“Go,” I told her weeks ago. “You deserve to show off your hard work. Caleb wants you to go and so do I. Don’t worry about the wedding. I’ll personally make sure everything is ready when you get back. With your mom and Marjorie, we can get it all done. I promise.”
I defend Gwen’s choice to Eddie. “Gwen’s slaved away for years on her research. This isn’t just any conference. It’s sponsored by the American Cancer Society and only happens once every four years. It’s a huge opportunity. She cares about her job, Eddie. She’s going to end colon cancer.”
He makes a scoffing sound, which I ignore. I’ve always believed in Gwen. When she puts her mind to something, she doesn’t fail. “Her work is as important as, if not more than, this wedding.”
The chair creaks as Eddie shifts. “I don’t know. If I were getting married, I’d want my fiancée to be around to make sure everything ran smoothly. That’s all I’m saying.”
That’s because you’re a selfish pig,I want to tell him, but I don’t. As annoying as he is, Eddieisthe head of the entertainment department and therefore my boss. I walk a fine line with him, being respectful but not letting him push me around. He’d been different when we first started dating. He’d blunted his bad behavior, but the longer we were together, the more it came out. The more he became the bully he is now.
“Well, they talked about it, and Caleb said she should go.” I dodge a waiter carrying a large silver tray.
“What did you learn from his mom? Anything new? Something juicy?” Eddie fires out.
I fill him in on the stories Marjorie told at lunch, leaving out the more intimate details like her relationship with her father.
“That’s it?” Eddie asks once I’ve finished. “That’s all you got?”
An image of the Caleb’s Secret Santa website flashes through my mind. Eddie would sell his own kidney to know about that, but there’s no way I’m telling him. I’m still surprised Dean toldmeabout it.
He must be desperate.
“That’s it,” I tell Eddie, wanting to be done with this conversation.
The door next to me swings open, and Caleb pokes his head out. His gaze scans around until he sees me. “You okay?” he silently mouths. I give him a thumbs-up, smiling weakly. His eyes narrow for a second, like he doesn’t believe me. I make my grin wider, more convincing.
Finally, Caleb nods and goes back into the private room, closing the door softly behind him. He’s been like this since I arrived in New York, always checking up on me, asking if I need anything. At first, I thought it was because Gwen told him to do it, to keep an eye on me, but when I asked her about it she just laughed.
“Caleb likes you, Jenny,” she said. “Even separate from me, he thinks of you as his friend. That’s what he does for the people he cares about. He’s protective, nurturing. Why do you think I love him so much?”
Those words warmed me, because I like Caleb too. He’s good to everyone around him, friends and strangers alike. I’ve never seen him be mean to his staff or to any of the fans who approach him looking for an autograph. You’d think he would be snotty, growing up famous like he has, but honestly, he’s one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met.
“What about the wedding? Any news there?” Eddie’s still talking in my ear. He doesn’t bother to hide his eagerness. He wants a promotion. When we dated, he once confessed he wanted to break a big story. Something to give him notoriety so he could move up to the editor-in-chief position.
“Nothing more than I already told you.” I scuff my feet along the floor, pacing slowly. “Besides, if anything did happen with the wedding, I’d have to get Caleb’s approval before I printed it.”
“You don’t really have to do that, you know.” Eddie’s voice drops low.
“Yes, I do. It’s part of my contract.” I gnaw on my lower lip. I’d been worried about this. The paper gave in too easily when I made that demand. I should have known they’d send Eddie to harass me, wanting to know more details. He’s famous for finding the biggest scandals in Hollywood, so of course he’d want to see one involving the “wedding of the century.”
“The newspaper would cover you if you breached the contract. We have lawyers for exactly that kind of situation.”
“Lawyers wouldn’t help me get my best friend back.” A group of women brush past me, heading for the bathroom and talking loudly. I put my finger to my ear so I can hear Eddie better.
“Jenny, you know what you need to do if you want that investigative job—”
“I gotta go. They’re done with lunch now.” I cut him off, knowing this cajoling tone too well. That’s the voice that talked me into staying, even though I thought about breaking up with him many times before he finally broke up with me.
“Okay,” he says, his voice clipped. “I’ll see you in two days. Hopefully, you’ll have something more interesting to discuss by then.”
I freeze at his words. “What do you mean, you’ll see me? You’re in L.A. and I’m in New York.”
“Oh,” he says with feigned nonchalance, as if he weren’t delivering a bomb designed to blow up my serenity. “Didn’t I tell you? I’ll be in New York. Just for the day. I’ve got some meetings in the morning, but I’ll make time for you. We can go to lunch at noon.”
I should have anticipated this. When we were dating, Eddie would frequently travel to New York, often leaving L.A. abruptly. A couple of times, I didn’t even know he’d left California until he called me from LaGuardia Airport in New York. My stomach twists at the thought of seeing him. I’ve been enjoying my Eddie-free existence here.
“I already have lunch plans,” I say automatically.
“Break them,” he says, his voice cold and commanding.
