Okay, I know it has taken me forever and a day to get this update out but I promise I've had a good reason. I got a promotion at work that has resulted in my having way less free time. Fortunately, things are slowing back down again and as soon as I had the time, I got to work. I've missed Jordan and Arden and I hope you have too. Here's an extra long update. I hope that you like it. As always, Read, Enjoy, and Review! A HUGE thank you to those that have previously reviewed the story and have stuck with me. I truly appreciate it. I'm going to try and be better now that I have some time. The next update is already started!
Chapter 51…
Monday…
Phil stirred awake when an odd hissing sound broke through his slumber. He reached out to put his arm around Jordan but the spot beside him where her warm body should be was cold and empty. He sat up slowly, wincing at the stiffness in his knee. He heard the hissing sound again and he opened his tired eyes to a room filled with balloons. He found Jordan standing near the window with one at her lips, her cheeks puffed out as she blew it up. She was wearing a giant Vader shirt and bopping around to some silent melody. He got the feeling there was a constant soundtrack playing in her head.
He cleared his throat and she jumped, letting go of the balloon and sending it flying up toward the ceiling and crashing down to the floor as the air rushed out.
She giggled, looking down at it and then up at him after it fell.
"Surprise?" she shrugged, flashing him an excited smile.
"What is this?" he scratched his head, pushing off the covers and moving to sit at the edge of the bed. Now that he was fully awake he could see that almost the entire room was covered in the balloons. They were absolutely everywhere. He could barely see the floor.
"This is a celebration," she grinned. "Today is your 365th day as WWE Champion."
Thanks to Paul's constant reminders in his promos every week, Phil was well aware that he'd finally reached the 1 year mark. He just hadn't expected her to make a big deal of it.
"Housekeeping is going to hate you," he chuckled.
"I already cleared it with housekeeping," she smiled happily. "And I gave them a big tip."
"Well you just think of everything, don't you?"
"I try to," she shrugged.
"Thank you babe," he smiled. "This is sweet."
"Ooh, I don't like that word," she shook her head. "That makes me sound sappy."
"You filled a hotel room with balloons, Jordan," he gestured around them.
She rolled her eyes, making a face. Her aversion to being 'sappy' notwithstanding, he appreciated what she did for him. He could see that his successes were important to her, the same way hers were to him. Seeing this made him feel a little guilty for pushing her to leave the night before. It wasn't that he didn't want her around but he was in a lot of pain and he just needed a little time to himself. He figured she would only be gone maybe 2 hours but when he went to bed at 1, she wasn't back yet.
"How long have you been up?" he asked. "It had to take forever to get these blown up."
"I've been up for a solid 2 hours," she answered. "And I used one of those little pump things until it broke."
"What time did you even get to bed last night? Bryan sent me that picture at 2:30."
Her brown eyes narrowed, head cocking to the side, "What picture?"
Phil grabbed his phone and smiling as he pulled up his text thread with Bryan. The picture featured Kofi attempting to throw a whole handful of popcorn into Jordan's mouth as she leaned back, looking ready to fall out of her chair.
"Looks like you were having fun."
When she handed the phone back to him, he made sure to save the picture. She looked adorable.
"We did," Jordan laughed. "Stu decided to make it his mission to get the new guys drunk."
"And how did that go?"
He didn't know about the other two but he'd seen Colby drink before and he seemed to be pretty good at handling himself.
"They got a healthy buzz but Stu and Stephen got plastered and Bryan and I had to put them to bed."
"You two got stuck being caretakers?" he asked. He found himself in that role quite often. It could be a lot to deal with.
Jordan nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It wasn't too bad. They both passed right out. And we may have swapped all of their shoes after they were asleep."
He gave her a look.
"What?" she laughed. "It seemed really funny at the time."
She moved closer to him, balloons swishing around her feet. She kicked one up at him and he gently swatted it away. He looked up at her when she reached him, softly rubbing the back of her thigh, "You are a beautiful weirdo."
"People are always calling me a weirdo," she shook her head. "I feel like it's tattooed on my forehead."
"That would be a good look for you," he smirked.
"You think so?" she laughed, her hands finding his shoulders. "You know, I have been thinking about getting a new tattoo."
"Oh yeah? I think I have some ideas for that," he said, pulling her forward onto his lap.
"Babe your knee," she looked alarmed, trying to get up.
"Can handle you," he assured her, using one hand to hold her in place. He reached up with the other, palming the side of her neck, "I promise."
Her eyes drifted closed and he bit his bottom lip as he looked up at her. She really was impossibly beautiful. He never tired of looking at her face. He pulled her down into a kiss and she responded hungrily.
He turned her over, laying her on her back, his hands on either side of her head, careful not to put any pressure on his knee. She gripped his shoulders and wrapped one of her legs around his waist, pulling his hips in closer. He groaned, deepening their kiss and pushing her up further on the bed. He trailed his lips along her jaw and behind her ear to the spot he knew drove her wild. Her back arched as he nipped at her soft skin. She pulled his face back to hers, gripping the back of his head as she kissed him. He lost all train of thought then, crawling all the way onto the bed with her, pushing up the bottom of her shirt.
Then it hit him; sharp, hot pain shooting through his knee.
"Shit!" he rolled onto his back. "Fuck!"
"Oh my God!" She was leaning over him in an instant. His eyes were squeezed shut but he could feel her hair brushing his face and her hand lying flat on his stomach. He pressed his head down into the mattress, gritting his teeth and riding out the pain. He had a lot more profanity in his arsenal but he was trying not to alarm Jordan.
He took a harsh, deep breath, in and out, through his nose. He could feel the tension in her hand.
"It's okay," he assured her, opening his eyes. He found hers wide with concern, going back and forth from his leg to his face. He touched her cheek, making her focus on his face, "Hey. It's okay. I'm okay."
"You do not seem okay," she shook her head. "Do you want me to call a doctor? I have Dr. Amann's number in my phone."
"No, no," he sat up slowly. The pain had calmed to a dull ache. He smiled at her, brushing her hair away from her face, "I'm okay."
He pulled her close, resting his forehead against hers, "I promise."
She narrowed her eyes, "This is not how I planned on celebrating."
"I know," he kissed her. When her expression relaxed a bit, he smiled, "I mean, I'm okay now. I just need to stay on my back. Your knees are okay, right?"
She raised an eyebrow at him, "Really Brooks?"
He shrugged.
She bit her lip, shaking her head and he grabbed her hand, pulling her on top of him.
