“How long have you two known each other?”
I reached for Mark’s hand.
“Four years? We got married pretty quickly after we met.”
She already seemed bored. She moved her tape recorder to Cleo without giving me a second glance.
“And how long have you two known each other? You guys go way back I bet,” she winked at her. Cleo’s mouth fell open and she looked at me apologetically.
“The entire band has been best friends since we were ten. That’s why when Mark and Renee asked for me to help them out, I was more than happy to do so. They are so perfect for each other, and they’ll make great parents.”
“Are you going to help out when she comes?”
“Maybe some, but I’m sure Renee won’t need much help. She was my twin’s nanny while we went on tour. She’s gonna do just fine.”
“Your band has always been known for being goofballs at shows and in real life. What kind of jokes have you made about this situation?” She directed the question at Mark. I gritted my teeth. Why was I even here at this point? She was clearly not interested in the entire story.
“Oh, we don’t make too many jokes. We appreciate what Cleo has done for us and don’t take that lightly. Ethan, her husband sometimes makes jokes though. Since she’s having my baby, I’m technically the one on call for her midnight cravings.” Lindsey laughed so obnoxiously it made me nauseous.
“Oh, that is hilarious! Speaking of cravings, have you had any crazy ones?”
The entire interview went like that. I finished my chef’s salad quietly while I listened to her go on and on. After what felt like an eternity the meal ended and we all stood up.
“Thank you all so much for letting me in to a little bit of your lives for a moment. I’m going to start working on the article when I get back to the office, and hopefully it will run in about two weeks.”
As soon as she was out of sight Cleo turned to me and quickly apologized.
“I kept trying to direct her attention to you I swear,” her eyes were desperate for me to believe her. I forced a smile and blinked away the tears that had started forming.
“I know. No worries. I’m just glad the money we’re getting is going to a good cause. How much was it?” We all turned to Sam. He started beaming, looking very smug.
“Well, thanks to Ethan’s celebrity status and the band’s very successful last album, we were able to snag a very cool $200,000. Not bad for pictures without the kid.”
My jaw dropped.
“Is that the standard?”
“For maternity yes. Weddings and actual babies can go for up to two million. So, if you guys want to do this again in a few months…”
I shook my head. This lunch had been mortifying. I don’t want to go through it again. Mark took my hand.
“We’ll talk about it when it happens. Thanks for the help Sam. Just sign the check over to Evan’s Place.”
I tried to put the upcoming article out of mind over the next two weeks, but it felt like I was waiting for the next bomb to drop. Mark spent as much time as he could reassuring me that whatever was printed was ridiculous and I had nothing to worry about. In my heart I knew that, but when I finally had the magazine in hand it nearly broke it.
Cleo called us at 7am the day it was released.
“It’s horrible. They took everything completely out of context!” She cried. My stomach rolled. I hadn’t even seen it yet, but I knew it had to be bad.
Getting showered and dressed we headed over to her place and went to the kitchen where the rest of the band and Ethan were standing leaning over the island looking at something. It had to be the magazine. They all turned when they heard us, and instant looks of pity were thrown at me. I gulped and moved forward, my heart beating out of my chest.
“Let me see it.”
No one moved for a long moment, but finally Cleo reached for it and shut it. Handing it to me, I looked down and my heart stopped. We had made the front cover. Well, I didn’t. Cleo and Mark did. His hands were wrapped around her stomach and they were both laughing. The headline said “She’s Having My Baby!” Scrolling down I saw Lindsey did give me a tiny shout out in the subtitle. “See how singer Cleo De La Rosa gave her bandmate Mark Lesley and his wife the ultimate gift.”
I practically tore the magazine open and hurried to the article. Again, another picture of the two of them. At least this one was one where she had her “just babysitting” shirt on. No one spoke while I read the article. It was just as ridiculous as the live interview had been. It focused on their friendship and unbreakable bond that was now just a little bit stronger. I actually let out a laugh when I was mentioned.
It was only to say that I didn’t seem jealous and based on the lunch seemed to prefer a more subtle role in Mark’s life. “While Cleo is no stranger to the spotlight, Renee Lesley seemed to enjoy listening to her husband and best friend share stories of their lives pre-domestication.”
