“Interesting. He never brings a date to Ben’s parties,” Edie said, her gaze traveling up and down on Alyssa, like a freaking elevator.
She could feel the shade the woman threw her way, but the words had an opposite effect. He didn’t bring dates to these parties, and tonight, he brought her. Had to mean something, right? Her heart pounced like a ping pong champion on his last game. She stared back at the woman, summoning a confidence she was far from feeling, quietly.
“I mean that, how nice he brought you,” Edie said, pink spreading her cheeks. “Are you from the industry?”
“No, I’m not,” Alyssa said. If she told them her about massages, they’d no doubt be next-level passive aggressive. But she guessed that mean girls from school times trained her for adults like this. “How about you two? What kind of industry are you in?” she asked, shifting the attention to them.
“I’m Ben’s ex-wife,” said Edie, the blonde, like that was some sort of an accolade.
“And I’m a screenwriter,” Kailey said, with a small smile. She was definitely a lot nicer and less obvious than Edie. “Ben represents me.”
“How nice,” Alyssa said. Everyone in that dinner party had a specific reason to be there. She’d recognized three actors, and while she didn’t know their names, she could tell they were important enough.
Those women probably wondered what she was doing there. What was her role. And she knew it’d kill them if she didn’t say it. Let them think she was something more than Knox’s arm candy.
“Does he also… represent you?” Kailey asked, and a pang of apprehension leaked into her voice. Like she needed to know.
“No,” Alyssa said.
Kailey’s shoulders relaxed. “Good. I mean, it was nice talking to you.”
Alyssa rolled her eyes, and wished she could say the same.
9
“How’s the food?” Knox asked Alyssa, leaning closer.
“Delicious,” she said.
She sat next to him at the long table set on Ben’s terrace.
He’d enjoyed the evening more than he did most of Ben’s dinner parties. He usually refrained from bringing dates to Ben’s events. He liked to think the women he went out with wouldn’t be impressed by them. He favored women that were completely out of his industry, though frankly, he hadn’t really dated someone he intended on going steady ever since his divorce.
He bit back a smile, glancing at Alyssa’s profile. Being with her here… felt right. She didn’t like those kinds of people more than he did, and that comforted him. She held her own, even though she second guessed herself at first. He’d noticed when they arrived. She pulled through… for him.
What else would she do for him? Would she consider dating him if the odds weren’t stacked against them? If he weren’t Madison’s dad? That had to be awkward for her at some level.
He winced internally. Where did that idea come from? Regardless of Madison, she never gave him any indication she was ready to be with him permanently. In fact, their agreement had been the opposite. They had an expiration date, the reason why they had so much fun. They enjoyed each other, because they knew their affair wouldn’t last forever. What if it did, though?
Knox, you’re an idiot.
“We’re so glad you joined us, Knox,” Edie, Ben’s ex-wife said, thankfully pulling him from his thoughts. “And brought such a charming companion.”
“Thanks, Edie,” he said, unwilling to give her any more kernel of information. Edie must have been curious as to who Alyssa was. Thankfully she had no relationship with his ex-wife, so he had no worries about her telling Sandra about Alyssa. Still, he imagined that Edie wondered who Alyssa was—if she was an ambitious young actress vying for a role in his next movie or something like that.
“How did you two meet if I may ask?” Edie asked.
You may not. The snarky answer burned at the tip of his tongue, but he had to remember to play nice. “Through mutual friends,” he said simply.
“Interesting,” Edie said, then gave him a long look before picking up her wine glass and taking it to her lips. “What kind of friends? I’d be curious to know since you two seem from such different… walks of life.”
“Edie, honey, let’s not pry,” Ben said, with a smile, but a firm warning in his voice.
Edie arched an eyebrow, her cheeks flushing. A spark of defiance hit her eyes, but she must have not acted out, as she simply nodded and said, “Of course. You’re right.”
Knox let out a sigh. Edie and Ben’s marriage had ended when she caught him with a much younger woman. Though that was not news in Hollywood, it had hurt just the same, he gathered. But he wasn’t married anymore, and was entitled to bring whoever he wanted to a freaking dinner party.
Imagine what she’d think if she found out who the friend we have in common is. Not that he cared for her opinion, honestly. But he cared for Madison’s. And the people close to him. Wouldn’t be fair to yank Alyssa and insert her into a life where she wasn’t accepted. She already had experienced that her whole life.