"Are you gonna tell me your tattoo idea now?" she smirked.
"Sure," he pulled her close. "I was thinking of a spot where you can put my name."
"Turn right on Green street."
Arden frowned, looking at Nick's phone mounted on the dash. They were heading to the arena and they'd gotten a bit lost. Nick insisted at first that he didn't need the GPS but she'd convinced him to use it when they ended up in a very shady part of the city.
"I've always found her voice very condescending. Is that just me?"
Nick laughed, "I've never considered it. But I guess she does seem a little snide. And she's always telling me to make a U-turn."
"See, she doesn't have your best interest at heart," Arden joked, looking down at her phone. She had a few texts from Stephanie, a picture of Stu's breakfast, and about 15 emails to respond to. Before she could, her phone started ringing and she jumped at the sight of her mother's name.
"Hello?"
"Arden, I'm so glad I could catch you," Odette said cheerfully. "I have the most wonderful news."
"Hello mom, I'm great, thanks for asking," Arden rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry, how rude," Odette said. "How are you my beautiful only daughter?"
"Don't worry about it mom," Arden said. "What's this news?"
Arden crossed her fingers, praying her mother finally found an apartment she liked. If that was the news, she was going to make Nick stop the car while she got out and ran a victory lap.
"I booked a part!"
Arden was so deflated that she was certain it made her a bad daughter.
"It's a play, I'll be one of the leads," Odette gushed. "I start rehearsals next week. The theater is walking practically walking distance from the house. Isn't it fantastic?"
"Sure, of course, that's wonderful mother," Arden closed her eyes, doing her best to sound convincing. She didn't want to ruin her mother's excitement. She also didn't want her mother to stay at her house permanently but apparently this was not a day for her to get what she wanted.
"Listen, mom, I've gotta go. I'll call you when I get some time and you can tell me all about it," Arden said.
"Of course, and tell that adorable boyfriend I said hello."
When their call was over she looked over at Nick's expectant face, "My mother says you're adorable."
"When she's right, she's right," he shrugged. "What else did she say? You looked like you saw a ghost."
"I did," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I saw the ghost of my freedom."
"What?" he laughed.
"Odette booked a part. It's right by my house. She's all excited," Arden sighed. "That's it. It's official. She's never going to leave. My house is no longer mine. I'm 27 years old and I live with my mother."
She could feel her cheeks starting to flush as her level of frustration rose.
"Technically, your mom lives with you," he quipped. "So that's good. She can't ground you or anything."
"You think this is funny because you don't have one of your parents trying to take over your house," Arden shook her head. "This is awful."
"It's not the end of the world," he assured her. "And if you really think you won't be able to get her out, you can always just move in with me."
She laughed, "Yeah, okay. Can you be serious? I don't know what to do."
She looked over to find his eyes focused on her. He gave her a sheepish smile, "I am serious."
For a second, Arden thought he'd slammed on the brakes. Everything seemed to stop moving. What did he just say? She couldn't have heard him right.
He had to turn back to face the road and she stared at his profile for a second, unsure of how to proceed.
Her phone buzzed in her hand and she looked down at it like a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean.
It was a text from Dylan, something about a change in the filming schedule. It could wait until they arrived at the arena but Nick didn't know that.
"I have to call Dylan," she said, holding up her phone. "It's uh..something with Jordan. They..can't find her."
Joe walked back from the wardrobe area, taking in the bustling backstage area. Being there felt surreal. He'd been backstage at Raw before, that wasn't foreign to him but knowing that he would be appearing on the show for the first time made everything feel so different. He noticed things he hadn't before, people he hadn't paid attention to and areas he wouldn't have noticed. Everything was marked with signs so he was able to attach faces to departments in his head. One of the things he'd learned with having so much family in the business was that it was important to get to know and be kind to the crew. The show didn't go on without them. He passed the hair and makeup area as he headed back toward the dressing rooms. He'd already met all the ladies there and they were very kind to him. Most women usually were. He couldn't help that. His cousins always teased him for being 'the pretty one'. Jonathan and Joshua called him The Prince. He always laughed it off. It got annoying from time to time but there were definitely worse things to be teased about.
He passed the women's dressing area and he noticed that the room next to it, which was empty when he got there, now had a sign next to the doorway with the logo for Jordan's show. The door was open and he couldn't resist poking his head in. He expected to see a few people but found Jordan alone, sitting on her heels on a loveseat in black leggings and a Metallica t-shirt. With the number of drinks she had the night before, he would have thought she might be hung over but she looked great. Her curly hair was twisted up into a bun and she was wearing a pair of dark red glasses. She was typing something out on her laptop. He tapped his knuckles on the doorjamb and she jumped, quickly catching her laptop before it fell.
"Hey," she laughed, closing the laptop. "I did not see you there."
"Sorry about that," he smiled. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," she waved him in. "How's your day going?"
"Good, though I definitely could have slept later," he chuckled.
"Maybe you shouldn't have gone out drinking on a school night," she shook a finger at him.
He raised an eyebrow, wondering if she knew the image she was conjuring in his head between her words and the glasses.
"Aren't you supposed to keep us out of trouble?" he smirked. "I'm beginning to think you might be a bad influence."
"I'm a consultant, not your keeper," she laughed. "Besides, you seemed to be having fun. And you showed up today in one piece."
"I definitely was," he agreed. "It was a good time."
"You guys are doing another run in tonight, right?" she asked.
"Yeah, we're supposed to head down once Ryback interrupts Punk's celebration," he answered. "Another power bomb through the announce table."
"It looked great last night," she told him, pushing up her glasses. "I'm sure the crowd will eat it up."
"That's always the goal, right?"
She yawned and stretched her arms over her head, arching her back. He looked down at the shirt in his hand to keep from staring too hard.
"Listen, I was gonna drop this off and then head to catering. You wanna come along?"
"I am starving, actually, but I can't go eat right now," she answered. "My hair and makeup artist is gonna be here in like 5 minutes and she gets super pissed if I make her wait."
"If this is what you look like before she gets here, she has a very easy job to do," he smiled. "I don't think you need anything."
He may have been trying to flatter her a little but he wasn't lying.
She gave him an amused smile, "You're lucky she's not here. She'd kill you if she heard that."
"You'd let that happen?" he gave her a wounded look, putting his hand over his heart. "And after I told you how beautiful you are?"
She giggled, shaking her head, "I bet that normally works really well for you, doesn't it?"
"It kinda does," he admitted, not surprised at her question. He was learning that she was very direct.
