Jenna

 

We are supposed to take Katie to dinner here in the hotel, she asks if we mind if she goes on a date. The cameraman asked her out, and it’s just as well, because Elliott and I need to talk.

“Hey, no problem,” I tell her. “Do you like him?”

“Yes, not quite a star, but I think it will be a fun date.”

“A fun date and none of the drawbacks.”

“No, sorry about that again. If I’d known…” She gives me a hug.

And I change the subject, because it’s too gloomy to go there, and we need to find her something amazing to wear.

She has already gone out on her date by the time Elliott comes home. “I had to have another meeting with Armitage,” he says. “About the plans for tomorrow’s shoot.”

The director on the movie is picky, but Elliott has said he’s happy to work with a guy like that because he knows the end product will be good.

“Do you just want to get room service?” he asks. “I want to keep you safe away from prying eyes. I know we can’t do that forever, but it would be good tonight to give us a chance to talk.”

“I’m safe,” I say. “They are not going to turn me into a prisoner.”

“No, me neither. But just tonight. If any journalist points another freaking camera at you tonight, I swear I’ll go berserk and that’s not a good idea.”

I smile at him. He gets it. He’s not even worried I think Ruth’s story is true. And I can see that’s because it’s not. He’s only worried about me, and how having my topless picture in the paper affected me.

“Okay then. Do you want to listen out for Sophie while I take a shower?”

“I will, and then I’ll take mine. Pity we couldn’t save time and shower together.”

“Pity,” I say, but I’m not sure it would save time, and Sophie is bound to wake up at the wrong moment. “Maybe we can do that tonight after she goes to bed?”

“A rain check. I like it. But there’s no point in wasting water. We should get very, very dirty before we get clean. I have a Prius. I’m a patron of environmental charities. Trust me, I know about these things.”

“I know you know all about getting dirty,” I say.

“And lots of ways to do it.”

“I can’t wait.”

As I get out of my shower, I hear shouting in the suite. Who the hell is that? I only have the hotel robe in here with me. I put it on. I wish I could get dressed and go out to see. I open the door slightly. It’s a woman. “You think you can have my daughter looked after by that slut, you can think again.”

Angelica!

Before I can think about it, I’m out of there. “Don’t you dare call me a slut. And I look after your daughter better than you ever have.”

Elliott looks wide eyed at my outburst, but he says. “You had better go, Angelica.”

“I’m going, but I’ll see you in court,” she says, and sweeps out, as if she was on the set of a hammed-up play, extracting maximum drama from the moment.

“I just put Sophie down in her crib to answer the door, but Angelica didn’t even bother to ask to see her daughter,” Elliott fumes. “That says it all, really.”

But he’s avoiding my eyes. He looks worried.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come out right then. That must have looked bad. I didn’t think,” I say.

“No. It’s okay. I’ve no idea how this will all play out. I can usually placate Angelica, keep her from doing crazy stuff, but she hasn’t threatened lawyers before.”

“Maybe she doesn’t mean it.” I hope I haven’t caused trouble for Elliott. What if he loses his daughter because of me? He’ll never forgive me.

“Who knows what that woman means? I’d better get someone on damage control.”

“What was she doing here?”

“She said she knew I was in Paris, and she’s here promoting her latest movie. She wanted to know if I wanted to get back together for old times’ sake. As if.”

I’m horrified that she even asked. Did he think about it for a moment? Did he compare us?

“When I said no, she said it would be good for the sake of our daughter. I think she means for the sake of publicity. She never cared about anything else, so there must be something in it for her.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t accuse her of that…”

“No. But I asked her when she had ever cared about our daughter. That’s when she called you names.”

“She must have seen the article.”

Elliott nods. “I guess so. She doesn’t really want me in her life. We only lasted one night together for a reason. We have nothing in common.”

“But what if she wants Sophie, and she tries to use me to get her back? I’ll die if they try to take her away from you and she has to go to Angelica, who doesn’t care about her at all.”

“You and me both, baby.”