My empty stomach churns. I haven’t spoken to my publicist since I got here. I’m sure Belinda gave her the heads-up that I was safe, but I appreciate her keeping the secret of what I’ve been up to and where I’ve been. Otherwise, who knows what she might have already unleashed on Balsam Grove. I dread thinking about what’s going to happen here once the rest of the cast arrives. Some orchestrated relationship with a costar to boost publicity, or a new friendship with another cast member that’s only real on paper, probably.
As if the pictures aren’t bad enough, the articles I click on all have awesome headlines like:
“Missing Celeb Found Canoodling with Cowboy: Is This Character Research or Has the Jilted Star Found Love?”
“Aurelia Lane Spotted Getting Cozy with a Cowboy. Has the Heartbroken Star Found True Love?”
Fanfuckingtastic.
“Belinda, have you spoken to Aurelia?” Janine’s voice suddenly cuts through the phone like a knife. She’s a shark, which can be a benefit when the shark is on your side. I hope we can make that work in our favor.
“Of course. In fact, I’ve got her on the line here. Say hello, Aurelia.”
I turn off speaker and put the phone up to my ear, not particularly wanting Quint to hear whatever my publicist has to say.
“Hi.”
“Aurelia. What is going on with you? Are you having some sort of late-twenties crisis or something? You know, I might even be able to spin that one. I hear that’s all the rage. Take a break from LA, come back refreshed and ready to accept a gold statue. Did you see what Annie Kennedy did after her year off? Major career breakthrough. Mark my words, she’s going to win Best Actress.”
“Hold up. I’m not having any sort of crisis.” Well, at least not the kind she’s talking about. “I just needed a break from Hollywood and some peace and quiet before filming starts. I figured Hollow Hills would be the perfect place for a reset. Plus I can get to know the place before we start filming.”
“That was a good idea, but you really should have shared that information with me. I could have spun this before someone else got ahold of the story. ‘Hardworking Aurelia Lane. Dedicated to her job. Stepping into the shoes of some real cowboys to really get into character.’ Instead, you’re seen running around with one of the cowboys.”
“I’m notrunning aroundwith him. We’re just friends.”
I pace over to peer into the kitchen. Quint is sitting at the table, staring out the window. I follow his gaze to the gorgeous green pasture to see a brown horse lunging at a spotted one. The spotted one kicks up its heels and theyboth go racing across the field. These horses are winning at life.
“Uh-huh. Well, that’s not what everyone thinks now.”
“What does it matter what everyone thinks?” I spin my ring around my finger on repeat.
She laughs. “Oh, honey, you know better than anyone how much it matters what the press and the fans think. They can make or break your career. And currently, yours is broken. I can fix it. That’s why you hired me. But I can only do it if you trust me and listen to me.”
“She’s right, you need to let her in. Let her fix this,” Belinda chimes in, and when the two of them present a united front, I know I’ve got no chance of getting out of whatever scheme they’ve got planned.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever she’s about to propose.
“Here’s what I see.” I can almost picture Janine holding her hands out in front of her like she’s setting the scene. She leans into the dramatics. I’m honestly surprised she never pursued a career in acting herself.
But she seems to prefer manipulating the lives of everyone around her, and she’s damn good at it.
“Everyone thinks you’re dating this cowboy, so that’s what you’re going to do.”
My heartbeat picks up and the sick feeling in my stomach intensifies. I don’t like where this is going at all.
“No.”
“Aurelia, you need to listen to me. It’s perfect. We start with the truth. Every story works better if it begins with a thread of truth. You moved out to Balsam Grove earlyto get to know the family, the ranch, the horses. You needed a break from the chaos. Secretly, you’ve always been a country girl. Love nature, the peace and quiet. Well, wouldn’t you know. You fell for this boy. What’s his name again? Quinton?”
“Quint.” The man himself looks back when I say his name, but I shake my head and point at the phone.
“Right, Quint, that’s a good strong name. Well, you met him. We’ll make up a good meet cute story.” Already got one of those, but I’m not sure I want Janine spilling it by sharing it with the world. “And you fell for each other immediately. It’s the ‘opposites attract’ of it all. Everyone loves a celebrity falling for a nobody. We’ll paint him as sweet, wholesome, and head over heels for you. It’ll sell. The people will love it.”
I walk back to my room, not wanting Quint to overhear us talking about him like he’s just a pawn to be moved at our will.
“I can’t ask him that, Janine. He’s not a star. He has no idea how this all works. How common these PR ‘relationships’ are.” I hold up the air quotes even though there’s no one to see me. “Back me up, Belinda.”
“I’m sorry, but I think she’s right. This will go a long way toward repairing your image. Everyone sees you as the woman who drove Brad away, ended their favorite show early. This will paint you in a brand-new light. They want to love you, they’re just confused right now. You can win them back.”
