This was inevitably going to happen someday.Wouldn’t it be better to face it head on than wait for someone to drop the axe?
Maybe.
Where would she go?If she walked out right now, where would she go?Who would she meet next?She trusted Cam, completely, yet she hadn’t uttered a word of her history until after being found out.Would she ever be honest?With the world?With herself?
“I don’t want to be the story again,” she murmured, her eyes stuck on the coffee table as her lips dried.Her reluctance was stark.Still, she forced herself to shift her whole body toward Cam.“I’ve never done this without Spencer.”
God, she didn’t want to hurt him.
Didn’t she know him better than that?This was Cam.He’d never be offended by the truth.
Rather than show hurt or anger, he smiled and cupped her cheek.“You are strong enough to take on anything.And I’ll be here…” His thumb tracked across her cheek.“I’ll always be here, Candy.You’re not doing this alone.No one will abandon you.”
“I don’t want to do a formal interview, not off the bat like that.I don’t want to be seen to capitalize on—I never wanted publicity.Neither of us wanted that.For a decade, I’ve shunned the limelight.I don’t know how to embrace it.”
It scared her.There was fear again, cropping up at the most inconvenient moment.She couldn’t be driven by it.
“You’ll learn.”When she turned, Roxie was at the top of the stairs with Knox at her back.“And you don’t have to embrace it.”The beauty came to sit at her side.“All you have to do is tolerate it.Smile.”
Knox sat in the other armchair.“But don’t look smug.”
“Relax,” Roxie added.
“But not too much.”When Roxie landed a glare on Knox, he blinked in innocence.“She has to know the playing field.Don’t be naïve, you have enemies out there, Ariella.We all have enemies out there.”
“Jane has no enemies,” Tripp said, amusement flavoring his smirk.“People know better than that.”
“Damn right,” Knox said, fierce in his certainty.
Roxie exhaled and found her smile again.“Ignore all the talk, Ariella.We’re going to take our time, we won’t rush anything.A friend of mine will be here tomorrow.We’ll talk to her, just you and me.Keep this simple.”
“Cameras don’t—”
“No cameras.Just a conversation.Say what you want, there’s no pressure and nothing you say will be shared, not until you’re completely comfortable.”
“It’s a good plan,” Knox said.“Rox’ll ease you into it and that gives us time to do the opp research.”
“Which is what?”
“Dirt,” Tripp explained.“We need to know what people know so we’re not blindsided.True or not, the best defense is an offense.”
“You want to release the dirt?My dirt?”
“Or spin it,” Knox said.“We’ll need someone to handle the Raiths.”
That took everyone’s focus to Tripp, though hers was last to track because… Why?
The half smile Tripp wore was as relaxed as his loose body.“Guess I’ll be calling Dad.”
“Mimi will know things,” Roxie said.“If we have to fire back.”
“She’s not the only one,” Cam murmured.
“You’re thinking Olive?”Knox asked.“If we get them both together…”
“They’ll have a strategy of their own.”
“That mean we’re taking this on the road?”Tripp asked.“Last I heard Olive Deveraux was camped in LA.”
