“No.” Skye snatched his phone. “Don’t call her. Don’t text her. Let her concentrate on this interview. If she goes out there distracted, he’ll pounce.”
He grabbed his phone. “Fine. Go. I won’t show up.”
Skye offered him a sad smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be the baddie. I’ll let her know that I told you it wouldn’t be a good idea for you to show up.” She glanced at her watch. “Shit, I gotta go. I’ll be in touch.” She rushed out of the office.
For a few minutes, he warred with himself about it. He knew Skye was right. And if Paige was any other client, he would have championed Skye’s plan. But, personally? He knew he was wrong to not be there. And he couldn’t help but regret his decision.
Chapter Eighteen
After staring at the latest headline for twenty minutes, Paige closed the internet browser on her phone. Once again, her personal life had been displayed for all the world to see. Once again, she’d given the public the perfect conversation starter. Paige didn’t bother to check her social media pages, because she knew what she’d find—judgment, hurtful memes using her worst photos and GIFs, and commentary from people who thought they knew her but had no idea who she really was.
Yet, when she’d looked at the image of her in Andrew’s arms inside the SUV, she’d seen two lovers who were resolute in their adoration of each other. She’d seen a man who had dropped everything to be there for the woman he loved and a woman who’d desperately needed comfort after being so humiliated in front of a group of strangers. Instead of celebrating black love, the writer had turned something beautiful, something pure, into a twisted ugly mess.
Paige dialed Andrew again.Straight to voicemail. It had been that way all day. Her calling. Him not answering. He’d texted earlier and said he’d be at the studio, but he wasn’t there.Where the hell is he?She wondered if he’d seen the article, if he’d blamed himself for it . . .Did he blame me?
She fired off another text: Are you okay? Call me.
Her stomach rolled as she waited for a reply, as dread filled her, as doubt threatened to tilt everything on its head. It wasn’t like him to not answer her calls.
Wasn’t it,though? That niggling thought grew louder with every passing minute. Because he’d done it before.
She tried not to let her mind skip ahead to all the negative reasons he could be avoiding her. After all, he had a lot going on with his mother. The last time they’d talked, he sounded so stressed out, so tired. Yet he’d promised her that he would be there.
Yet, another voice filtered through her mind—her mother’s. “The only person you can depend on is yourself. ”
At the time, her mom had just come out of her third bitter divorce and had taken the day to drown her sorrows. Paige still remembered the smell of the liquor and the song playing on the speakers. Bobby Womack’s “If You Think You’re Lonely Now.” She also recalled the way she’d felt, watching her strong, unstoppable mother collapse under the weight of her heartbreak.
Her mother had never married again.
But Paige continued to move forward. She’d kept her mind and her heart open to love, even though she’d been hurt herself many times. She could have closed herself off, vowed to never love again. Maybe she’d even voiced that thought after the debacle that was her marriage to Julius. Then . . .Andrew.
Despite her recent divorce, she’d fallen—heart first—into a relationship with a man who made her feel treasured and loved. Trusting someone after hurt was hard. But they’d agreed to be honest with each other, they’d agreed to try. So she would try—to be open, to tamp down her doubts, to not jump to conclusions about his absence, and to believe that he would keep his word.
“Hey, Paige.” Skye hurried into the greenroom at the studio. Giving her a quick hug, she dropped her large purse on a chair. “I thought I wouldn’t make it. Traffic is a nightmare.”
“It’s always a nightmare,” Paige agreed. She cleared her throat.
Paige felt sick, like she was coming down with something. Her throat hurt, her head pounded, and her stomach was queasy. Maybe she was just extremely anxious? Or maybe she was just tired?
Skye typed something on her phone. “How are you?”
Her gaze shifted to the doorway again, hoping Andrew would round the corner and be there. “I’m not feeling well,” Paige admitted. “Maybe we should reschedule?”
Skye rubbed her hands down Paige’s arms and gave them a friendly squeeze. “Oh no. Is it a stomach bug? I can get you some ginger ale?”
Shaking her head, Paige told her, “No, I’ll be okay.”
“Sure?” Skye tilted her head to meet Paige’s gaze. “Because I don’t want you to go out there if you’re not feeling your best.”
Gripping her throat, Paige said, “I’ll be fine.”I hope. “Tanya is running a little late. She should be here any minute.”
Paige looked at the door again. Despite her earlier pep talk, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Andrew wasn’t coming. She tried to think of a reason why.Is his mother okay?
Connie had been having a hard time healing from her ankle fracture, and Paige knew he was worried about his mother.Is he still in Detroit? If he was, why wouldn’t he call her? Being there for Connie was way more important than this interview.
“What are you looking for?” Skye asked, concern on her face.
“Andrew said he’d be here.” Paige flattened a hand over her belly. “I’ve tried to call him, but he won’t answer.”
