And ever since she'd come back into his life, he'd been walking a line. Wanting to punish her for the past. And for the present, too. For the way she was messing with his head.
But at the same time, he needed her for the show.
And damned if all of that mixed together didn't scare her right out of his studio.
"I need her back," he said flatly, then turned and looked at his friend. "I don't trust her--not completely--but I need her."
"So get her back. She still needs the money, right?"
"As far as I know."
Lyle nodded. "That's one thing in your favor. Have you called her?"
"Three times. She hasn't called me back."
"What about going by where she works? She left a resume, right?"
"Actually, no. Just a headshot and her phone number. But I know she teaches kindergarten and dance."
Lyle cocked his head. "How do you know that?"
"I saw her in the Beverly Center a few years ago, and so I did some digging. My friend Ryan's good at finding information. He tracked her down to an elementary school. It was summer, though, so only the administration office was open. They wouldn't give me her address, but they told me she taught dance during the summer to little kids and gave me the name of the studio."
"And?"
"And I went, but she didn't work there anymore. They didn't know where she'd gone."
"So you went back to Ryan," Lyle guessed.
"Actually, I gave up. She's the one who moved back to LA. She knew how to find me. But she didn't. So I decided I just needed to let it go."
"Right," Lyle said. "And how's that working out for you?" Wyatt scowled, and Lyle laughed.
"Well, don't worry. It's a small town. And Evelyn will be at the party tonight," he added, referring to his agent. "Between her and your grandmother, they know everyone in the business. Don't worry. Someone will convince her not to dodge you."
Wyatt laughed bitterly. "Yeah, but that's only half the trick. Once we do, I have to convince her to come back."
Too bad he didn't have a clue how to do that.
17
"I get why you walked out on him," Nia says as she stabs a fork into her Cobb salad with no avocado, no cheese, no egg, no bacon, and no dressing. "But you do realize that you were also walking out on fifteen large?"
"Sixteen," I say, then grimace. "Wyatt offered to pay what would have been my winnings from the strip club, but I told him to keep his money."
She flashes one of her superior looks, the kind that only a woman as perfectly sculpted as Nia can pull off. "Did you lose your common sense in your sofa cushions? What is wrong with you?"
"He makes me frazzled," I admit, because there really is no other explanation. "He always has."
She reaches across the table and stabs three of my French fries with her fork.
"Hey!" I protest. "If you're hungry, try eating a salad with actual food in it."
"I have a bikini shoot coming up. I'm dieting."
I stare pointedly at the fries.
"That's not a cheat. It's my carb load for the day."