Chapter Two
Kristen Park pulled the throw over her as she watched the news reporting Spencer Rowe’s return to the States a week after the horrible accident in the Bahamas. Some were calling it an accident; others were calling it a cover-up.
The police had investigated and declared it an accident. The woman, Melody Leigh, had too much to drink and was high on drugs. She probably leaned too far over the balcony’s railing and fell over.
But the rumors that Spencer had paid off the authorities to close the case quickly had been swirling like wild fire.
Then there were those who were calling him cursed, especially since one of his co-stars had earlier been murdered on the set of a movie he was filming. That murder had nothing to do with him, but that didn’t prevent the whole story being dragged up again because of this case.
Spencer pulled his dark blue cap lower and got into his car while paparazzi swamped him.
That’s one person in Hollywood who’s having a worse time than me. Kristen’s long honey-brown hair got away from the elastic band holding her messy bun in place and fell over her shoulders as she reached for the remote. She didn’t bother to tie it back up, didn’t even bother to find the elastic that had fallen somewhere.
She grabbed the remote and changed the channel.
Bad choice. She took a deep breath when she saw her now ex-fiancé, Alvin Cooke, on an interview with his new fiancée, Ruby Stapleton. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other as they talked about how in love they were and how they knew they were meant for each other at first sight.
Alvin and Ruby had met on the set of a movie while Alvin and Kristen were engaged.
A tear fell, and Kristen brushed it off angrily.
It’d been three months since Alvin and Ruby’s affair got plastered on the front page, and two since Kristen broke up with Alvin after realizing that it wasn’t just a one-off mistake as Alvin had told her.
Now, Alvin and Ruby were engaged. And Kristen? Kristen was thrown aside because she wasn’t as fun or hot as Ruby.
Kristen knew she shouldn’t allow those words to get to her, but they did.
Her manager and agent had been urging her to go out and have fun. She should show the world that she wasn’t someone who would coop herself up at home and sob over a man who’d cheated on her. But she didn’t want to go out and face the cameras. She wanted nothing but to stay home and mope.
She’d spent a month with her parents, then come back home, determined to pull herself together. Only to fall apart when she saw what Alvin and Ruby had been saying about her.
“Kristen!”
She groaned when her manager, Heidi Brown, burst into her house.
Heidi adjusted her black oversized glasses, gave her a head to toe scan, and furrowed her brows. “When was the last time you had something on other than your pajamas?”
Kristen pulled the throw over her head.
“Listen, I have the perfect gig for you.”
“Not interested.”
“This is it.” Heidi jerked the throw off her. “Sit up.”
Kristen felt as if she was being told off by her principal. She pushed herself off the couch.
“We’re done with this,” Heidi said and crossed her arms over the black sleeveless dress that showed off her hourglass figure. “This stops now.”
“Heidi—”
“I know what you’re going through. My ex cheated on me, too. But I’m fine now. You need to start living again.” Heidi swept her wavy auburn over her shoulders and pulled Kristen onto her feet. “You’re going to take a shower, change into something other than pajamas, and put on some makeup.”
Kristen inhaled deeply through her nose.
“And I’m going to make coffee. When you’re dressed, you’re going to come downstairs and we’ll have a talk. Go. Now!”
Kristen turned and trudged toward the stairs.
“Don’t let me catch you in bed.” Heidi stuck her hands on her hips. “I mean it. If you don’t do what I say, I’m calling your parents.”
Sighing softly, Kristen nodded and went up the stairs.
She did as Heidi instructed. She took a warm bath, then changed into a pair of gray shorts and black tank top. She dabbed some concealer under her emerald green eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. She put a smile on her face and nodded. “I’m done moping.” Partially because her parents would be worried if she continued to do so, and Kristen had no doubt Heidi would really call her parents.
She pulled out the BB cream and spread some over her face. She even took the time to curl her lashes and apply a thin line of eyeliner. She nodded, approving of her refreshed look, and headed back downstairs.
She took a deep breath and sighed at the aroma of coffee. The same aroma she’d woken up to for the whole month back at her parents’ place.
“Look at you.”
Kristen cracked a smile at Heidi and clapped. “Let’s get to work.” She pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat.
Heidi set a mug of coffee on the table right in front of her.
Holding the mug up to her nose, Kristen took a deep breath. “What’s this perfect gig?” Kristen had risen to fame starring in a Disney TV series. She had gone on to star in several popular musical films and romantic comedies while coming out with two albums.
It had been a while since she’d written any songs, though. She was bored with the music she was writing. She wanted to try something new, but hadn’t had any inspiration.
“We Got Hitched,” Heidi said, breaking into her thoughts.
“Who? You?”
“No, you.”
“What?” Kristen frowned. “I got the opposite. I got dumped.” At least that was what everyone thought happened.
“No, I mean the gig. It’s a new reality TV show. Two stars getting married for six months. There isn’t a real wedding, of course. The show will just follow the two stars for six months. The producers want you.”
Kristen shook her head. “How would it look if I moved on to a program like that right after getting dumped?”
“We’re in a nightmare, Kris. With Alvin and Ruby going around talking about how much of a prude you are, your popularity is falling—fast. No commercials. No new movies lined up. You need to do something.”
“And reality TV will show that I’m fun? If I’m a prude, then I am.”
“You’ll be getting married to Spencer Rowe.”
“What?”
“He needs to be with someone with a good image to keep him in line for the coming months.”
“That’d be me—the prude.”
Heidi rolled her eyes. “And you could use someone who’s fun to be absolutely in love with you.”
“What makes you think—”
“You’re both supposed to fall in love with each other. You don’t think reality TV is actually real, do you?”
“Of course not. But—”
“Act. It’s an acting gig. You guys meet. Two complete opposites. It’s rocky at first, then you fall in love. Happily ever after. But a few months after the show you guys decide to end the relationship amicably because of your busy schedules. You still love each other, but just don’t have the time for love now. Once in a while, when you guys bump into each other or meet, you will have fresh new publicity.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. I think it’s a win-win.”
Kristen sighed.
“I’ve already said you’d do it.”
“What?”
“You need to have something to do. Besides, you and Spencer will be moving into a loft. You’ll have separate rooms,” Heidi said before Kristen could protest. “Point is, you’ll be out of this house. I think you need a fresh start, and a fresh start with Mr. Party is perfect for you at this moment. So pack up. You’ll be meeting the production crew and Spencer tomorrow morning, and filming will start right after that.”
“Why is it moving so fast?”
“His side is eager for damage control.” Heidi sipped her coffee. “And I’m eager to get you off your couch.”
Kristen groaned.
“I’m this close to calling your parents.” Heidi pinched her thumb and index finger together.
“Ugh … Fine.”
“Good. Now go pack.”