“Who is it?” Rose asked as she turned to get another clementine from the fridge.
“Just the studio,” Lizanne said and deleted the notification.
Why hadn’t she just told her? Lizanne wasn’t sure. Perhaps for the same reason Rose hadn’t told her about Jeremy’s card. Because the past was behind them now, and neither wanted it to intrude in their reality.
And yet, she could not deny that somewhere in the back of her head, she had that sinking feeling that the past wasn’t quite done with either of them.
Chapter 27
Lizanne
The meeting ran forty minutes. By the time it was over, she had signed on for two more seasons ofGilden Duchess,as well as its spin-off which was indeed going to be calledGilden Duchess in the New Worldand would star her character and Dana’s as they explored America.
She got into her car and leaned back before looking upFrom Wedding Planner to Bride. It would be a busy time for her. And for Rose. The show continued to perform exceptionally well. So much so, Rose’s business was growing beyond anything she’d ever imagined.
She smiled as she saw another headline, celebrating the woman she loved.FROM WEDDING PLANNER TO BRIDE’S ROSE DELANEY: WHY AMERICA CAN’T GET ENOUGH.
The article captured Rose perfectly—the competence, the dry humor, the genuine heart. Reading it made Lizanne feel a steady, quiet warmth. Near the bottom, a paragraph mentioned Quinn. He too had been cast in several projects to run alongside the reality show. Even Kayla had been offered spots on different game shows. Though she had turned them all down. Rose’s mom, meanwhile, had been offered her own dating show, for women over 60. Though like Kayla, she had turned down the offer.
Lizanne smiled, she could not imagine Marigold Delaney, who was reluctant to appear on their show, as the star of her own. Once she’d finished reading, Lizanne put the phone down and reached for the gear shift.
A sharp, deliberate knock on the passenger window gave her pause and she looked up. At once, her jaw dropped.
Trina stood on the other side of the glass. She wore a dark coat and sunglasses pushed up over her hair. Lizanne unlocked the door.
Trina got in. “You didn’t answer my texts.”
Lizanne closed her eyes. Trina had texted her four more times since last week. Each one more urgent than the last. All had been deleted at once.
“We broke up. Are you stalking me? How did you know I was here?”
“I know someone who works for the show. They told me. I needed to talk to you.” Trina turned in the seat. “Marcus was a mistake. I got bored, I made a stupid decision, and I’ve spent weeks regretting it. I miss you. I want to come back.”
Lizanne said nothing.
“We can spin it,” Trina continued. “The show, the marriage, Rose—we say it was damage control after I left. A strategy to save face. Now we’ve found our way back to each other. Honey bee, it would be a great story. Reconciliation, real love surviving the chaos. Rose was just a rebound. And if she won’t play ball, we expose the whole Derek thing.”
Lizanne thought her ears were malfunctioning. Had she just heard this right?
“Katrina, Rose and I are together. Actually together. It isn’t for the show. We love each other. We’re building something. A family.”
“What? No. She’s a meek mouse. You don’t like women like her.”
“She’s not meek. Nor a mouse. She’s incredible. She’s strong. She…she raised a little kid on her own while building a business. With an absentee father who doesn’t give a crap about his kid.”
“How do you know that?”
“What?” Lizanne frowned.
“That the dad just left the kid. She lied about having a fiancé, after all. How do you know the dad isn’t secretly wanting to see his kid? What if he is but she shut him out for some reason? That’s what my mom did with my dad.”
Lizanne looked out of the car window and thought about the card she’d seen. Her throat constricted.
“What? I know you honey bee. Something’s up.”
“No, nothing is up. He tried to write Daisy a card a little while back, but it was just because of the show. Because when people get popular, hangers on want to benefit. Which is why you’re here, right? This isn’t about me. You saw how popular the show is, how popular Rose is and you want a piece of it because your playboy dumped you.”
Trina stared at her. Then, she reached over and grabbed Lizanne’s face. Their lips met. One second, then two. Lizanne felt six years of familiarity before she pulled back.
