April licked her lips and slowly reached out to grab the set of keys. “I’m sorry, you know.”

“For?” The muscle in my jaw clenched tightly making my teeth click together.

Her eyes welled with tears. “Everything.”

Damn. I hated it when girls cried, and even though April was older she was no different. She was going through her own hell — one I couldn’t even fathom. And here all I could think about was throwing her under the bus and getting as far away from her as I could.

Her shoulders shook as she wiped away a few stray tears with the back of her hand. Sighing, I pulled her into my embrace and held her. “It will work out. I promise.”

She hiccupped, nodding, and then clenching my shirt between her hands as she tucked her head against my chest.

I didn’t know if I was supposed to let her cry or push her away. I mean, I wanted to comfort her, and yeah I did feel like shit, but I was too paranoid about cameras to want to hold her any longer.

Thankfully, she pulled back a few seconds later. “Thanks, Alec.” Her eyes were glassy. “For what it’s worth. I’m sorry, you know?”

“For ruining my life?” I snorted. “Right. I’m sorry too. Just…” I ran my hands through my disheveled hair. “Just figure your shit out while you’re here and do everyone a favor and disappear. No good will come from us being seen together, and we only have a few weeks until Angelica makes good on her threat.”

“But…” April reached out and grabbed my arm. “You said you won’t tell. You’re not going to tell him are you?”

Pissed, I jerked back. “Well, what could I really say? Huh, April? What could I tell them other than what you’ve already told me? Sorry, but I woke up naked in some married woman’s bed with a hell of a headache? Sorry, but somehow, Angelica got pictures of me leaving the hotel room with my shirt on backwards? Or how about this? This should be good. Somehow there were pictures taken of me in the woman’s bed… and now I’m being blackmailed by her husband and some skinny bitch that I’m forced to work with every day as a sort of penance for my sins. Which of those options sounds good enough to you? Huh? Or wait…”I was really on a roll. “How about, hey Demetri, guess what! Jaymeson’s mom—”

April slapped me hard across the face. I deserved it. I grabbed her wrist and blinked back tears. “Harder. Slap me harder.”

April tried to reach for me again. I jerked away. “Don’t, just… don’t. Please leave it alone. I’ll deal with it. I’ll keep my mouth shut, but don’t for one second believe I’m going to take the fall all on my own.”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “But you said you’d protect me. You know what’s at stake, Alec! The divorce was messy. He wants the studio now that he knows the truth, and if he takes that, I have no money, and I have no—”

“I don’t give a flying shit if you have ten kids, two mortgages, and an incurable disease. I’m not going down on my own.” I threw my hands into the air and walked off.

“How are you going to explain the drugs? How are you going to explain everything to Demetri?” April called out. I froze mid-step and told myself I’d go to prison if I slapped her. “You can’t just explain that one away. After all, the pictures of that scene? Very real. Weren’t you in rehab during that stint?”

And there it was.

Her final play at my taking the fall.

I couldn’t think about it — didn’t want to. “The alarm’s not on, you can just let yourself in, April.”

With that, I walked off in search of Nat with a terrible sense of foreboding.

Chapter Eighteen

Demetri

“I cooked this,” I announced proudly as everyone began piling potato salad on their plates.

“You don’t cook potato salad,” Jaymeson said as he put a generous amount of ketchup on his plate. “Therefore, you didn’t cook it.”

“Tell them, babe.” I nodded to Alyssa.

She rolled her eyes. “Demetri only suffered two injuries while cutting the vegetables for the salad.” With an exaggerated arm raise. “Let’s all give him a round of applause.”

Jaymeson clapped once. Angelica mouthed whatever and Nat clapped with Alyssa.

“Thanks, guys. Feeling the love.” I filled my plate with a burger and two hot dogs just as Alec came bursting onto the lawn, guns firing.

“Whoa there, partner.” I put up my hand. “I don’t have any cash, just take my wallet.”

“Huh?” He stopped in front of me and shook his head.

“You looked like an escaped prison convict. I just assumed you were going to go with it and rob me,” I answered.

“Can I punch you in the face?”

I thought about it. “Hmm, just don’t hit my camera side.”

“Alec,” Nat scolded. “You’re moody. Eat some food.”

Alec smiled and saluted her as he made his way over to the picnic table where our feast was piled up.

“I have an announcement!” Ruben and the camera crew piled out of the house and onto the lawn.

“Do you think we can make a run for it?” I whispered to Alec.

“If I thought we could make a run for it, I would have already been gone.” He sighed.

“The polls are in!” Ruben clapped his little T-rex hands and rubbed them together. “Your ratings are the highest they’ve ever been, and I’m happy to announce that Teambuilding Week was a hit!”