“Yes,” I admit. “We kissed.”
Amelia slaps the rug. “I KNEW IT.”
Margot holds up a hand. “Okay. Practical. What’s the plan? Annulment? Quiet divorce? Witness protection?”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “Victor wants to handle it quietly. His publicist is building some narrative. We’re supposed to… coordinate.”
“Coordinate what?” Margot asks.
“I don’t know. Logistics.”
Amelia’s eyes gleam. “Oh my god. Are you going to fake-date your fake husband?”
“No.”
“That is literally a Nancy Meyers movie.”
“Oh no. No, no, no. Absolutely not. This isn’t a movie. This is my career imploding in real time.”
Margot’s expression softens slightly. “Harper. Does he know?”
And just the simple question makes the floor inside my chest tilt.
I reach for my wine, then stop, then reach again.
Six weeks ago, FoodFirst TV Executive Producer Vanessa Chu slid into my inbox and offered me something StreamEats could never offer.
Control. Budget.
Stability.
All I have to do is provide some very minor intel. What they’re working on. The new shows they’re considering.
Things that if I shared wouldn’t “technically” violate an NDA.
But with all that FoodFirst is offering—not a chance to host, but an actual chance to create my own cooking show, a dream I’ve wanted since I knew what dreams were—how could I say no?
I shake my head. “He doesn’t.”
Amelia’s face softens, too, the chaos easing into loyalty. “Because of your career?”
“Yes,” I say quickly. “And I promised Mom I’d help with?—“
I catch myself, and Amelia frowns.
“Help her with what?” She presses.
I shrug, resisting the chill that just spread over my arms. “Just some household stuff. She’s reorganizing the office.”
Margot’s eyes flicker, but she doesn’t push.
“Anyway, it’s just that I’ve worked too hard for this,” I finish. “And now I look like the idiot who got drunk and married her boss at a video game chapel.”
Amelia scoots closer and bumps her shoulder against mine. “Harper, you are not an idiot.”
“There are GIFs, Amelia.”
“So? There are GIFs of everything. There are GIFs of penguins falling down stairs. That doesn’t mean penguins are failures.”
