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Crystal’s heart bled as they trudged up the hill, Angie swiping at her eyes.
Hoping for some help, Crystal called her agent. That ended up being a waste of time. Crystal flopped onto her sleeping bag, and pressed her eyes shut.
The conversation hadn’t gone well. She had told her agent to find anything, desperate for a gig. If her agent had tried to negotiate terms, the production company would have found someone else. Plenty of down-on-their-luck celebs would have jumped at the chance. Crystal was supposed to have read through the contract and asked any questions before signing. The old Crystal had been too arrogant and aloof to bother with it. Now the new Crystal was going to suffer the consequences. And so was Angie.
A heavy weight settled in the base of her belly. She was screwed. As an influencer, she’d be a laughingstock. The companies would stop sending products, and her followers wouldn’t have any faith in her endorsements after watching her dumb-ass camping antics.
If only she’d known about this earlier, she might have found a way out. With her success as an influencer and her other ideas for income, there was a chance she could have walked away and paid some minimal damages, keeping her dignity and reputation. Hell, her agent had told her there was a clause that would have allowed for limited liability if she’d ended the contract early, but the deadline had passed.
Now, it was too late. The production company owned all the footage and rights to use it.
Her phone dinged with a text from Zach.
I need to talk to you.
The weight in her gut sank deeper. Her plans to make things work if she stayed had just gone up in flames. But damn it, she loved him, even though he didn’t know it. Maybe he’d have some ideas. She typed a quick reply.
I’ll meet you by the lake at my camp.
She wasn’t taking any chances of the still cameras filming, even though Sydney said they had enough. Crystal trudged down to the water, chastising herself with every step. She couldn’ttrust Sydney or anyone in Hollywood. They were all about themselves. Zach was the first person she’d ever met that she could trust, besides Jenna, and she loved him for it. Somehow, they’d figure out a way to make things work despite the dire situation.
She sat on a big rock and waited, staring at the sparkling water. This time, even the sound of the lapping ripples against the shore didn’t soothe her. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to think of some way out of the mess.
Leaves crunched on the trail behind her, and she stood. Her stomach leapfrogged at the sight of Zach, a reaction she seemed to have on a regular basis.
“What’s wrong? You look upset.” He laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Kind of everything.” Her voice quivered. “I had a fight with Sydney.”
“About what?”
Crystal shook her head. “The show. It’s going to ruin me. She said they don’t need my permission for any film they want to use, and they have a lot of really embarrassing stuff. And poor Angie, they have film of her bawling her eyes out. She’s going to be devastated when it airs. It’s killing me. I don’t know how to stop it. I’d just earned her trust.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Is there anything you can do?”
“No…I mean I could have walked away earlier, but not now.” She took a breath. “Wait, what? What do you mean you know?”
He drew his hand back and rubbed his neck. “I’ve been trying to tell you for a while.”
A shock of electricity struck her heart. He’d known about it and hadn’t told her?
No. Just no…no…no…
“What are you saying? How did you know?” She held her breath, dreading the answer.
“I overheard Sydney and Trevor talking one day.”
She brought a hand to her chest, unable to fathom what he’d just said. “And you didn’t warn me about it? Do you know how damaging this is going to be and how it will affect Angie?”
He frowned. “Well, yeah, about you anyway, that’s why I was trying to tell you.”
“God, I can’t believe this.” Her nerves knotted into a steel ball, and her hands shook. She paced, trying to process what he’d told her. “How long have you known?”
He swallowed. “For a while. I swear I kept trying to tell you. It’s why I asked you to meet me today.”
“It’s too late now.” She held her hands up in frustration. Her head was spinning, and betrayal smashed her in the gut.
His lips pressed together in a grave line. “I told you once the producers didn’t have your best interests in mind.”
