“I sure am. Might poke around the dusty fields and go cow tippin’ too. Is that what you want to hear? Me slip into my full-on accent and give you some real Texan?” Nick wanted to kick the leg out from Harvey’s chair and watch him fall to the ground. Now that would be a sight.
“I have an idea that I think will drive the female fans wild about you. With Jared attached, you’ve become the next big thing. All the ladies love you, but you’ve been such a grumpy bastard lately, you’re losing traction.” Harvey shook his head. “That’s why we think you need an attitude adjustment.”
“Didn’t we already have this conversati
on? And didn’t Sports Illustrated just mention how I’m back to my normal self?”
“That was before I had a plan. I have an excellent one now. I think you should go on home and see your mom and dad for the holiday and I think you need to take your new girlfriend with you.”
Oh shit, they found out about Willow. How the hell was he going to approach her with this? He didn’t mind the idea—hell, he’d been contemplating taking Willow to his mama on his own—but he didn’t want to handle it like this. Turn the entire thing into a giant media circus. That would only piss his mama off.
Oh yeah, and Willow too.
“And I think Aubrey is the perfect candidate to play the role of your newfound girlfriend,” Harvey finished.
“What?” Nick shook his head. “You can’t be serious. This here sounds like some Jared and Sheridan shit going down, you know.”’
“Right! And look how well that turned out for them?”
Brought them a lot of misery and heartache before they found their happily ever after, but oh yeah, they were peachy keen right now. “Why would my having a girlfriend help my female fan base? That makes no damn sense. And what the hell does Aubrey think about this?”
“She is willing to do whatever it takes to get the negative publicity off your back. We’re trying to go big with you, Nick. Make you a higher profile player, and it’s not working with you so sad all the time.”
“I’m not sad anymore,” Nick said through gritted teeth.
Harvey waved his hand, dismissing his protest. “You need a woman in your life to keep you happy. At the very least, you need to pretend that you’re happy because a sad Nick is a pitiful Nick.” He tilted his head, contemplating him. “So if that means Aubrey needs to pretend to be your significant other, she has no problem with it,” Harvey said with complete assurance.
“I’ve never been the target for any of your schemes but I gotta say—that was such a fucking crazy suggestion, I can’t believe you had the balls to bring it up to me. Seriously.” Nick shook his head.
“You have a better idea?” Harvey threw up his hands, clearly frustrated.
“I do. How about I take my real girlfriend home with me to meet Mom and Dad?”
Harvey leaned back in his chair, clearly confused. “You don’t have a girlfriend.”
“I sure do. I kept her my little secret.” And she did the same thing with him. He’d wondered more than once if she was ashamed to be seen with him. Or worried her father might find out they were together.
He preferred keeping that shitty feeling completely out of the equation.
“Why would you hide your new girlfriend? You’ve been sitting on a goldmine for however long and only just now think to tell me?”
“Hey, it was no one’s business but ours.” Nick shrugged. “She’s media shy.”
Harvey snorted. “You gotta be kidding me.”
“I’m telling you the truth. She’s not big on the paparazzi. I mean, who is? That’s why I haven’t paraded her around. She’s uncomfortable with all the attention.” At least, he thought she was. Plus, he’d wanted to keep Willow as his own and not share her with the world. It was kind of fun, playing the secret lovers game.
“That sounds damn near perfect. So the sweet, media shy girl finally captures Nick Hamilton’s hardened heart? That’s going to make great copy I hope you know.” Harvey clapped his hands together. “Arrange it. Make it happen. Take the new girlfriend home to Mom and Dad and have a touching holiday moment. I’ll send a photographer and crew there and they can record everything.”
“My dad won’t go for that.” Neither would he. “I doubt Willow would either.”
Harvey frowned. “Wait a minute, Willow? Don’t tell me you mean Walter Cavanaugh’s daughter.”
“One and the same.”
“Ah hell, Nick.” Harvey grimaced. “She blows my sweet little girlfriend image right out of the water. Willow’s tough as nails and ready to fight with whoever crosses her. She’s what I would call a bad choice in girlfriends.”
“Tough shit. I like her, Harvey. There’s no other way around it. If I do this, I’m doing it with Willow and no one else.”