Page 2 of Undeniable

“Well…yeah. Your dad is Harrison Hayes. He won six championships. He’s the GOAT.”

I scoffed.Typical.

My dad was a retired NFL player turned color commentator. He’d played for the Hollywood Heatwaves for nearly ten years, and he was lauded as one of the greatest players of all time.

To me, he’d always just been Dad. A man with seemingly infinite patience and open arms. He’d attended every spelling bee, every baking competition I’d entered, always there, never judging.

“Guess the athletic gene skipped a generation,” I said with a bite to my tone.

I’d tried a few sports, but it had never been my thing. Funnily enough, my dad had never pushed me to play, but my mom had. She’d suggested that it would help me make friends. That athletics would be good for my figure.

“Guess so,” he said. “But wow. I can’t imagine having Harrison Hayes as your dad. I mean…” He shook his head, his expression one of awe.

I loved my dad, and I was proud of him. But I worried I’d never meet someone who was interested in me for me. And even if I did, would I ever find someone I could introduce to my dad without my date fawning over him?

The branzino turned to sawdust in my mouth. Tad wasn’t the first guy to have this reaction, and he wouldn’t be the last. I only hoped he wouldn’t wax poetic about my dad and his career highlights like other guys I’d gone on dates with.

Fortunately, the music got even louder, and a flamethrower came on stage, along with several other performers. I was quiet the rest of the meal, almost grateful for the distraction since it didn’t require much talking. And while the branzino was expertly prepared, I’d lost my appetite.

When it came time to pay the bill, Tad looked to me expectantly.

“You want to split it?” I asked, knowing that I was going to get the short end of the deal. His meal cost nearly three times as much as mine, and that wasn’t including the drinks.

“I’ll pick up the check next time.”

Next time?I wanted to laugh. There wouldn’t be a next time.

Whatever expression I’d made must have clued him in that something was wrong. But then he said, “What? It’s not like you’re not loaded.” And I realized just how clueless he was.

Wow.

My parentswere loaded, notme. My mom was famous and wealthy in her own right—an actress known predominantly for her work on the stage. Both my parents were celebrities.

My shoulders tightened at the mention of my parents and their wealth. In my experience, money had been the source of more harm than good. And no amount of money could buy happiness or guarantee love.

I didn’t want to cause a scene, and I just wanted to get the hell out of there. So I paid the tab and stood. He placed his hand on my lower back, ushering me to the exit. I’d already ordered a ride, and I was grateful it was waiting out front for me.

“This is me,” I said, opening the door.

“Oh, uh—” He furrowed his brow as I started to climb in the back seat. “Wait.” He opened his wallet, and for a minute, I thought he was going to offer to pay for his dinner, my ride home, something. But then he pulled out a trading card with my dad’s picture on it and said, “Do you think you could—”

I slammed the door closed, cutting off the rest of his words.

* * *

Alyssa leanedher hip against the wall of my cubicle. “So…how was your date withTad?”

Someone had jammed the copier again, and I could hear them cursing as telephones rang out around the office. I busied myself with booting up my computer and entering the password. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“That bad, huh?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Worse.” I opened a document on my computer.

“You ready for your pitch today?” she asked, mercifully changing the subject.

“Hopefully,” I said.

“You are,” she said with more confidence than I felt. “You’re persuasive when you’re passionate about something. Hell, remember when you convinced me to skydive for your twenty-fifth birthday?”