“Don’t change a thing.”
“What? Why?” Libby’s collar jingles from the ground beside me, and I stoop to scratch her between the ears.
“Are you serious? Tenley Roberts and a mystery man? Especially after what Tate did to you? Gold, Tenley. Brilliant.”
I bristle. I don’t like reducing Warner, or the feelings that are developing between us, to a publicity stunt.
“I have real feelings for him, Mom.”
She laughs. “That’s obvious from the picture.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
I fall quiet, not sure what to say next. I focus on pulling on my jeans and T-shirt and wait for her to move onto the next subject. I know she will, because she’s not good at reading between the lines, or hearing what’s unspoken. And I’m not good at telling her when I’m upset.
“Can you keep seeing him?”
I give the phone a hard look. “Yes.” I still haven’t told her I’m staying on the Hayden property, and right now I’m not feeling much like sharing the news.
“Perfect. I couldn’t be more excited.” I hear her hands clap together.
“Wonderful,” I say tightly. Normally I’d bury my irritation. I’ve been doing it for years, and I’m pretty good at it. But today, I don’t want to. Today, it has to do with Warner.
“Is there anything wrong?”
“I don’t like the idea of using Warner, Mom.” I finish tying my shoes and grab my purse.
“You’re not using him, it’s just—”
“Making sure I’m seen out with him? Conveniently being in the place where I know someone with a camera will be? If you don’t like the wordusing, let’s choose a different word. How about manipulating? Or scheming? Are those more palatable?”
“Tenley.” She’s shocked. I can practically hear her mind scrambling, trying to understand my about-face. I have never talked to her this way. But something like this has never been asked of me. Not from her, anyway.
“Mom, I’m not going to orchestrate opportunities for Warner and me to be seen together.”
“Ok. I get it. I understand.” I think she wants to say more, but she’s holding back. “We need the publicity, Tenley. You know how much this movie means to me and your father. So can you just maybe nothideyour relationship?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose with one hand while holding the phone in midair with the other. “After this picture, Warner might want to do exactly that.”
“There’s always Calvin.”
My nose wrinkles. First Calvin mentions being seen together, now my mom? “Mom, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure this movie is successful and you can pay… you know.” If I say the name out loud three times, will they appear like Bloody Mary? Best not to find out. “Or you can just let me pay it off now and this can all be behind you.”
“No way, Ten. We’re your parents. This is our mess.”
We talk for another minute, then my mom says she has to go. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, babe.”
I hang up with her and leave the trailer. I wave goodbye to the crew, poke my head in Ari’s trailer where I know he’s watching dailies, and say goodbye.
It’s almost thirty minutes out to the Hayden ranch, and I’m grateful for the drive. Pearl helps me clear my head. Top down, hair tangling in the wind, with Libby on my passenger seat.
***
I’m almost positive Warner isn’t home. When we spoke this morning over coffee, he told me Charlie had soccer practice this afternoon. I didn’t ask, but I took that to mean Charlie and Peyton are back in his care. It’s hard for me to understand why Anna has such limited access to her children, and by now I’m pretty curious, but I know it’s not something I should be prying into.
