Chapter 70

It suddenly struck me that Kayla had never even asked my name. Did she truly not realize that I was the so-called P.R. Chick? Apparently not.

I shook my head. "Sorry, but I'm not following."

"Look, it's not that complicated. Zane had all these interviews set up, right?"

As the person who set them up, I'd definitely know. But how was she so well informed? I said, "And you knew this, how?"

"From Teddy," she said. "So anyway, Bob and I get to talking, and we decide that what Zane needs is a little reminder that we can hurt him, too."

I so didn't like the sounds of that. "What do you mean?"

Kayla smiled. "Two words. Bad publicity."

"Oh?"

Kayla nodded. "Yeah, Bob figures he'll put a good scare into her, meaning the P.R. chick."

"But how?"

"By showing her the kind of publicity she'll be dealing with if Zane doesn't cooperate."

Funny, I hadn't been scared. Concerned? Yes. But scared? Not even a little, unless I counted Zane's reaction, which, yes, was a little scary.

I gave her a perplexed look. "What kind of publicity do you mean?"

"Interviews, appearances…whatever to show the world how Zane Bennington left us dirt poor and kicked us out of our home."

"So, Bob wanted revenge?" I said. "Is that what you're saying?"

"No." She looked at me like I was stupid. "He wanted money – which he should've been getting all along."

"So, you were planning to do what? Blackmail him?"

She gave me a cheerful smile. "Right."

There was no way I'd be smiling back. Aside from the sliminess, that had to be one of the dumbest plans I'd ever heard. "But Zane doesn't care about bad publicity." I hesitated. "Does he?"

Kayla's smile faded. "Apparently not." And then, she brightened. "But he does care about the P.R. gal."

I felt myself go very still. "What do you mean?"

"Well, according to Teddy, he's boning her on the side."

Okay, now that was just plain insulting. "Boning her?"

"You know. Fucking her."

Through gritted teeth, I said, "I know what boning means."

"Really? Because you looked confused."

I was confused, but not because of the terminology. I said, "So, this plan, did it work?"

Her shoulders slumped. "No. Zane ruined everything. As usual."

"How?"

"For starters, he kicks Bob out of Teddy's suite –"

"Wait. Teddy's suite?"

"Yeah. Technically, Zane owns it, but it's always been Teddy's place." She glanced around. "Kind of like the house."

"Wait a minute. This house? The one we're standing in?"

"Right." She waved the subject away. "But anyway, Zane catches Bob in the middle of his pitch and gets all pissy about it."

"Pissy?"

"Mad. Whatever. And get this. Afterward, he tracks Bob down and tells him that if he ever bothers his precious P.R. gal again, he'll live to regret it him." Kayla made a scoffing sound. "Like she's so special."

Against all logic, I wanted to smile. Oh sure, the story was terrible, but it still made me feel embarrassingly warm all over.

Kayla was still talking. "Although, here's something funny. This P.R. chick? She's so stupid, she doesn't even realize that it's all an act."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah." Kayla gave a little laugh. "Get this. She pulls out like two-hundred bucks and hands it over, like she's saving Bob's life or something." Kayla rolled her eyes. "God, what an idiot."

My jaw clenched. "Yeah. No kidding."

And I meant it too. Zane had told me. But had I listened?

No. I hadn't.

But I should've. After all, he knew these people a whole lot better than I did.

Damn it.

Did I owe him an apology?

Probably.

In front of me, Kayla was still laughing. "Two hundred bucks? In Manhattan? I mean, that won't even get you a decent dinner."

I had no idea what to say to that, mostly because everything I wanted to say was loaded with profanity.

Kayla gave another quick glance around. "You know what? Forget the paintings."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah, they're a lot of trouble. I think I'll just grab the silverware."

I gave her a look. "You can't have the silverware."

"Why not?"

"Because, as I keep telling you, I'd need to check with Zane first."

"Screw him," she said. "He can shove a fork up his ass for all I care." And with that, she made a move to go around me.

I sidestepped to block her path.

She moved to the other side.

I moved again.

Her gaze narrowed. And then, she pulled a fast one, faking to the left, but then dodging to the right. A moment later, she was sprinting toward the kitchen with me on her heels.

I caught up, just as she was yanking open the silverware drawer, and reaching for the tray inside.

Sure enough, she yanked out the silverware, tray and all, and then turned to make off with it. To where, I had no idea, unless she was planning to sprint back to the gas station.

Not so fast, sister.

I lunged forward and grabbed the tray's other end, making the silverware jangle precariously. I gave the tray a tug.

She gave it a tug right back. "Let go!"

I tugged again. "No!"

"I mean it!"

The next thing I knew, the tray was flying upward, with all the silverware inside. Just as the tray almost reached the ceiling, the tray itself started to fall even as the silverware kept on going, crashing into the ceiling, and then falling hard and fast, until the mass of forks, knives, and whatever came to a clattering crash all over the tile floor.

Kayla yelled, "You did that on purpose!"

"Yeah? Well, you're a skank!" I gave a little gasp. I'd never called anyone a skank before. Or a slut, or even a bitch, come to think of it. Oh, sure, I'd thought such things. But saying them out loud was a different matter entirely.

Kayla was glaring at me now. "What'd you call me?"

I cleared my throat. In a quieter voice, I said, "A skank?"

Just then, I heard a yip at the nearby kitchen. I turned to look and spotted two furry faces with big floppy ears.

It was Flint and Lansing. I swear, they were smiling.

I knew why, and I hated to disappoint them. I gave them an apologetic look. "Sorry." I winced. "I don't have any meatballs."

When I turned back to Kayla, she was still glaring, but not at me. Rather, she was glaring past my left shoulder.

I turned to look and saw who? Zane Bennington – the most wonderful guy on the planet.

He moved close and pulled me into his arms. Into my hair, he whispered, "You okay?"

I almost didn't know what to say. He felt warm and wonderful, and just the thing I needed.

I wasn't just okay. I was more than okay. With a happy sigh, I nodded against him.

Behind me, I heard Kayla say, "Hey, don't you care about me?"

Without missing a beat, he replied, "No."

"But she called me a skank!"

He shrugged against me. "Well, if the shoe fits…"