Socialite Leni Barrick appears to have danced herself into another round of media scrutiny
Lennon has a drink in one hand and her other pressed to Mathis’s back. She appears to be whispering something in his ear.
Seeing her that close to him makes me want to punch the little fucker all over again. Instead, I jam my finger against my mouse, flipping to the next picture. There are several more of the two of them huddled close together, only this time Mathis looks like the one who’s upset.
And then I get to next picture.
Leni Barrick makes her parents proud one blow at a time
She’s sprawled out on the sidewalk, her skirt bunched around her hips, putting her long, gorgeous legs—as well as her red thong—on full display. Her eyelids are droopy, and it looks as though the picture was snapped either as she fell or as she was scrambling to get up, because the terror on her face is evident.
I scroll down to skim through the article attached to the photo.
Leni Barrick met with Mathis Perry and a group of friends for a night out on the town. The group started at Blue, a burlesque-style club, and ended the night at Glass House, where they dropped nearly 20K on drinks in less than an hour. After stumbling out of the club (pictured above) at 2:00 a.m., Barrick snuggled in the backseat of a car with Mathis, whom she claims she’s no longer connected to romantically. A source close to the couple tells us both Leni and Mathis love to party, and their tastes don’t stop at alcohol. But what does Daddy Dearest think of Leni’s extracurricular activities, and will they affect Joseph Morgan’s run for the presidency?
I can’t read any more. As much as I want to devour every single article I can find, I can’t. For my own sanity, I have to walk away. But before I shut everything down, I print some of the pictures and articles, because I want Lennon to look me in the eyes and deny what’s right in front of me.
As much as it pains me to say it, I’m not so sure she can, and I can’t have a woman like that around Nova.
I knew she was too good to be true.
Setting my laptop on my dresser, I crawl into bed. But it’s useless to try to fall asleep, because all I can think about is Lennon and how much it’s going to hurt when I have to let her go. Then I’m reminded that this is all her fault, and the anger starts all over again.
By the time morning rolls around, I’ve gotten an hour of sleep. On pure adrenaline alone, I’m able to get Nova dressed and to my mother’s, all the while fielding and dodging Nova’s questions about when she’ll see Lennon again.
And then, I text Lennon.
“It’s over,” I say, looking down at the text Noah sent me at eight o’clock this morning.
I’ll be at your house at nine. We need to talk.
“He’s coming to break up with me. I can feel it in my bones.”
“It’s not over.” Charlotte grabs the phone from my hands and puts it on the end table. “He said he wants to talk, so all you have to do is explain everything to him the way you did to me, apologize your ass off, and then boom—make-up sex.”
“I’m not sure it’s going to be that easy, Char. You didn’t see the way Noah looked at me last night, like I was a complete stranger, or a monster. He was disgusted, and I don’t blame him.”
I walk to the window and pull the curtain back, both surprised and relieved that the paps haven’t shown up at my door. Not that I’m that newsworthy, but last night Charlotte fielded several calls at her shop from reporters wanting to know where I’ve been and who my new “mystery man” is.
“You’re not going to win him back thinking like that.”
“Maybe I need to walk away now before I hurt them more than I already have,” I say, staring at Noah’s front door, just wanting a glimpse of him.
“Well, that’s a stupid thing to do. Now’s the time for you to fight for him, fight for the life you want. You need to show him how much he and his daughter mean to you.”
I shake my head, feeling helpless. “I don’t know how to do that. He’s not going to believe me.”
“You don’t know that.”
Letting go of the curtain, I turn to Charlotte. “Did you see how pissed he was last night? And that was because I didn’t tell him who my parents are. How the hell am I going to explain away a drug-related arrest?”
“Easy.” Charlotte looks at me like I’m stupid. “You’re going to tell him the truth, and if he loves you as much as I think he does, he’s going to believe you.”
For the first time since last night, hope blooms in my chest. “You think he loves me?”
“Lennon.” Charlotte wraps me in her arms. “He wouldn’t be so hurt if he didn’t. You made a mistake not telling him.” She pulls back to look me in the eyes. “You’re human. We all make mistakes. The important thing is that you weren’t doing it to be malicious or to hurt him, and he’ll see that.”
“Let’s hope—” Both of us turn toward the front door when my words are cut off by three loud knocks.