Chapter Nineteen
Heather was vaguely aware of buzzing. Then movement. Then the buzzing stopped so she buried her head in her pillow and slipped back into sleep.
What felt like only seconds later, the buzzing returned. Except this time it wasn’t buzzing, it was something else. It stopped before she could wake up enough to interpret the sound. Then it started again and she recognized it as her phone’s ringtone.
She reached for her nightstand, searching for her cell with her eyes still closed. By the time she’d located it, the ringing had stopped. Then it started again.
Without glancing at the Caller ID, Heather knew it was Lexie. Who else would be such a pain in the ass at God knows what time of the morning? She pushed the button to answer and put the phone to her face. “What?”
“Turn on Channel Four.”
“I’m sleeping.” Sleeping with Seth, she remembered. She rolled over to cuddle with him while her annoying assistant continued to chatter on the other end of the line.
“Wake up and turn on Channel Four.”
But Heather only rolled into empty bed. She opened her eyes. Yep, no Seth. She strained for a moment and realized the shower was running in the bathroom. Good, he was still there. “What time is it, anyway?”
“A little past seven.” Behind Lexie’s voice, Heather could hear what sounded like a television. “Now turn on the TV.”
Heather didn’t know if she was more annoyed with being wakened so early by Lexie or with not being wakened by Seth. Was he planning to sneak out while she still slept? He still had hours until his call time.
She sat up and rubbed her hand over her face. “Can’t you just tell me about whatever it is you want me to know?” So that I can get off the damn phone and surprise Seth in the shower?
“Heather, get the fuck up and turn on Channel Four! That TMI show is doing a segment on you.”
With a sigh, Heather stretched to rummage through her nightstand drawer for the remote. “Shows do segments on me all the time. What’s so special about this one?”
“Just turn it on!”
“I am. I am.” She pressed the power button and scrolled through the guide until she found Channel Four. “How do you know what they’re going to say, anyway?”
“They did a lead in. It said, ‘Coming up next,’ blah, blah, blah and all this stuff about your family.”
Someone on the crew must have leaked the interview. Maybe even on purpose to build up interest. Whatever. She expected it. “People are going to be talking about my family, Lex. I didn’t think so soon, but—”
“That’s not what I want you to hear. Wait, shut up.” Lexie paused. “It’s on now. Do you have it on?”
“Yes, I have it on.” A publicity picture of her filled the television screen behind a familiar entertainment reporter. “I just have to turn up the sound.” She pushed the volume button up and threw the remote on the bed next to her.
“—tells us that Heather Wainwright gave Jenna Markham a tell-all exclusive that actually tells all,” the interviewer was saying. “In the upcoming interview airing on this station at the beginning of the month, the star opens up about her life growing up, her abusive parents, and about ending her long-time relationship with Collin Satchel…”
Heather heard the shower turn off. So much for joining Seth. She sighed into the phone. “I told you I don’t give a shit about this, Lex—”
“Shh!”
“But not all of Heather’s secrets are heartbreaking.” Heather’s picture was replaced with a candid picture of her and Seth at her house from the day before, probably taken on someone’s smartphone during lunch. “Seems she has a new man in her life. Hollywood Production Designer, Seth Rafferty, is the guy on her arm and our source says the couple is a very happy couple indeed.”
Heather’s brow creased. “Why did they say he was a Production Designer?”
“They said it in the lead-in too. He never told you he was a P.D.?”
“He’s not a Production Designer. He’s a carpenter.”
“Are you sure?” Lexie asked softly.
Despite Lexie’s gentle tone, Heather was getting irritated. “Of course I’m sure. He’s not a P.D., Lex.” She rubbed her forehead trying to think. God, she needed coffee. There was an obvious explanation for the report and she wasn’t getting it because she wasn’t quite awake.
The network had probably just made a mistake. That was it. “They got it wrong, Lex. In the interview. You know how the media can mess facts up.”
“I looked him up, Heather. While I was calling you. He’s listed on IMDb as S. Patrick Rafferty. He hasn’t done any carpenter stuff for years. He’s been doing P.D. work for a long time now.”
Heather shook her head, confused. “But why…”
“Heather—”
She looked up at the sound of her name to see Seth standing next to the bed, hair dripping wet and a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Heather,” he said again. “I can explain.”
“Lexie, I’ll talk to you later.” Heather hung up before Lexie could respond.
Seth took a step toward her. “I was going to tell you.”
“Tell me what?” She drew the sheet up over her naked breasts. For some reason, she felt the need to hide. “Did you…did you get offered a job as a P.D.?”
