Page 45 of Grunt: A Marine Romance

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SELENA CRIED HERSELFback to sleep after Bret left. She called and texted him repeatedly but her calls went straight to voicemail and her texts went unanswered. He had officially written her off.

Not that she could blame him. She had created this mess, so many years ago. Ever since their reunion, she’d tried to tell him, but couldn’t get the words out.

Who had told the tabloid? Was it Jenny or Dima? They were the only two who knew. Jenny would never do that to her, would she? And she knew Dima was hurt but that would be really low—even for him.

At least she had no more secrets. She hoped, prayed that Bret would calm down and realize that she had been so young and she hadn’t had a choice. When she got pregnant, all of her money went to dancing. She didn’t have any job other than teaching kids to dance. Bret was still in boot camp and she couldn’t talk to him for three months. Losing their baby without Bret by her side made her question her ability to handle the solitary life of a Marine Corps wife.

When she’d composed herself enough, Selena had called Xavier and explained that she wouldn’t be able to train him in Marin until tomorrow. Her manager had texted her a reminder that the other female dancers were shooting a video today, and she knew she could still join them. Working was the only way to keep her mind off of Bret. The thought of sitting for hours in an airport and then on a plane with nothing to do but stew about him sounded like agony. She could at least put off the San Francisco flight until later that night.

Uh, oh! The alarm clock on the hotel nightstand read ten-thirty—Selena had to be camera ready in forty-five minutes. They were filming the new fitness video, Dancing under the Stars: Cardio Tango. How incredibly lame was that? What was a Cardio Tango anyway? She would’ve rather spent the day travelling with Bret but she’d ruined any chance of that happening.

She bolted out of bed, tripping on the comforter and landing on her butt.

Good God, almighty! She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was all matted together like cotton candy. She couldn’t even get a comb through it. She whipped through her patented ten-minute beauty routine—shower, put on deodorant, brush teeth, and lather some conditioner through her hair then wrap it in a towel. Thank God they had makeup people on set. She threw on some sweats and grabbed her purse.

She texted her driver to meet her in the service garage then headed for the door, taking one last glance in the mirror. Oh, good Lord—she still had the towel wrapped around her hair! She reached up to take it off but stopped herself—she looked like a babushka just in case anyone saw her. Perfect disguise. The towel stayed. Luckily, there were no cameras to be found and Selena slid out the back door of her hotel and found her driver.

Six minutes later, he pulled up to the studio. A few cameras lingered outside but Selena just shoved past them.

It took all her strength to plow through the front door. The other girls were sitting on the couch in the lobby, in matching blue and white dance shorts and halter-tops, like a trashy version of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Nicole had her arms draped around Vika, with Jenny sitting close. Strangely, Elizabeth had removed herself from the drama and was at the other end of the couch.

Jenny hustled over to Selena. “Did you get our texts? Stupid tabloids.” She put her arm around Selena’s shoulders and ushered her away from the paps in the window. “Don’t worry, Sel, it’ll all blow over. I told everyone it’s not true.” She winked at Selena. Jenny always had her back. “Perez just has an overactive imagination.”

Time to come clean. She didn’t want Jenny to have to lie for her.

Selena stepped from Jenny’s side and faced Vika. “Vika, I . . .” She still had her sunglasses on. She couldn’t face them yet. “I . . .” Oh, God, they could all see right through her. She couldn’t lie to Vika’s face. “I . . . I’m sorry but it’s true. I’m with Bret.”

Vika let out a yelp.

“Dima told to me that he wanted to get back together with you but you dumped him because he didn’t want the kids,” Vika said, getting up from the couch and walking straight at Selena. “He said you swore to him that you weren’t with Bret. That was all the lies?”

When Selena didn’t answer right off, Vika ripped Selena’s sunglasses off her face, setting off a barrage of camera flashes outside the window. “Look at me into the eyes. My cousin was in love together with you. Was it all lies?”

Selena stood there with no clue what to say… so she didn’t say anything.

Vika flung Selena’s glasses at her hands. “Screw you, Selena.”

“I’m so sorry. But Dima and I have been broken up for years. I just didn’t want to get back together with him so he ended the partnership. It really has nothing to do with me dating Bret.”

“I love how you’ve been a friend with me lately. Like a sister. Comforting me because I am so upset about you and Dima. I even danced together with Dima for show for you to help you out. I thought you were cool.” Vika stabbed her finger at the paps smooshing their faces against the window to see them. “I actually defended you to the sleazy reporters. Thanks for making me liar, friend.” She straightened up and set her jaw. “You’re so stupid, Selena. Dima gave you his world and now you have nothing. No one will ever dance together with you again.”

Every word was like a rock to Selena’s head.

“Do you hear me, you . . . you . . . you and that stupid towel on your head!” She started sobbing again.

Selena watched Vika balling. Selena’s chest tightened. She never wanted this to happen. Nicole got up and gave Vika a hug. Elizabeth tried to sneak out of the lobby, motioning Jenny to escape with her. But Jenny stayed put on the sofa seemingly hypnotized by the drama. Elizabeth sat back down.

Selena didn’t know what else to say. “Vika, I give you my word this had nothing to do with Bret, I swear . . .”

Vika looked up. Her normally blue eyes were now a piercing shade of turquoise. The blinding lights of the cameras were still going off, trying to snap a picture of Vika and Selena. The ambulance chasers! As if this situation wasn’t bad enough, …as if Selena actually did something wrong! She never cheated on Dima! Vika and those baby doe eyes—she’d cheat on Benny in a heartbeat if she thought she could find someone else to take care of her.

Selena snapped.

“But so what that I’m with Bret?” All she’d ever been was decent and now everyone was turning on her. Some thanks she got. “Everyone screws everyone else in this business, anyway! I hate it! This partner screwing that partner stealing the other partner… Hell, Vika, you’re married to a man old enough to be your grandpa just to get to the top. Don’t you see this is different? I love Bret. I love him. And I don’t care if Dima did say all those things about me. He’s obviously hurt. We’ve been dancing together for ten years. But I love Bret. And Bret loves me.” Well, he had, until that morning. “And you know what?” She leveled Little Miss Victim with her hardest Evil Eye. “Dima lied to me for years about wanting to start a family. He screwed me over.”

“You’ve always hated on me. Five years ago, you bitched to me for hooking up with Benny. But it wasn’t because you wanted Benny, that’s for sure. You just thought me marrying him would hurt your result.” She smiled grimly. “Sucks, doesn’t it? Now you don’t even have partner.”