The Secret (Single in Seattle 1)

“I was afraid you were going to say that. And, yeah, I think I might have been a bit too bitchy about it, but I didn’t expect it.”

“I get that. If I don’t have to change my number at least once a year, Leo and I worry that his popularity is starting to dim.”

I smile at her, and she shrugs.

“It sounds silly, but it’s sort of true. Women pine after my man. I mean, look at him. He’s hot, he’s talented, and he’s a musician. It’s the rock-star thing. Vaughn is a megastar actor, and that’s kind of the same thing. He gets attention. So, this is normal, and it’s not going to lighten up. And it’s probably not going away.”

“Right.” I sigh again and nod.

“You have to decide if it’s something you can live with. Do you trust him?”

“Yes. I trust him. I know he’s totally into me. He wouldn’t betray me or anything like that.”

“Great. Being confident is the number-one thing. Leo only has eyes for me and always has. Because I know that to be true, I can handle everything else.”

I should have come to see her sooner. She’s totally right and makes it all sound so simple.

“So, trust isn’t the issue,” she says. “What is?”

Before I can answer her, my new phone pings, and I glance down to find a text from my sister.

“Sorry, this is Chelsea. Better check—” I scowl when I open the message.

Chelsea: If you want, I’ll cut his balls off the next time I see him.

And under the message is a photo of Vaughn with a woman in a pink dress in front of a cab. She’s kissing his cheek, and his arm is around her.

“It’s things like this.”

I show Sam the message, and she shrugs as if it’s no big deal.

“You have no idea what the context of that photo is,” she says. “That could be a fan. It could be a friend. It could be his sister.”

“He doesn’t have a sister,” I mumble but know she’s right. “And, honestly, I don’t care who she is. You’re right. She could be anyone. But I have a feeling this kind of thing will be constant, and it’s kind of annoying.”

“It is if you let it be,” she agrees. “Your first step is to ignore all of the noise. It’s 99 percent bullshit anyway. Get off social media. Or, if you want to stay because I know you like to get inspiration for your designs, control what you see. Don’t seek out the hate and lies. And, if you know you can’t do that, grow some thick-as-fuck skin, girl.”

“Dad really shielded us from a lot of shit, didn’t he?”

“Oh, yeah.” She smiles. “And that’s okay. He loves you. Think of it like this, you either figure out a way to deal or break it off. Because if you stick it out, and all you do is complain and throw a fit every single day because of this kind of garbage, you’ll annoy the hell out of each other, and it’ll end badly.”

“I can see that,” I say with a nod. “I guess I can’t ask him to become a hermit.”

She laughs. “No, but maybe there’s some room for compromise in there. You have to talk to Vaughn, not me—an old lady who’s married to the hottest man on the planet. Leo and I made it work for us. We’ve had slips here and there, but we figured it out. If Vaughn’s the one for you, you’ll figure it out, too.”

“You’re super-smart,” I say.

“I’m your favorite aunt,” she says with a satisfied grin. “It’s okay, you can admit it.”

“You’re my favorite aunt named Sam,” I say with a laugh, and she narrows her eyes at me.

“How dare you? I give you the best advice of your life, and this is the thanks I get?”

We’re giggling as Sam walks me to the door.

“You’ll be great, baby girl. Oh, by the way, I’m going to need a new dress for a fancy thing that Leo has to go to in a couple of months.”

“What kind of fancy thing?” I ask her.

“The Grammys,” she replies with a shrug, and I stare at her.

“Holy shit, Sam! That’s huge.”

She nods. “I know. He’s up for best songwriter. It’s pretty fucking awesome.”

“We’ll come up with the best dress that’s ever been on your body. I promise.”

“I can’t wait.”

I hug her and then walk back out to my car, feeling as if a huge weight has been lifted.

I was acting like a complete jerk over something that Vaughn had no control over.

And I owe him an apology.

I haven’t heard back from him, but he could be in the air, so I just drive home. When I pull into the driveway, I’m surprised to see Vaughn there, sitting on the front steps.

He looks tired and worried. And I feel awful that I made him feel that way.