“No.” He took another cautious step toward her. “I…I’ve been a Production Designer since I’ve met you.”
Her brows furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“I can explain,” he said again.
“Then start explaining. Please.”
Seth tightened the towel at his waist. “I haven’t been honest with you, Heather.” Normally, she would be beyond excited to see him standing in her bedroom wet and near naked. Now, it felt awkward. She wished he were dressed. He shifted his weight and she suspected he felt the same.
“You haven’t been honest…” she prodded.
“And I’m so, so very sorry. I didn’t set out to lie. You assumed I was a carpenter and you were so turned off by that and I was so proud of where I came from so I decided not to correct you. Then it snowballed and I actively had to lie to keep it up. By the time I realized I had to tell you the truth, I couldn’t find the words or the right timing no matter how many times I tried.”
Her mouth went dry. His monologue hadn’t been that long, but Heather felt overwhelmed by the information. She couldn’t be hearing what she thought she was hearing. It was a misunderstanding. Clearing her throat, she clung to what she knew as truth. “But you’re a carpenter on Girl Fight.”
“I am. I used to be a carpenter. I pulled strings with a friend to get that job. To be near you.” He met her eyes. “I did it for you, don’t you see?”
“No, I don’t see.” Although, she actually was beginning to see. She sat forward, pulling the sheet even higher. “So you’re saying that you’re not really a carpenter? That you’ve been a P.D. this whole time?”
“Yes.”
“And you pretended to be a carpenter because you…you what?” Rage seeped into her now and showed itself in her tight voice. “You wanted to put me in my place?”
“No.” He looked away. “Not exactly.”
“Then you pulled strings to work with me? In a job you don’t even do? That’s not just creepy, Seth, it’s sick.”
“Heather—” He took another step toward her.
“Don’t!” Heather scrambled out of the opposite side of the bed, taking the sheet with her. What the fuck had just happened? She’d spent the most amazing night ever with the man she loved—loved—and now she’d found out that their whole relationship was based on a sham.
She paced as her mind sorted through the last few weeks, piecing together holes in conversations, realizing the full extent of his lie. Was this really happening? Had she really opened up for him? “I trusted you,” she said, her voice breaking. “I gave you all of me. I made myself vulnerable. For you.”
“I know.”
“And you lied to me!” Angry tears burned her eyes. “No, this is bigger than lied—you deceived me. You betrayed me. You convinced me to be honest about everything I am while you were actively lying to me? You fucked me over, Seth!”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“Sorry I feel that way?” As if he didn’t think she had a right to feel exactly the way she was feeling. “I let you in, asshole. I don’t let anyone in. I let you in and you betrayed me!”
“I understand why you’re upset, but—”
“This isn’t upset, Seth. This is beyond anything even close to upset. I…I can’t even look at you right now.” She turned away from him, so furious, so hurt, she didn’t know what to do with herself, with him.
“Come on, Heather.” She hadn’t heard him come up behind her until his arms were around her and his voice was at her ear.
A part of her—a big part of her—wanted to fall into his embrace, to let him love the pain away.
But how could he love the pain away when he was the cause? She struggled to get out of his arms, one hand still holding tightly to her sheet. “Let go of me!”
She managed to slip free of his hold, but he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back toward him. Facing her, he clutched at her elbows. “We can work this out. Give me a chance. Give us a chance.”
Heather continued to fight, putting all her resentment into the battle. Surrendering her hold on the sheet, she pounded at his naked chest. “Let me go! Let me go, you fucking asshole!” Tears poured down her cheeks, blurring her vision.
Seth held her firmly, taking her assault as though he barely felt it. “Heather, I love you. You love me.”
She continued hitting him as well as she could with him restraining her. It was no use, though. He was stronger than she was and he’d hold her as long as he wanted. Exhausted and overcome with gut-wrenching sobs, she collapsed against his chest.
Seth wrapped his arms around her whispering apologies and I love yous that she didn’t fully register. It was as if she’d put up a shield of armor and everything he said bounced off her and fell away like her tears.
She let him hold her while she cried out the worst of it. Eventually her peripheral mind realized they were both naked, Seth having lost his towel in the struggle. Wasn’t there some rule about fighting naked because you can’t stay angry then?
But though Seth was naked, she was still angry. Still very angry. Very angry and very hurt.
With a new rush of fury, she pushed him away. “Get your hands off of me!” she screamed.
Startled, Seth let go. When he reached for her again, she shouted, “Don’t touch me! Don’t you dare touch me ever again. Get out.” She darted past him and gathered his clothes from the floor where he’d left them the night before. “Get out of my house.” She threw his phone and clothes at him, aiming his shoes at him with force, hoping the impact would hurt. “I don’t want to see you. Ever!”
