Right, because it wasn’t a cheating boyfriend and a toxic work environment that drove me away. I’m just that bitch.
“Not like this. There’s got to be another way. I can’t involve him in my drama.”
“Well, why don’t you ask him before you say no. He’s an adult, capable of making his own decisions. If he says no, we can work on another solution. But let him be the one who decides. We can even arrange payment to sweeten the deal.”
Oh, great, so now she wants him to be my paid escort. Just when I thought I might be able to have some kind of normal friendship.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Of course. There’s always a choice, hon. But honestly, there’s only so much more I can do for you. Your career is failing, and if this thing gets out of control it’ll blow the remains of it into pieces too tiny for even me to reassemble. So I suggest you think long and hard before you say no.”
And on that reassuring note… “Fine. I’ll ask, but if he says no, that’s it. We’ll find another way.”
“Excellent. Go talk to him and call me back right away. I’ll need to start planning immediately. Set the gears into motion.”
Click. Janine disappears from the call, leaving me alone with Belinda.
“I think this will be good. Go talk to him. You can call me back first and then we’ll face Janine together,” Belinda says, but right now I’m not so sure sheis on my side.
I hang up, walking a few tight circles around my room before I venture out toward the kitchen. Evey step feels like my socks are made of lead, and I have to force my feet forward.
Quint is still staring out the window. The sun is shining on his face, highlighting his wide lips and long lashes. He’s freshly shaved, no hint of the scruff he sometimes sports. Have I occasionally imagined what that would feel like between my thighs? Maybe, but that’s not what this is about. Especially not if I’m going to be paying him. Pursuing my attraction then would be a terrible idea.
“Hey, Quint, can we talk?”
Chapter 14
Quint
She’sstaringoutthewindow instead of looking at me, clasping and unclasping her hands. Even in her clearly agitated state, she looks gorgeous. The blue leggings and crop top hug her sculpted body, and her hair is pulled up in a smooth ponytail to show off her beautiful face. It’s no wonder she made it in Hollywood. Her presence fills the entire room, even when she’s silent.
“Hey there, you okay?”
“I’m fine. Sort of. But listen”—she glances at me, then looks away again—“some things have gotten out. Did you…tell anyone I’m here? The press. Someone in town that might have leaked it? I need to know.”
Feels like a slap in the face that she’d think I could do that to her. “No, I would never. Why? Did something happen?”
“Yes, some pictures got out. And I have a question to ask you.” She steps a little closer. “Look this is probably going to sound crazy to you, and I didn’t even want to ask but I promised Janine, my publicist, that I would. Ugh.”
“Go on.”
“You know I shouldn’t even… it’s a terrible idea. It’ll mess up your entire life.”
Fear settles in my stomach. She’s not planning on leaving or something, is she?
“But I promised, so here goes.” She finally opens her eyes, looking up at me from under her long lashes. “Would you date me?”
A flash of excitement zips through me. It’s not like I haven’t been thinking of it myself. The attraction has been there from the moment I met her, but once I started to get to know the real her, beneath the shiny, camera-ready shield, other feelings started to kick in too. “Yes.”
Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open as if she’s come to some sort of realization. “Not for real. For the cameras. The press. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to give you the wrong idea, my brain is all muddled up. Let me start over. Try to explain.”
I swallow down the disappointment while trying to wrap my head around the request.
“Someone took pictures of us. They’re all over the Internet. I’m surprised no one texted you or anything.” She shifts restlessly on her feet.
I pat my pockets. “Must have left my phone in my room. I don’t always bring it to the barn first thing in themorning. It’s nice just to soak in the peace and quiet of the horses waking up for the day. Don’t want to spoil it. Also, I may have forgotten to charge it last night.”
She sighs. “Wow, we really are different aren’t we? So, the whole world thinks we’re dating. If you take a look at the pictures, you’ll see why.”
