and private cabanas flanking its edge, as well as a scattering of restaurants and bars. Smooth dance music played, and you could smell the illegal substance abuse in the air. Rielle hated the place at first sight of the glittering pool and the bikini-clad hostesses. But they were contracted to be here so she was stuck.
She’d rather be anywhere else but poolside at Cherry, but then she didn’t want to be at the hotel, in the city or the country either. She wanted to be back in LA at the very moment Rand looked like he’d found home.
She left Rand with Jake and went to the bar, where she signed a few autographs and posed for some pictures. With social media taken care of for the night, she got two Champagne Daisies and headed over to Harry who was watching Stu and Ceedee slow dance dangerously close to the edge of the pool.
She’d been ready to dislike Harry, the school nerd turned TV producer, but she’d seen the way her crew responded to her, how she’d won the trust of the band and the roadies, and the way Rand was when she was around. He floated, he never stopped humming bits of song, some recognisable, some of his own making. Rielle was anxious nothing burst his bubble, not yet anyway.
The way Harry looked at the drink told Rielle she thought it was bait.
Rielle threw out her first line, “You and Rand—you’re serious?”
“We’re having some fun.” Harry took a sip. “Hmm, this is lethal. I’m working—I need to watch it.”
Rielle shifted her glass from hand to hand. “You’d better play fair with him, because he’s a lost cause about you.” Not quite a hook, more of a sinker. Harry could pretend ignorance, but not if she was interested in an easy life.
“I know, Rielle. I know how he feels.”
“He’s the finest person in the world. He deserves to be treated with respect.” Rielle frowned, working herself up. “I’ve never seen him like this.”
“Rie, I understand. I get it. I wouldn’t deliberately hurt him anymore than I would kick a kitten. He’s important to me too.”
“Important?”
“He’s—I don’t know what to say. He’s incredible. I don’t understand how he managed to stay the same gorgeous, thoughtful boy he was. You had it so tough, you were both so young. He had more than enough reasons to turn out differently.”
Rielle nodded, relief unknotted her shoulders. Harry did get it. “Yeah, I’m the family screw up. He’s the saint. I’d rather die than see anything bad happen to him.”
Harry put her glass down, still half full. “I don’t think you’re a screw up. You’re amazing.”
Rielle ducked her head. Of course she’d done well, but at the cost of an unfathomable pit of grief and fear. All they’d achieved was built on tragedy. Rand would’ve been happy with less and she had no idea what would make her happy.
She shot Harry a look; maybe she wasn’t so smart after all—couldn’t she see what Jake did? “Don’t they say appearances can be deceiving? You’re in TV. I figured you’d know that better than anyone.”
“I was going to ask you about Jake.”
“What about him?” Rielle said startled, feeling like Harry had been in her head.
“About you and him.” Harry smiled, sympathetically. “Looks to me like you’re pretty gone on each other.”
Rielle stiffened. All those knots were back in her neck, clenching with a vengeance. “Why would you say that?”
“I look out for stuff like that. Like you said, I’m in TV.”
“Then you’d know that he’s Mr Nice Guy, Mr Family Values. Not exactly a good fit with me.”
Harry picked up her glass again and sipped. “You’re very hard on yourself, Rie.”
Rielle shrugged. “Yeah, so imagine how hard I can be on anyone I don’t like. You hurt Rand in any way and I’ll hunt you down and make you wish you’d gone to a different high school.”
Harry clinked her glass against Rielle’s. “If I hurt Rand in any way, you have my full permission to make me regret the day I was born.”
And as if on cue, Ceedee pushed Stu into the pool. Rielle stood with Harry and watched tomorrow’s celebrity gossip coverage unfold live.
Roley, How and Rand moved at once. How grabbing Rand to stop him going anywhere near Stu. A clever move. Rie shot How a look and mouthed a thanks. Roley, playing the clown, hugged Ceedee, and laughed at Stu as he tried to climb out, shoving him back in the pool with his foot,