"That will probably serve you well around here," she smiled. "Not with me but…I can think of quite a few people who would like it."
"And what would you like?" he asked.
She looked surprised by the question and she opened her mouth to answer but before she could, Joe felt someone squeezing past him. A tall, good looking slightly older woman walked in with a rolling suitcase behind her.
She gave Joe a curt nod and waved to Jordan before she started setting up some lights.
Jordan snickered, "Joe this is Felicia. Felicia, this is Joe."
"Hello," Felicia's tone was clipped and she didn't bother looking up at him. Joe looked over at Jordan who shrugged.
"You want me to bring anything back for you?" he offered.
"No, I'll have Dylan get me something later," she answered. "Thank you though."
"Felicia, can I get you anything?" he thought to offer before he turned away.
Felicia was lining up various products on the counter and she didn't even respond.
"I think that means she's good," Jordan stage-whispered. "Thanks Joe."
He chuckled, shaking his head, "No problem."
"You asked her to move in with you?"
Nick didn't appreciate Bryan's mocking tone. He came to Bryan because they were close and he needed some constructive advice.
"I didn't ask her," he said. "I just…I said that…I don't know, it might be cool."
"It might be cool?" Bryan laughed. "I had no idea you were so romantic."
"It just came out," Nick admitted. When the words came out of his mouth in the car with Arden he hadn't been thinking. But once they were out there and he considered it for a second, moving in together didn't seem like a crazy idea to him.
"Well did you mean it? Is that what you want?"
"Yeah. It makes sense," Nick said. "We spend what little time we have off together. It'd be nice to just have all of our stuff in one place."
"You haven t been together all that long," Bryan said. His tone was more even this time. He wasn't judging, just stating a fact.
"I've been with her long enough to know I'm going to be with her for a long time," Nick smiled. He didn't need to be in a 10 year relationship to know that what he had with Arden was special. He definitely wasn't planning on going anywhere.
"Well then if it doesn't seem weird to you, it's not weird to me," Bryan shrugged.
"Yeah but must have seemed a little weird to her," Nick scoffed. "She seemed freaked out."
She didn't seem to realize it but Nick could tell when she was making up a panicked lie. He actually appreciated what a terrible liar she was. She obviously didn't have much experience.
"Look, Nicky," Bryan patted him on the shoulder and using the name he'd been asked to stop for years. "I love Arden. I think she's the bee's knees but she's basically a squirrel. Everything freaks her out. If it doesn't feel too soon to you then just talk to her about it. And don't let her run away."
"They couldn't find me?" Jordan turned away from the rack of clothes to face Arden.
Arden shrugged. It was the best she'd been able to come up with at the time.
"God, you are the worst liar," Jordan rolled her eyes, pulling out a red dress and holding it up. Arden shook her head, signaling for her to keep looking.
"I know I am, okay? That's beside the point," Arden ran a hand through her thick hair. "He wants to move in together. What am I supposed to say to that?"
"Well you're not supposed to make up some cockamamie lie," Jordan teased. "But what's done is done. We can't change that now."
Arden leaned back, resting her head against the wall behind her. She blamed her parents for all of her awkwardness. Her father was aloof and never really bothered to express any emotion and her mother had always treated her like she was some small adult who had wandered into their home and decided to stay. As a result, she could get very awkward taking steps in relationships and expressing what she wanted or felt.
"Ginge, you have got to stop panicking whenever Nick wants to move forward," Jordan advised. "You like him. A lot. That's clear as day. And he is a great guy."
"I know he is, things are going great," Arden said. "But don't you think moving in together would mess everything up? I mean, why fix what isn't broken?"
"I don't think he's trying to fix anything, honey," Jordan said. "I think he probably made a suggestion that came to him in the moment without a whole lot of thought behind it."
"But what if he really did mean it?"
"Then you need to decide if you're open to it. And if you're not, you just tell him you're not. He will understand," Jordan assured her.
"But I don't even know if I'm open to it," Arden whined. "That's the problem."
"Arden, you are the smartest person I know," Jordan said. "You're also super neurotic sometimes and Nick knows that just as well as I do. Just tell him that you're not sure. I am always here to listen to you but this is really something better talked out with him. Not me."
"What would you do if Phil asked you to move in with him?" Arden questioned.
Jordan thought about it for a moment and then shrugged, "I have no idea. Fortunately, I'm not the one who has to think about it."
1 Hour Later…
You think Celia will mind if I bring a date to the wedding?
Jordan rolled her eyes when she read her brother's text. He wasn't the only one requesting a plus one to Celia's nuptials. She'd been fielding requests for a week. Celia and Benjamin had sent out invitations addressed to specific people with no option for a plus one. They both decided that they didn't want any strangers at their wedding, a stance Jordan admired. Still, Celia would never say no to Wesley. She'd always had a soft spot for him.
She won't mind but don't bring some rando. If you don't have someone you really like, just come alone she typed back. If you bring a stranger, it'll just be weird for both of you and it's not like you won't know people.
Yeah but who am I gonna dance with? You and Grace?
Phil will totally dance with you. Jason too.
You aren't helping.
"This seat taken?"
Jordan looked up from her phone when she heard the question. She smiled at John as he sat across from her with a plate of food.
"Hey," she smiled. "What are you doing eating with the rest of us common folk?"
Jordan spent more time in catering than she probably should have and she rarely saw John there.
"I have to grace you all with my presence eventually," he smirked. "You working on wedding stuff?"
"Not exactly," she answered. She realized she had to be complaining about it a lot because people were starting to ask her about it as though it was her wedding. She was going to have to dial down the bitching. "Wesley wants to bring a date and Celia is less than pleased because I can't be there for her cake tasting on Thursday."
"Well did you at least tell her you're covering a good cause?" he smiled.
"A good cause?" she raised an eyebrow. "I'm just doing more NXT profiles. I'm not exactly Mother Teresa."
"On Thursday?" he questioned. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," Jordan nodded. "I fly out Wednesday morning and I'm there until Friday. I have like a week's worth of work to do in less than 3 days."
Confusion marred his features and she tilted her head, "Why? What did you think I was doing?"
"I'm being honored by Make A Wish this Thursday," John explained. "I granted my 300th wish this weekend."
"Oh that's right. Congratulations," she reached over, touching his forearm. "I'm so sorry I forgot."
"It's okay," he assured her. "I'm just surprised. I figured it might be covered on your show."
