AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He didn’t hate you, Ella. On the contrary. We got talking, and he told me he was in danger of falling for you.”
“But we fought… all the time.”
“I know. He told me that, too, and then we had a conversation about Kennedy and how she kept flirting with him, and how uncomfortable he felt about it. He wondered if his behavior around you was so very different… and I reassured him that admiring from afar wasn’t the same thing as forcing your attentions on someone. Of course, I didn’t realize he was talking about my little sister at the time.” I nudge into him and he chuckles. “He knew, right back then, Ella… he knew you were the one for him.”
I feel a lump rising in my throat, and struggle to swallow it down. Can it be? Did he love me like I loved him? Does it even matter now, though… now it’s all gone so wrong?
I jump at the sound of knocking on my door.
“I’ll get it.” Drew stands up, wandering to the front door. I hear him speaking and then he returns a few moments later, carrying a few envelopes. “That was Pat. The mailman has just been. There were some things for you.”
He dumps everything onto the countertop. Most of it looks worthy of the trash, except for one cream-colored envelope, which I rip open, pulling a letter from inside, and reading it through quickly. “Oh, God…”
“What’s wrong?” Drew says, sounding concerned, and I turn to look at him.
“It’s the show. It’s been nominated for an award.”
“That’s great, isn’t it?”
“Not really. I’m supposed to attend the ceremony, which is being held at a hotel in Boston. This is my invitation.” I wave the letter, then drop it down on the countertop.
“Do you have to go?” he asks.
“According to that letter, as part of the contract I signed, I agreed that, if the show was ever nominated, I’d attend.”
“Well… don’t complain. You damn well earned it.”
“Maybe. But Mac will be there, won’t he?”
Drew shakes his head. “I doubt it. The studio fired him. I can’t imagine they’re gonna want him to be there.” He has a point, although I still feel reluctant to attend.
“Surely I could just refuse, couldn’t I?”
“You could. But there’s a risk they’d sue you.”
“They wouldn’t, would they?”
“They might. Otherwise, why bother telling you it was part of your contract? Besides, Kennedy’s like that, from what I’ve heard. And while I know you can afford a court case, do you need the hassle… and the stress?” He nods at my baby bump and I suck in a breath, wondering what to do. “Would it help if I said I’d come with you?” he says, surprising me.
“Could you?”
“Sure. When is it?”
I check the letter, spinning it around, so it’s the right way up. “April eighteenth. It’s a Thursday, evidently.” I glance up at him. “How does that tie in with Lexi’s due date?”
“She’s due on the twenty-fifth, so I can’t see it making a difference. I’d either be here or in Boston anyway… and you never know, if you go, you might even find out who really leaked Mac’s secret to the press.”
“Oh, I’ve already got my suspicions about that.”
“You have?”
“Hmm… the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve come to realize it had to be Vivian.”
“And who’s Vivian?”
“She was the production assistant, and she absolutely hated me, right from the beginning. She wanted Mac to herself, and I guess she must have found out about us. I didn’t realize sheknew about his writing, and Mac didn’t either, but she’s the kind of person who’d have made it her business to find out about him.”
“There’s no-one else?”
