Janie:
You have to tell him. I thought I was doing the right thing and helping him and his friends, but it just keeps getting worse. Maybe he’ll know what to do. I can’t keep lying to him.
Hunter:
No. He’s already hanging by a thread, and telling him isn’t going to help anything. He’s losing it, J. We have to keep this from him as long as we can.
Though I’m pretty sure I’m going to regret it, I go back to theHot Scooparticle and start reading, feeling worse with each word.
So it wasn’t Brody…
How many people in my inner circle have been lying to me?
Hollywood Hot Scoop
Rehab or Romance:
Derek Riley’s Moab Retreat Revealed
Whilethere’snoquestionthat Derek Riley is crumbling from the grief of being left behind by those closest to him, it turns out Derek’s wavering mental state is more dire than we were made to believe. Derek is at a breaking point after the crushing blow of losing his friends to their significant others, as our favorite insider source hinted at earlier this week. How do we know? It seems Derek has an undercover lover here in the red rocks of Southern Utah.
And who is this mysterious beauty who has stolen the heart of our hometown hero?
Boy, have we got the insider scoop for you.
You’re probably wondering why Derek would travel all the way to the middle of nowhere just for a date when I’m right here and would happily go out with him whenever he wants. This man could have his pick of LA locals, but Derek Riley is not going to settle for just anyone. He hasn’t exactly been known for having high standards—just look at who he’sdated over the past few years—but now it’s obvious why no one ever stuck around long enough for him to have a real romance.
Our main man wasn’t just looking for light love; he was holding out for a life partner. Someone who could share his spotlight and match the confidence and charisma we’ve come to love from the Hollywood A-lister.
Sounds like impossible shoes to fill, right? I thought so too, until I learned who’s been hiding in the desert all this time. Is this mysterious paramour the one who will win Derek’s heart, or is disaster on its way? We’ll let you be the ones to judge, but I’m definitely leaning in the direction of disaster, knowing what I know about this love story in the making.
Our favorite heartthrob might be on the verge of hitting rock bottom and losing everything.
You’re not going to want to miss this one, Scoopers, so be sure to hit that subscribe button so you can be one of the first to find out who has come back from the proverbial dead and might just be the star to break the camel’s back. And no, that’s not a typo. ;) XO
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Donovan
Notgoingtolie,I’m not sure Derek even realizes I’m here. Sure, when Janie showed up at the Red Earth office and gave Hunter the car keys, Derek grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. He kept his jacket over my head as well as his while he darted out to the waiting SUV. He nervously rubbed his fingers along my thigh as Hunter drove to their hotel, where the police held the crowds at bay so we could get inside.
But he hasn’t looked at me since pulling me into his hotel suite, where he’s been pacing for at least ten minutes and looking almost defeated.
Based on their shared looks and silent conversations, Hunter and Janie know exactly what’s wrong, and when Janie set Derek’s phone on the coffee table after he made no moves to take it from her, she looked on the verge of tears. She tried to talk to Derek multiple times between Red Earth and here, but she lost her nerve every time. Hunter hasn’t said aword except to alert the hotel staff that Derek is not to be bothered for any reason. I thought about asking Hunter what was happening before he went out into the hall, but I lost my nerve too.
Whatever this is, it feels bigger than a paparazzi photo.
Derek hasn’t given his phone a second glance, though it keeps buzzing and driving me crazy. I can’t decide if he would stop me if I reached for it, but something tells me Derek’s phone is even more important to him than the notebook he carried around all week. I’m not about to invade his privacy like that.
Derek’s phone lights up with a call, and when he doesn’t even look at the name on the screen, I read it out loud to him because I can’t sit in silence for much longer. “Cole Evanson.”
He curses under his breath and pauses to look at the phone, grimacing at the incoming call until it disappears. He looks almost green, and he’s starting to worry me as he resumes his frenzied pacing. This can’t just be about getting caught mid make-out by paparazzi. Yeah, that’s going to cause some problems, but I’m pretty sure Derek has kept a cool head through worse.
“Derek, what’s wrong?” I want to touch him. Grab his arm or take his hand. But I don’t want to make things harder, and until I know what spooked this man, I need to tread carefully. At least he’s responsive…
The phone lights up again, this time with a call from Liam Connolly.
Derek ignores that one too, even though he keeps his pained gaze on the phone.
