“We’ve been trying to find her.” Andrew had done everything he could to locate Paige. He’d purposely saved Tina for last because he didn’t want to alarm her. “Studio’s calling.”
Tina pinned him with her gaze. She didn’t seem surprised that Paige was gone, though.
“Can you tell me where she is?” he asked.
“So you can try and drag her back here?” She folded her arms. “She needs a break, Drew.”
Andrew sighed. “I understand that, but I need to be able to help her.”
“You?” Tina raised a challenging brow. “Or Vonda?”
The question caught him off guard. Paige was close to her mother, but she’d limited the information she shared with Tina for a reason. He’d witnessed several disagreements between mother and daughter over Paige’s career. The fact that Tina knew that he’d been absent was very telling. Because it meant Paige was angry enough—at him—to say something.
Clearing his throat, he mumbled, “Me. I want to help her.”
Tina sat back and studied him. Andrew wasn’t a nervous person by nature, but he found himself averting his gaze to escape the scrutiny. “My daughter is safe,” she said simply.
“Can you tell me where she is?” he repeated. “Or how I can get in touch with her? I’d like to contact her.”
With a heavy sigh, she said, “Honestly, I’m not in a hurry to give anyone access to her. She’s been through a lot this past year.”
“I’m not just anyone,” he said.
“That’s not what she told me.” Tina leaned forward. “I’m not sure what’s happened between you two, but she specifically told me not to tell you anything.”
“What?” Andrew knew he’d made mistakes, but he hoped he would be able to get through to her. He needed to let her know that he could still be trusted.
“She’s hurting. After the divorce, she wanted to put her house on the market.”
Frowning, he said, “Wait, I thought she was able to keep the house?”
Tina nodded, taking a sip of her drink. “Yes, but she said it didn’t feel like a safe place for her anymore after everything. Then she heard that Julius was marrying Catherine Davis.”
His eyes flashed to hers. “Are you serious? The divorce was just finalized.”
“I’m dead serious.”
“Catherine Davis is married.”
“Not anymore.” Tina explained that Catherine had divorced her husband of ten years quietly and moved in with Julius. The embattled movie director sent the news via courier to Paige the morning after the court date. “He’s a fuckin’ asshole. Always has been full of shit.”
Shaking his head, he mumbled a string of curses. “She’s sad that he’s moved on already.”
“No, she’s justsad.” Tina tapped her manicured fingernail on the countertop. “Partly because she feels like she wasted her time, but mostly because she feels alone.”
“She has people who love her,” he argued. “People who are rooting for her, people who support her.”
“She’s lost so much, Andrew. People who claimed to love her have repeatedly disappointed her.”
He wondered if Tina countedhimas one of those people. “What about Skye?” he croaked. “I know they’ve grown close. She didn’t even tell Skye where she was going.”
“Because she needs to disconnect from being Black America’s Sweetheart.”
Andrew decided to try another tactic. “What about her career? I would hate for her decision to affect her brand. She’s already missed several key meetings and events. You know how hard it is to recover from a difficult-to-work-with label. ”
Tina’s brow creased, signaling that he might have pierced her armor a bit.
“I just want to talk to her, I need to know she’s okay. We can come up with a plan to mitigate the scandal around Julius’s upcoming wedding and protect her career. Then I’ll make sure she can take the time she needs away from the spotlight.”
