Safe Bet (The Rules #4) Read online

  “Are you sure?” He reaches out and brushes his fingers against my upper arm, making my skin tingle. He only wanted to comfort me but instead all I can think is him taking my clothes off. My thoughts are totally out of control. “I don’t mind staying.”

  “You don’t have to. Really I’ll probably just go to bed after you leave.” My cheeks go hot at my saying the word bed, which is silly.

  “As long as you’re okay with being here by yourself.” We both start walking until we end up at the front door. He turns to face me. “You can text me if you need anything, all right?”

  “But I don’t have your number.” I frown.

  Wade holds out his hand. “Give me your phone.”

  I enter my passcode and then hand it to him, and he proceeds to tap away at the screen before handing it back to me. “Just added my number to your contacts. Text me so I have your number too.”

  “Okay.” I do as he says, sending him a simple one-word text.

  Hey.

  He smiles when he gets it, then pockets his phone. “Call me or text me whenever, okay? See ya.”

  And with that, he’s gone.

  I got out of that house as fast as I could, tormented by my lusty thoughts for the Callahan’s nanny.

  My palms are literally sweating as I grip my steering wheel tight and I try my best to relax my fingers, cracking the knuckles with a quick flex before I settle my hands on the steering wheel once more. My grip is loose, my thoughts are loose, my emotions are all over the place.

  Insane. The girl drives me insane and I barely know her. It makes no sense. She’s pretty, yeah. I can’t deny I find her attractive. She’s nice. She’s good with the kids, and I shouldn’t find that a turn on, but I sort of do. I like her smile. I like the sound of her voice. She smells like fucking heaven and every time I catch a whiff of her fragrance, I want to sniff her all over. See if she smells that good everywhere.

  If I don’t watch it, I could become a man obsessed.

  And that’s not good.

  Not at all.

  Luckily enough Drew and Fable came home just past midnight, and I was still awake, anxiously awaiting their return. Drew had texted me around eleven, letting me know she was going to be released soon and everything was fine. He also told me they were taking an Uber Black back home, so I didn’t have to worry about picking them up—considering I offered.

  After Drew got Fable settled in bed, he asked me to take care of the kids this morning so Fable could get some extra rest. I readily agreed.

  So here I am, taking care of the kids—yeah, that’s my job, but usually Fable is always nearby. Jacob is sitting in his highchair eating his breakfast and Autumn is at the table, talking nonstop while she pushes strawberry slices around on her plate with a fork. She’s not much of a big eater, which worries Fable. I can tell. Jacob, on the other hand, will shove anything in his mouth you give him.

  “Mommy!” Autumn exclaims, and I whirl around to find Fable standing at the entrance of the kitchen, wearing a black robe with the belt cinched tight around her tiny waist. Her hair is disheveled and her eyes are sleepy, but otherwise, she looks completely normal.

  “Hey baby,” Fable says as Autumn hops off her chair and runs toward her mother. They embrace before Fable hauls her up into her arms and gives her a kiss on the nose. “How’d you sleep?”

  “Good! Uncle Wade gave me a bath last night and I splashed him!” Autumn giggles and Fable laughs too.

  “Poor Wade.” Fable’s gaze meets mine. “Thank you for helping with everything. I know it was chaotic, but Drew said you seemed to handle it all like a pro.”

  Please. I freaked the hell out. Fell down, cried, made a fool of myself. Handled it like a pro? I don’t think so. “It was no problem,” I say easily.

  She sets Autumn back in her chair at the table before she turns to me, her expression suddenly very serious. “There are some things that happened last night though, and I’d like to talk to you about it.”

  Dread washes over me, slow yet all-consuming. Doesn’t help that the dire tone of her voice sets me on edge. “Um, of course.”

  We walk over to stand by the pantry, where we have enough privacy yet can watch the children as well.

  “Are you all right?” I ask before she can say anything. “I hope you’re feeling better.”

