want to bury my head in my hands and come clean to Jake and to Timright here, right now. I see now I should’ve trusted both of them to see through the bullshit. I’ll tell them everything, I promise myself. The next time I see them. And just hope they forgive me…
A car door slams from behind me, and when I turn, Jake is there. My heart leaps at the sight of him. He strides toward me, seeming somehow taller and more muscular in his fitted black wool coat. His dark hair is styled away from his face, and his stubble is trimmed, highlighting his strong jaw. But it’s his eyes that take my breath away—those eyes that seem to see straight into my heart.
Jake shoots a quick, assessing glance at Scott, his eyes narrowing slightly, before he sweeps me into his strong arms. I melt against him, breathing in his woodsy citrus scent, until the rest of the world fades into nothing and there’s only Jake.
He buries his face in my neck and whispers in my ear, “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too.”
He pulls back. “Ready to go?” he asks, and I love how he’s not asked why Scott is here or paid him any attention at all.
For a moment, I think we’ll get away without a scene, but a second later Scott holds a hand out to Jake’s and dread pools in my stomach.
“Hi, I’m a big fan. I’m Scott Harrington,” Scott says followed by a pause, and then, “I was Harper’s editor atInsight.”
The world stops.
There it is. The thing I didn’t tell Jake. The thing I’ve been trying to ignore since I returned to Denver. Scott isn’t just my cheating, asshole college ex. The man my dad helped build a career for. He’s also the editor I worked under during my internship atInsight. It was his slimy hand that reached for my thigh that night I was working late. He thought because we’d dated in college it gave him the right to proposition me.
I can’t breathe. I swear the temperature drops another degree as the truth lands in the silence.
Jake ignores Scott’s outstretched hand, shooting me a look. Confusion flashes in his eyes. I open my mouth to speak, to explain, but Jake gets there first.
“Harper’s douchebag ex?” Jake looks back to Scott, his face a mask of calm.
Scott chuckles, not reading the tension rippling in the air. “That was a long time ago. We were all young and wanting to sow our wild oats once, weren’t we? I know someone like you gets that.”
A muscle ticks in Jake’s jaw. “And her editor in New York?”
The first lines of worry form on Scott’s brow. Like he’s only just realized I might’ve told Jake the real reason I was fired fromInsight. He must’ve thought that my humiliation in New York would stop me from telling people the truth.
Scott coughs. “Well, yes. We made a good team,” he says, giving me a sharp look, reminding me of the veiled threat he just made to tell Tim his version of what happened. “In fact, knowing Harper is here is one of the reasons I thought Arquette Media would be a good fit for me. You don’t mind putting a good word in for me, do you, Harper? I scratch your back and all that.”
