Page 30 of Blitzing Emily

“You don’t have to f—” Emily began, before her mouth was full once more.

“C’mon. Finish this,” he said. “You’ll want dessert.”

“You’re going to tell me about the starving children in Third World countries next, aren’t you?”

“No. I want to make sure you’ve got food in your stomach. You’ve swallowed an awful lot of medication in the past twenty-four hours, and you had some champagne on top of it.”

She wondered if he was like this all the time, or just with women he had a fake engagement with. Whenever Emily would convince herself again he was probably an egotistical nightmare, he’d do something sweet, and she was totally confused. Wasn’t he supposed to act like a jerk? She knew little about football players, but according to their discussions over the past twenty-four hours, he was some kind of big deal.

Emily’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Brandon’s rang as well.

“‘She Works Hard for the Money’?” Emily said.

“That assho— That jerk Greg downloaded it onto my phone. It’s the team headquarters. I have to take this one. I apologize.” He pressed the phone to his ear.

Maybe he wouldn’t mind if she checked her messages. Amy had called four times in the past hour. Her dad called. Emily hoped her family wasn’t watching the news. Her mom must have put the word out to the family.

“Hey, Coach. I’m having lunch with my fiancée. Yeah, I can be there. What’s going on?”

He listened for a moment while Emily listened to Amy’s message on her voice mail. Her sister sounded a bit irritated. At that moment, a woman in a business suit approached the table.

“Miss Hamilton, I’m Valerie Walker from the Bellevue Informer. I was wondering if you and Mr. McKenna would answer a few questions about your engagement and how you met.” She laid one hand on the edge of the table. Brandon was still listening to his caller. “I couldn’t help but notice your little moment with the ring. Very sweet. Would you be willing to pose for some photos as well?”

“Just a second,” Brandon told the person he’d been speaking with, and glanced at Ms. Walker. “Please call my publicist.” He fumbled in his pocket with his other hand, produced his wallet, and handed her a card.

“Let’s do this right here. It won’t take long.” She perched on the bench facing them.

“While I appreciate your interest, Emily and I would appreciate some privacy. Please call my publicist and make an appointment.” He picked up his phone again and ignored her. “Let me take my girl home, and I’ll be right over,” he said to his caller. “Let’s go,” he said to Emily.

The reporter leaned over the table. “That’s quite a ring, Ms. Hamilton. How about a closer look?”

Emily dutifully held out her hand. The restaurant’s indirect lighting made the diamond sparkle like it was alive.

“All that for one woman.” Her eyes were hard. This was the second female reporter today that had greeted the news of Brandon’s engagement with thinly veiled hostility. Emily wondered what the story was.

Brandon frowned a bit. “She’s worth it.” He took Emily’s hand. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Walrus.”

“Walker,” she corrected him.

“Ms. Walker.” Brandon tugged Emily out of the booth. She grabbed her purse. He handed a credit card to a passing server and said, “Please bring our bill to the hostess desk, I’ll sign the slip there.” He seemed to be intent on putting as much space between them and the reporter as quickly as possible.

“Don’t you want to talk with her?” Emily asked, as they hurried away.

“Not really.” He shook his head. “Who was on your voice mail?”

“My sister is a little upset.”

“Sounds like it. Listen, sugar, I’ll give you a rain check on that dessert I offered. I have to go to a team meeting this afternoon. Let’s see how fast we can get out of here.”

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER,Brandon and Emily were in Brandon’s Land Rover and heading toward 520, one of the floating bridges between Seattle and its Eastside. Brandon’s phone rang again. “It’s my mama,” he sighed.

He adored his mother. He loved his dad. At the same time, he’d ducked her calls all day. He needed to figure out how he was going to explain what had happened, but it looked like there was no time like the present.

He clicked the hands free device on his car’s dashboard and said, “Hey, Mama. I know I was supposed to call you. I apologize. How’s my best girl?”

“Brandon James McKenna, that sweet talking might work on all those girls up there, but it doesn’t work on me. You are in big, big trouble, young man. You’re engaged, and your daddy and I found this out from a sports reporter. They’ve been calling here all morning. That woman fromEntertainment Tonightasked me for an exclusive.”

“I know. I apologize. I didn’t realize they were going to announce—”

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