"It will be," Jordan insisted. "But when we're getting footage for something that doesn't actually require me to be in front of the camera, we just send one of the associate producers. They make sure the footage is good and then we add it into the show during editing."
"That makes sense," John nodded, though his expression was one of disappointment. She wasn't used to seeing him make a face like that and she didn't like it at all.
"I'm sorry," she gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "I'll send Dylan so it'll be a familiar face."
"You think you'd be interested in attending as a guest? Off the clock?" he asked. "I'd really like it if you could make it."
She really didn't think she could move anything around. Hunter was pushing hard to get the NXT segments on her show and she needed to get the footage. Still, he was giving her a hopeful look and there was just no way she could say no.
She sighed, unsure of how she would pull it off. "If you want me there, I will try."
John stood awkwardly next to AJ as they talked to Vickie Guerrero. He'd been pulled out of catering to come and take pictures with AJ. Then Vickie found them so that they could go over their segment for Raw. For weeks, their storyline had been leading to a big reveal that John and AJ had, in fact, engaged in a physical relationship and this was supposed to be the night that it all came out. At the top of the show, John was supposed to kiss AJ in the middle of the ring. He didn't understand the angle at all but Vince seemed to love it. John just didn't think it made sense. He and AJ had absolutely zero chemistry. She was a nice enough girl and they got along but…he didn't feel any attraction to her and he was sure that the feeling was mutual. They just weren't each other's' type.
"I'll be back," AJ said, patting John on the arm and then walking off toward Arden when she saw the redhead coming their way.
"Are you alright?" Vickie queried.
"Yeah, I'm good," he nodded.
"Are you sure?" she laughed. "You look incredibly uncomfortable right now."
John liked Vickie. She was kind and funny and very easy to work with. He'd loved her husband and he could see why they were so good together. That didn't mean he wanted to share the current reason for his discomfort.
"I'm just…I have a lot going on right now, that's all," he said. That wasn't a lie. He did have a lot going on. In a little more than a week, he would officially be divorced. The papers were being filed. He agreed to give Ashley the lion's share of their real estate. He would keep the house in Florida but she would get property in California, Boston, and a condo they owned in New York, along with a portion of the cash settlement she'd requested. He wasn't happy about it at all. The monetary value was well over what she was owed as dictated in their prenup. It was well over what he'd initially offered her. But this was what it was going to take to get this to go away and that was what he needed. He couldn't have her threats hanging over his head. More importantly, he couldn't let have them over Jordan's. Ashley would get what she wanted, she wouldn't attack Jordan in the media, and John would officially be a free man. Everybody wins.
"The divorce?" Vickie asked sympathetically.
John nodded, "Yeah. Ashley hasn't been making things easy."
"You'll get through it," she assured him. "Just take it one day at a time."
"I will," John forced a smile. "I know it'll all work out."
"So on Wednesday we shoot with Paige again, Bo Dallas, and Big E. Thursday is Kassius Ohno, Corey Graves, and Tamina. Friday-"
"Wait, Hunter wants to cancel the Tamina piece," Stephanie stopped Arden from continuing with the shooting schedule for the NXT profiles.
"Why?" Jordan looked up from her iPad. "He was the one who wanted to do it in the first place.
"We didn't really get a chance to talk about it," Stephanie explained. "He told me in passing. I'll find out later but we can take that one out."
"Are we gonna replace it with something else?" Jordan asked. "I'm already there, I'd like to get as much done as we can."
"Let's just add The Ascension to the list," Stephanie suggested.
Jordan typed it in, "Works for me. I gotta tell John there's no way I'm making his dinner. We've got way too much to do."
Stephanie looked up, confused for a moment. Then she remembered the Make-A-Wish dinner. John was the first celebrity to ever grant 300 wishes and would be honored at the foundation's annual Evening of Excellence.
Jordan noticed her expression, "John asked me if I was covering it and I told him I'd be in Florida. He asked if I could make it and I said I'd try but I don't even know why I said it. It's not gonna happen."
"I hadn't even thought about it," Stephanie sat back in her chair, surprised at herself for forgetting. "Of course he would want you to be there."
Jordan shrugged, "I'll just send him something."
"Like what?" Arden laughed.
"I don't know, an edible arrangement," Jordan shrugged. "A giant cookie he won't eat?"
"No, no, you should come," Stephanie put down her papers. She'd been remiss when she didn't have Jordan added to the event. She'd planned to have a producer cover it but as such a close friend of John's, she should be there.
"Stephanie, we just covered how much I have to do that day," Jordan reminded her. "You were a part of the conversation."
"We can move things around," Stephanie said. "It's going to be a fun night. Hunter and I are going. Arden could bring Nick. You can bring Phil."
Jordan laughed and then tried to play it off as though she was coughing, even patting her chest.
Arden patted her on the shoulder.
"I'm serious," Stephanie insisted.
"I can check with Nick," Arden said. "I'm not sure of his schedule but I'm sure if he's available he wouldn't mind."
"Well I can't say the same for Phil," Jordan said. "Thursday is his only day off for a while and I doubt he'll want to spend it going to Phoenix for this."
"Then come alone," Stephanie shrugged. She was certain that Jordan was right. Phil would never come but that didn't mean Jordan couldn't. "Like I said, Hunter and I will be there. Even Randy is coming and he hates work functions more than almost anyone. We'll reschedule the profiles to the weekend. You don't need to be at the house shows."
"You're not gonna let this go are you?" Jordan looked amused.
"I'm not," Stephanie readily admitted. "I feel guilty; I should have taken care of this earlier. And I don't like feeling guilty."
"Alright," Jordan sighed. "I guess if you and Hunter are okay with moving the shooting I don't have much choice."
"I'm glad you see it my way," Stephanie smiled.
Arden set off to find Dylan and get Jordan's travel plans changed around. Jordan needed to start filming and Stephanie was on her way to catering when her assistant stopped her, explaining that her father was looking for her. She was surprised that he would send for her. The show was starting soon and they would both be in the production area but she didn't question it much. When Vince wanted to talk, everyone made time. She found the small conference room that he was using and leaned in the open doorway, "You wanted to talk to me?"
"I do," Vince stood up, gesturing for her to take the empty seat across from him. He always stood when someone else entered the room even if he was sitting right back down. It was an odd and somewhat intimidating habit. He'd done it her whole life but it still threw her off at times.
"Well," she sat down, folding her hands on the table in front of her. She didn't want this to take long; they had a lot to do. "What did you need to talk about?"
"Jordan," Vince said. "I saw the numbers for her show. They're fantastic."
