“Kian,”—Laura ignored my sister, watching me with raised eyebrows—“do I need to worry about anything?”
“Shut up, Felicia,” I snapped. Then, I gentled my tone to Laura. “I like to be alone. Yes, I shouldn’t. Yes, I’m aware of the dangers. And, yes, you should maybe worry, but I’m very good at getting around, undetected.”
“Catlike reflexes.” Felicia pointed at me. “It was annoying in high school, and it’s a fucking nightmare now.”
“Ignore Felicia. She’s pissed that my catlike abilities have extended to my hearing as well. I’ve sent her recent boyfriend home”—I gave my sister a meaningful look—“where I know she can resume her relationship with him there, not here.”
“Fuck this.” Finishing the rest of her wine, she flung the bottle across the living room and grabbed her bags. She threw over her shoulder, opening the suite door, “I have a flight to catch. I know what’s waiting for me at home, but I swear, Kian, I’m coming back. I’ll get you back for this.”
The door shut behind her, but it wasn’t enough for her. She opened it back up and heaved it shut once again, so it slammed against the doorframe.
“Well,” Laura noted under her breath. “Would you hate me if I went and locked it just to make sure she didn’t do that again?” She pressed a hand to her ear. “I have sensitive hearing.”
“Not at all.”
As she did, I picked up the bottle from the floor and placed it on the counter.
Laura moved into the living area and perched on a chair’s arm. She was wearing a large wraparound sweater that engulfed most of her petite body. She had dressed for the night already, wearing silk pajama bottoms underneath the sweater.
Laura wasn’t my first publicist. In the beginning, my family had hired a different one who helped spin everything so that everyone focused on my face and the fact that I’d saved Jordan. However, that publicist hadn’t been up for another media storm, saying it had put undue stress on her marriage. So, my father had hired Laura instead.
She didn’t look too aggravated at my sister’s tantrum, but I still felt the need to apologize. “About my sister—”
She waved that off. “Don’t worry. To be honest, I only allowed her to come because I thought you’d need the family support. If I’d known she was like that behind closed doors, I would’ve banned her from the beginning. She’s always been quiet and polite to me.”
“Really?”
“If you hadn’t made the call to your father, I would’ve. Having said that, though, I am glad you’re the enemy in her mind and not me.” She shuddered.
“And speaking of phone calls,” I segued into what Jo had asked me earlier. “That reporter, Erica, you requested to be on the story? She wasn’t allowed on camera tonight.”
Laura frowned, tightening her sweater around her form. “Is that a problem? She’s tenacious. She’s a good one to have on the team. You want to request a new interview—just with her?”
Did I? No. But should I?
Helping Jo’s roommate would be ideal to helping Jo out, but I remembered her last words. She’d already said good-bye to me once. The second time was tonight.
I let out a sigh. “No, we should just leave it alone.”
“Okay.” She yawned and covered it with a hand. “You know they’re going to shop that around and get a big network to show it?”
“I know. That’s fine, as long as the university gets credit.”
“You’re doing a nice thing. You didn’t have to interview with the school’s newspaper, especially after they’d already rejected your request to come here as a student.”
“I know.” I’d wanted to come here to be near Jo. That was the only reason. “It was an easy way to get my side out there. It narrows any spin a big network might’ve done.”
“That’s true.” Another yawn escaped her. “Okay. I’m starting to crash after all the craziness today. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I won’t be going back with everyone.”
She had started for the hallway but swung around. “What?”
“I’m going to stay behind.”
She lifted an eyebrow.
“Alone.”
“Kian,” she started, “please tell me I don’t have to worry about another story hitting the media? That you’re not doing something to cause unnecessary attention on you? Tell me that at least, so I can take a Valium for the plane ride home. If not, I’m going to be on edge the entire way home, telling myself I never should’ve left you.”
“I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Your sister said you’ve been disappearing at night. Is there something else here that I need to worry about?” She paused a beat. Her eyes darkened, and I knew who she was going to bring up next. “If there’s a certain…person…we need to be aware of…”
She meant Jordan.
“No.”
“They had a lot of questions about her today.”
And I had handled every one with perfection. “Again, no.”
“One last time.” She leveled me with an ominous warning. “Are. You. Sure?”
“I’m sure, Laura.”
“Okay.” Both her hands lifted in the air, surrendering. She took a step backward. “This is me, backing off, but please, if anything happens, you call me immediately.”
“I will, but nothing will happen.”
“And I’m also assuming that Parson is okay with this?”
He hadn’t been. “Of course.” But he had no say in it.
She was all the way to the door now and she reached behind her, turning the knob. “All right. I guess I won’t see you in the morning then.”
“Good night, Laura, my publicist.”
She flashed me a grin. “Good night, Kian, my pain-in-the-ass client that I hope won’t be a pain in the ass in the future.” Then, she stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her.
The story was written up and received national attention.
Erica’s name was in the byline, so she took everyone to the Wine Cellar to celebrate the newspaper part of the story. The taped part of it was still being shopped around.
