Page 177 of Contentious

“I liked what you said to him about Rome and how the repairs will take time.”

“It’s true. My dad is extending an olive branch, but nothing says any of us have to take it. That meeting, though… I’ve never heard him talk that way before.”

“What way?”

“From a place of humility and understanding that he messed up and that amends need to be made. Reminds me of working the program in recovery. Admitting your failings is one of the hardest things a person can do, and trying to make things right with the people you hurt can be downright excruciating. I’ve been there, and I respect him—and my mom—for trying.”

Cresley fanned her face. “That’s very evolved of you, Carson.”

“Oh stop,” he said, sputtering with laughter.

“A man who’s not only kind and handsome and all the things, but he’s also self-reflective and evolved. I feel like I’ve spotted a mythical creature in the wild or something.”

“You’re being silly.”

“She’s like that sometimes,” Ty said, looking up from his video. “Can we watch surfing now, Carson?”

“Sure.”

“At some point today, we need to get our stuff from the Laurel Canyon house,” Cresley said. “I feel like a vagabond lately with my stuff scattered all over town.”

“I’ll get one of my guys to pack up your things and bring them over.”

“Hard pass on random guys sifting through my underwear drawer.”

“Clearly, I didn’t think this all the way through.”

“Clearly. Could we ask Isla to help us with that since she’s going over there anyway?”

“Why don’t you text her and see if she can? If she’s busy with the kids, I could ask one of my sisters to do it.”

“Let me see the phone, Ty. I need to send a text.”

He handed it over begrudgingly, and Cresley got busy writing the text to Isla, who responded right away to say she’d be happy to gather up Cresley’s and Ty’s belongings and deliver them to Carson’s.

“She’s amazing,” Cresley said. “I hope she and I will be great friends.”

“That would be nice.”

Cresley did a double take as she stared at her screen.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh my God. No.”

“What, Cres?”

She handed the phone to Carson.

His heart stopped as he read the TMZ headline linking Cresley and the Quantum Productions principals to a sex club run out of the basement of the Quantum office building.

* * *

After Ty ran off to use the bathroom, she read the text Flynn had sent warning her someone had blabbed about the club and had linked her to the story, Cresley went straight to worst-case scenario—losing her hard-won career, her contracts and everything she’d worked so hard to achieve over fifteen years. All gone because of a vindictive man who couldn’t take no for an answer. Not to mention, everyone would blame her because her ex was the one responsible for the leak.

“Cres.”

She forced herself to look at Carson as she tried not to puke up the doughnuts.