“Cool.”
Rainer follows me out of the conference room, down the elevator, and to the parking lot. He holds the door to his familiar Range Rover open for me.
“Where do you feel like going?” he asks as he starts driving.
I shrug. “Somewhere we won’t be recognized.”
“You got it.”
We do drive-through In-N-Out Burger. Rainer gets a protein-style cheeseburger and I do the same. We agree on fries. “We’ll share them,” I say when Rainer points out we have to be half-naked in front of the cameras in a few short weeks.
We eat in the parking lot. I inhale mine in three minutes flat. The burger is delicious. It seems crazy that after all this time in L.A. I’ve never had one.
“Thanks for feeding me,” I say.
“No problem.” He looks over at me. “Home, then?”
I nod. I want to say something else to him. To tell him… what, exactly? That it feels nice being here with him? That I’m sorry? That I hope he can, at some point, get to a point where he can trust me again?
What I end up saying is: “Can we go back to Bel Air and just hang out for a little while?”
“Yeah,” he says. “I’d like that.”
CHAPTER 16
We turn off Sunsetand weave our way up to the house. There are no photographers anywhere in sight as we pull through the gate and down to the garage. Rainer comes around, opens my door, and helps me out.
The house looks the same, and I feel a rush of affection wash over me as I think about how we lived together here. I wonder if he’s changed things since I moved out, if the living room is reconfigured. Once I open the door, though, I see that it’s all the same. Nothing has changed. That is, besides the fact that Britney Drake, Rainer’s ex, is seated on his couch.
“What are you doing here?” I say automatically. My eyes jump from Britney, perched on the sofa, to Rainer, standing behind me, but he looks just as clueless as I feel.
“I thought we could spend some quality time together today, Rain.” She dangles a key from her pointer finger. “The gate was open, and you still keep it under the mat. I guess some things don’t change.”
Rainer closes the door and stands firmly, arms crossed. “Now is not a good time.”
“According to Alexis, andthe universe,” Britney says with a roll of her eyes, “you two broke up. My mistake.”
“What do you want?” I ask her.
Britney laughs. A childish, girlie laugh that makes my insides feel like rotting fruit. “Your boyfriend is my friend,” she says. “He didn’t tell you we’ve been spending time together?”
I glance at Rainer, who is shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. “Not like that,” he says.
“Oh, no,” Britney says, in mock sincerity. “We’re justfriends. You know, kind of like you and Jordan?”
“Enough,” Rainer says. “Britney, you need to leave. Now.”
“Just a little while longer,” Britney says, tossing her feet up. “It’s so rare I get to have a heart-to-heart with Paige.”
I snort. Rainer takes a stride toward the couch. “Britney, come on. Not now.”
“No, I think now,” Britney says. “Rainer, I’m sorry, but your girl deserves to know the truth.”
“Truth about what?”
“Britney,” Rainer says through gritted teeth. “I’m going to ask you one last time to leave.”
Britney walks silently over to Rainer. She touches his jaw with her hand, and my eyes widen as his narrow at her. “Paige,” Britney says, her hand still on Rainer. “Why don’t you decide? Do you want to know the real story about you and Rainer? Or should I leave?”
