Brandon was the star, after all, and I’d been on the set long enough to know that Lila had a star power of her own. The kind of power that came with being the executive producer’s daughter and the star’s girlfriend.
So, basically, they were the center of attention, especially at this party of co-workers and co-stars.
I hadn’t seen Amber show up yet, but then again, she was probably waiting to make an entrance.
I’d heard the rumors on set about her too. The grumblings about the new diva in town. Even some catty rumors about how she’d gotten the part because one of the higher-ups wanted to sleep with her.
But whatever. Amber wasn’t my problem right now. I reached for my glass of champagne and grinned.
In fact, I didn’t have many problems right now.
Lila tipped her head back with a laugh at whatever it was Brandon said.
Well, aside from the fact that my relationship with Lila had to stay secret for a while, I didn’t have a problem. I didn’t mean to glare, exactly, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little bit jealous that he got to be the public boyfriend to my girl.
Brandon caught my eye, and his own widened. “And that’s my cue,” he said, taking a step back and holding his hands up to show he hadn’t crossed the line.
As if I ever thought he would.
He gave Lila a wink. “I’m gonna go work the room. You two have fun, but…” He leaned in close. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Yeah, yeah…” Lila playfully shoved him away. “Go make nice with your fans.”
We watched him walk away, straight toward a group of Lila’s high school friends they’d invited. I narrowed my eyes at that guy who never took his eyes off Lila.
“Who is that guy?” I asked.
“Who?” She half turned. “Oh. Him.”
I loved the disgust in her voice when she said ‘him.’ I was already smirking when she said, “An ex.”
My smirk fell and jealousy rippled through me hot and ugly. Stupid, I know. He was an ex, as in her past. But that didn’t make me like the fact that Lila had been with other guys.
It just made me a hypocrite. I stretched out my neck and tried to relax as I remembered that I wasn’t exactly a saint and Lila wasn’t the first girl I’d hooked up with.
I just wanted her to be the last.
Oh holy crap.
I set down my drink slowly, and Lila arched a brow. “You all right, Jack? You look like you saw a ghost.”
Yup. The ghost of my single self. “Fine,” I said, taking a deep steadying breath. I felt totally off-kilter, even though I was standing up straight. But not in a bad way. Falling in love was just terrifying, that was all. I wondered if it ever got any less frightening. But then again, if that meant it was any less exhilarating, then maybe this terror was worth it. It was like a roller coaster, right? The fear of falling was half the fun.
And I was falling. I eyed her profile, my heart doing a backflip at the sight of her.
Mine. She was mine.
I was such a goner.
She turned back to me with a little smile. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.” I reached under the table for her hand and gave it a squeeze that no one else could see. “Just a little overwhelmed.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Vivien knows how to plan a party, I’ll give her that.”
So not what I meant, but I went with it. “Vivien,” I repeated, my gaze seeking out the new Devereaux bride who was apparently Tess and Lila’s key to freedom. I found the smiling, walking stick figure on the far side of the pool, looking like the trophy wife that she was.
But that’s the thing, Tess had told us. She’s not the trophy. He is.
I know, I know. I didn’t get it either. But here was the lowdown according to Tess.
The big news she’d been sitting on for more than a year now?
Big Daddy Devereaux wasn’t nearly as wealthy as people believed. Oh, he was still raking it in, but he was also spending outside of his means. Tess had discovered this while interning in his financial department during high school. Since she was blood, his accountant had been a little more loosey goosey about sharing his information.
And, from reading between the lines, Lila and I gathered that what information hadn’t been given to her, Tess had hacked into or spied on in her own sneaky way. What she’d discovered was that her father was leaking money like a sieve. Between some bad investments, a few failed TV shows, a handful of properties that had lost their value, a high cost of living to keep up with the Joneses, and a boatload of alimony payments, the old dude was losing money faster than he could bring it in.
That’s why Love on the Range is so important to him, Lila had said.
Tess had given her a nod. Exactly.
I looked to Lila now and found her keeping an eye on Brandon, who was talking to some guy from their school I hadn’t met yet. “Hey,” I said, not daring to reach for her the way I wanted to. We were toeing the line as it was, standing here off by ourselves, away from Brandon and the rest of the crowd. “We didn’t have a chance to talk much since your sister hit us with the news. You doing okay?”
She smiled, and it was a genuine grin. Impish and adorable. It made me wonder what Lila would have been like if she’d grown up with normal parents, surrounded by people who were actually nice.
But then again, if she’d been raised any different, she wouldn’t have been the girl I knew today. And this girl… This was the girl who owned my heart.
She leaned over and lowered her voice. “I’m better than okay. If Tess is right and we can find some leverage…” She trailed off with a grin that spoke of triumph. Of hope.
This was my Lila.
This was also a rare sight, and one I didn’t want to lose. Not again.
“We’ll find it,” I promised. I itched to touch her again, but I made do with shifting a little closer and lowering my voice. “We’ll get you out of here.”
Her eyes grew all soft and sweet as she nodded. I’d never truly understood until I’d gotten here just how kept Lila was. I mean, she’d always joked about being Daddy’s princess but what she’d meant was, she was her father’s pawn. Sure, he spoiled her when she played her part well, but when she didn’t…
I tensed at the memory of his voice, of the way he’d spoken to her the one time I’d overheard their conversation. My fists clenched under the table as I stared at the older man now, working the room like he really was some visiting royalty.
What I wouldn’t give to have the guy alone in a room. To show him that not everyone cowered before him. That someone out there was willing to take him on for the way he treated Lila.
But Lila, it seemed, wasn’t focusing on her father at the moment, she was eyeing the door that led to the house. “Where’s Tess?” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “She’s been cagey all week, which means she’s learned something.”
I grinned over at her. I wasn’t sure I’d ever understand her relationship with Tess, but to me, it was endlessly amusing. The week before, as Tess filled us in on her news, Lila kept whispering, “you little sneak,” but it was clear to me—and probably Tess too—that Lila said it in awe, not judgement.