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I’d asked a few of my colleagues what they were working on, but they all were a tight-lipped crew. No one wanted to give away their inside scoop, despite the fact we were all working for the same team.
I liked Celia and most of the people who worked behind the cameras at my job, but a majority of those friendly people were at the cool kid’s table. I was stuck with the nerds. I probably could have barreled my way into that group, securing an empty chair from another table and shoehorning it in to be included with the fun group, but I was just too tired to make the effort. It had been a long and exhausting week.
I finished up my second drink and then started planning my exit strategy. I could just say goodbye and good luck to Celia and be on my way. There was no need for elaborate excuses even though it appeared that I would be the first to leave.
I said my goodbyes to the glum writer’s table, then to Celia and several co-workers I was friendly with, and within a few minutes, I was slipping out the door into the fresh air.
It wasn’t until I was in front of my apartment door digging through my purse and searching for my key that I found it.
It was a blue notecard with words scrawled in ugly black marker across it. The ink was badly smeared, but I could clearly make out what it said.
I know who you are
REMINGTON
watch your back
I couldn’t help but hurriedly glance over my shoulder even though I was alone in the hallway. Fumbling with my keys, I nearly dropped them as I tried to unlock my door as quickly as I could. I didn’t breathe until I got into my apartment and locked the door behind me.
My heart pounded as I stared at the card. Remington. Somebody knew. Who? And, what were they going to do about it? Watch your back. That sounded like a threat.
I let my purse drop to the floor. And then I slid down right next to it. I thought I’d left my past behind.
Greyson
I almost didn’t go to the baby shower. Because of him.
But, in the end, I went. Because of him.
My friend, Talia, was hosting a baby shower for Sidney Anderson, the bassist for the rock band Ghost Parker. Out of the blue, less than a week ago, he found out he was a father. The mother had abandoned the baby on his doorstep claiming it was his. Now his friends were coming together to support him.
I was more of an acquaintance than a friend. I’d only met Sid a handful of times, but I was friends with Talia, and Talia was living in my beach house with her boyfriend, Ryder, who was a guitarist in Sid’s band.
I liked Talia’s friends. They partied a hell of a lot harder than me; they knew how to have a good time. Plus, with the whole rock star thing, they didn’t make too much of my own fame. I was currently filming the 9th season of the primetime soap, Devious. I was the longest-running cast member, starring as bad boy titan, Colton Grimaldi, since episode 1 of the series. As my fame skyrocketed, it became nearly impossible to interact with people on a normal level, so having some friends outside of the acting world who knew me as Greyson and treated me like an ordinary person was refreshing.
So, here I was in my own house that I’d been avoiding since Talia moved in. I still wasn’t too sure how Ryder felt about me. I usually stayed at my penthouse in Hollywood during filming anyway, so it was no big deal.
I carried my wrapped gifts, a baby monitor and a white-noise sound machine, up to the top floor where everyone was gathered waiting for Sid to arrive. Talia had done a great job decorating. There were balloons, ribbons, and streamers, all baby blue, everywhere. A huge banner draped across the wall exclaimed It’s a Boy! And the tables were covered with Oh, Baby! printed tablecloths and piled with gifts. And, shit, there was blue confetti littering every surface of the house already.
I felt at home as soon as I stepped into the room. Right away, Talia hugged me, quickly followed by Kaylie. Ryder shook my hand and slapped me on the back. I was introduced to Ghost Parker’s manager and his date and then greeted by a few others I’d met before.
The moment he walked into the room, I knew. Johnny Parker. He was the lead singer of Ghost Parker — known to almost everyone as Ghost. I kept my back to him, listening as his friends greeted him. My gut clenched when I heard his smooth baritone voice.
Fuck. I was so attracted to this guy.
It only took a second to disassociate myself from those feelings; I was a fucking good actor. I turned around, a neutral expression plastered on my face.
He was looking right at me. I didn’t betray the riot of emotions that his gaze produced. Instead, my eyes swept right past him. I tried not to remember the last time I’d spoken to him — right after he performed live with his band at Talia’s party. In just a few words, he’d left me shattered. Humiliated.
We never got close to each other during the baby shower, but I’d keenly felt his presence the entire time. He was amongst his best friends, in private, but he seemed so detached. It was so unlike when I’d seen him perform with his band, where his overwhelming magnetism touched the entire crowd. I briefly wondered if today he was under the influence of drugs.
Even though he was acting so low-key, I swore that he had an extra awareness of me. He was better at checking his emotions than most actors I knew, but he couldn’t hide the fact that he had some kind of reaction to me. Not when I was watching him so closely. His eyes followed me. He noticed me. Quite possibly, it was nervous energy or even contempt; I didn’t know. Maybe he was picking up on my attraction and it was disdain directed back at me. He wasn’t unaffected, that I knew.
Of course, I was immediately aware when he went out on the deck. Marie followed thirty seconds behind him. I watched them through the slider door; I had to move so I had the right angle to see them. They stood talking to each other.
Talia stopped to chat with me for a minute and when I looked back up, they’d disappeared. There was no way off the deck except through the main slider into this room or the slider at the end of the deck into the master bedroom.
He hadn’t come back inside here, so I knew he must be in my bedroom with Marie. I grew antsy waiting for them to come out. I paced back and forth, keeping my eyes on the bedroom door. I waited a few more minutes. Finally, I just couldn’t stand it any longer. The party was still going strong. People were drinking and having a good time. Right now they were bobbing for baby bottle nipples. No one was paying any attention to me.
