“It’s lovely. The shape is flattering,” she says.
I wait for the ‘but’ that always follows. My mother rarely gives a compliment without it being followed by a criticism.Thatshape is flattering on youbutit’s clinging too tightly to your hips. Are you sure the size is right?When she doesn’t follow it up with anything else, I turn to Claudia and raise an eyebrow—she knows exactly what my mother is like. She shrugs and gives me a surprised look.
Gesturing for them to take a seat on the couch, I sit on a wingback chair opposite them. They probably have a million questions they want to ask. How do I answer them without giving away too much? Do they need to know how close Lucas and I have gotten? No doubt Claudia will know that we’ve had sex. I can’t hide much from her.
First, I need to ask about the company and how bad a shape it’s in. “Hit me with it. How much is lost?” I ask.
My mother adjusts her skirt to cover her knees. “I’m not going to lie. Your bookings for live shows have dried up. The book deal is still being negotiated.”
“Claudia told me it fell through.”
My mother nods. “Yes, the publishers wanted to let it go. I’m trying to convince them they shouldn’t. If it goes ahead, they’ll offer half of what the original sale was. I’ll see if I can negotiate more. If they don’t budge, I guess it’s better to lose some money than all of it. And with the way things are going, you need all the money you can get.”
Okay, that’s not so bad. There’s still a chance my book will get published.
“The TV series isn’t happening. No matter how much I tried to win it back with other ideas to film since the wedding fell through, the production company wants nothing to do with you. I’m plumb tired of trying to get them to change their mind.”
I clutch the armrests. “They have to fulfill the terms of the contract.”
“You represent home and family. You promised a squeaky-clean image. That image broke when you had an affair.”
Springing from the chair, I throw my hands in the air. “You know I didn’t have an affair.”
“The photos of you with Lucas Alessi, and Darren’s statement, paints a different picture. Your reputation is tarnished. It’s going to take time, or even a miracle, to fix this. What in the world were you thinking traipsing around with Lucas Alessi? If you wanted to take out your revenge on Darren, you could have done it discreetly.” My mother narrows her eyes at me.
Looking at it from the outside in, it looks suspicious. Yet I would have hoped my mother didn’t believe what was posted. In all fairness, I didn’t fill her in on what really happened.
“I wasn’t trying to get back at Darren. I’d accidentally locked myself out of my hotel room and got surrounded by paparazzi.” The thought of that night still makes me shudder. “Lucas was staying in a room opposite mine. When he saw the predicament I was in, he stepped in and helped. Those photos aren’t what they seem. We weren’t in some lovers’ tryst. As usual, the media likes to tell stories without facts.” I go on to tell them that Lucas wanted to drop me off at the airport to meet Claudia only for the paparazzi to be there too. “That’s how I ended up at his cabin. He thought we’d be safe from the media because it’s so secluded.” But they somehow found us again. Did Alison call them? Of course she did. Who else? She was the only one who knew who I was.
“Whether or not the photographs of the two of you are innocent, they’ve done a lot of damage. With your disappearing act, not even Claudia can put you in a better light.”
I rub the back of my neck and sit down. When I talked to Lucas last night about the ‘fake dating’ plan, it sounded like a good idea. But now that I have to relay it to my mother and Claudia, I’m nervous as to what they might say. Will they think it’s a stupid idea? Well, they haven’t come up with anything better.
“I may be able to do something that will change everyone’s opinions of me,” I say.
My mother places her forearms on her thighs and leans forward with a dubious expression on her face. “What is it?”
I glance between her and Claudia and take a deep breath. “Lucas suggested that since everyone believes we’re dating we should go out and be seen together. He thinks if people see us as a couple they’ll get invested in our relationship and forget about the scandal.” My mother and Claudia sit in silence, staring at me like I’ve lost my mind. “What do you think?”
“Areyou and Lucas Alessi dating?” my mother asks.
“No. It will be fake.”
“I thought you and Lucas hated each other. Surely that hasn’t changed within a few days. You do rememberwhyyou hate him?” Claudia gives me a knowing look.
“You hate him? Why?” My mother looks confused.
“It’s a long story, Mom. A silly high school misunderstanding that got blown out of proportion.” I never told her about the naked photos or how I got Lucas expelled from school. I was so ashamed about everything I wanted to pretend it never happened.
“What changed?” Claudia asks.
“We talked and the truth came out.” Even though I hate what’s happening with the media, if it weren’t for them, I would have never had this time with Lucas and our pasts wouldn’t be healed.
Claudia gives me a look I don’t understand. Is she not convinced that Lucas didn’t take the photos? She’s probably worried about me and still a little suspicious of Lucas.
“How are you going to convince people you’re in love? It has to be believable or it won’t work,” Claudia says.
We have off-the-charts sexual chemistry. Can that pass as love? “That’s something we can work on before we venture out in public.”
