the party. To how charming she seemed. How genuinely sweet. Of course, minutes later, my impression of her was shattered by her smeared lipstick and tousled hair, coupled with Reed’s guilty-as-sin expression. But, still, there was genuine sweetness about her when we spoke at the party. And a deep sadness about her, too, especially when her eyes fell on Howard across the party... and she turned and walked in the exact opposite direction.
“Maybe she’s more sympathetic when it comes to Howard than you think. Maybe he’s been a creep to her, too. Maybe she’s marrying him because, it’s like, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
CeeCee’s features soften. “You’re kind, Georgina. That’s a very kind take on the situation, especially given the fact that Isabel played a part in breaking your heart.”
I shake my head. “Isabel isn’t the one who broke my heart. Reed did that. For all Isabel knew, Reed was single when they went into that garage together. Yeah, Isabel cheated on her beloved fiancé, but that’s her business.”
CeeCee studies me for a long beat, her wheels visibly turning. “You really think you could interview Isabel, without breaking down and asking her about Reed?”
“I know I could. I swear to you, I wouldn’t ask her about that.”
CeeCee narrows her eyes. “All right. Go for it, Georgina.”
“Woohoo!”
“Fair warning, though. I might scrap the interview, if it’s not interesting enough. But feel free to give it the ol’ college try. With those superhero movies all over the news, it’s actually a coup for us to get this interview.”
“Do I have permission to poke around, gently, about Howard, if I see an organic opening?”
“Yes. But do it subtly, Georgina. I know you’re brilliant at that. Don’t let her know what you’re doing.”
“Yes, ma’am. Her publicist already texted me some dates. Isabel’s not available until much later in the summer, unfortunately. So, in the meantime, how about I snoop around and see if I can make any progress with some of those young actresses you’ve heard rumors about?”
“No,” CeeCee says firmly, wagging her finger at me. She shoots me a little Tsk. “I appreciate your enthusiasm. It’s exactly what attracted me to you in the first place. But the Howard exposé is too hot for a newbie to handle on her own. Get yourself some experience and we’ll revisit the idea another time. Maybe you’ll get something from Isabel that might prove helpful and we’ll circle back.”
I sigh with resignation, and CeeCee chuckles at my dejected reaction.
“Darling, you’ve got plenty to do, without running around trying to talk to actresses about their experiences with Howard Devlin. You’ve got artists to interview for the special issue. Plus, a mind-blowing article to write about Reed for Dig a Little Deeper. And who knows? Maybe you’ll wind up bringing me something fantastic about Isabel Randolph, too.”
Chapter 11
Reed
Wednesday 3:17 pm
I’m sitting at my desk at River Records, listening to some demos forwarded to me by my team. But my heart isn’t in it. Because... Georgina. Right this very minute, she could be meeting with CeeCee. And talking about me.
I’ve got no doubt CeeCee’s recollection of our initial conversation about the special issue and the grant will match everything I told Georgina in my texts. The truth is the truth. But, still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little stressed about their conversation. Is Georgie telling CeeCee that she caught me coming out of my garage with Isabel? And if so, is Georgina erroneously saying I fucked Isabel? God, I want to crawl into a hole to think CeeCee is hearing either version of the story. But I’d be especially ashamed for CeeCee to think I fucked Isabel after having the best week of my life with Georgie.
An email notification from Leonard with the notation “URGENT” on the subject line flashes across my screen, so I quickly click out of the marketing plan I’ve been reviewing and into Leonard’s email. It’s about the infringement lawsuit against Red Card Riot. We filed a motion for summary judgment on Monday, and it seems the plaintiff’s attorney has now offered to dismiss the case, even before the motion gets ruled on by the judge. His only request? We have to agree not to pursue reimbursement of our attorneys’ fees from his clients, which is something we’d be entitled to do under the applicable infringement statute, if we were to win the motion.
I type out a quick reply, telling Leonard to take the deal, just to