Page 45 of Wicked Fortune

“Yup. It’s a good thing you didn’t suggest tomorrow. That’s when I have to clean the breadcrumbs out of my toaster and shave my legs.”

“And how could I compete with that?”

We share a smile, and I realize that I don’t want to leave. “My family actually knew her.” I blurt it out without preamble, but he knows exactly who I mean.

“Really? How?”

“My great-grandfather made the tiara she wore in Starlight Serenade. Well, it’s really a diadem. But when I was little, I called it a tiara. I was so in love with it. The diamonds were real, not paste. It was a gift from the studio to Vivien. A thank you for bringing in those box-office dollars. Well, all the stones except for that huge yellow diamond at the point of the diadem. That was from her private collection. Some prince gave it to her before she turned down his marriage proposal. Apparently, it was priceless.”

He’s actually taken a step back, and I do a mental fingernail buff, because how many folks can blow the mind of a guy like Matthew Holt?

“That’s incredible,” he says, and I hear genuine admiration in his voice. “I remember reading that it was lost after her husband murdered her.”

“It wasn’t.” I put a finger to my lips, indicating a secret. “She’d given it to my family a few years before she died, humongous diamond and all.”

He shakes his head slowly. I’m not surprised. For anyone who’s a fan of Vivien Lorainne and knows any Hollywood lore, this is one of those Cool Industry Stories. To me, it’s a tale of trauma and loss. But everything’s about perspective, isn’t it?

“Why did she give it to your family?” Matthew asks. “The curse?”

“You believe in that?”

“In curses? I do,” he says. “But I think most people are under a curse of their own making.”

He’s right about that. As for his question…

“Honestly, I have no idea why she’d want to give away something that valuable. My mom said Vivien had a dream and knew she had to. Another theory is that there’d been whispers of a heist, and she wanted to make sure it was safe. There’s even a rumor that she’d had an affair with my Great Grandpa and just wanted him to have it. All I know is that everyone in the family says that having that diadem seemed to bring him back to life. I guess he’d been depressed or something. Out of work, broke. The diadem changed things for him. It changed things for my entire family.”

“How?”

I lift a shoulder in a casual shrug. “I wasn’t even born when she gave it to our family. All I know are the stories. But the way my family talks … well, it was more than a diadem. It was hope.”

I shrug again, as if to emphasize that this really isn’t important. “But that was a long time ago.”

Something shifts in his expression. It’s subtle, but I catch it—a flicker of tension, I think. Or maybe that’s his forced to look interested expression. I wince. “Sorry. I’m probably boring you with family history.”

“Hardly. I’m just … awed.” There’s a weight in his words I can’t place. “I didn’t know any of that.”

“Why would you? Anyway, it was stolen. The Cat took it. Fucking bastard.” I grimace. “Sorry. Touchy subject.”

I look around for my phone, but don’t have it. And I don’t see a clock. “We should get going, right? I mean, Lila might not give you the stink-eye …”

“Trust me. She gives everyone the stink-eye. But she’s a damn good gatekeeper. And a lifelong friend.”

“Even so …” I start to turn toward the guest room, but he reaches for me, his fingers finding my bare arm. Even that simple touch is enough to send my senses reeling.

“Matthew,” I whisper, “we have to go.”

“We will. But don’t leave me in suspense about this Cat thing. I’m picturing Garfield in a diadem. You have to save me from that image.”

“A jewel thief,” I explain, frowning as I remember the stories my parents told. “There was this cat burglar active in New York when I was a kid. My parents always thought he was the one who took it.”

“It was stolen.” It’s a statement, not a question.

I nod. “Doesn’t matter. The diadem’s gone, and so is he. Fucking cat-bastard destroyed my family.”

“Destroyed?”

I sag a little. “For a while at least, yeah. We almost lost everything—our house, our stability. My parents fought constantly. Apparently, my dad had arranged to borrow money to keep us from losing our house. The diadem was going to be collateral, but before the deal went down, it was stolen. And we were fucked.”