Before Jace could respond, Danny came outside. He sagged into the rocking chair and took a long pull on his beer.
“My wife set us up.”
* * * *
For the second time that day, Danny told his story while Gina sat in Jace and Charlie’s living room, listening raptly. At first, she hadn’t believed him. But he had a sworn statement from Candace’s assistant, who knew everything. She’d been afraid of getting caught in the middle of the sham and had come clean to Danny.
Furthermore, Danny had managed to hack into Candace’s computer and had found that she’d been corresponding with a reporter from TMZ and had been the source of the pictures and the texts.
“Why me?” Gina asked. Of all the women to throw under the bus, why had Candace chosen Gina?
“She wanted everything you had,” Danny said. “Jesus, if you could hear her whine about how you had used your father’s name to claw your way to the top. She hated how FoodFlicks favored you over its other stars, how ChefAid had chosen you as brand ambassador because of your youth and beauty. She called you a no-talent, convincing herself that your success was based on your connections and looks instead of merit. Her jealousy of you kept her awake at night. It was sickening.”
Gina had been clueless about Candace’s animosity. Every interaction she’d ever had with the woman had been cordial, even friendly. Turns out, Candace Clay was a colossal phony.
As far as Gina’s success, it had been hard-won. Her father’s name had certainly gotten her foot in the door. She didn’t take that for granted. But if her ratings had fallen, FoodFlicks would’ve canceled her show without hesitation. ChefAid had partnered with her because she was a trusted name in the business—her frozen food line and kitchenware were top sellers—not because an appliance company needed sex appeal to hawk stoves and dishwashers.
“Why you, then? Why the divorce?” It was a personal question that under ordinary circumstances Gina wouldn’t have dared asked. But because the divorce was the impetus for Candace to concoct Gina’s downfall, it seemed only fair that she get answers.
Danny’s expression grew sheepish as he fiddled with a loose thread on the hem of his polo shirt. “I wasn’t exactly an exemplary husband.” He paused as three pairs of searching eyes bore a hole through him. “Candace’s best friend and I have been carrying on an affair for years.”
Everyone knew that Candace’s best friend was Valerie DeWalt, whose cookbooks were legendary. Valerie was a regular fixture on the Clays’ TV show.
“Candace found out at Christmas. As soon as our divorce is final, Valerie and I are getting married. This is Candace’s payback.”
“What I don’t understand is why didn’t Candace just expose you and Valerie. Okay, she hated my guts. But it seems like a lot of trouble and risk to punish me for your infidelity. What if she’d been caught?”
“She has been caught,” Jace interjected.
“Not soon enough to repair the damage she’s done.” Gina pinned Danny with a stare, waiting for him to answer her question. Everything Candace had done seemed so outrageous, so conniving that it was hard to believe.
“This wasn’t just about payback. It was a carefully orchestrated plan to win public sympathy and drum up enough publicity for her to become the new it girl…to be you and grab everything she could, including being the new face of ChefAid.”
Gina had never thought of herself as an it girl. In fact, she resented the label. An it girl implied that she was a flash in the pan, someone who wouldn’t last. To hell with that. She planned to have the same staying power as Julia Child or Martha Stewart.
“It was really quite genius from a publicity standpoint,” Danny continued. “Not only did she ruin me but she got a complete career makeover in the process. Because let’s face it, before all this, she and I were second-string players. Our show had become tired, unable to compete with the likes of you and the other young FoodFlicks stars.
“We were no longer getting invitations to host specials or judge the competition shows. It was just a matter of time before we were has-beens. Or maybe we already were.” He let out a bitter laugh. “The thing is, I’d like to continue to have a career, even if it’s an off-season show at six o’clock in the morning. After Candace gets through with me, I’ll need the salary.”
Gina didn’t know if the public would forgive him. Although he hadn’t cheated with Gina, he’d been unfaithful in his marriage to a woman who had a significant following. Their show might’ve been limping along in the ratings, but Candace had been one of FoodFlicks’ pioneers.
Not her problem, she reminded herself. She had her own career to rescue.
“How do we get this out into the world?” she asked Sawyer.
Sawyer stood up, walked behind the couch, and put his hand on Gina’s shoulder, then turned to Danny. “Are you willing to go public with everything you’ve told us, including your relationship with Candace’s best friend?”
Danny didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Why?” Jace asked.
Gina had the same question. From where she was sitting Danny still looked like a major POS. What did going public buy him?
“The truth: I don’t want her to win.”
Wow, and to think these two people once took vows to cherish each other until death did them part. Yet another reason not to surrender to love, Gina thought.
“We could talk to Paolo atEater.” Sawyer came around the couch and sat next to Gina.
