Page 12 of Keeping the Single Dad
“I don’t know. Maybe I should call the police. I mean, it’s illegal, isn’t it? You can’t go around blackmailing people.”
Mel paled and her lips pressed flat. “Do what she wants. Tell her anything. Do whatever it takes to keep Dad out of the papers. Nobody is going to win in a fight against the tabloid press. They are too powerful. This is the worst possible timing. Your priority needs to be getting Dad back on track.”??
My guts churned. “I’m not a rat.”
?“You’re looking at it wrong. Feed her a few things. What does it matter?”
“And what if the team finds out I’m leaking stories?”
“Nobody needs to know. This is your mess. For once, you’re going to have to clean it up.”
Unfair. How was it my mess? I took a breath and headed for the door. “I’ll think of something.”
“You’d better do it, Lana. Your family needs you.”
“The team is my family, too.”
?A shadow darkened her face. “I’m talking about yourrealfamily.”
Hot anger lashed my gut. The team was myrealfamily. They’d all been nicer to me than anyone around here ever had.
“You love all this, don’t you? Dad’s broken again. I’ve got a mess to deal with. You’ve probably been waiting for this to happen for ages so you can swoop in and save the day. Super Mel never messes up. She’s always responsible, always on time, always—”
“Oh, stop. Some of us have to live in the real world. It’s not all running around kicking a ball and partying with celebrities.”
“I live in the real world.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Please. I don’t want to argue after the day I’ve had.”
She turned away, but not before I caught her bottom lip trembling. Guilt and weariness washed over me. She’d been with Dad here all this time. At least I’d had a pleasant distraction. My mind drifted back to the Viking of a man I’d left naked in a four-poster bed at the Beaufort. After that earth shattering orgasm, I’d almost considered his offer of a date.
I moved past Mel to the door. “I’m going to get more washing up liquid.”
“Don’t bother. Go home. I’ll sort out the mess here.” Mel’s uncompromising gaze met mine. “You only have one mess to sort out, and for Dad’s sake, you better do it fast.”?
??
Chapter 7
Lana
Thenextmorning,Isqueezed in next to Skylar on the hard wooden bench in the locker room. Memories of my sexy stranger filled my mind. He’d probably be on his way back to Scotland. A pang pulled at my heart. Oh well. Fun and done. It had been an itch I’d needed to scratch.
I tried to tune back in to Claire’s team talk.
Skylar leaned in next to me. Amusement laced her whisper. “Is that a hickey on your neck?”
My fingers fluttered to my throat. I’d tried to cover the purple marks with make-up this morning, but clearly I hadn’t done a good job.
Skylar nudged me in the ribs. “Had a good evening, did you?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Claire clapped her hands together. “Good work this morning. From those of you who bothered to turn up on time...” She raised an unimpressed eyebrow in my direction.
After getting back from Dad’s so late last night, I’d accidentally slept through my alarm this morning.
I held my hands up. “Sorry. Traffic was terrible.”
