A Hollywood Deal (Ryder & Paige 1)

“No.” The lie sounds feeble even to my ears. “But… The wedding is going to put us in the spotlight, which means the…tape is going to be rehashed again and again since it’s such a…fresh news item.” The words taste bitter. If I never see myself mentioned in the news again, I’ll die happy. “Eloping is out of the question. If we do, it’s going to look like I’m guilty or something.”

“I’m going to strangle the son of a bitch.” Simon’s chest rises until it’s almost hitting his chin. His brows form a deep V above stormy eyes.

“Shaun isn’t worth it,” I tell him.

“We can stay here and be with you as long as you want,” Mom offers.

I shake my head. “You should go back as planned. Please don’t change anything because of this. That would mean Shaun is winning. I’m not going to let him inconvenience you.” I hold both of their hands in mine. “It’s not the first time something like this has happened in Hollywood. We have a team that knows how to handle the fallout. We’ll get through it.” I squeeze Simon’s hand. “And I’m so, so sorry for the trouble this is gonna cause. I should’ve been more careful in my choice of men.”

“It’s not your fault the guy turned out to be a jerk. You’re a good girl, Paige. Don’t feel like you did something wrong. You’re a victim, you hear?”

“Yes.” And the thing is, I do believe it. Of course I do. But even as my head is nodding, my heart is telling me different. It says I could’ve done something to prevent this, that I should’ve known better, that I should’ve cut Shaun loose a long time ago and never given him a chance, and that I should’ve known that something was wrong when a guy as good-looking as Shaun decided to date me out of the blue.

“Would you like to have breakfast with us?” Mom asks. “This is our last day here…it’d be nice to spend some together.”

“Yes. I’d love that. And I’m sorry I’m not going to be able to spend more time with you today. I have a really important appointment.” From what I can gather, Anthony doesn’t live in L.A., and I don’t know when he’s leaving. We could talk over the phone, but I want to see the expression on his face when he talks about Lauren.

“No problem. We know how to fend for ourselves.” Simon leads me to an empty seat. “Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. We’ll always be here for you. And no matter what, I want you to know that we’re proud of you, Paige. Nothing’ll ever change that.”

“Thank you.” I say as I swallow another sob.

* * *

Ryder

Paige is gone, and the spot next to me is cold. She must’ve left at least an hour or two ago. I curse under my breath. Didn’t mean to fall asleep.

Quickly, I shower and change into a clean t-shirt and shorts. Paige and I need to have a calm, rational talk about what we’re going to do. The wedding is in three weeks.

I go downstairs to look for her. When I spot Sue I ask, “Have you seen my fiancée?”

“I think she was going to the guest house.”

Damn it. I wanted to talk before she saw Maggie and Simon. I don’t give a shit what my parents think, but Paige isn’t like that with hers.

After grabbing a cup of coffee, I make my way over to the guest house. The housekeeper there informs me that Paige is having breakfast with her family.

I go straight to the kitchen. The three of them are sitting at the counter. Paige is between Maggie and Simon, and both of them are making sure to touch her, constantly reassuring her with their presence and love.

There’s some tension, but underneath is something tight and warm. It’s an invisible shield that keeps everyone else on the outside. A bond runs through the three that says they have each other’s backs.

The scene transfixes me even as a sharp pang of longing pierces my heart. Grandpa used to do that for me when Grandma Shirley or Mom would say something particularly nasty. And I thought I’d have it again when I had his portrait. But now I wonder if I have it all wrong.

I swallow and rasp, “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

All three of them turn around to look at me. I notice the red rims around Paige’s eyes, and the sight of her misery is like a jab to the gut. Whether she planned the video or not, I don’t like seeing her in pain.

Simon gives me a glare. “Well. What do you intend to do about the scandal?”

“Simon!” Paige gasps.

“I’ll have my team handle it, of course.” I don’t plan to tell her stepfather more than that when Paige and I haven’t had a chance to talk first. “Paige, can we have a moment after you’re finished with breakfast?”

“Actually, I’m afraid I can’t. I have an appointment.”

I frown. I can’t imagine what kind of appointment she might have on a Saturday. Or what could be more important than the conversation we need to have. “Um…it’s not a doctor’s appointment, is it?” I’

m pretty sure no doctor’s seeing a patient today unless it’s an emergency.