Page 3 of Undeniable

I laughed despite myself, remembering that day all too well. “How could I ever forget? It was terrifying and exhilarating.” To date, it remained one of the most reckless things I’d ever done. Sometimes, I still couldn’t believe I’d followed through with it.

“And I swore that I’d never willingly jump out of a plane,” she continued. “That anyone who would was crazy.”

“Yeah, but you’re my best friend. And you love me.” I batted my eyes at her.

“That’s not why you were able to sway me.” She planted her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at me. “Besides, you pitch marketing ideas all the time.”

“Yeah, but this is different.”More personal.

Not to mention a larger undertaking than my usual marketing projects. Spines for Soldiers wouldn’t just be an elevator cling or organizing a panel for an industry event. I hoped it would actually make a difference—and not just to the bottom line.

“Come on, then.” She nudged me. “Let’s hear it.”

“Hear what?” I asked, trying to review all the highlights of my speech to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything.

“Your pitch for the sexy soldier program.”

I rolled my eyes. “Would you please stop referring to it as the ‘sexy soldier’ program?” Because that definitely wasn’t going to help sell my proposal to my boss.

“Why? I mean, it’s geared toward current and former military personnel, right? And most of those guys are—” She fanned herself. “Oh my.”

“It’s geared toward serving the menandwomen who sacrifice so much for our country.”

Individuals like my grandfather, who had served in the air force, only to return a different person. It didn’t matter where or when or even how long you served, the effect was profound and impacted families, communities. I wanted to help with that.

It might sound idealistic, but I knew how powerful stories could be. And I wanted to use them to help these brave men and women overcome the horrors of war. I wanted to remind them about love and the beauty of the human spirit.

“You’ve seen those videos of guys online doing pull-ups in their fatigues, right?” She flashed me a devious grin and started to enter the code to unlock her phone.

I shook my head, knowing Alyssa was teasing me. Trying to help me loosen up. “Put that away.” I shoved her phone away from me, ignoring the flash of a bare, muscular chest on the screen. “That’s not the point of the program.”

Though, a woman like Alyssa had no problems attracting the notice of a sexy soldier or any man. She was gorgeous, and she had the kind of confidence people took notice of. While I…I’d never been the popular girl. Guys had never been very interested in dating me, unless it was to get closer to my dad. And even now, nothing had really changed. My shoulders slumped as I remembered my date with Tad.

“What’s that look for?” she asked.

I gnashed my teeth. “Tad.”

“Ugh. What kind of name is that anyway?”

I laughed. “The kind that belongs to a douche who expected me to pay for an overpriced dinner, and then had the gall to ask me to get my dad’s autograph for him.”

She let out a low whistle. “Damn. That’s…that’s bad. Even for you.”

“Right?” I threw my hands in the air. “Men.”

“Maybe you should try online dating,” she offered.

I scrunched up my face. “I don’t know.”

“Just think about it. You could have the chance to get to know someone without the whole, ‘Your dad is Harrison Hayes’ thing.”

“True,” I said. “But then what happens when we meet and they realize who I am? I’ll be that much more invested. And even more crushed by the inevitable outcome.”

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Maybe not.”

I could see she wasn’t going to budge, so I said, “I’ll think about it.”

“You know…” She leaned in, whispering conspiratorially. “I heard Adrina’s leaving. Spines for Soldiers could be your chance to show Seth that you’re up for the job.”

---