CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Unable to sleep, Tyler padded down the stairs and into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Twisting it open, he took several gulps, wetting his parched throat.
After listening to Billie’s woeful tale at dinner earlier he’d experienced a myriad of emotions running through him as he’d tossed and turned, trying to sleep. Anger at her mother for not giving Billie the home she needed, then pity for that same woman who had been the victim of her own human frailties. Not everyone was cut out to be a parent – especially a single parent – and it appeared that Sharon Oliver fell into that category.
Those same feelings surrounded Sierra as well, although they were mixed with a kind of hopefulness. Perhaps this time she could pull her life together and have a future that wasn’t filled with fear and pain. Tyler wouldn’t mind having ten minutes alone with her abusive husband to help him learn how to treat a woman. He didn’t have any patience for a male – he couldn’t call him a true man – who mentally or physically hurt a female.
Billie had answered so many unasked questions tonight when she’d told him about her nightmare of a childhood. It explained so much about Tyler’s best friend. The independent streak a mile-wide. Her reticence to ask for help. Her fear of trusting another human being although desperately wanting to.
Tyler had a memory of when he was a kid and they’d adopted his beloved dog Scout. When Scout had come to them he’d been pretty skinny and quite skittish. Although not yet even a year old, the puppy hadn’t been treated well in his former home. He had a fear of humans that made him shy, hiding under the dining room table when he first arrived at the house. Tyler had sat under that table with Scout for hours, not touching him but simply sitting there and talking to him. Every now and then, Scout would move closer, wanting to be petted and loved until finally he’d allowed Tyler to hold him.
Billie reminded him of Scout, although she might not appreciate the comparison. She hadn’t cowered under a table but she’d been hiding her heart for a long time, protecting it. So busy with his own life, Tyler hadn’t noticed at first and then when he had he’d decided that it was none of his business.
He hadn’t pushed her for details or to go out of her comfort zone. It wasn’t in his nature to push for intimate and emotional information about a person’s life and Billie hadn’t displayed any outward damage from her childhood. She’d smiled and laughed like other people, but with a certain maturity that was far beyond her years. Their friendship had deepened and he’d thought that she really did trust him. She kind of did as long as she was in her comfort zone. But an engagement and an upcoming wedding had thrown her into unchartered territory. Suddenly it mattered because if she couldn’t open herself up and trust him – for real – this was going to be one miserable marriage.
And that brought up the big unanswered question.
Was there anything else important that Billie hadn’t told him?
Somehow his feet had carried him into his office and he sat down at the desk, a voice in his head saying no but a second voice saying yes. Tyler dug into one of the drawers and pulled out the file on Billie that Garrett had given him and placed it in front of him on the desk.
Closed.
Staring at it for a long time, Tyler’s hand finally came up to flip it open but then fell back to his side. It wasn’t right. His stomach churned and acid rose in his throat. He couldn’t betray Billie by reading the contents but there was also a vocal part of him that exhorted him to do just that. Didn’t he deserve the truth? They were going to be husband and wife. Married, for fuck’s sake.
A make-believe marriage.
His conscience was chatty tonight, but he was starting to see what Billie had said about things changing and marriage being a bigger deal than he’d thought. Even a make-believe marriage had to be grounded and solid. It had certainly pulled his blinders off regarding his new fiancée. They’d been gliding along, just skimming the surface, but whether they liked it or not they were diving deep and figuring out what made the other one tick.
The folder still sat on the desk, mocking him for being such a wimp. It was practically screaming at him…open me. Open me. Learn all of Billie’s secrets. Know everything. Take the shortcut and figure her out in one fell swoop.
And it would be a shortcut. The easy way. He wouldn’t have to put the work in. He wouldn’t make any stupid mistakes with her because of something he didn’t know. It was tempting as hell and his hand reached for the folder once again.
No. Fuck no. Don’t do this.
For the second time he pulled his arm back as if he’d touched a hot stove. This file…was wrong. Garrett should never have done this. Billie had told Tyler of her past of her own free will. If there was anything else he needed to know, she’d tell him. He wouldn’t be opening this file tonight or any other night. If the fireplace had been lit he would have thrown it in and let the flames eat it until it was ashes.
“Tyler, what are you doing up?”
Startled, Tyler sucked in a breath and snapped his head up to see Billie standing in the office doorway. Guiltily, he shoved the file under a stack of scripts, not wanting her to see what he’d been looking – or not looking – at. Billie and Garrett had a good relationship and Tyler didn’t want to ruin that by revealing what the publicist had done. She’d be livid and rightly so.
“Couldn’t sleep,” he said, pretending to leaf through a stack of mail. “I thought I might read through some of my fan mail. What’s your story?”
Shrugging, she perched on the corner of his desk and he couldn’t help but notice the smooth skin of her thigh and the way the strap of her tank top sagged down, exposing a bare shoulder. His body responded as if she’d stripped naked, rubbed on body glitter and was dancing on a pole in Las Vegas. Shit, she wasn’t even trying to be attractive and now he couldn’t seem to get away from seeing it every time he looked at her. This was becoming damn inconvenient.