“Shut up, Felicia,” I snapped. Then, I gentled my tone to Laura. “I like to be alone. Yes, I shouldn’t. Yes, I’m aware of the dangers. And, yes, you should maybe worry, but I’m very good at getting around, undetected.”
“Catlike reflexes.” Felicia pointed at me. “It was annoying in high school, and it’s a fucking nightmare now.”
“Ignore Felicia. She’s pissed that my catlike abilities have extended to my hearing as well. I’ve sent her recent boyfriend home”—I gave my sister a meaningful look—“where I know she can resume her relationship with him there, not here.”
“Fuck this.” Finishing the rest of her wine, she flung the bottle across the living room and grabbed her bags. She threw over her shoulder, opening the suite door, “I have a flight to catch. I know what’s waiting for me at home, but I swear, Kian, I’m coming back. I’ll get you back for this.”
The door shut behind her, but it wasn’t enough for her. She opened it back up and heaved it shut once again, so it slammed against the doorframe.
“Well,” Laura noted under her breath. “Would you hate me if I went and locked it just to make sure she didn’t do that again?” She pressed a hand to her ear. “I have sensitive hearing.”
“Not at all.”
As she did, I picked up the bottle from the floor and placed it on the counter.
Laura moved into the living area and perched on a chair’s arm. She was wearing a large wraparound sweater that engulfed most of her petite body. She had dressed for the night already, wearing silk pajama bottoms underneath the sweater.
Laura wasn’t my first publicist. In the beginning, my family had hired a different one who helped spin everything so that everyone focused on my face and the fact that I’d saved Jordan. However, that publicist hadn’t been up for another media storm, saying it had put undue stress on her marriage. So, my father had hired Laura instead.
She didn’t look too aggravated at my sister’s tantrum, but I still felt the need to apologize. “About my sister—”
She waved that off. “Don’t worry. To be honest, I only allowed her to come because I thought you’d need the family support. If I’d known she was like that behind closed doors, I would’ve banned her from the beginning. She’s always been quiet and polite to me.”
“Really?”
“If you hadn’t made the call to your father, I would’ve. Having said that, though, I am glad you’re the enemy in her mind and not me.” She shuddered.
“And speaking of phone calls,” I segued into what Jo had asked me earlier. “That reporter, Erica, you requested to be on the story? She wasn’t allowed on camera tonight.”
Laura frowned, tightening her sweater around her form. “Is that a problem? She’s tenacious. She’s a good one to have on the team. You want to request a new interview—just with her?”
Did I? No. But should I?
Helping Jo’s roommate would be ideal to helping Jo out, but I remembered her last words. She’d already said good-bye to me once. The second time was tonight.
I let out a sigh. “No, we should just leave it alone.”
“Okay.” She yawned and covered it with a hand. “You know they’re going to shop that around and get a big network to show it?”
“I know. That’s fine, as long as the university gets credit.”
“You’re doing a nice thing. You didn’t have to interview with the school’s newspaper, especially after they’d already rejected your request to come here as a student.”
“I know.” I’d wanted to come here to be near Jo. That was the only reason. “It was an easy way to get my side out there. It narrows any spin a big network might’ve done.”
“That’s true.” Another yawn escaped her. “Okay. I’m starting to crash after all the craziness today. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I won’t be going back with everyone.”
She had started for the hallway but swung around. “What?”
“I’m going to stay behind.”
She lifted an eyebrow.
“Alone.”
“Kian,” she started, “please tell me I don’t have to worry about another story hitting the media? That you’re not doing something to cause unnecessary attention on you? Tell me that at least, so I can take a Valium for the plane ride home. If not, I’m going to be on edge the entire way home, telling myself I never should’ve left you.”
“I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Your sister said you’ve been disappearing at night. Is there something else here that I need to worry about?” She paused a beat. Her eyes darkened, and I knew who she was going to bring up next. “If there’s a certain…person…we need to be aware of…”
She meant Jordan.
“No.”
“They had a lot of questions about her today.”
And I had handled every one with perfection. “Again, no.”
“One last time.” She leveled me with an ominous warning. “Are. You. Sure?”
“I’m sure, Laura.”
“Okay.” Both her hands lifted in the air, surrendering. She took a step backward. “This is me, backing off, but please, if anything happens, you call me immediately.”
“I will, but nothing will happen.”
“And I’m also assuming that Parson is okay with this?”
He hadn’t been. “Of course.” But he had no say in it.
She was all the way to the door now and she reached behind her, turning the knob. “All right. I guess I won’t see you in the morning then.”
“Good night, Laura, my publicist.”
She flashed me a grin. “Good night, Kian, my pain-in-the-ass client that I hope won’t be a pain in the ass in the future.” Then, she stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her.
The story was written up and received national attention.
Erica’s name was in the byline, so she took everyone to the Wine Cellar to celebrate the newspaper part of the story. The taped part of it was still being shopped around.