Stephanie smiled proudly. She was enjoying working with Jordan and Arden on the show immensely. She took great pride in being able to guide them through the process.
"I believe that Jordan is going to prove to be a very valuable asset for us," Vince stated. "She gives us a lot of crossover appeal with mainstream media, sports media especially and that's very important."
"I agree," Stephanie nodded. This wasn't anything new. They'd discussed these things before. The ratings for her All Axxess only proved that point.
"A big part of her appeal is her accessibility," Vince said. "She's got a great presence on social media. The fans can relate to her. They feel like they can talk directly to her."
Stephanie nodded, wondering where this conversation as going.
"That's why I think we need to do something about her and Punk."
"I'm sorry?" Stephanie cocked her head.
"The demographic is primarily male," Vince said.
"Yes, of course, but she's also done very well with women."
"I noticed," Vince nodded. "And that's great. We want women to want to be her best friend. And we want the men to fall in love with her. A public relationship with our champion doesn't help that."
Stephanie stared at her father. She wasn't shocked at the idea that he would insert himself into an employee's personal life. It wouldn't be the first time or the last. Still, it had been a while since he'd felt the need to bring up something like this.
"Talk to her about it," Vince commanded.
"And say what exactly?" Stephanie laughed. "Jordan is a grown adult. She can do what she wants."
"Oh calm down, Stephanie, I'm not telling you to make them break up," Vince declared. "Just advise her that it's best if they keep their relationship private. I don't care how you say it, just get the point across."
Arden felt incredibly accomplished for one day. She and Jordan had gotten a ton of work done, she'd produced her first backstage segment, she'd participated on several conference calls, and she'd somehow managed to avoid an extremely awkward conversation with her boyfriend. The only conversation they'd had was in text form. She asked if he could make it on Thursday and he said that he couldn't because he had an appearance in South Carolina. Now, the show was almost over. The Shield would be attacking Ryback at any moment and she was packing up her laptop. She felt eyes on her and she half expected Dylan to be standing there, hoping she didn't have more for him to do. She'd been running the poor kid ragged all day long. When she turned, she found Nick there, freshly showed and dressed in a Kent State hoodie and sweatpants. He smiled and she smiled back. She couldn't help smiling when she saw him, even when she'd been avoiding him all day. She'd missed him. She just didn't know what to say.
"You done for the night?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah," she tucked her hair behind her ears. "Jordan has a little more to do but I'm done for the night."
"I already put my stuff in the car so we can go whenever you want," he explained. She could tell he wanted to say more but he was being quiet. He helped her get her things together and then they headed out to the car. She texted Jordan while he tried to pull out of the lot. Despite the fact that the show wasn't quite over yet, there were still fans outside the parking area. Nick stopped, signing some autographs and smiling for pictures. When they were finally on their way, Arden's phone rang. Dylan had some questions for her that couldn't seem to wait until morning. They were back at the hotel before either of them actually had a chance to say anything to the other. Nick held the door open for her, still quiet, and she was starting to wonder if he was angry with her. She wouldn't blame him if he was. She hadn't gone with the most mature plan of action. Her fears were eased when he came up behind her as she was plugging her phone into its charger, wrapping his arms around her stomach and kissing the side of her head. He sat on the bed, pulling her down with him, "Can we talk?"
She kicked off her heels, "Of course we can. What do you want to talk about?"
"Arden, are we just gonna pretend you didn't make up a story about Jordan being lost because I suggested we move in together?" he questioned.
She reluctantly moved off of his lap to sit next to him, "I was going to but now you called me out on it so I can't."
He reached out, touching her cheek, "I wasn't trying to freak you out babe. It just came out."
"I wasn't freaked out," she shook her head. That was a lie. A complete lie.
His expression made it clear that he knew it just as well as she did.
"Okay, I panicked a bit," she admitted. "I just didn't know what to say and when I don't know what to say I…"
"Make up a story that makes absolutely no sense?" he smirked.
"It's easy to use Jordan because she'll just go along with whatever," Arden shrugged.
He laughed, reaching out and taking her hand in his. He was so sweet and patient. She wasn't sure why he put up with her.
"I do like the idea of living with you," she squeezed his hand. "But I also really like my house and I don't know if I want to give it up. And then there's the fact that you live in Florida and I live in LA and I would prefer to stay there. I like where I live. How would we decide where to go? And would you even want to move into my house? Like, would you feel weird about that? And what about my mother? What if we just can't ever get rid of her?"
Arden was beginning to run out of breath and Nick silenced her by pulling her into a kiss. It was soft and sweet and when he pulled away, he chuckled, "You really are a crazy person."
"I know," she sighed.
"And I like your house. I wouldn't mind moving there if that's what you wanted," he said. "I don't have any attachment to my apartment and I don't have to live in Florida. Your mother is kind of an issue but she's got a job now so whenever you're ready, you should probably put your foot down about her moving out."
"Do you know that when I was going away for college, she packed my stuff before I could even do it?" Arden asked. "I literally went out one day and came back to find her packing boxes. It's the only time I've ever actually seen her pack anything. I should return the favor."
"I can't tell you what to do, she's your mom," Nick smirked.
She looked up, meeting his blue eyes, "You really wouldn't mind moving into my house?"
"Why would I?" he asked. "I mean, I might want to dial down the girly decorations a little."
"What do you mean dial down?" Arden eyed him suspiciously. "It's not that girly."
"You have like a million pillows on your bed that you don't use," Nick said. "I can't even begin to understand their purpose."
"Their purpose is mostly decoration," she insisted. "But I also use more pillows than you know."
"Arden, we sleep together on a pretty regular basis, you only use one pillow," he laughed. "Sometimes two."
She considered arguing but he was right. She really did have a lot of decorative pillows but she liked them. They weren't bothering anybody.
"Look, we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here," he laughed. "We don't need to make any decisions right now. This is the first time it's come up. Just…just think about it. And we'll talk about it again later."
"Okay," she smiled. "I'll think about you moving in. I'm not even going to consider getting rid of my pillows."
"So you will never guess who I had lunch with yesterday."
"No, Colt, I won't guess," Phil laughed, shifting the bag of ice on his knee. "Who did you have lunch with?"
"Harry Cartwright," Colt sounded like a giddy child. "Is that not the coolest thing ever?"
"Are you kidding me?" Phil asked. Was there anyone who didn't get along famously with Jordan's dad except for him? At least he had Grace. Grace loved him. Harry tolerated him at best. "You had lunch with Harry?"
