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“Not about this.” The new arrival pulled out her phone. “He is going to be a lot more effort than you said.”
I didn’t like the way she saidheor that she kept glancing at me with a frown. “Am I a problem?”
“For me personally? Depends on how much of this is true. For the rest of the world? You’re a problem.”
What the fuck?
“Eli, Joystick, this is Lyndsay. She’s not usually so grumpy or judgmental,” Kandace said.
Lyndsay pursed her lips. “None of you knows what I’m talking about. I’m going to assume that, instead of that you’ve lost all sense of reason.”
Whatwasshe talking about? “Assume that, yes. And I’ll assume what you’re saying isn’t personal.”
Lyndsay scrolled through her phone, then crossed the room to show the screen to Kandace.
“My harrowing weekend with a former child star. The story of how the once famous abandoned me in another country and nearly cost my daughter her life.” As Kandace read the words, my blood ran cold.
“By Isabella Marino.” Kandace looked at me.
Her expression was impossible to read, but fury coursed through my veins.
23
elijah
Kandace and Lyndsaytook turns reading aloud from an article about a woman who had just wanted to go home and see her daughter. Isabella was a struggling actress who hadn’t been back to her country in so long, and when she met a man at a party, he insisted he’d take her.
She hadn’t wanted to accept an expensive gift like that from a stranger, but it was all in the name of seeing her baby girl.
The story quickly slid downhill from there. According to Isabella, Austin spent the first leg of the trip talking about how no one was as good as his ex-boyfriend,? and when they arrived in Italy, he was rude to Eloise’s father. Then the girl went missing, and Austin told Isabella she was a horrible mother and walked out on her.
On top of that, he flaunted his popularity, he slept with another woman, and he abandoned Isabella in Italy without a way home or any way of knowing her daughter was safe.
The story also included my name, Kandace’s, the firm she was a partner at, and mention of Andrew’s movie.
Kandace and Lyndsay both wore scowls when they were finished.
I hated that a few weeks ago, I would’ve been ready to accept that entire article at face value, despite the plot holes.
“Technically, all of that is true in some way.” Austin didn’t sound concerned.
Lyndsay stared at him with her mouth twisted. She pointed at each person in the room, her mouth moving as she counted silently. “I’m going to say this because you brought me in for my professional advice. Never say that in front of anyone again, especially not four other someone’s. I don’t care if you’re joking or if you meantechnically.I assume it didn’t happen the way this woman made it sound, because Kandace wouldn’t work with you if you were an asshole.”
I was both impressed and annoyed that Isabella had managed to drag so many of us through the mud at once, but overall, it was infuriating that whatever issues she had during her encounter with Austin, this was her version of closure.
Lyndsay scrubbed her face and sank into the nearest seat. She pulled her tablet out and a digital pencil, and sat poised and ready. “Tell me your version of the story, then we’ll figure out the best approach to countering this.”
“Isn’t the best approach for me to telleveryonemy version of the story?” Austin asked.
The bookstore would wait, and he knew better.
The look Lyndsay gave him implied she felt the same—he should already know the answer to that question, and it wasno, the truth is never quite enough. “We have to make sure things are worded impeccably. Okay, that’s not actually possible, but we’ll get close. Tell me the real story.”
Austin’s version of things was much better, though I saw where the parallel’s lay between his tale and Isabella’s smear piece. He talked about meeting a woman at a party while he was drunk and she was drunk, and she convinced him it would be fun to fly to Italy. So he agreed.
That sounded a lot like the man I knew, had re-met recently. Impulsive, but looking to connect with people rather than hurt anyone.
When Austin sobered up, Isabella told him she hadn’t seen her daughter in years and missed her. He agreed that wasn’t right. The first time he met her daughter’s fathers, they were rude. When the girl went missing, Isabella confessed she was really only there for their money.