Seth caught his shoes, which only fueled her rage.
“Get out!”
“Okay!” He put his hands up as if in surrender. “Okay, I’m leaving. I’m leaving.”
He gathered his clothes and walked out of her room, still naked. She watched after him as long as she could before her vision clouded with a new set of tears and her voice became too choked to call him back.
This wasn’t over. Seth wasn’t giving up on her. He’d fucked up, big, and he’d known his deceit might lose her. But he wasn’t ready to let his stupidity wreck them for good. Not after all they’d shared. Not after he knew she loved him.
Seth dressed quickly in the hallway outside Heather’s room to the sound of her sobs. It took all his strength not to run back to her, take her in his arms and make her believe how sorry he was. He wanted nothing more than to soothe her through her pain, the pain that he’d caused.
But he’d come to know her well enough to know she needed time to think before she could listen to him. He’d give her that, if that was what she needed. Then he’d fight. It was the mistake he’d made with Erica—he’d let her leave. Not this time. Not with Heather.
He considered calling in sick to the set. He certainly felt sick—his head pounded and his gut twisted so tight he thought he might puke. But that wasn’t professional. And he wanted to be near Heather, in case she decided she was ready to talk to him.
So after stopping by his house for a change of clothes, he drove to the studio. He flashed his ID to the security guard and parked his truck, then headed toward the set to check-in with the Assistant Director, ignoring every instinct that wanted to turn him toward Heather’s trailer instead.
Time, he reminded himself. She needed time. He’d give her a day. Maybe two. If she still avoided his calls tomorrow, then he’d go to her.
So wrapped up in his regrets, Seth didn’t notice Joe Piedmont until he’d practically knocked into him.
“Joe. I didn’t know you’d be on set today.” Most of Joe’s work was already done in the planning and design. He rarely showed up on the lot. It was odd.
Odder still was that he was with the asshole producer, Brandon, who had wanted to maul Seth’s girlfriend when he was finished with her.
Girlfriend? Not anymore. The knot in his stomach tightened. Maybe not a good time to think about that.
Seth nodded stiffly at the producer. “Brandon.”
“Seth.”
Joe gave an awkward smile. “Seth, can I talk to you a minute?”
“Uh, sure.” Yeah, something strange was definitely going on. The vibe was completely off.
Joe called over to the director, who was going over notes with a stand-in. “Don, we’re going to use your trailer. Brandon, I got this.”
Nothing good ever came from being summoned to the director’s trailer with your boss, who was also your friend. Had something gone wrong with the set crew? Had Seth fucked up somehow? Again?
Once inside Don’s trailer, Joe gestured for Seth to take a seat at the table. Seth sat and Joe took the seat across from him.
After a deep breath, Joe said, “Seth, this is really hard for me to do, and believe me I wish I didn’t have to. Please know that this is in no way a reflection of your work.” He paused.
“Just say it.” Seth was eager to get the shit over with.
“We’ve had a request that you no longer work on this movie.”
Seth ran his hands through his hair as his heart plummeted to his stomach. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“There’s only a week left of shoot. She couldn’t deal with me for one damn week?”
“I’m sorry.” Joe looked about as bad as Seth felt. Which was pretty shitty.
He knew Heather wouldn’t want to see him, but he never thought she would go to those lengths to keep him away. Playing the movie star card…it was disgusting. The producers would bow to her demands. They had no choice. They couldn’t do the movie without her, but him—he was nothing.
He wanted to laugh. All the time he spent proving to her that he was worth something even though he was “just a carpenter” and now she’d proved exactly the opposite.
“So you know who the request is from?”
Seth leaned his elbows on the table and covered his eyes with his hands. “Yes.”
What did he expect? She was mad. She was hurt. This was the way she knew to retaliate. God, though, if she was this upset, did he even have a chance?
He slammed his palm on the table. “Fuck!”
Joe didn’t flinch at Seth’s outburst. “What happened?”
“Honestly? I fell in love.”
“With an actress? That’s always dangerous territory.”
“Tell me about it. But I’m the one who fucked it up. Big time.” He let out a gruff laugh. “I can’t believe she won’t even give me a chance.” It was an immature move on her part, especially since it affected more than just him.
Suddenly, guilt hit him as hard as his earlier frustration. “Look, Joe, I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. I know this puts you in a bind. I can get you a replacement by this afternoon if you need one.”
“That would be really great if you could.”
“It won’t be a problem. Again, I’m sorry. She shouldn’t have let the movie suffer because I was an idiot.”
