His cell buzzed. Picking it up, he saw it was his agent, Mark Le Fleur.

“Hi Mark,” he said sitting up.

“Don’t ‘hi Mark’ me. Didn’t you get my calls? Where are you?”

“What’s going on?” Declan ignored the question about the calls. He had left his answerphone on and hadn’t looked at it since before the wedding.

“Have you been online lately?”

He couldn’t believe Mark was so upset over his last girlfriend getting on one of the social media sites to tell the world what a horrible boyfriend he’d been.

Marissa had her own agenda. She hadn’t wanted him, only his wallet. There were plenty more rich men she could catch. He had treated her well, even after he found out she’d been seeing someone else. And this was his payback? She’d accused him of treating her badly, crying to the press about all his imagined wrongdoings. It was a pity she wasn’t as good an actress on film. If she were, she could make her own way.

“No, not really. I heard Marissa was throwing accusations around but there’s no truth to them. I was out here all weekend. I haven’t been near LA.”

“The big deal, sunshine, is you need to get your butt back here and do some firefighting. We got to get your name out of the gutter or you can kiss your lead in Action Hero 5 goodbye.”

Declan let those words sink in. Would he care if he didn’t get the lead in Action Hero 5? No. The truth hit him like a bolt. It would be a relief.

“Mark, stop panicking. Stevin Sinclair told me that role was mine. It’s in the bag. Even if it isn’t, there are plenty more roles around.”

“God kid, I thought you were brighter than this. Nothing is ever in the bag. He likes you, sure. But would he throw you under the bus? Of course. This is Hollywood, not nursery school. Now have I convinced you, you need to get back here?” Mark snarled.

“I’ll leave tomorrow. There’s something I need to do today.”

“Listen Malone, I’m serious. I don’t care if it’s your grandmother’s funeral. Forget that. I don’t even care if it’s your mother’s funeral. You get back here. The jet is on standby at the airport.”

“Mark, I can’t hear you, it must be the signal. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” Declan cut the call mid-sentence. Darn the man anyway. Didn’t he know you didn’t talk about funerals when people were still alive? Declan crossed himself. How dare he summon him?

He decided the only way to get his mind off the ridiculous accusations was to sweat them out. He went for a grueling, three-mile beach run and returned to the hotel, winded and glistening with sweat.

“You working out this early?” a familiar female voice asked as he made his way through the lobby.

“Morning Gertie. You look well today.”

“Thank you, darling. Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Declan laughed with her.

“Have you heard from Kathy?” he asked, cringing at his own eagerness. “How are Zoe and Dominic doing?”

“They seem okay but Kathy is worried about Zoe. Seems she takes everything to heart but doesn’t trust anyone to help.” Gertie shook her head. “I guess she feels Kathy has enough to cope with, her being on her own with her kids.”

Declan decided not to push the topic. Everyone was entitled to a little privacy—which was something he wished the world would remember about him and his friends sometimes.

“So, are you staying around for long?” Gertie asked.

“No, I have to leave soon. My manager rang earlier, wants me to fly out today.”

“So soon? Is that because of the scandal?” Gertie asked.

He shuddered slightly as a shiver crawled down his back. If Gertie had seen the news, maybe the problem was bigger than he thought. “You saw?”

“Yes. I don’t believe you are capable of cheating on someone. If you were, you wouldn’t be Conor’s best friend.”

“No, absolutely not. But nobody wants to believe that. It’s more exciting to think I was a horrible idiot who mistreated his girlfriend.”

“For what it’s worth, I saw the interview and I know crocodile tears when I see them.”

Declan wanted to hug her. “Thank you, Gertie. It helps to know not everyone believes the worst of me.”

“I like you and wanted to get to know you better. I pride myself on being a good judge of character. Pity you’re leaving so soon.”

“Conor and I are practically family. I’m sure you’ll see me loads.” Declan bent and kissed her on the cheek. “You are a wonderful lady, Gertie. A real tonic.”

“And you are a lovely young man. I want to meet your mom someday. She must be awesome to raise a kid like you.”

“See you around, Gertie. Take care of yourself.”

As Declan headed back to his room to shower and pack, he thought about what Marissa had said. Maybe Mark was right and he should get back. But something told him to check on Zoe and Dominic one last time before he left.