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"Shut it," I growled. Tess and her grandmother were sitting not twelve feet from us on the other side of a screened door. They didn't need to hear the paid help's opinions of them. "We're here for Juliet. Pay attention to her."
"She's upstairs with McDonnell," Chad said, and my blood instantly ignited. "Hot shot movie stars don't get out of bed until noon, I guess." Chad shoved half a chicken breast into his mouth, which I hoped would keep him quiet for a few minutes while I dealt with my irrational anger.
I knew Juliet hadn't slept in McDonnell's room. I'd seen her out here this morning. Kissed her just this morning. Heard her reassuring words only a few hours ago. I told myself that whatever she was doing upstairs with him now wasn't what Chad was insinuating, and managed to take a few deep breaths and continue eating.
I cleaned my plate a few minutes later, and with a nod and a thank you to Tess and Gran on the back porch, headed out to make a sweep of the perimeter.
When Juliet and McDonnell emerged a few minutes later, it was as if my entire body aligned with her gravitational pull instantly—as if she were the light I had to keep close to. I wished, for the weekend at least, that I could turn off my sharply tuned awareness of her, but I couldn't. When she was nearby, she was all I could focus on.
I roved nearer to the edge of the porch, meeting her eyes briefly as I took up a post close enough to hear what was being said.
Gran was talking to Juliet. "So you can't screw things up too badly, I'd guess, on the heels of that last asshole, Juliet." She was talking about Zac, and I had to keep myself from nodding my agreement.
"Gran!" Juliet cried, sounding surprised and a little bit amused.
"I'm pretty sure I told you back then that Zac was a moron, but no one ever listens to me," Gran went on, sounding bitter and then sipping the fresh drink in front of her. "Just wait, young man," I glanced behind me to see her addressing movie-star McDonnell now. "Once you hit a certain age, everyone assumes you've got a few connections unhinged up here and they pretty much ignore everything you say."
I had the sense Gran didn't have any loose connections.
Jack wandered close then, the chicken in hot pursuit. "This fucking chicken," he hissed as he passed me, "will not leave me alone!"
"Chessy!" The old woman yelled form the porch. "Leave that poor man alone!"
The admonishment did no good, and Chessy continued tracking Jack's every move as he headed down toward the water, maybe planning to try to find out if chickens could swim.
"Well, if you listened to me," Gran went on, still talking to Juliet. "You wouldn't have married that idiot in the first place. And please tell me the media was wrong about the settlement you're giving him. My whole guild is talking about it. That numb-nuts didn't deserve a cent. That moron was a couple beers short of a six pack. Hope you're firing on all cylinders, cuz he certainly wasn't. So. The settlement?"
I wished I could go up there, rescue Juliet. But this was her family. She would know the best way to handle them and their questions. "Did you say guild?" She asked.
"Yes. In the game," Gran answered. "Settlement. Talk, young lady."
"I don't think you can 'young lady' me anymore, Gran." Juliet was quiet a moment and I wondered if she would tell them about the blackmail—but that would mean telling her family there was a sex tape. "I'd rather not talk about it," she said. "It's not final, and it's just ... it's hard."
I risked a glance at her then, but her eyes were locked with McDonnell's, and anger flooded my system when I saw his hand on her arm.
How the fuck was I supposed to do this? I could barely breathe when the guy was within two feet of her, and I was supposed to stand by while they pretended to be a couple for a magazine shoot? I'd have a heart attack.
I moved around to the front of the house, stepping close to where Chad sat in a rocking chair and managing to form actual words. "Switching spots. You go out back."
Chad frowned up at me, but stood. "Whatever you say, man."
When he was gone, I dropped into the chair he'd vacated and gave myself yet another calming talk. They were actors. They were acting. I knew Juliet and I were together.
Didn’t I? I thought I did.
After a few minutes, I was breathing normally and even felt like I could think straight. I'd made a few sweeps of the front yard when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Mom.
My worry ratcheted up again. "Hey, everything okay Mom?"
"Hey honey. Yes, actually. I have good news."
I needed good news. The last time I'd checked in, Jarred was suffering tremendously with withdrawal symptoms, and the hospital had been sedating him to keep him from hurting himself. We needed a better answer, but the administrators there were going to release him in another two days, and he'd be out on bail until his trial. Mom had managed to get a bail bond with the money I’d been saving over the past few years. It wasn’t a lot, but thankfully Jarred’s bail was pretty light. "What's up?"
"I found a treatment center for Jarred. There's a wait list, but they'll take him in a couple weeks, they think."
That wasn't good news. Jarred needed something immediately. "Mom, what will he do for the weeks between being released from the hospital and the time the center can take him?"
"I'll keep him here."
