* * *
Emma stood off the side of the small area Jane had designated as “the stage,” hiding in a shadowy corner. There were several cameras already set up and several reporters checking their mics and making sure the lighting was good.
She just wanted to go home. The last thing Emma had wanted to do today was put on a pretty dress, do her hair and makeup, and come down to Jackson’s office. Especially since he was the last person in the world she wanted to see.
But, Jane had invoked the contract. Emma had to be here.
Emma fussed with her necklace, making sure to stay out of sight of the reporters. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but since her contract required it, she was here. She had a feeling Jackson was going to come out, address the picture as a fake, and have her stand next to him and smile.
She would do it, too. As a woman, she was well-versed in giving fake smiles. She could pretend that this didn’t hurt her down to the core of her soul. She would smile and wave and no one would know that her heart was breaking.
“You look perfect,” Jane said, coming up from the side. Jane wore a smart gray pantsuit that flattered her lean figure and matched her hair. She wore a headset and had a tablet and phone in each hand.
“Thank you,” Emma said politely. “Where do you need me?”
“For right now, over here is perfect,” Jane replied. She scrolled through something on the tablet. “Jackson will be out in just a moment and then I’ll have you get into place.”
“Do you need me to stand on the stage?” Emma asked. She set her shoulders. She could do this.
“No, that’s not necessary,” Jane told her. “I actually want the cameras to focus on Jackson for the most part.”
“Really?” Emma was surprised. She was sure Jane would want the loving fiancée standing faithfully next to the accused.
Jane looked up from the tablet. “Yes.”
Emma waited for more, but Jane just went back to her tablet.
“Okay, then.” Emma rocked back on her heels and waited. Jane gave her a polite smile, and then went to yell at a photographer that was crossing some boundary for the cameras.
“Emma? This way please,” Jane called to her after a moment. Emma hurried to the older woman’s side as they walked away from the stage.
“Where are we going?” Emma asked. This wasn’t what she was expecting at all.
“I’d like you to sit here please,” Jane instructed, motioning to a chair marked with a “Reserved” sign. It was well behind the camera line and far away from the stage. She wasn’t going to be on camera at all sitting back here.
“Sure.” Emma took her seat and carefully folded her hands in her lap.
Well, this was a waste of makeup, she thought to herself. Why am I even here?
A photographer turned and snapped her picture. Emma just shrugged. Maybe the makeup wasn’t a complete waste.
The
re was a bustle of activity from the cameras just before Jackson walked out on stage. Even though she was still angry and hurt by him, he took her breath away.
He stood tall in a dark blue suit and a rich burgundy tie. The coloring brought out the green of his eyes and the soft golds in his hair. He looked like a modern day prince.
Walking confidently up to the microphone, there was no way to tell that he wasn’t in complete control. Only Emma saw the hunch in his shoulders, the tightness in his jaw, and the guarded smile. He was nervous.
For good reason, she thought. If the local gossips were to be believed, all security footage from the yacht club had mysteriously gone missing. Many of the docked yachts had their cameras turned the wrong way, or even off for the evening. There was no one to refute his story that the kiss wasn’t consensual.
He was about to stand in front of a bunch of reporters and tell them that although he had no proof that he hadn’t done this thing. She wondered again why she wasn’t up on the stage with him, or at least closer to the stage.
Jackson’s eyes scanned the crowd, coming to rest on her. She felt the familiar shiver of desire when he looked at her, even from across the room. When he looked at her like that, she was the only person in the entire world. She was the only living creature that mattered.
His mouth twitched like he wanted to smile at her. She raised her hand and tried to appear like this wasn’t breaking her heart. If anyone was looking, they would think she was here for moral support and that nothing was wrong.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for joining me today. First, I’d like to address the vicious rumors going around that I am involved with a woman other than my fiancée. I want to state expressly that this is a bald-faced lie.” He paused and smiled around the room. “And I have proof.”