“Yes, but you’re not staying on my couch a whole lot, are you?” He stopped walking and reached for my wrist.
I looked up and caught his gaze. Those glorious greens were blazing, daring me to confess my true intentions and feelings for him. My heart raced, and my breathing quickened. He was right. I said I was sleeping with the dogs, but more often than not, I was slipping into his room and enjoying the comfort of his soft mattress, thick blankets, and warm arms.
“It’s strictly platonic.” I pulled away, feeling entirely too warm under his gaze, and started walking again.
“I’ve never cuddled my platonic friends to sleep. Is that what you do?” he called loudly for others to hear.
My mouth fell open, and I turned back around to argue, when my gaze flicked to someone behind him.
“Here’s Johnny,” I muttered, letting Sebastian know we had guests.
“Sebastian!” Arthur Englund strode over, hand out and a smile on his face.
Sebastian shook his hand, his jaw ticking as he glared at the blond man in the mustard-yellow suit.
He turned to me. “Evelyn, how are things going?”
“Great, thanks. We’re actually late for our morning call.”
“Oh, I’m sure you have a minute.” Arthur glanced at me and winked.
I cringed, but he ignored it.
“I actually wanted to ask if you were attending the Roses Charity Gala.”
The blood drained from my face. My heart dropped into my stomach. How did he know about that?
“Roses?” Sebastian said, feigning ignorance.
“We Become Roses. It’s the charity Lita Reyes founded, before her passing. I’ve been a major donor since its creation. We were hoping you’d both attend.”
“Who is we?” I demanded. How fucking ironic.
He chuckled. “The board of directors, of course.”
Board of directors?
My mother’s rapist was helping run the charity she’d started to help other victims.How had I missed this?
My head was spinning. I needed to sit down. I was so out of my league with all of this. I’d told myself when I came back to Hollywood that I was prepared for anything, but I was realizing I couldn’t be further from prepared. How had I missed that one of my mother’s killers was working to keep her charity running?
“So, you’re coming? We plan to honor Lita this year for the anniversary.”
“What anniversary?” I asked, more and more confused.
“It’s the ten-year anniversary of the creation of WBR. It’s a big deal. Do you not get our newsletters?”
Our?
Anger seethed under my skin.
“I’m going,” I snapped. “It sounds like I’ve missed a lot. As my mother’s proxy, I should probably sit in on a meeting and see exactly who is running her charity and what they are doing. Thanks.” I spun around and stormed off in the other direction, deciding on the long way to hair and makeup.
“We’d love to hear you give a speech!” Arthur called out.
I clenched my fists and kept going, refusing to look back. Sebastian caught up with me a minute later, just as I turned a corner.
“Hey, it’s okay, Final Girl. Calm down.” Sebastian put his hands on my shoulders, spinning me and pulling me into his embrace. He kissed the top of my head as I sobbed into his arms. “It’s okay, Final Girl. He’s not going anywhere near you.”