"Well, technically Jason was having lunch with Harry," Colt clarified. "And I just invited myself along. But Jason didn't say no and Harry didn't seem to mind."
Colt was absolutely shameless. It was one of Phil's favorite things about him.
"Okay, tell me everything, what did you wear? What did you eat?" Phil asked.
"I'm going to ignore your mocking tone," Colt said haughtily. "If you were smart you would take advantage of the relationship I'm building here and ask me to put in a good word for you. I think you need it."
Phil frowned, "Why? Did he say something about me?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Colt questioned. "Not so funny now, is it?"
"Come on, don't fuck around," Phil groaned. "What did he say?"
"Not a whole lot," Scott admitted. "Just that you better be taking good care of his daughter."
"Jordan takes care of herself," Phil laughed. "She's not a baby. He should know better than anyone how mad she gets when anyone tries to take care of her."
"He doesn't mean physically man," Colt sighed. "He's just worried about her. She's his only daughter and she's got so much going on now. He just wants to know that she's good."
"Well she is," Phil ran a hand over his hair. He knew that Jordan was happy, that he made her happy. He just wished there was some easy way to convince her father of that. "That man is never gonna like me."
"Probably not," Colt admitted. "You're in a relationship with the only daughter of one of the meanest motherfuckers ever to step foot on a football field. You knew what you were signing up for."
"In my defense, the first time I met her, I didn't know she was his daughter," Phil joked.
"Oh like that would've changed anything," Colt scoffed. "Look, I think he respects you and that's probably the best you can hope for."
"Probably," Phil agreed. "I guess it's a good thing I never have to worry about asking for his daughter's hand in marriage."
"Say what now?" Colt asked. It sounded like he dropped something.
Phil chuckled, "I had kind of a weird conversation with Jordan the other day. She said she never wants to get married."
"Did you…did you ask her to marry you?" Colt sounded wary.
"No. stupid," Phil answered. "We were talking about Celia's wedding and she just sort of..announced it."
"Did she say why?"
"Yeah, she said she'd seen enough shitty marriages and didn't want to be in one," Phil explained.
"Well that's not exactly bad reasoning," Colt said. "But I don't love the idea of never being able to give you away on your big day."
"The groom isn't the one who's given away," Phil chuckled. "And you're assuming I'm gonna be with Jordan forever now?"
"Of course I am," Colt confirmed. "You're not that stupid."
Phil was chuckling at his friend's declaration when he heard the door opening behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Jordan breezing into the room with a bag of food in one hand, the other holding her phone to her ear.
She smiled at him as she took her shoes off.
"I know Cel," she rolled her eyes. "I promise. I will make sure all of the gift bags are ready. Yes Celia. Ok I have to go now."
"Is that Jordan?" Colt asked. "Blow her a kiss for me."
"No," Phil laughed. "I'm gonna let you go. She looks like she's gonna need to vent very soon."
"Alright, I'll talk to you later."
When he hung up the phone, she was still trying to get off the phone with Celia.
"Yeah, I ordered the candles and the sunglasses. I checked the tracking on both this morning and they should be at my house on Thursday," she said, shedding her coat and draping it over a chair. "Grace will be there to sign for them…You're welcome. I'm gonna go now. I'll call you in the morning."
She walked over to the opposite end of the couch and set the food down on the table. Before she could sit, he grabbed her free hand, guiding her to sit with her back against him. She was careful not to bump his knee as she relaxed against his chest. He placed a kiss on the top of her head, stifling a laugh as Celia continued talking. Jordan put the phone on speaker, placing it on the coffee table.
"I sent you pictures of the veils, you need to tell me which one you like so I can get it ordered."
"I like them all," Jordan said. "You look beautiful in every single one Cel. Just pick whichever one you like the most."
"I know but-"
"Hey Celia, it's Phil," he spoke up. "I need to steal Jordan for the next ten hours or so, okay? She'll call you back tomorrow."
She turned to look at him and he shrugged. Jordan couldn't seem to get her off the phone, maybe he could.
"I'm monopolizing her, aren't I?" Celia sighed.
"You are," he confirmed. "And I'm sure your fiancée would like a few minutes with you too."
"Fine, fine," Celia relented. "I'll go live my life as though I'm not under a mountain of wedding stress for a few hours."
"That's probably a good idea," Jordan laughed. "I love you honey."
"I love you too," Celia said. "Talk to you tomorrow."
"She's going to give herself a heart attack," Jordan rested her head against him as he ended the call and slid her phone away. "I don't know why she thought it would be a good idea to plan this thing so fast. I hate that I can't be there more. It's like she wants my opinion on every tiny little detail and I just don't have time for it all."
"You're doing the best you can," he reminded her, kissing the side of her head. In addition to everything that Jordan was juggling with work on a daily basis, she was planning Celia's 3 day bachelorette party on Amelia Island. She'd been back and forth with the staff at the Ritz-Carlton there scheduling spa services that morning.
"She's got me putting together the gift bags for everyone coming to Amelia Island," Jordan sighed. "I had to order ten two hundred dollar candles."
"You spent two grand on candles?" Phil asked. "That's insane."
"That's nothing," Jordan laughed. "Each bag is coming out to about twenty five hundred."
"You're spending twenty five thousand dollars on gift bags?" he stared.
"Not just me," she laughed. "Cel is paying half and then Maeve and I are splitting the rest. Plus, Cel is paying for everyone's flights and accommodations for the trip."
"I don't think I want to know how much this wedding is costing them," Phil shook his head. He was a fan of holding on to his money. He knew Celia's family was wealthy but it sounded like this wedding would be cost enough to feed a third world country for a year.
"Well, she's only gonna get married once," Jordan shrugged. "I hope…She better only do this once."
She moved to sit up but he held her close, wanting to relish in her warmth a little longer.
"We have to eat eventually," she laughed.
"I know. It can wait another minute," he said, nuzzling the side of her neck.
"You keep that up and it will be much longer than a minute," she slipped out of his grasp, pulling her salad out of the bag and handing the rest to him.
"That's what I was hoping for," he smiled.
She returned his smile, "Later, Brooks. I need to talk to you about something."
He nodded for her to continue while he unwrapped his sandwich.
"So you know how I was supposed to leave for Florida on Wednesday to shoot more NXT profiles?"
He nodded again.
"Well…it came up today that John is being honored by Make A Wish on Thursday and now Stephanie wants me to go cover that instead and head to Florida after."
"O…kay," he eyed her, waiting for the rest. There had to be something else. She looked hesitant.
