“I will write my letter to the board first thing tomorrow.Informing them… of what they already know.”
“Don’t tell them you slept with me when I was still your client,” Avery says.“What does it even matter now?You’re already losing everything.”
The strain this puts our fragile beginnings under is enormous, yet she handles it with such grace.She’s Avery Hall.She doesn’t need this.She could walk away so easily, yet she’s right here.
“I told Jan and I don’t think she’s on my side any longer.”I shake my head.“No more lies, okay?It’s the only way forward.”
Leslie rubs her temples, then glances at Avery.“Why couldn’t you have fallen for your accountant instead?”she says.
“Because he’s a middle-aged man and excruciatingly boring,” Avery deadpans.
I can’t help but chuckle and it takes the edge off some more.
“What’s so special about my sister, anyway?”I’m not sure if Leslie means that as a joke or a genuine question.
“You really want me to answer that?”Avery sounds instantly combative.
Leslie shakes her head.“Of course not.”She smiles at Avery, then at me.“She’s my sister.Of course, she’s amazing.”She takes a breath.“I’ll deal with the studio.That’s my job.”
“Thanks, Les.”Avery’s lucky to have someone like Leslie in her corner.
“I need to get used to this.”Leslie waves her hand from me to Avery and back.“To the two of you together.”
“Because we are two ladies?”Avery jokes, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Pfft.”Leslie scoffs.“Fifty percent of my client base is gay these days.”
It reminds me: I should call Derek soon.
“You did recommend Nic to me,” Avery says.“You’re kind of responsible for this.”
“Oh, really?”Leslie arches an eyebrow.“Did I push you into my sister’s bed?”She waves off Avery’s quip.“I had absolutely no notion of this at my birthday party.”
“See, you’re doubly responsible.”Avery must be stressed, because she’s pushing it.But I’m no longer her therapist.Under the table, I put my hand on her knee and give it a little squeeze, hoping that she will catch my drift.“I’m sorry, Leslie.It’s a lot,” she says, seamlessly taking my cue.
Leslie exhales, then reaches across the table to cover both our hands with hers.“It is a lot,” she says.“But you’re not alone in this.Neither of you.”Her gaze flicks between us.“We’ll figure this out.”She curls her lips into a smile.“And by the way, I’m very happy for you.”
Chapter29
Avery
“Are you still having fun?”I ask Nic in the car on the way to her house.
She’s furiously typing on her phone.I put mine away because I can’t deal with the tsunami of messages anymore.I may need to hire someone to reply to them.Or I can just ignore them.The way I see it, I don’t owe anyone an explanation.But, once again, it’s different for Nic.
“Not at this exact moment in time.Hold on.”Nic continues to type for a minute, then shoves her phone into her bag.She looks me in the eye.“I am now.”
“I guess it’s official, then.”I allow myself to feel elation now.
“What’s that?”When Nic looks at me like that, like she has all the love in the world to give me, I can’t help but completely melt inside.
“We’re officially together.TMZ said so.”
“If I remember correctly, they used the words ‘forbidden affair’.That hardly sounds official.”
“It’s the language they use, but we know what it really means,” I say.
“What does it really mean?”That crooked grin gets me every time.I was so wrong to accuse my agent, albeit in jest, of being responsible for our forbidden affair.It’s all Nic.I never stood a chance against her.