This was Billie and he needed to get his dirty mind out of the gutter.
“I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep so I came down for some water and saw the office door open.” She smiled and his chest tightened so he could hardly take a breath. What in the hell was happening to him? “I don’t suppose I could convince you to leave the fan mail for another day and watch a movie with me instead? I’ll even let you choose.”
They’d played this game before. She’d let him choose but then when he did she’d make such a sad face he’d end up picking something else. Something she would have chosen. And he didn’t mind a bit. He might not know every secret from her past but there were a bunch of things he did know about her.
“Weekend at Bernie’s,” he said. “You go cue up the movie and I’ll pop the popcorn.”
Tyler had his best friend back and he couldn’t be happier. It was all going to be just fine. He just had to stop thinking about taking her to bed every five minutes.
* * *
Clearly Billie had made a mistake staying up and watching Weekend at Bernie’s with Tyler last night. Now she was yawning and bleary-eyed, sucking down coffee as fast as the machine could brew it. She’d even skipped her usual workout because she might fall over in heap on the side of the trail. Tyler, on the other hand, was bouncing around like Tigger, full of energy. Working torturous hours on movie sets had trained him to live on little sleep. Not able to handle his cheery disposition, she’d sent him on his run to get a little peace and quiet while she caffeinated.
She was on her third cup of coffee when the doorbell rang. As far as she knew, they weren’t expecting anyone. Then there was the question of how they entered through the gates of the home without the code.
Frowning, she hurried to the front door as the doorbell pealed again. Whoever was on the other side was impatient this morning. Billie opened the door to find a young man maybe in his mid to late twenties with longish brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses. He wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a red and gold Gryffindor t-shirt that looked well-loved. Tucked under one arm was a brown messenger bag stuffed to the gills. He didn’t look like the usual fan that jumped the gate but she’d learned that looks could be deceiving. He sure as heck didn’t look like a reporter either.
“Can I help you?”
Call the police? Lock the doors and activate the security alarm?
The young man smiled and held out his hand. “I hope I’m not late. I got a little turned around. I’m Curtis. Curtis MacDonald. You must be Billie Oliver.”
He knew who she was which was no great feat, considering her face had been featured on several tabloids since the engagement. But Curtis was looking at her like she was supposed to know who he was. Except that she didn’t. If she went the honesty route he might do the same.
Billie stood her ground in the doorway, not willing to let him inside to discuss this. “It’s nice to meet you, Curtis, but I’m not sure what you’re late for. Did you have an appointment?”
“I’m here for the job.”
“Job? I think you must be confused. There is no job here.”
Curtis’s happy expression turned to one of dismay. “You mean Garrett gave the job to someone else? Why didn’t he call me?”
Garrett. Crap.
“Garrett told you to be here today?”
Nodding eagerly, Curtis hurried to explain. “He said I was Tyler Gaylord’s new assistant. Is that not right?”
Billie pressed a finger to her throbbing temple. “I’m sure it’s correct. I just wasn’t expecting you today. Come on in.”
She stepped back so Curtis could enter and then led him through the foyer all the way to the kitchen in the back of the house where Tyler was standing, sweaty from his run and gulping down a bottle of water.
“Tyler, this is Curtis. He says Garrett hired him as your new assistant. Do you know anything about that?”
Scraping his fingers through his damp hair, Tyler grimaced. “About that, babe. Garrett mentioned it last time I talked to him but I forgot to tell you. Good news, you don’t have to help me anymore.”
It was a surprise as she’d thought Tyler was doing nothing to find a new assistant. She should have known he’d have Garrett choose one instead.
“That is good news, especially as we have the comic book convention coming up soon.”
Tyler grinned. “That’s right and that’s the first thing we’ll have Curtis do. Confirm all the arrangements for San Diego. Can you…?”
Of course Tyler had no idea where the detailed itinerary was, not that she thought he should. He was busy making the movies and being the movie star. He could pay people to arrange transport at the airport. It wasn’t a cost-effective use of his time.
“I can,” she confirmed. “Let me give you a tour, Curtis, and then show you the office. I’ve been filling in but I’m happy to hand over the responsibilities.”
Tyler and Curtis shook hands and then the younger man followed her as she showed him around the house and grounds. Hopefully he would last for awhile. Good assistants didn’t grow on trees and the really efficient ones were in demand and paid handsomely. The hours sucked and there was little glamour in the job but luckily there was a breed of people that were born to be organized and liked hanging around the movie business.
If Curtis could survive the comic book convention then he could probably survive anything. Billie had never been but she’d heard the stories from Tyler’s friends. This year, however, she was going and she had to admit she was a little worried. These were Tyler’s most rabid fans, the ones who weren’t all that thrilled that Billie had taken him off the market.
Everything she’d done up to now was nothing compared to San Diego. All she wanted to do was survive the trip and not make a fool out of herself. Anything more was a bonus.