“I didn’t laugh at you when you fell for Superstar here,” Seth waved at Everett.
“No. But you did try to warn her—and me—off,” Everett reasoned.
Seth shook his head wearily.
“I know why
Katie blabbed about it,” he mumbled. “She thinks it’s karma, for judging you,” he nodded at Everett. “I can still see her, putting me in my place for doubting you could make Joy happy.”
And he could envision Katie perfectly in his memory, her stare scoring him:
“Shame on you,” Katie had chastised. “You’re one of the people responsible for making the fantasy. Surely you know there are real people behind the screen of illusion.”
“So caring about Gia Harris hasn’t been easy,” Joy said quietly. “It would likely continue to be challenging in the future. Good things in life can be hard, Seth. You know that. They have to be fought for.”
“I know that’s been your story,” he grated out, referring to their relationship. Everett and Joy had struggled to be together, despite Joy’s history of cancer and her constant fear of it returning. No one could guarantee an outcome like that, but Everett had proved to her he wanted to be there, no matter what hurdles life presented. In addition, the couple had to maneuver making their personal life work when Everett was one of the most recognized faces on the planet, a superstar who eclipsed even Gia’s meteoric rise. “It’s different for me. It’s different for Gia,” Seth said.
“How?” Joy asked.
“Gia’s very ambitious. She should be,” Seth said fairly. “She’s incredibly talented. She’s got the energy to establish herself now, while she’s young. She works nonstop.”
“And still finds time to testify at that slimeball McClarin’s trial,” Everett added.
“She would never consider not testifying,” Seth said flatly. “She’s a workaholic, but she’s got ethics that don’t crumble when things get tough. And I’m not saying her ambition is a bad thing,” Seth defended when Joy opened her mouth. He and Joy had been through a lot together, including her father’s abandonment and her mother’s lingering, painful death from cancer. They read each other extremely well. “I’m only pointing out that Gia’s situation is different than Everett’s. He can pick and choose his roles according to what both of you want, he can pace himself and preserve a private life with you.”
“So that’s it? You wouldn’t want Gia to be so busy?” Everett asked bluntly.
“It’s her life. I would never want anyone telling me how to run mine, and I wouldn’t do that to her.”
“Is that really your biggest concern though?” Joy asked. She looked a little confused as she studied him. “You wouldn’t want a long-term relationship with someone who was so frequently away and working?”
“No,” Seth replied sincerely.
“I didn’t think so,” Joy admitted. “You’re so independent.”
Seth just shrugged. He was glad to see Joy, but he felt restless having this conversation. Was there really anything to be gained by it? It was like Gia said. They were at an impasse.
“Can I get you guys something to drink?” he asked, hoping that if he fractured their focus on him, the topic would lose momentum.
“Because I’ve always been a little curious about your refusal to get involved with actresses,” Joy said, ignoring his distraction attempt. “You’ve been so . . . militant about it. Some of those women have not only been very persistent, but extremely beautiful. And we all know you love women.”
He gave her an impatient glance.
“I just meant, it seems odd that you never slipped up once or twice,” Joy said. Seth looked away. “Or . . . have you?”
He cursed silently to himself, avoiding Joy’s stare.
But the truth was, talking about Zoe Lindsay seemed nowhere near as taboo a topic as it had been in the past. The forbidden quality of that youthful indiscretion had faded, he realized, once he’d opened up to Gia about it.
“All right, if it’s some kind of dramatic confession you want, here goes, detective,” Seth growled. “I slipped up once, and it had nothing to do with Gia. Gia wasn’t a slipup,” he added darkly. He launched into a bare-bones explanation about Zoe Lindsay. By the time he was done, both Everett and Joy were staring at him in openmouthed disbelief.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Joy asked.
“I told you, the marriage lasted nine months. It wasn’t worth mentioning,” Seth said, grimacing.
“It was the basis for your distrust of actresses—and actors,” Everett said. “I would think it’s very relevant, especially when the topic is Gia Harris.”
“Well, I mentioned it, didn’t I?” Seth challenged.