Joe shrugged. “She doesn’t have a diva reputation for nothing. You know we have to keep the stars happy.”
Seth bit back his desire to defend Heather. “I get it. It’s fine. I’ll get on that replacement. Are we done here then?”
“Except I have to give you this.” Joe dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Your final paycheck.”
“Of course.” Seth stood as he took it. “Thanks, Joe. I appreciate that you let me on the show in the first place.”
“Anytime you want to be my carpenter, the job is yours.”
“Ha, thanks. But I think I’m going to be happiest getting back to my old job.” Seth folded up the envelope, stuffed it in his back pocket and left the trailer.
He was surprised to see Brandon waiting for him. Or disappointed. Rather than deal with him, Seth walked past him without so much as a nod.
Brandon followed him. “So you and Heather are done then?”
“Shut the fuck up, Brandon.” Jesus, he had to deal with this shithead too?
“What? I’m just stating the obvious.”
Seth stopped walking and spun to face the other man. “Why? So you can rub it in my face or because you’re planning on making her your conquest? If it’s that last thing, trust me, you don’t have a chance.”
Brandon’s grin could be described as nothing but smarmy. “Are you sure about that? She got with you and she thought she was slumming.”
“I don’t have to listen to this.” He turned away again.
“I know her type, Seth,” Brandon called after him. “They’ll spread their legs for anyone who treats them like royalty. Not only do I know I can get her in bed, but I’ll bet it will be cake.”
Seth spun around and grabbed Brandon by the lapels. Pinning him against the outside of some random star’s trailer, Seth got in his face. “Don’t you fuckin’ even think about laying a hand on her, Brandon, or I swear to God, I’ll make you live to regret it.”
Brandon shook under Seth’s grasp, and there was no mistaking the look of fear on his face. “Get your hands off me, Seth.”
Seth held him a few seconds longer. Then he released him—not because he didn’t think he couldn’t punch the living daylights out of the asshole, but because he didn’t have the energy to deal with such an insignificant prick.
Once Brandon was out of Seth’s grasp, he seemed to get his balls back. “Don’t think I don’t have power in this town, Seth. I can fuck you over in a heartbeat. How easy will it be to get a job after I have you dragged off this set by security?”
“Don’t bother. I’m leaving.” He didn’t need Brandon to fuck him over too. He’d already fucked himself pretty damn good on his own.
Once in his truck, Seth didn’t leave right away. Instead, he waited until he saw the familiar BMW hybrid pull up. Lexie saw him almost at once and tossed him a glance that seemed to say, hold on a minute.
He watched as Lexie escorted Heather out of the car. Heather wore oversized sunglasses, but he knew they hid red, puffy eyes. Another wave of regret rolled through him like nausea and he was almost glad when the object of his affection had walked out of sight.
As he’d hoped, Lexie came back alone shortly after. He pushed the button for the power window to move down as she approached.
“Seth, she doesn’t want to see you. I’ll make sure you get anything you left in the trailer, but I can’t let you in there yourself.”
“I know. I was actually looking for you.”
Her brow arched. “For me?”
“I figure you’re the only one who can tell me what I can do to fix this.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked absently into the distance. “I’m not sure if you can. You screwed up pretty bad.”
“I know.” His knuckles turned white as his hands clutched the steering wheel, even though the car wasn’t on. “Does it matter at all that I…?” He swallowed. “That I honestly love her?”
Lexie cocked her head, seeming only mildly surprised by Seth’s confession of love. “You know her pretty well now. What do you think?”
“I think she doesn’t trust people very easily. And she trusted me.”
“Yep. Your lie erased every bit of that.” She nodded as though she were deciding something. “I’ll tell you what—I’ll do my best to persuade her to talk to you. I don’t know if it will do any good, but I’ll try. You can call me.”
He let out a small sigh of relief. It was something. The best chance he had, anyway. “Thank you, Lexie.”
She smiled then appeared to think better of herself. “Jesus Christ, you’re going to get me fired, you know that? Why am I such a sucker for you?”
“Because you know I’m good for her.”
“You do make her a better person.”
It was Seth’s turn to look into the distance. “She makes me a better person too.”
“Well, right now it’s hard to see that. It seems more like you’re a total shit.” She leaned onto the window frame. “So here’s my advice—show her. Show her you’re a better person.”
Seth’s forehead creased. “How?”
With a shrug, she stood upright. “You’re a smart guy. You’ll figure something out.”
Show her. Lexie’s words echoed in his ears as he watched her walk away, his mind already racing with ideas.