She tilted her head to the side, giving him a hopeful half smile, "Will you come with me?"
"Jordan," he began.
"I know your first instinct is to say no," she held up her hands. "But before you do, know that I have to go either way. And I want to go. It's a big deal for him. I know that doesn't affect you much but…I'd really like for you to go with me."
He studied her face, thinking about it for a moment. Then she batted her dark lashes at him and he sighed, knowing he couldn't say no to her. He hadn't told her yet that he was being pulled from the house shows for the weekend he could just go to this with her and then fly home on Friday. He just needed to be home by Friday afternoon for an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. He would tell her that part later.
"I'll go," he smiled. He wasn't smiling because he wanted to go. He didn't at all. But he loved making her smile the way she did when he said it.
"Really?" she beamed. Her expression quickly turned suspicious, "No way. That was way too easy. What are you up to?"
"Nothing," he laughed. "You're just hard to say no to."
Thursday…
Phil tightened his tie, looking at himself in the mirror. He had to say, he cleaned up well. He hadn't brought a suit on the road with him so when they arrived in Phoenix, he and Jordan went to pick one up a black Hugo Boss one for him and she got a dress and shoes, despite the fact that she did have several other options. He still wasn't thrilled about going to this Evening of Excellence thing. He didn't love attending an event to honor someone he didn't even like half the time but he was happy to support Make-A-Wish and to give Jordan what she wanted. He just prayed that somehow they weren't sitting with Stephanie and Hunter.
The bathroom door opened and Jordan walked out her Vader t-shirt. She had smoky makeup around her eyes and her hair was pulled tightly back into a ponytail.
"Did you change your mind on the dress?" he smirked.
"I didn't want to get makeup on it," she laughed. "I'll be ready to go in just a minute."
"No rush," he sat down on the couch, watching as she moved around the room. Her dress was lying on the bed, shoes on the floor right below it. She slowly pulled her t-shirt off over her head, careful not to mess up her hair. She was left in a barely there pair of black lace panties and Phil's gaze glided over her body. He truly was a lucky man.
"Do we have to go to this thing?" he asked. He could think of a several other things that they would both enjoy more.
"Yes," she disappointed him unzipping the back of her dress and stepping into it. He got up to help her with the zipper, intent on distracting her, but before he could make a move, her phone rang.
"That has to be Stephanie," he sighed, resting his forehead on her shoulder. "There's no better cock block in the world than that woman."
"Phillip!" she elbowed him, grabbing her phone and answering it quickly, "Hey Stephanie."
"I knew it," he threw up his hands, zipping the back of her dress. It pained him to do it but she did look amazing in it. It was dark red and tight, stopping just below her knees and dipping low in the back. Who would have known Posh Spice could make such a sexy dress?
She pressed a button on her phone, walking back into the bathroom, "You're on speaker. I'm just finishing up getting ready and then we're heading out."
"You know, you could just ride with us," Stephanie suggested. "We're leaving from the same hotel."
She was in the process of putting in an earring and she turned her head toward Phil. He slowly shook his head no and she laughed, "That's okay. The car's already set up. No point in changing it now. But we'll see you there."
"Of course," Stephanie said. "I'm pretty sure we're sitting together."
Phil sat down on the edge of the bed. He was just getting shot down left and right.
"Listen, I wanted to talk to you before we get there tonight about the red carpet," Stephanie said.
"I didn't even know there was a red carpet," Jordan laughed. "Go on."
"I just thought that I would make a suggestion," Stephanie said.
Phil frowned, waiting for Stephanie to continue. He couldn't hear her that well so he got up, walking over to the door.
"I was thinking maybe you and Phil might not want to walk the carpet together," Stephanie explained.
Phil's brow furrowed and he frowned at the phone as though Stephanie could somehow see him.
"Why not?" Jordan asked, looking confused.
"I mean, you and Phil haven't officially confirmed that you're together. He's said he has a girlfriend and you've said you have a boyfriend but you've never confirmed you're an item."
Phil hated being referred to as 'an item'. It sounded stupid.
"Okay," Jordan said, her tone encouraging her boss to continue.
"I was just thinking maybe we shouldn't have you walk together so we aren't alienating you from Phil's female fanbase," Stephanie said. "We don't want to set ourselves up for backlash when you're doing so well with the female demo right now."
Phil made a face. That sounded like grade A bullshit to him. He couldn't help himself, he had to say something.
"You know, Steph, I appreciate your concern but I'm only going to this thing for Jordan, I'm sure as hell not gonna pretend I'm not there with her," he said. "Thanks though. We'll see you when we get there."
"Okay then," Stephanie said, her tone clipped. "We'll see you there."
She hung up and Jordan looked over at him, "What the hell man?"
"What? Did you agree with her?" he asked, knowing that she didn't.
"No but you could have expressed it a little better," she took one last look at herself before turning to him. "Or, you know, let me handle it, seeing as how she was talking to me and not you."
"She was bullshitting you, Jordan," he told her as she walked past him, turning off the bathroom light. "The fans already know you're my girlfriend. We all know that. If she's concerned with anyone looking single, I can guarantee it's not me."
"What?" her face contorted in confusion as she fastened her strappy heels.
"Nothing," he shook his head. He didn't want to get into it. He'd been trying not to think too much about the fact that Stephanie changed around Jordan's entire shooting schedule just so that she could attend this event for the almighty John Cena when she couldn't be bothered to change a thing when Phil wanted her to come to his DVD release. If he said it out loud, Jordan would just argue that it didn't mean what he thought it meant and he didn't want to have that conversation. He walked over to her when she stood up straight, taking her face in his hands, "I should've let you handle it. I'll do better next time."
She looked impressed, "Look at you, being all mature. Thank you for saying that. But I'm never letting you near my phone when I'm talking to Stephanie again."
"That may be your best bet," he kissed her quickly. "Come on, let's go get this over with."
Hunter could feel the tension in the arm Stephanie had looped through his as they neared the end of the red carpet.
"Steph, you're gonna take my arm off," he spoke through his teeth, keeping his smile plastered on since they were still having their pictures taken.
"I'm sorry," she quickly let up her grip. They were almost at the end. They were asked to turn in a few more angles and then, thankfully, they were done.
"What's wrong?" he questioned, taking her hand in his. He could read his wife like a book and something was clearly bothering her.
Stephanie turned her gaze, looking back out to the carpet. Phil and Jordan had been behind them and they were still getting snaps taken. Phil kissed Jordan on the cheek and she laughed, playfully smacking at him with her clutch purse.
