Page 51 of Game Plan
“I’m sorry, I should have told you,” Jade said regretfully. “It’s just, it wasn’tonlymy secret to tell, and I didn’t want to only give you half of the story.”
“Jae, we’ve known each other for what, six years now? You know you can trust me, anything you say stops right here.” Will said, before adding, “The secrets I keep from my husband are many and varied, but only because they belong to other people.” Will smirked.
Jade smiled at her friend and started, “do you remember before we headed off on our globe-trotting adventures, I had that incredible night out?”
“Ooooh, with the dream woman who you forgot to get her number from?” Will sat up on the treatment table, settling in to listen as Jade finally opened up to him.
“Exactly, well, I found her,” she let out a sigh and felt a smile grow on her face as images of blonde curls, icy blue eyes, and dancing lips of laughter filled her head. “It turns out,” Jade took a breath, “I actually ended up treating her on the first day on tour.”
“Nooooooo,” Will let out in a whisper.
“I know, right? What are the chances? Anyway, we’ve been seeing each other ever since that day, she’s met my family, I’ve met her...Dad, but that’s another part of the story...and we’ve been keeping everything quiet because she’s not out.”
“Yeah, you said when you showed me her all dressed up on your phone,” Will said. “If I remember rightly, when you told me about that very first night out walking the city together, youknew she was different than anyone else you’d hooked up with before?”
Jade took another sip of her drink and when she looked up at her friend, she knew she was ready to admit her feelings, “I love her, Will.”
He looked at her with a mix of happiness and sympathy in his eyes. “So, whatever happened must have really been bad to have you this shaken.”
“Rumors were starting to circulate around the venues about her, and her dad–who is also her manager–wanted to shut them down by making her appear to be romantically involved with her mixed-doubles partner. I told her I didn’t mind waiting for her to be ready to come out, that I’d wait a year or multiple if that’s what she needed, but that I refuse to be part of a lie.”
“Yeah, well, I see your point there.” Jade knew Will had gone through a similar situation with his husband before they were married. Nathan had wanted to hide their relationship as he worried it would damage his career and promotion opportunities. He had always taken female friends with him to events, never as anything more and always ensured that people knew they were just friends, but over time he saw the hurt he was causing Will by not takinghimto the events instead.
“We’re currently on radio silence until the US Open to give her space to think everything through. She’ll let me know what decision she’s going to make about it all when we arrive this weekend. Then we’ll know where we stand going forward.” Jade placed her drink down and wiped a tear away from her cheek.
They sat quietly for a few minutes before Will eventually broke the silence.
“I heard those rumors,” Will said softly, as he got off the treatment table and bent down to catch her eye, placing a hand on her knee. “It's her, isn’t it?” he asked gently,
“Yeah, it’s April Walker,” Jade said with a sad smile.
Chapter 41
April
April was finishing getting ready in their hotel room ahead of her interview. She and Dani had chosen to book a twin room so that they could work through the plan one more time before heading to the studio.
She stood in front of the mirror and checked that she was happy with everything. She had spent the day before going through her wardrobe to pick the perfect outfit, shoes, hair and make-up style. Everything.
In the end, there really was only one option: it had to be the same outfit she had on the night she first met Jade.
She ran her eyes over herself from head to toe: hair down, midnight blue top, fitted jeans, strappy sandals, and dark blue smoky eyes. Only this time, with one little addition.
“Are you ready?” Dani appeared behind her: fitted fire-engine red power suit with black camisole underneath and raised on black stiletto heels, brunette hair slicked back in a fierce high ponytail. Nobody was going to mess with her, not even April.
Was she ready? April wasn’t sure. She’d spent the past few days switching between being ok and not, just trying to keep it all together. She spent time focusing on her training ahead of the US Open starting this weekend. A few hours sorting through paperwork and contracts with her dad and Dani as her best friend took over her representation. She spoke with her family in the evenings about her coming out, Jade, and why she hadn’t told them sooner. But overall, just being together as a family with her finally getting to be completely herself with them had done wonders for her hurting heart.
“Yes? No?” April sighed. “Am I really doing this?” She looked at her friend in the mirror.
Dani’s hand rested on April’s shoulder. “There is no pressure for you to do this. Ever. You can walk away at any time. Just remember, this is for you, and nobody else. You know as well as I do that Suzie’s threat more than likely isn’t an empty one. This is you taking control in the best way possible. With courage, strength, and a whole lot of love behind you to help you through whatever the fallout of this may be.”
April took a moment to let her friend, and manager’s, words sink in. Dani was right, she just had to remember that this was about her. Nobody else. Yet...
“What if she doesn’t see it?” April all but whispered her fear.
“She’ll see it,” Dani said confidently.
“How can you be so sure?” April asked, concern written all over her reflection.
