The Girl With Diamonds (Midtown Brotherhood Book 2) (19 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

AUSTIN’S NEWS

If Scarlett and Ophelia were twin tornadoes, Magnolia was a hurricane. He’d never seen her in action, at least not like this. By the time they boarded their plane, she’d already called her boss and gotten the okay for an exclusive interview with Sam, and had it set to go live that afternoon.

That was what Sam wanted, or at least what he told Drew he wanted when he called them on the car ride to the airport to report the bad news. Austin wasn’t sure if Sam was prepared for what going public with his relationship would mean for both him and Drew. It had been tense when Sam first broke the news to their team last year. There were a select few guys who didn’t take it well at first. Sam wasn’t worried about the players in the rest of the league. Like his teammates, the few who had a problem would come around. Sam’s father had always been his main concern. No one else’s opinion ever seemed to bother him.

Sam and Drew waited for them at the gate at JFK. Magnolia was already on her phone again, planning diligently. She paused quickly to give them both hugs, before excusing herself to finish up preparations.

Austin immediately grabbed Sam, pulling him aside. He hurt. The pain was physical. Even his bones ached. Ferocia got that picture from his phone. All of this was his fault. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Sam’s eyes were tired but content. “Yes, Blakie. It’s time.”

“What about your dad?”

Sam shook his head, taking in a breath. “I gave him a chance. He turned it down.”

Austin stepped back. “You told him?”

Sam’s worn smile faded completely. “I asked if I could bring someone home for the All-Star break. When he asked who, and I told him my boyfriend…he hung up. He wouldn’t even give me a chance to explain.”

“Oh, Sam. Shit. I’m so sorry.”

Sam shrugged. “I told my mom, though. She cried. Happy tears. She wants to fly down and meet Drew next month.”

“Still, Sam, I hate that Ferra is forcing your hand.”

“In a way, she is, but I’m ready to move on with my life. Sometimes that means people get left behind. I hate that it’s my dad, but I can’t not be who I am to make him happy. He knows. The rest of the world knowing won’t change how he feels.”

Magnolia eased up to his side, taking his hand. “Mrs. Stamcose is sending Cressida to set up the studio.” Then she gave Sam a small smile. “It’ll be ready when we get there.”

Austin looked at his friend one last time. He’d do anything to change this for him. “Be honest. Are you positive you want to do this?”

“I’m ready, Austin.” Sam reached over and took Magnolia by the hand. “And I’m glad this interview is with you.”

Magnolia pulled him into a hug. “I just hope I do it justice.”

Sam pulled back and smiled over at him. “Somebody told me you like to keep your interviews positive. I think as long as we stick to that, we’ll both be okay.”

Drew, who stood back at the exit, waved for them. That meant Henrik was outside waiting with the car. Everyone would be there for the interview. They would do this together as a family.

Sam threw his arm around his shoulder as they walked toward the exit. “Stop worrying yourself so much.”

“This is all my fault.”

Sam stopped him at the door, letting the others go ahead. “Maybe it is, and maybe that’s a good thing.”

“How?”

“Austin. Do you think I would have ever had the courage to do something like this if I hadn’t met you, Henrik, and Drew? I used to have nightmares about my teammates finding out, or waking up to realize I’ve been kicked off a team for no reason. After today, I won’t have to worry about those things anymore. There won’t be anything left to hide.”

Austin’s gaze darted to the ground.

“I know a lot of things can still go wrong, but I have my family. I have what I need to make it through anything now.”

Austin nodded. He knew how that felt. His life felt complete and ready to move forward, even if he wasn’t yet sure where that might lead. He placed his hand on Sam’s shoulder, willing him to understand. “I’m here. I’ll always be here for you and Drew. No matter what happens, or what anybody thinks.”

“I know.” Sam opened the door. “That’s why I’m ready to ruin Ferocia’s day.”

Austin walked through that door with Sam and joined his family. They were all moving on, and they would find a way to do it together.

Chapter Twenty-Four

MAGNOLIA’S BIG STORY

Austin set up the lighting, and Drew unrolled the microphones. The room was a steady buzz with nervous energy. Leila straightened Sam’s tie, while Henrik helped Cressida adjust the camera stand. Magnolia reviewed the list of questions, going over the order in her mind so she could ease Sam into the conversation and make it as comfortable as possible.

She didn’t want to screw this up.

It wasn’t about the press coverage or the media exposure. It was about nothing more than her friends, and giving them the respect they deserved. No one should have their private life displayed unwillingly to any media outlet. If they wanted to share a part of their lives with their fans, it should be an option. It should be done in a way that was comfortable and safe.

She couldn’t forget the fear on Austin’s face as he sat on the steps while she opened that package. She knew that shame. She understood it. They were all human. Mistakes were a part of becoming an adult. It didn’t matter that they walked around in suits and carried briefcases now. They were still young. Finding your way through the world was a constant process. It doesn’t just magically happen upon graduation.

It took time and experience. Some days you won, and others you wished you could try again. Their failures shouldn’t be news. News should be saved for days like this. When lives were changed for the better, and the person decided free of blackmail to share a part of themselves with the rest of the world.

