Page 33

Chapter 33

Harlow

“... and can you tell us a little bit more about the woman you were spotted with in Green Bay? What’s her name, and where did you meet her?”

I watch as my sparkly new boyfriend pulls the microphone closer to his face, leaning in nice and good so everyone in the pressroom can hear him. Andy is in the middle of a table, on the center of a stage, live during a press conference.

It’s blowing my mind to see him on television, and I can’t take my eyes off him.

“Y’all know I don’t like talking about my personal life, and this is a new relationship. I probably shouldn’t divulge too much. Don’t want to [bleep] it up.” The room laughs when he says fuck , the network censoring the word. “But I know she’s at home watching right now and gave me permission to feed you a few breadcrumbs.” Andy laughs. “Her name is Harlow, and yeah—she’s from the frozen tundra.”

“And where did you meet?”

He pretends to be abashed, shyly dipping his head for theatrics. “Well, that’s a funny story, actually.”

Oh Lord, is he going to tell them about the puking and diarrhea, or just the part where I warned him off eating raw chicken?

Andy has been the best teacher, educating me on all things related to sports media and how I don’t have to say shit to anyone approaching me if I don’t feel comfortable doing so.

Mrs. Burke—his mom—has been great too.

We flew to Ohio two weeks ago so I could finally meet his parents; to say they were thrilled he’s dating a midwestern girl would be an understatement.

“I was in New York, she was in New York—and we met in line at a food truck.” He says it simply, as if it were no big deal.

“Can you tell us if you were in New York to meet with team owners?” a reporter can be heard asking in the background.

Landon nods. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Can you tell us a little bit about the shirt you’re wearing, since you’re no longer on the market? It seems strange to be promoting a dating app when you’re not currently searching.”

“Oh this?” He grins. Stands up at the table, pulling back the lapels of his sport coat to reveal a tight white T-shirt stretched across his broad chest, with a big pink exploding heart in the center.

Hearts spill out the top.

“This is a shout-out to Harlow. She developed the Kissmet dating app, and it’s going to be the best [bleep] dating app the world has ever seen,” he boasts. “It launches in thirty days, follow Kissmet online for updates!”

I bury my face in my hands, excited and embarrassed, but mostly I’m proud. So proud of him—and myself—giddy at the fact that my boyfriend is pimping me to the entire nation.

I’m dying inside!

I could throw myself on the floor and kick and scream with glee.

“And did Harlow have any sway when it came to visiting Green Bay and its management?” a reporter calls out from the back of the pressroom.

Recorders and cell phones are poised in the air, ready to record his answer to infinity.

“That’s a good question.” Andy grins. “No comment.”

No comment?!

“Do you have your winter parka ready for those visits?” another reporter asks. “I hear it gets really cold there.”

The whole room chuckles at the lame joke.

Trent, Andy’s agent, is next to him and leans over, whispering something in his ear.

Andy nods. Leans forward.

“Yes, I have a parka.” He pauses when a large man walks out and joins him on the stage, behind a podium. “And a jersey.”

The man steps forward to a podium. He’s an older, lumbering giant of a man who looks like he could have played football in his younger days, his suit and tie doing nothing to make him look less ... athletic.

I know this man. I’ve seen his face, and I’ve seen him at the grocery store because he is from Green Bay too.

“I have an announcement,” Andy begins—and before he can say another word, the room erupts, cameras flashing, reporters shouting out follow-up questions as Andy is handed a green baseball cap.

He settles it on his head.

Next to him, the man leans forward, adjusting the mic.

“The Green Bay Packers are excited to announce the signing of Landon Burke to a four-year contract. In addition to being an incredible football player, Landon brings a championship mentality and toughness to our locker room that we hope elevates the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl.” He takes Andy’s large hand in his and shakes it; together they pose for a photo as cameras around the room continue to flash.

I gasp—how could I not.

Oh.

My.

God.

It’s done.

He did it. He chose Green Bay.

I might expire from excitement.

My phone pings with a notification.

Then another.

Then another.

Then it begins to ring, one call coming in after another.

This is madness!

Danny: Holy Shit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are not enough exclamation points in the world to describe how I feel in this moment, and part of me wishes I had gone to be with Andy during the announcement, so I could hug him right now.

He had asked me to be there—to be in the room or at least in the greenroom—but for me, it was too soon. I don’t need to be thrown to the wolves just yet.

I want a few games under my belt before appearing in public, even if I attend those games in one of those private suites celebrities are usually seen in.

Or I’ll be in the cheap seats so I blend in to the crowd.

I’ll be able to blend in, right?

My heart thumps out of my chest, and I ignore all the text chats pinging my phone—there is nothing more important than giving every second of my attention to what Andy is saying on national television.

All eyes are glued to Landon Burke as he leans into the microphone, agent—his gatekeeper—by his side, making sure he doesn’t say anything stupid or give the press too much information.

“We’re going all the way this year!” he shouts, raising his arm in the air, all the men on the screen embracing and clapping one another on the back.

Kevin’s ears perk up like antennae.

“Green Bay,” I whisper to the dog, who doesn’t answer back, merely shoots me a side-eye for daring to speak to him. “Holy crap, Kevin, this is real shit.”

“We have time for one more question,” Trent tells the room once it settles down. “Make it a good one.”

Trent points to a female reporter at the center of the room, who steps forward, all business.

“Who would you say is your biggest fan at the moment?”

“That’s an easy one.” Andy grins. “My biggest fan is Harlow.”

“Hearts all over the nation are breaking.” The reporter grins, her insides probably turning to mush. “So how confident are you about that?”

“Oh, I know for a fact she is.” Andy stands, thanking everyone in the room. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a flight to Green Bay to catch.”