I toss the phone onto the couch and clench my jaw, looking at Donovan like there’s nothing familiar about her. I instantly don’t like turning on her like this, and I search for a way to shift things so I don’t have to say anything I don’t mean. Without any good ideas, I reluctantly grind out, “I knew it was a bad idea to trust you,” and hope she can see the apology in my eyes.
“It’s not what you think, Derek.” Her eyes flick to the back of the room, away from my mom.
Hoping I understand her unspoken thoughts, I growl and stalk in that direction like I’m planning to pace. “How do you know what I think?Idon’t even know what to think right now!”
She rushes over to me, stopping me in my tracks and gazing at me with tears in her eyes. My body aches to wrap her up in my arms and comfort her even though I know her pain isn’t real. At least, it had better not be real. “I didn’t want to hurt you!” she says, her strained words loud enough for my mom to hear.
“I told you about my so-called friends,” I say, letting pain sharpen my words. I’m laying it a bit too thick, but whatever. “Itoldyou they’ve been cutting me out of their life now that I’ve gotten them fame, and then you go and lie to my face about who you are? Why? So you can use me to get into the spotlight like they did?”
Donovan narrows her eyes. “Don’t lump me in with them!”
I drop my voice as low as I can to avoid being heard from here on out, and though I keep anger in my tone to help make my body language lookbelievable, my words don’t match the emotion. “And you thought acting wasn’t like riding a bike. You’re making it look easy.”
My comment catches her off guard, her face going slack, but she recovers quickly and jumps right back into looking miserable and frustrated. “I guess I have more natural talent than I thought,” she whispers mournfully.
“Don’t make me laugh or I’ll break character!” I curl my hands into fists, then fold my arms for only a second before running a hand through my hair. “I don’t love being angry with you.”
“It turns out disappointing you feels terrible, and I totally understand why Janie and Hunter did what they did.” Donovan puts her hand on my arm and flinches when I tug it away from her touch. “You really are next to perfect, Superman.”
I narrow my eyes. “That’s not true and you know it. Thanks for doing this with me, by the way.”
With a glance at the others in the room, she hunches her shoulders. “We can’t stand here forever. Do you think she believes you’ve been abandoned and betrayed?”
“Hard to say. I’ll need to talk to her to know for sure.”
“I don’t want to leave you with her, but…”
I snarl and lean in closer, getting in her face to intimidate her. And maybe also to breathe her in. “But it’s better if you do,” I agree. “She needs to believe I’m really on my own, and I want to get this over with sooner than later because you smell really good and I’m kind of desperate to kiss you.”
Tears slip onto her cheeks but don’t hide her blush. “Someone’s a little full of himself. I usedyourshampoo.”
“It’s good, right?”
She brushes the tears from her cheeks, but they keep coming. “Guess there are perks to being rich and famous.”
“I’ll have Janie get you a bottle,” I say and wave an arm in frustration.
“Score.” Donovan wraps her arms around herself, looking small. “I suppose I’ll leave for a bit and let you sort things out?”
“It shouldn’t take long.”
“I give you permission tonotbe nice this time around.”
“I appreciate that. Don’t go far.”
“Promise.”
“I love you.”
She takes a step back, shaking her head, but her eyes are glittering with more than tears. “You don’t mean that,” she says at full volume.
I point at the door and talk through my teeth. “I mean every word.”
“Derek.”
“Go.”
Still shedding impressive tears, she trudges to the door but stops halfway there, turning so her back is to my mom. “Love you back,” she mouths with a warm smile, and then she’s back to utter misery as she slinks out of the suite.