  “Oh yeah. I just had…a moment. They said I had low blood pressure and that’s why I fainted.” She offers me an embarrassed smile. “I haven’t been getting much sleep lately, and I really haven’t been eating much either. I need to take care of myself better.”

  “As long as you’re okay.” I want her to know that I care about her, because I do. She’s not only a great boss, but I also really like her and her family. They’ve accepted me so easily since I’ve started, and those first few days, I was a bit of a wreck.

  “I’m definitely okay.” Fable smiles then glances in the direction of her children, making sure they’re all right before she returns her attention to me. “So look. I don’t want to freak you out,” she starts, promptly freaking me out. “But the media got a hold of some photos of you and Drew from last night and now they’re…everywhere.”

  I frown. This is not the direction I expected her to take this conversation. “Everywhere?”

  She nods. “Drew told me about the paparazzi hanging out in front of the restaurant last night, but he blew it off. Said it was no big deal.”

  “I guess so. I’ve never dealt with something like that before. I mean, they were asking all kinds of intrusive questions, but I would think that’s their normal behavior, right?”

  “Yes, that’s pretty normal. But they’re jumping all over this one particular photo.” Fable whips her phone out of her robe pocket and taps on the screen before holding it out for me to see. “Look at this.”

  The headline above the photo captures me first. It screams in bold type, Niner QB Drew Callahan Cradles the Naughty Nanny Close!

  Naughty Nanny? Talk about ridiculous.

  My gaze drops to the photo just below the sensationalized headline. It’s of Drew, and he’s holding me in his arms, my cheek pressed against his chest. He’s glaring at the cameras, his expression full of angry irritation and I’m oblivious.

  “I fell, when we were trying to get into the SUV,” I tell Fable, unable to tear my gaze away from that stupid photo. I guess it does look incriminating, Drew holding me close and the angry expression on his face—we look like we have something to hide. But nothing happened. He just wanted to get to the car so we could pick up Fable and take her to the hospital. “What exactly does the article say?”

  “Trust me, you don’t want to read the article. You don’t want to read any of them. They all say the same thing.” Fable shoves her phone back into her pocket. “The media will make up anything to sell a magazine, a photo, a story. It doesn’t matter what really happened.”

  Alarm makes my spine stiffen. Wait a minute. There are multiple articles about Drew and me? Talk about surreal. And the tiniest bit frightening. “What are they saying?”

  “That you and Drew are involved in a mad, passionate affair and I’m nowhere to be found. I’m a horrible wife and mother who’s neglecting my husband’s needs, as well as the children’s. So that leads him to seek out a much younger woman—the newly hired nanny.” Fable rolls her eyes. “So ridiculous.”

  “Right,” I say slowly, studying her. She doesn’t look mad, but sometimes you can never tell. My mom is good at that. She can pretend everything’s fine, but really she’s furious. “You don’t believe what they’re saying, do you?”

  “No, of course not!” She sounds offended by my question. “I know my husband. He would never cheat on me.”

  Whew. Glad she’s so firm on that subject. “Well, I have absolutely no interest in your husband whatsoever.”

  “Oh, I know, Sydney. And I appreciate you saying so.” She smiles, but it’s strained. “We’re hoping we can ignore this and the rumors and speculation will eventually die dow
n. That’s what’s happened before.”

  Yikes. This is something they’ve had to deal with before? How awful. “But what if it doesn’t quiet down? What if they keep talking about it? About…Drew and me? What then?”

  “Well, Drew has a publicist, and he’s pretty savvy. I’m sure he’ll help us figure out what to do next.” Fable smiles brightly and it almost feels—false. As if she’s trying to convince herself everything’s going to be just fine. “I’m not too worried, so you shouldn’t be either!”

  Her casual enthusiasm is almost reassuring, but it feels a little off. What if this bogus story really does become a big deal? When it’s a slow news day or week the media tends to grab hold of something and never let it go. They can turn a false rumor into a bigger deal than it was ever supposed to be. I don’t want my face splashed all over tabloids and gossip websites.

  Talk about embarrassing.

