Page 64 of Hot Receiver

She smooths back her hair. “Well, I didn’t have the besthome life growing up. Things were difficult. My parents were drug addicts, and I had younger sisters. Let’s just say that it wasn’t a safe environment, and I needed to get my sisters away from the danger that eventually killed my mother.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. I had no idea you went through that.”

“Well, it’s not the kind of thing I drop in interviews withFashion Beat.But yeah, that’s my backstory. And if it wasn’t for organizations like this that helped kids like us get back on their feet after traumas like we experienced…” Her voice trails off for a second, a faraway look in her eye.

A few seconds pass and she snaps back to the conversation. “I don’t know where we might’ve ended up. Or how we’d have survived. So, I do everything I can to help raise awareness and donate money, time, resources…whatever they need.”

“That’s really amazing of you.”

It’s a little shocking, actually. You look at someone like Anna—gorgeous, talented, charming, basically perfect in every way—and you’d never guess she lived a rough day in her life. You only see the glossy exterior, never the darkness inside.

Shit. I’m really starting to like this girl. I tried to hate her, but dammit, she’s fantastic. And I feel like a complete dickhead because of what Matt and I did behind her back. I can’t bear to cause anyone the kind of pain I felt when I lost him.

She’s obviously fallen for him, and even though we didn’t sleep together yesterday, he was still with me, not her. He’s lying to her, leading her on.

It’s not right.

He needs to tell her the truth. And he needs to do it soon, before she gets in any deeper.

Anna just looks at me. “They don’t have anyone else to turn to. The kids can’t always rely on themselves, no matter howmuch they think they need to be strong on their own. It was a rough realization for me. The hardest time in my life.”

“But look at how fantastic things turned out for you. You’re a real inspiration.”

“I got lucky.” Her eyes darken. “Most kids don’t.”

“I’d love to help however I can.” I smile.

Her honesty and heartfelt words make me want to write over my entire life savings to these kids. Anna has so many more layers than anyone knows, so much depth and humanity. Every word is like a knife to my heart when I think about how we’re both hurting her.

She puts a hand on my arm. “Thank you. That’s a very kind offer.”

“And not publicly, either.” I shake my head emphatically. “I don’t want it to be about the team and the press. It’s about the kids.”

“Exactly.” Her lips lift, but before she can say anything else, a shorter brunette with glasses runs up to her and pulls her aside.

Anna winks at me. “Speech time. It was great talking to you, Zak. Good luck with everything.”

With a weight in my gut, I force a smile. “You, too.”

She disappears into the crowd, and I let out a shuddering sigh. Jesus, I feel like a real tool right now. That incredible woman is going to stand up there in a few minutes and tell this crowd her story, how she was able to overcome so much trauma and turn it around so that she could own her life.

Meanwhile, it’s taken me eight years to figure out how to make peace with my own demons, and I’m still struggling to figure out how to bury them.

I need to get out of here. I need to get my head screwed on straighter and tighter. And I need to think more about helping others instead of wallowing in my own past.

My head swims with ideas about how I can contribute to this organization. My mom has been a chairperson for years, and I never thought to even ask about the work she does.

Anna’s words come floating back.

The kids can’t always rely on themselves.

We all need someone sometimes because we can’t always figure things out for ourselves.

I’m proof positive of that. I buried all my toxic thoughts and feelings for years and used them as ammunition when lashing out at people I viewed as threats instead of processing them and resolving them.

I fumble around in my pocket for my valet ticket and stop short in the darkened hallway outside the ballroom. Something hard slams into my side and a glass flies through the air before hitting the floor with a loud crash.

Twisting suddenly, my heart sinks into my stomach.

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