“You get it,” I gestured toward her. “That powerless feeling when someone’s taken over your life. I was so glad when I was finally able to break free. After that, I thought he was history, but when he found out Harrison had hired me, I guess he jumped on the chance to sabotage me one last time. You two were caught in the crossfire, and for that, I deeply apologize. It should never have happened.”
Scarlet turned to lock eyes with Willow.
“On it,” Willow replied as she started tapping on her phone.
The two women were so close that there was no need for words. I hoped that my gut was correct, and Willow was about to fire Ian for his part in the drama.
I felt Harrison’s eyes on me but refused to meet them. I wasn’t ready to deal with him yet. I was more than a little embarrassed to face him after everything I’d confessed.
He’d hired me because he thought I was smart and capable and on top of everything—but I’d just admitted to letting my ex twist me into knots and turn my life upside down. More than that, my mistakes with Ian were the gift that kept on giving when they managed to mess up Harrison’s life too. If Harrison was pissed at me, I couldn’t really say I blamed him.
“Now that that’s settled, time to eat,” Scarlet said. She grabbed a croissant the size of her fist and took a huge bite. “Let’s talk about theAfter Darkplans. You’re still good with everything?”
Harrison’s posture relaxed ever so slightly as he reached for one as well. “One hundred percent. Let’s cross our fingers there are no more surprises.”
Scarlet winked at him. “I might have one more up my sleeve. Stay tuned.”
He cleared his throat—his tell for masking discomfort—but he didn’t argue.Good boy. I wasn’t exactly thrilled that there was a part of the plan I didn’t know about, but we all had no choice but to trust the artist and her vision.
And hey, we had our own little surprise for Miss Rush.
12
HARRISON
Gwen wouldn’t stop chattering at me as we waited in the green room before the show, like she was having sympathetic stage fright.
Ididn’t get nervous before appearances, but her energy was starting to stress me out. I knew half of it was due to guilt over her accidental involvement in the mess. We’d had a tense conversation after Scarlet left, and I’d gotten irrationally angry at her.
Was it because she’d had a part in derailing a carefully laid plan or because I didn’t like hearing about her ex?
I couldn’t allow myself to probe that question too deeply. There was no point. Anyway, after I finally stopped to think it through, I was able to realize she’d done nothing wrong. There was no way for her to have known Ian was working for Scarlet these days—or that he’d take his grudge against Gwen this far. There was no sense blaming her for the actions of a jealous ex.
And I was more than happy to not give any additional thought to her romantic past. It was hard enough to keep from thinkingabout oursharedpast. But Gwen wasn’t the woman who’d made my head spin in Aspen anymore. She worked for me and nothing more.
Even if my dick still refused to believe it.
Why did she have to wear a dress that slid up her thigh whenever she crossed her legs? Does the woman not own pants?
Gwen looked up from her phone. “Okay, major sigh of relief. Scarlet and Co. just got here.”
Her concern was sort of adorable. “Everything is going to be fine. Stop worrying.”
“Worrying is sixty percent of what you pay me to do. Worrying keeps me on my toes, and that keeps you safe. Scarlet did say she had a surprise, which I don’t love. I prefer knowing about every aspect of an appearance like this.”
“Hey, folks,” we heard a soft knock on the door as it opened. “Everything okay in here?”
So far, we’d had two production assistants come through, along with the sound guy to get me mic-ed up, but this time it was the man himself, gracing us with a pre-interview visit.
Of the current crop of late-night hosts, Ryan was the one I found the least annoying. He didn’t do dumb skits, or goofy songs. He kept the focus on his guests and employed his cheeky Australian wit to keep them on their toes.
“Just wanted to pop in and say g’day. Everything good? Ready for redemption?” Ryan rubbed his hands together gleefully.
No wonder he was happy. The little stunt from the night before had made him the talk of every social media platform, and nowRyan was poised to have a second night of incredible ratings thanks to me.
“Hi Ryan,” Gwen said brightly. “We’re doing amazing, thanks. Super excited for the appearance. Right, Harrison?”
She sounded like a stage mother, but she didn’t need to coach me. For once, I was glad to be stepping in front of a camera so I could finally set the record straight and put this nightmare behind me.