  What if my parents find out? I’m almost certain they will. Mom loves to read those gossip sites. And once they find out, they’re going to be furious. They don’t even know I’m working this nanny job. They’ll jump to conclusions first and ask questions later. They’ve always thought the worst of me, especially my mother. It’s their automatic response, when I’ve never given them reason to doubt me or think I’m some sort of pathetic loser.

  But that’s how they make me feel—like a loser. The moment they hear about this, they’ll probably demand I come home so they can take care of me.

  Heaven forbid I learn how to take care of myself. This so-called punishment they’re putting me through is supposed to be some sort of test. They want me to cave and come running back to them.

  I won’t do it. No matter how much bullshit is thrown at me, I won’t give in.

  I won’t let them win.

  “Should I say anything?” When Fable frowns, I continue. “To the media. Should I make some sort of statement?”

  “No way.” Fable shakes her head. “The safest thing to do is ignore it for now. Like I said, most everything you read online and in the tabloids is completely false. You can’t trust the media. If you were to talk to them, they’d twist your words around and proclaim you’re in love with Drew or something stupid like that. Please don’t talk to them.”

  “Okay,” I say with a nod. “I hope…I hope you’re not mad at me.”

  The shock on Fable’s face is obvious. “Why would I be mad at you?”

  “The photographers last night—we weren’t expecting them. It was a total fiasco. But I was so focused on getting the kids out of there, I really didn’t pay them that much attention. And then I fell and it looks like I caused even more problems.” My knees are bruised this morning, and a little scraped up, but it’s no big deal.

  No, the real big deal is the photo, and all the articles about my supposed affair with Drew. I’d always heard that so much of the celebrity gossip is false. Now here’s actual proof.

  “You’re okay after the fall, right?” Fable asks, pushing me out of my thoughts. “Do you need to see a doctor?”

  “Oh, I’m fine. Really. Just a little bruised.” I shrug.

  Fable smiles, though it’s faint. She still looks tired. “Thank you so much for taking care of our children last night. Drew and I appreciate it—you—more than you’ll ever know.” She grabs hold of my hand, giving it a light squeeze. “You’ve gone above and beyond your duties these last few weeks since you’ve been here. I hate that you’ve had to go through this, but it’ll pass. I know it will.”

  I smile at her in return, but it doesn’t feel real. I hope I haven’t upset her. I hope she’ll still believe me in a week or two. Or even in five. I don’t want to have an affair with her husband. Despite the chemistry between Wade and I last night, I definitely don’t want to start anything with him either. A relationship, even a casual one, will be nothing but a distraction at this point in my life.

  A distraction I absolutely don’t need.

  It doesn’t pass. A week goes by and it’s all the tabloids can talk about. That one same photo is splashed everywhere. Every. Where. In black and white, in full on color, in HD—hell, there’s even a video that stupid TMZ somehow got of the two of us fleeing the restaurant with the children, looking like we’re together when we are so not. Unfortunately, luck isn’t on our side, and nothing big happens in the celebrity world to take their attention off of us.

  And when I say us, I mean Drew and…me.

  It’s ridiculous. There is so much speculation on the various gossip sites and magazines it’s embarrassing. I made the freaking cover of In Touch Weekly, me and Drew together in that photo where I’m in his arms, front and center on a newsstand in the middle of the supermarket, at the check out lines in Target and Walmart. Everywhere.

  I hate it.

  My phone has been blowing up with texts, missed calls, voicemail messages and constant notifications. People I haven’t talked to since high school are reaching out, asking me if it’s true, asking me if I really am having an affair with Drew Callahan.

  It’s humiliating. My life has turned into a giant mess. It feels like it won’t ever stop. I’m afraid I could get fired, even though Fable has reassured me repeatedly that’s not going to happen.

  Hiding away in my room on my day off is not going to solve any problems. But it’s like I can’t make myself get out of my big, comfortable bed. I’m starting to wonder if my butt is permanently glued to the mattress. Maybe I’ll become bedridden. Housebound. I’ll be considered a hermit, a freak, a weirdo, a girl who let one stupid rumor get out of hand and now there’s no way she can ever get away from it.

