Waking Up to You Overexposed - By Leslie Kelly Page 0,48
boutiques. “Have you been behaving?”
“Define behaving.”
“Staying out of the news?”
“Babe, I’m always in the news. I can’t take a piss in a restaurant bathroom without some jackass trying to snap a picture he can sell to the tabs.”
“That really sucks, Tommy,” she said, hearing the note of sad resignation he couldn’t disguise.
“Yeah, poor, poor me,” he said, his dark mood lifting quickly, as always. “Remind me of that next time I get a contract for a ten-mill picture.”
“Will do.”
“Considering half of it will be yours, I’m sure you will!”
Right. His millions would be her millions. Somehow, that had meant something to her once upon a time. It just didn’t now.
“Hey, have you heard from the studio?”
One bit of bright news. “Yes. I got the job.”
“Congrats, girlfriend!”
“Thanks. They sent me the script and I’m starting on some prelims.”
“Excellent. We should celebrate.”
“We will. When I get back.”
“When’s that going to be again?”
She swallowed hard, knowing she had to say the words aloud—not just for his sake, but for hers.
“I’m coming home in a few days. Grandpa gets out of the rehab facility on Sunday. The last time I talked to Mad, she was booking a ticket to come out and spend some time with him. She should be here sometime this weekend.”
“So there’s nothing keeping you there?”
No. Nothing keeping her.
Nothing at all.
She wished she could talk to Tommy. Other than her sister, he was the one to whom she could always spill her darkest secrets and woes. And since her sister lived clear on the other side of the country, and they seldom saw each other, it was Tommy who she usually relied on.
But she couldn’t talk to him about this. Couldn’t admit anything about her amazing relationship with Oliver. It was too personal, too vulnerable, and she had to concede, too heartbreaking. Telling him would mean revealing her feelings—she could never keep those from him. If she revealed how she really felt, she would be putting Tom in a hell of a position.
Would he urge her to follow her heart, tell her he’d deal with the fallout?
Maybe.
Or maybe he’d panic and beg her not to bail on him.
Either way, she’d end up feeling like the worst friend in the world. Because she’d promised. Agreeing to marry him was not the kind of promise she could go back on, not when so much was riding on it for him. If she didn’t follow through, his career could be over, and so could their friendship. So no matter how deeply she feared she was falling for Oliver McKean, her old friend had to come before her new lover.
Even if hers was the only heart in their strange triangle that ended up getting broken.
* * *
HEARING A CAR pull up that evening, Oliver walked to the front room of Buddy’s house and gazed out the window. Candace had just returned from town, and as she got out, she pulled a plastic-wrapped bundle on a hanger with her. Her shopping trip had apparently been a success.
He still couldn’t believe he’d agreed to escort her to the ball. The whole hobnob-with-the-wealthy-set had never been a big part of his life, though he’d attended a few events when he was with the D.A.’s office. But he sure hadn’t hauled his tux with him when he’d moved; the thing was moldering in a storage unit along with most of his suits and a mountain of law books. He’d had to stop by a rental place to order one, which was always a pain in the ass. In fact, the whole thing was a bad idea all around.
But when Buddy had suggested it, he simply hadn’t been able to resist. He wanted to take Candace out, to have her on his arm, at least once. Wanted to show her a great time that didn’t include them being in bed.
Well, it would probably end up with them in bed. In fact, considering he’d booked a room at the hotel, he was counting on it ending up there. Still, the point remained. He didn’t want her just for the phenomenal sex. He liked being with her, and wanted her to know it.
Why, he had no idea.
Because you don’t want her to leave, jackass.
Oh. Yeah. That.
Oliver had set up a special evening for them and looked forward to seeing her reaction when she walked in the door. Candace had appeared happy since the moment they’d become lovers, but every so often a shadow would appear. Her lush mouth would pull down, her