“I’m not playing any games.”
“Right. You just agreed to join us on this press tour out of the goodness of your heart. There is obviously something in this for you aside from making Phoenix look good.”
“Maybe I like her.”
“Everyone likes her. That’s not the same as helping her.”
“And you’re helping her?”
“I’m protecting her. There’s a difference.”
“From what? Me?”
“From everyone.” He glances over at Phoenix, who stopped on her way out of the plane to speak softly to Stephanie. “She doesn’t see how people look at her. Like she’s a commodity. A pretty thing to use up and discard. Even you.”
“That’s not?—“
“Isn’t it?” He steps closer, lowering his voice. “You think I don’t see how you look at her? Like you can’t wait to put another notch in your belt.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know enough.” He adjusts his grip on the bags. “I know you’ve never had to work for anything in your life. I know you think charm is a substitute for character. And I know that when this is over, you’ll move on to the next interesting thing, and she’ll be left picking up the pieces. Again.”
A twinge of something that feels very much guilt runs through me. I haven’t decided exactly what it is I want fromPhoenix yet, even though that doesn’t change just how much I want whatever it is.
But that still doesn’t give Mason the right to judge me.
So instead of telling Mason that if either of us is hiding something, it’s him, I give him my most practiced red carpet smile and speak loudly enough for Phoenix to hear. “Let’s head out to Harmony Harbor. The town sounds amazing, right, Mason? And anything is better than getting back in the air.”
“Amen,” Phoenix huffs.
With another winning smile, I leave Mason and the sour expression on his face to gather the rest of our bags.
SIX
PHOENIX
I takeone look at the grease-stained mechanic giving us a ride and my immediate thought is that he looks like he has a collection of human skin on display in his basement.
“This guy looks straight out of a Stephen King novel,” Atticus murmurs as we approach.
“Rude,” I hiss back at him, even though I was thinking pretty much the same thing. I deliberately give the man my most effusive smile once we’re in earshot. “Hello, hi! Thank you so much for doing this.”
“I’m Earl,” he replies with a smile missing a few more teeth than mine. “Pleasure to meet you folks. Don’t get many celebrities through here.”
I try not to let the disappointment show on my face. So much for going incognito while we’re here. “Thank you.”
Earl doesn’t take his gaze off me. “I remember you from that one show…what was it called…on the Universal Kids Channel? Ally’s World. You were such a cute little thing.”
I open my mouth, not sure what to say to that. Saying thank you is the logical response, but that isn’t precisely the sentiment I’m feeling.
But Atticus smoothly interrupts before I say something I might regret. He claps Earl hard on the shoulder and gestures towards the pickup truck behind him. “It’s cold as a witch’s ass out here. Let’s hit the road.”
Earl grumbles his agreement, gaze following me as we hurry toward the truck and he tosses our bags into the back.
The interior is actually cleaner than the exterior suggested, though it smells strongly of pine air freshener and what might be fish. There’s no crew-cab, so Mason sits in the middle while Atticus is by the window and I balance on their laps, bouncing with every jolt from the road.
“Where exactly in Harmony Harbor should I drop you folks?” Earl asks as we turn onto the main road.