  I thought my parents cutting me off was the worst thing that ever happened to me. This situation is even more awful.

  A brisk knock sounds on my door and before I can utter, “Go away,” because that was what I planned on saying, the door swings open and Fable Callahan enters my bedroom. She stops at the foot of the bed, her expression stern as she watches me wallow in my misery in my messy bed.

  From the look on her face alone, I know it’s going to be bad. She’s going to fire me. I’m sure of it.

  “Are you going to stay in bed all day?” she asks, her voice surprisingly firm.

  I grab my phone and check the time. 11:52 a.m. “Definitely,” I say as I set my phone back on the bedside table.

  An irritated sigh leaves her and she comes to my side of the bed, reaching over to tear the covers off of me completely. “Hey!” I protest, but Fable just takes a step back, hands on her hips as she watches me.

  “You need to get up.”

  “I don’t want to.” I grab the covers and pull them back over me.

  She lifts a brow in surprise. “You sound like Autumn. Next thing you’re going to say is I can’t make you.” Fable tugs the comforter back off of me, tossing it onto the floor. “I know it’s your day off and I should probably leave you alone, but enough is enough. You need to get out of bed and get on with your life. Plus, we want to talk to you.”

  Nerves tangle my stomach, making me queasy. I swallow hard, trying to hide my fear but it’s no use. “Is everything okay?” My voice shakes and I briefly close my eyes. Could I sound more pitiful?

  “It’s nothing bad, I promise.” Her voice is soft and soothing and I crack open my eyes to find she’s still watching me. “We believe we’ve come up with a solid plan for handling the media.”

  “Whose ‘we’?”

  “Drew and me.” Fable grabs hold of my ankle and gives my foot a little shake. “Come on, Sydney. Hear us out. We’re excited to tell you about it, but it’ll only work with your cooperation. So we hope you’ll be on board.”

  I’m wary. I can’t help it. What sort of plan is she talking about? My brother Gabe always used to come up with plans to trick our parents, trick his friends, trick the housekeeper, whatever. He was always coming up with something crazy. A lot of the time, those plans backfired, but he always meant well.

  There’s a pang in my heart that makes me realize I miss Gabe. A lot
. He’s called a few times since the bogus story broke. He’s texted me, messaged me on Instagram, left me multiple voicemail messages, the works. And I still haven’t responded.

  I’m too ashamed—and I didn’t even do anything wrong. Imagine if I had?

  “Why don’t you go take a shower and then come downstairs? We can have lunch and discuss our idea.”

  Sighing, I sit up, pushing the hair out of my face. “Give me forty-five minutes?”

  “Perfect.” Fable smiles. “See you in a bit.”

  And with that, she walks out of my room, slowly closing the door behind her.

  I grab my phone before I flop back onto the mattress, my head sinking in the pillows as I check my notifications. I ignore most of the texts, especially the one from my mother. She’s left me endless messages and voicemails too—the voicemails I’ve deleted without listening to them. The texts I go ahead and delete as well.

  Though I do open up the string of texts from my brother.

  Tell me it’s not true.

  No way are you banging Drew Callahan, are you?

  I know you’re not that dumb, Syd! Keep your head on straight.

  I hear his wife can be mean! She’ll kick your ass!

  Answer me, Syd. I wanna make sure you’re okay.

  Syd! Call me! Mom won’t stop texting me about you!

  Come on, baby sis. Talk to me.

  Lucy’s worried about you.

  We’re all worried about you.

  There are a few more texts along the same lines, including one that says he loves me, accompanied by a bunch of heart emojis. I can’t take it. We’re close. We’ve given each other endless crap over the years, but we always take care of each other too.

  Gabe must be really worried.

  I decide to go ahead and text him.

  I’m fine. I love you too. Miss you. :)

  Immediately the gray bubble pops up, indicating Gabe’s texting me back.