"What? Them?" Hunter laughed.
"He's just trying to spite me," Stephanie glared, annoyance coming off of her in waves.
Hunter caught most of her phone conversation with Jordan from earlier and frankly, it surprised him. He hadn't brought it up to her since because he thought it would blow over but he didn't get the point of asking Jordan and Phil to walk the carpet separately. The fans weren't going to be fooled that easy. The fact that they were dating was already common knowledge. There had been no hope of hiding it after the DVD release in Chicago.
"Sweetheart, I don't want this to sound insulting but…I don't think you're on his mind right now," Hunter teased as Phil and Jordan moved to another point on the carpet and Phil clearly snuck a look at his girlfriend's ass. Hunter knew that look, trying to get a glimpse without getting caught. He did it all the time.
"You know how he is, Hunter," Stephanie insisted. "I guarantee that if I hadn't said what I said, he wouldn't be Mr. PDA like he is right now. This is a dig at me."
"Or," he began to counter. "It's a couple in that stage of their relationship when they cant keep their hands off each other. He pulled her against him. "You remember that stage?"
"I barely remember anything that happened before the first kid," she joked, her shoulders relaxing a fraction.
"Just let it go. You've gotta stop taking everything he does so personally," Hunter advised. "So our champion plays kissy face with his girlfriend on a red carpet…who cares? You remember that time we had to get Randy and Ric out of that strip club trouble in Atlanta? That was a problem."
"Oh God, please don't remind me about that," Stephanie laughed. "Single Randy was a menace."
Hunter chuckled, "That he was. Let's hope he never gets a divorce."
John felt so much more relaxed now that his speech was over. He didn't know why he'd been nervous but he was. His work with Make-A-Wish meant a lot to him and he just wanted properly express how proud it made him to get to work with them as much as he did. But it was over, he'd taken what felt like a thousand different pictures with parents, executives, pretty much anyone who grabbed him. Now he could relax a little. And he was looking for two people in particular. They shouldn't have been to difficult to find in a crowd. He looked around the tables for a moment before realizing his search was futile. He knew exactly where the find them. He headed toward the bar and spotted them within seconds. Jordan was holding a champagne flute and Randy had a nearly empty rocks glass. They both seemed to notice him at the same time and big smiles overtook their faces.
Jordan was the first to hug him, "Congratulations. Your speech was fantastic."
"Thank you," he returned the hug before allowing Randy to pull him into another one.
"You almost made me feel real emotions," Randy said.
"Then I've done my job," John put his hand over his heart. He was glad they could both make it. Stephanie told him it took a lot of shuffling to get Jordan there but he appreciated that they were willing to make the changes. Even Phil had come, that was surprising.
"Where's your other half?" John asked Jordan and she shrugged.
"He ran into someone he knew and I lost him," she explained. "At least I think he knew the guy. He may have just been trying to get away from Stephanie."
"Well I'll have to find him later and thank him for coming," John said. "But I'm glad I got you two together. I have some good news."
"Did we win something?" Jordan asked.
"Are you granting a wish for us?" Randy asked.
"Considering where we are, I think that would be bad news, Randy," Jordan chided him.
John shook his head. Sometimes he wondered if it was a bad thing that they liked each other so much.
"It doesn't have anything to do with either of you," he said. "I am days away from being a free man."
"Excuse me?" Jordan narrowed her eyes.
"Free as in…?" Randy spoke slowly.
"Divorced," John smiled. "The final papers are being filed. It's almost done."
"What?" Jordan dragged out the word, looking very puzzled.
"How is that possible?" Randy asked.
John frowned. He had expected them to be jumping for joy. He wasn't sure there were two people in the world that disliked Ashley more than they did.
"You guys are my friends," he reminded them. "You're supposed to be happy, maybe even excited."
"Oh no, we're happy. I'm totally happy. Randy, aren't you happy?" Jordan looked up at their friend.
"Definitely," Randy nodded. "Thrilled. We're just…"
"Surprised," Jordan finished. "We're just surprised because like a week ago you were still fighting over assets and seemed pretty far apart. What changed?"
That was a loaded question.
"We came to terms," John answered simply. "Our lawyers had quite a few meetings and made a lot of money off of both of us but everything's all ironed out."
"Just like that?" Randy asked warily. "It just took a couple meetings?"
"Yeah, that's all it took," John said. "Everyone's tired of arguing over it at this point. She gave on some things, I gave on some things. It's done. I want to celebrate. I thought you would too."
"We do!" Jordan gave him an apologetic look, reaching out and touching his arm. "We do. I'm really happy for you. And happy for myself if this means I don't ever have to see Ashley again."
"You don't have to if I can help it," John laughed. "I need a drink. You need another one?"
"I can always drink more champagne," Jordan shrugged, tossing back the rest of her flute before handing it over to him.
Randy shook his head, "I'm okay for now."
Randy watched as John waded into the crowd around the bar, getting caught in another photo op. He looked over at Jordan and was fairly certain her expression matched his own. She looked unconvinced.
He bumped her with his elbow, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
She angled her face toward him, giving him a long look, "You do look great in that suit Randy."
"I know I do," he smirked. "That's not what I meant."
"It's not just me right?" she asked him, looking relieved. "There's something he isn't telling us?"
"Of course there is," he scoffed. "You don't go from fighting each other over every cent to mutual agreements on everything in a week."
"Something is definitely off," Jordan crossed her arms. "But I don't get it. If they came to an agreement, he wouldn't have any reason to lie to us about it. That doesn't make sense."
"You're right, it doesn't," Randy agreed. Randy couldn't figure out why John was lying but he knew that he was.
"Do you think we should push it?" she asked. He looked down at her concerned expression. It was good to know that someone else had John's back the way Randy did. He knew for a fact that she was willing to fight to defend him if she needed to. He liked that about her.
"I just realized something," he put his arm over her shoulders. "I think you're my best female friend."
She looked up at him, "That does not surprise me, Randy."
"I didn't think it would," he conceded. It was pretty well known backstage that he'd never been great at keeping women as friends.
"So what do we do?" Jordan asked. "We can't exactly beat it out of him at a charity event."
Randy looked for their friend in the crowd. He was taking a picture with Stephanie and Hunter. He looked their way and his eyes fell right on Jordan. He gave her an apologetic smile and she pretended to be mad that she was without a drink.
"Leave it to me," Randy instructed. He had a feeling that he'd have an easier time getting the truth out of John if she wasn't around.
