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“No, it’s not. But if you can’t tell me important things, then you obviously don’t trust me.”
“Important things?” He took a step forward. “My dad used me to steal money from my friends and colleagues in the industry. He used his position to throw ritzy events and bring in loads of money, only to report a fraction of it to the charities and pocket the rest. And I stood right by his side for years while he did it.”
“You knew?”
“Of course I didn’t know. But I should have. He’s been using me since I was a kid, pushing me into the spotlight, taking a cut of everything I made, and I let him. I should have seen what he was doing and stopped it.” He was nearly shaking in anger. “My dad is a monster because I allowed him to become one.”
“Then you provided him with a legal team to hide it.”
“No. I provided a legal team to keep my mom and my sister out of it, to keep my name clean. My dad will answer for what he’s done, and I will do my best to repay the charities he’s stolen from.”
Which explained the tour. Hope weakly buoyed within me. If he had such a reasonable explanation for that, maybe he could also explain the issues with his last hairdresser. “What about Angelique? Whatever happened with her? Everyone made it sound like she was the only one at fault.”
He looked hurt. “You think so low of me?”
“I don’t know what to think. I just know that the only reason I’m here is because she got fired for coming on to you. Did you give her a reason to do that?”
His eyes flashed. “Probably. I’m friendly.”
That felt sour. “Is that what you were with me too? Friendly?”
He rubbed a hand over his forehead. “You’re twisting my words.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve heard other people’s opinions. I want to hear from you. I don’t want to make assumptions and be mad at you for something you didn’t do, Rhett. So please be up front with me. What happened with Angelique?”
“Nothing. I thought she was a friend.”
“Did you ever kiss her?” I held my breath, afraid of the answer. I didn’t want to believe Rhett was one of those guys who took advantage of his position and got cozy with all his female employees. I wanted him to tell me he was different.
But he didn’t say anything, and the guilt in his eyes was condemning.
I scoffed. “You can’t be mad at someone for coming on to you when you give them reason to think you’re into them, Rhett.”
“I told her I wasn’t into her. It was one kiss, and it was a mistake. I explained that it wasn’t professional, and it couldn’t happen again, and she tried to force it. That’s when I knew she wasn’t listening, and I had to let her go.”
“If she was a mistake, what was I? A way to pass the time? Were you bored, and I was conveniently there?”
“You were afavor.” His eyes glittered with frustration.
I hardly noticed, though, because my stomach dropped out. “What?”
“Nothing.” He looked out at the city lights again and rubbed his eyes. “It’s too late for this. We should both get some sleep and talk tomorrow.”
“If I leave right now, we won’t be talking at all. What favor, Rhett?” I had a sneaking suspicion, but I needed him to confirm it.
He faced me again. A breeze ran between us, but I wasn’t feeling anything but fear and frustration. “I needed a new stylist because I couldn’t bring Angelique along anymore. You showed up at that morning show, and Bridget offered you the job. I called Liam Connell to verify that I wouldn’t have a repeat of Angelique’s situation, and he told me you had a big thing for my movies but that you were trustworthy. He promised you wouldn’t do anything crazy, that you weren’t like that.”
I was oddly flattered by Liam’s analysis of who I was. He knew how much I’d loved Rhett, but even he could recognize that I wasn’t a psycho.
“The favor?” I pressed.
“Liam told me you’ve been a fan for a long time. He asked if I could hang out with you one night or something low-key to give you a Rhett experience.” He put his arms out to the sides, as if he was the gift I was receiving, then dropped them with a sad flop. “I thought it was weird and didn’t make any promises. But I appreciated how normal you were at the morning show in San Francisco, so I hired you.”
“And when I brought you the lobster rolls, you saw an opportunity to do your friend a solid and invited me in so I could have the Rhett experience for an evening.” That explained why he hadn’t paid me any attention before that night. He hadn’t planned on doing it at all. “You didn’t see friendship potential in me; you were just helping out a buddy.”
It made sense. Rhett was running a charity tour; he had a service-oriented heart. But I didn’t want to be just another charity case. He looked down at me with soulful blue eyes, and I could see the pain in them. This wasn’t easy on him, and despite how we’d snapped at each other, I knew he wasn’t a bad guy. He’d made some choices I didn’t agree with, and now we were over. Since we didn’t have an authentic beginning, I shouldn’t be surprised that we’d eventually come to an end.
“Well, it was nice to know that it was all based on a lie, and I feel thoroughly deceived. You should win an Oscar. Oh, wait. You have. So I guess I’m the fool who didn’t see it coming.” I hated how small and sad my voice sounded.