“You look so handsome.” Leila was almost in tears now as she dusted Sam’s shirt like a doting mother.

Sam smiled. It was forced, but it was genuine. Everyone was quiet. Leila gave Sam a quick hug, and then he looked at Magnolia. “Ready?”

Magnolia nodded. “The question is—are you ready?”

Sam took in a deep breath, and then looked at Drew. “I’ve been ready. I’ve been ready for a long time.”

“Okay. Let’s run through the questions real quick so I don’t catch you off guard with anything.”

Sam took another breath. He looked pale.

Cressida clicked the camera stand into place. “Would it be easier if we left?”

“No.” It was quick and urgent. Sam’s gaze immediately went to Drew. “Please stay. I don’t think I could do this without you.”

Drew smiled. “We aren’t going anywhere.”

Magnolia, sensing Sam’s unease, walked over and took his hand. “C’mon. Let’s sit down and talk it through, step by step.”

They took a seat on the small couch, and everyone found a place nearby. Magnolia handed Sam the list of questions she planned to ask him. The creak of the large metal door filled the room, and a strip of the fading evening light filtered through it. Magnolia immediately looked up, but instantly blew out a sigh of relief.

It was only Evan.

“Late, are you?” Cressida sniggered, playing with the video camera. “How shameful of you.”

“I came as soon as Mrs. Stamcose called me.” He stood on the edge of the carpet, his oversized coat wrapped around him.

Magnolia squeezed Sam’s hand as he continued to read the list and stood up. “Great. I could really use some advice on—”

“I can’t let you do this.”

Magnolia halted mid-step. “What? Is something wrong? Did we set something up in the wrong place?”

Evan’s face hardened. “A solo interview of this magnitude after one rotation? She never would have let me do that.”

“I got Mrs. Stamcose’s permission,” Magnolia said, her voice soft.

“You’ve been her favorite from the start, even in interviews. I voted no on your application. I showed her those pictures of you in your college paper, the write-up about how your valedictorian honor was stripped from you. She didn’t care. Magnolia has gall, she said. As if that somehow excused you.”

Magnolia’s mouth dropped open. “Evan. I had no idea you felt that way.”

Evan threw his hands out in frustration as if he hadn’t heard a word she said. “Then she goes and promises you the L.A. job after one interview. I’ve been babysitting her interns for three years now, and she didn’t even think to mention my name to them.”

Magnolia took a small step toward him. “I’m sure if you talked to her—”

Evan’s gaze shot up to her. “O’Dell and Rylander’s coming out is our story. The first openly gay player in the National Hockey League. It’ll be national news tomorrow. This is my ticket out of this ridiculous, no-name network.”

Something in her mind clicked, and suddenly Magnolia didn’t feel sorry for him anymore. “What do you mean
our
story?”

“He means me.” There was a rustle of movement, and someone stepped out of the shadows of the room behind them. Magnolia recognized the argyle sweater and familiar mousy brown hair instantly. Stella. Her smile was different, though. Stella’s lips pointed up at the edges in an unnatural way.

A light shattered across the floor. Bits and pieces of glass flew in every direction, landing only inches away from Magnolia’s feet. Magnolia looked around to see Austin’s face. He didn’t even register the broken glass he let slip out of his hand. He gaped at Stella. “You.”

Stella’s eyes, dark and emotionless, took one glance at Austin and then straight back to her.

Magnolia looked between them. “What’s going on?”

Austin’s eyes narrowed. “It’s her. The thief. She’s the one who stole my phone!”

Magnolia whipped back around to Stella, expecting to witness her denial, but Stella rolled her eyes. “Like Evan said. You’re not going through with this interview. I’ve been working on this story for months, long before your little tryst started. You’re not going to steal my thunder.”

“Wait.” Magnolia couldn’t believe it. Stella was her best friend. Stella was her personal cheerleader and confidante. “You’re the one who got Austin drunk? You stole his phone?”

“I broke this story,” Stella said bitterly. “I’m the one who saw O’Dell out with Rylander’s little brother. I told Ferra, but she said she needed proof. She got Evan to give me this stupid internship, so I’d have the chance to get inside knowledge. I followed him around for months, and nothing. So I decided to take a more intimate approach.”

“Intimate? You’re a criminal. You can’t use that photo of Sam and Drew off Austin’s phone.”

“Only because Rylander reported it stolen after Ferra printed the picture of him I got off of it. That’s why O’Dell there is going to volunteer to do an exclusive with me for
The Whisperer
.”

Sam jumped up. “Why the hell would I do that?”

Stella turned to Austin, her cold eyes smiling. “Because I have a picture of Austin. One I took on my own phone that I’m sure he doesn’t want to accidently leak to the media.”

Sam threw the papers on the floor. “That’s blackmail.”

Stella glared back at him. “It’s business.”

“It’s not happening.” Austin stepped forward, blocking her view of Sam. “Post it. Print that picture of me in every fucking magazine in the country. I don’t care.”

Stella scoffed. “You don’t mean that.”

“Austin,” Sam walked toward him, but Austin held his hand up.

