Page 10 of Indescribable Love
With a sigh, he raked his hands through his hair. “My childhood is off-limits,” he said gruffly. “Plain and simple. All anyone needs to know is that I grew up in a small town in eastern North Carolina, I’m the middle child, and my parents divorced when I was a kid. End of story.”
She nodded.
“Your younger brother plays in the NFL, correct?”
He nodded. “Jax plays for the Wichita Warriors and is freaking amazing. I swear he was throwing a perfect spiral when he was three. He works hard and he’s incredibly talented. When I watch him play, I’m completely in awe of him. Sports were never my thing, but I love watching him do it and be completely amazing at it. Seeing him and his team win the Super Bowl was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
“I’ll bet,” she replied. “So I have to ask—is Bennett a stage name? Because I know both your brothers have the last name Wylder. I would have thought that name would work great for a rock star.”
He chuckled. “First, I don’t really consider myself a rock star. I’m a singer, a songwriter, and a musician. When I think of the phrase rock star, I think of guys like Dave Grohl or Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi.” He shrugged. “I believe my music has more pop and blues elements to it.”
“And the last name?”
Another shrug. “Ironically, when I auditioned for the reality show, they told me my last name was working against me. If people heard Wylder, they’d think wild, and if I went out there crooning some classic Elton John or Billy Joel, they’d be disappointed. So I went with my mom’s maiden name instead.”
“Wow…okay. I just learned something new about you.” She smiled. “Now, back to your family. Your older brother works in finance?”
Another nod. “Noah has always been a numbers guy. Honestly, Jax and I don’t know how he does it, but we’re glad he’s gifted in that way. He manages both our finances, and I can honestly say I’d be lost without him. He’s the only reason I know how to handle my money. It’s all invested and making money for me. I never would have known how to do any of that without him.”
“You are such a diverse group. And your mother’s a nurse?”
“She is, and we’re all so proud of her. She went back to school when Jax was in college and she followed her dream.” Taking his phone from his pocket, he showed Juliette a picture from the graduation. “Obviously it’s an old picture but look at the smile on her face. I feel like we may all have some big career accomplishments, but watching my mother walk the stage at her graduation? And knowing she was the oldest one in her class? It made everything else seem insignificant. Our mom is our hero.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, Juliette’s eyes seemed to tear up. “Wow…that’s…that’s quite possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.” She let out a soft sigh and Simon wanted to take a moment and savor it, but he immediately began to tense up because he knew the next question.
Juliette studied him for a long moment and must have picked up on his body language and put it all together. “It’s your father that you don’t want discussed.” And it wasn’t a question. “Done.” Then she picked up her sandwich and took another bite.
Was that it? Was it really that easy? She wasn’t going to push or ask any more questions?
Picking up his sandwich, he was about to take his own bite, but his mouth had other plans.
“You don’t want to know why?”
She shrugged. “Simon, you’re not the only person with family issues. Chances are, if the director really wanted to, he’d go out and get someone to dig up dirt on you. Or if he really wanted to know about your family, trust me, he’d find out some other way. We just need to stay one step ahead of him.”
“Okay, but…”
“Any chance your younger brother would be willing to play a bigger part in the documentary? You know, something to draw in the sports fans?”
“I…hadn’t thought about asking him. It didn’t seem relevant.”
Another shrug. “Just something else to consider.” She took a sip of her soda. “Thank you for getting this. It’s a vice that I just can’t seem to break. Although…I drink too much coffee, I enjoy eating foods that I probably shouldn’t, and then…this. I love ice cold, fizzy, black cherry soda. Ridiculous, right?”
That made him chuckle. “Not at all. I love it too, and normally I’m a healthy eater. I drink a lot of water, but sometimes I just want a soda. It doesn’t make us bad people.”
They ate in companionable silence for a minute, but Simon was eager to get to know more about her—and not as a publicist, but as a person.
“So, tell me something about yourself,” he prompted. “Your last name is very unique. Is it Italian?”
“It is,” she replied with a small smile. “My grandparents were both from Italy—and I mean both sets. I speak fluent Italian, I can make pasta and sauce from scratch, and food is definitely a love language in my family. But…I am also a very stereotypical Italian New Yorker.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, I’m a little loud and have a bit of an attitude,” she admitted. “Not that you have to worry. That side of me only comes out when I’m off the clock and out with either friends or family.”
Simon felt himself grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. The fact that she felt like she could share that about herself meant they were already making serious strides in getting to know each other. “Good to know! And I’m not going to lie, I want you to feel comfortable enough around us that you let that side out if you need to.”
But Juliette shook her head. “That’s never going to happen. You’re a client. I work for you and I pride myself on being professional.”