Kate chewed her lip in thought. Our segment was scheduled to finish today. I could see her calculating what she would need to do to stay longer.
“She might have work,” I said. “She was only supposed to be here two days.”
“We’ll pay for her time, obviously. I’ll have contracts draw something up ASAP for you both. Miss Dubois, does that sound amenable?”
Kate hesitated.
This couldn’t be happening. It was only supposed to be two days. I was supposed to see her and go back home. I’d already crossed so many lines I said I wouldn’t. All of lunch had been like walking a tightrope. I was so afraid she’d figure everything out at least three times. More days with Kate meant more opportunities to muck all of this up. And yet I couldn’t stay away from her.
“Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing.” Sally waved her hand. “I have a good friend who’s a literary agent. I let slip about your novel. He seems very interested in meeting with you. Maybe later this week? A call?”
Kate’s eyes widened. She nodded numbly. Happily?
Sally glanced at her watch. “Look, I gotta go. You two discuss. I promise this is good. People were already looking forward to this reunion and now there’s even more to be excited about.” She looked between the both of us, clapped once, and pushed herself off the desk. “Miss Dubois, I’ll set up that meeting with my friend.”
Sally left, closing the door behind us to leave Kate and me together. Alone.
“You don’t have to do it. The extra stuff.” I turned toward her. “You signed a contract, I presume. They can’t make you sign anything else.”
“I-I actually don’t mind.” She shook her head, likely processing all the information that had just been thrown at her. The literary agent being mentioned oh so subtly was no coincidence. “This gives me an excuse to extend my trip. And an agent. I can’t believe it.” She pressed fingertips to her cheeks and shook her head, her excitement growing.
Then she flicked a gaze to me, and her hands dropped to her side. “You don’t want to do it?”
After all that was shared at lunch, how could I explain that being around her was one of the hardest things I had to do?
I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t even want to be here. Not because of her, god no, but because I was only supposed to be in LA for two days. This was supposed to be quick and painless. I should have stuck with my initial rejection. And yet, I was weak. I had wanted to see her one time. How could I know things would get out of control so fast? How could I have known our chemistry would be so palpable?
I should have known. Looking at her now, the energy between us was obvious. Almost tangible.
I would stay. A few more days. Because when she looked up at me like that with hope swirling in those big dark eyes, I was hopeless.
“Bloody fucking hell,” I swore.
Kate winced. “Is it so bad? I mean can’t there be a press release or something to denounce the rumors?”
I forced myself to calm down and leaned on the desk, giving her plenty of space.
“It’s not that. I don’t care about the rumors.” I looked up at her quickly and looked away. “It’s that this is going to explode your life.”
“I was planning on it to some degree when the special came out. I don’t hide who I am. It’s okay. If anything, it should help my writing.”
“I know. You’re so open,” I added quickly so she wouldn’t overthink that last slip of the tongue. “I’m mad because they did this on purpose.”
Kate stepped forward, voice lowered. “Who?”
I gestured to the studio in general. “Whoever. The show runners, the producers, Sally. It doesn’t matter. They wanted this leaked. These photos are from a closed set,today. It’s not a coincidence.”
The lines between her eyebrows deepened. “But why?”
“This is Hollywood.” I pulled off my hat and squeezed the brim. “Everything is fake and contrived for money or exposure.” I let out a defeated breath. God, I hated being back here. “I’m just sorry that you’re getting mixed up in it. It’s my fault.”
Kate stepped closer. She needed to be walking away, running away from me. I wasn’t stable around her. I gripped the desk behind me. Forcing myself to be as still as possible. I was drawn to her even when I promised myself I would stay away and look how that had gone already. I felt so … drained.
“Listen. It’s okay. I don’t really care if they dig into my life. There’s not even much to find. The sooner they realize it, the sooner they’ll be over it.” She rested a hand on my arm. This time when we both looked at it, she didn’t take it away. “The great thing about instant-gratification culture is that everything is a flash in the pan. Trending hashtags are completely forgotten in twelve hours. It’s sweet of you to be concerned, but it’s truly not your fault in any possible way.”
I blinked at her. I wished with my entire being that was true. The leak wasn’t my fault, but would she even be here if not for me? I should tell her. Right now. Right here. The truth was on the tip of my tongue. I opened my mouth.
“But we should get to set. Filming waits for no one, or something like that,” she said.