“No. I don’t care what they do to me, or my reputation. She’s not going to force you to do anything.”

“You’re so willing to risk your reputation, but what about hers?” Stella pointed at Magnolia. “Front page of the gossip columns doesn’t exactly look good on your resume, huh, Mags?”

Magnolia bit her lip, heat rising up the back of her neck. “You would do that to me?”

Stella meticulously straightened the cuffs of the shirt under her sweater. “We’re all looking to go up the next rung in the ladder. Some of us are just more willing to do what it takes to get there. I knew you’d be a suitable pawn after Evan showed me how easily you were manipulated in Atlanta.”

Stella stepped forward, slinging her hair over her shoulder.

“I’d hate to have to make an anonymous phone call to Oliver Stanton. It’d be a pity for you to lose another interview.”

Cressida, who hadn’t bothered to get out of her seat, laughed. “You’ve never actually listened to a thing Magnolia has said, have you?”

Stella turned her eyes toward Cressida as she stood. Cressida suddenly looked taller, more powerful. Maybe it was the lights, or the stone cold look on her face. “Magnolia doesn’t care about that job. Hell, the application has been sitting in her desk for weeks. She hasn’t even looked at it.”

Stella glanced in her direction, but Magnolia didn’t acknowledge her. She looked back at the only set of eyes that mattered. Austin’s face looked…relieved. “You didn’t fill out the application?”

She shook her head. “I meant what I wrote on that paper. Why would I go to L.A. when everything I want is here?”

Austin was in front of her, filling her vision the way only he could do. His lips found hers and his hands balled in her hair. She had her reason to stay. She’d had him all along, and she trusted him enough to believe in it.

She held Austin one moment longer before she looked back at Stella and Evan. “Show that article. Show it to everyone you want, because it won’t matter. I’ll work my way up again if I have to.”

“You don’t mean that, neither of you do.” Stella panicked. Her voice rose and her movements became swift and jerky.

“It’s okay.” Evan straightened his shoulders. “I’ll just come up with something new. We can always find a way to stretch the truth.”

“There is nothing you can do to make us turn our backs on our friends.” Austin held her tight, their bodies close. They were a team now and couldn’t be divided. “If Sam and Drew want to share a piece of their personal life with the world, then they have the right to do that in a way that makes them comfortable.”

Evan’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll find something.”

“No, you won’t,” Cressida said confidently, playing with her cellphone. “I’ve been streaming you live on my website since you walked in.”

Stella’s eyes rounded, going directly to the small device in Cressida’s hands. Cressida adjusted the camera to point directly at Stella.

“Stells, did you know your wigged alter-ego has its own website, dedicated to finding you? Turns out Austin isn’t the only celeb you’ve lured into your little gossip trap. Care to drop a few names for our viewers so they know who to thank for those bogus stories you fabricated with your stolen evidence?”

The red light on the camera blinked. Cressida wasn’t playing. The video was live. Cressida turned the camera toward Evan. “And Evan Author, such a trusted name in the MSG family, a double agent for Ferra Decantur? What does it feel like to know you betrayed all those athletes you admire, and for what purpose? Because you wanted to play crybaby after being passed over for an interview?”

Stella and Evan stared blankly at the camera.

Cressida crossed her arms over her chest. “Isn’t as fun on the other end, now, is it?”

Magnolia’s phone beeped, and she recognized the distinctive tone immediately. It was her boss. She pulled it out, glancing quickly at the text. “It’s Mrs. Stamcose,” she said, holding the phone up, and began to read it out loud.

Boss Lady: Please inform Mr. Author and Mrs. Taratori to remove their belongings from my office building immediately. As for you and my daughter, please continue your interview. And tell Cressida to make sure she gets a shot of O’Dell and Rylander together. They make quite the adorable pair.

Magnolia’s gaze shot up. “Mrs. Stamcose is your mom?”

Cressida smiled. “My parents are divorced. We have different last names.”

Magnolia’s hands fell down to her side. “So you’re the one who told her all those good things about me.”

“Well, it definitely wasn’t him.” Cressida pointed at Evan’s gaping face, then she turned to him, grinning. “You realize, the longer you stand here and act like you didn’t just get your backstabbing asses handed to you, the better my ratings are going to be, right?”

Cressida was in full form now. Stella and Evan didn’t stand a chance. Wide-eyed and panicking, Stella whipped around and ran for the door. Evan was much slower. Like he didn’t believe it was happening. He backed slowly out of the room and didn’t turn around until the door closed behind him. Magnolia gave him a wave.

Good riddance to both of them.

Cressida turned the camera on her phone around to face her. “Now, just one moment, folks, while we get ready for our real interview, and I call NYPD to let them know their suspect is leaving our building.”

Cressida paused the video, and then turned to face them all. “Well,” she said in a gush, “let’s get ready! Go. Go. Go!”

Everyone began getting ready again, trying to remember what they were doing before they all were rudely interrupted.

Austin pulled Magnolia around to him. “So, you’re staying in New York?”

“Yes.” Magnolia smiled. “I hear there is an opening at MSG for a director of interns. Maybe I’ll apply for that.”