Mending The Billionaire Movie Star (MacLachlan Brothers Romance Book 1)

by Bree Livingston

  That was the truth? He knew the call wasn’t, but were studios interested in him again? And did he want that?

  “Oh, a movie? That’s great,” gushed Jeanie.

  Zora kept eye contact like she had more questions.

  “Are you excited?” asked Amber.

  He had no idea about it, but he’d do a cartwheel if it would convince them to leave and got them out of his hair. “I am. It sounds like a good project to be on. I can’t discuss details yet, but I’m eager for the possibility to get started,” said Angus.

  “What will you do until your meeting?” Zora asked.

  “He’ll be reading over the script that was just finalized,” Barb said.

  “Uh-huh. Interesting. Penelope gets sick, we’re being sent away, and you suddenly can’t leave because you have a meeting.”

  If Zora were nails, she’d be raking down a chalkboard. Surely there was another woman he could have picked that wouldn’t have grated like she did. He ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to tell you. I certainly didn’t plan on her being sick.” What did this woman want from him? Did she think they’d have poisoned someone for ratings?

  Zora nodded. “Okay.”

  “Ladies,” Barb said, “why don’t you get ready for the outing. I’d actually planned to have a shopping trip right before we left anyway, but it seems like now would be a good time. This little episode has left me traumatized.”

  Amber and Jeanie followed Barb out. Zora crossed her arms over her chest and gave Angus one last look before leaving.

  Angus exhaled heavily. He was so glad they were leaving. He walked into Penelope’s room, shut the door, and sat beside her. At least he didn’t have to hide how he felt about her while they were alone in her room. He’d felt so powerless when she’d cried out in pain, wanting nothing more than to hold her in his arms and tell her it would be okay.

  With Jeanie, Zora, and Amber watching, he couldn’t. They’d already been giving him grief about sitting with her on the beach. The last thing he needed was to give them more ammo about chasing her.

  Penelope took a deep breath and rolled onto her back. Her blue bathrobe parted, and he chuckled at the faded Van Halen t-shirt peeking through.

  Angus took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across the back of it and then pressing his lips to her palm.

  If he was right, if the stalker was targeting her, he’d never be able to forgive himself if something bad happened. How had they managed to get through all the security and crew?

  A knock came from the door, and it opened a crack. Jeff stuck his head in. “Hey.”

  Angus didn’t like the look on his face. He stood and walked to the door. “Did you find anything?”

  Jeff slipped into the room and shut the door. “No.”

  “What do you mean ‘no’?”

  “I mean footage is missing. Erased. There are cameras in the kitchen rolling twenty-four seven. I checked through them, starting from just after breakfast the day before until Penelope opened the fridge today. Twenty minutes are missing from yesterday.”

  Angus gritted his teeth. “So, someone tampered with her food and then got rid of the evidence.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you think someone on the crew could have done it?”

  “I mean, it’s possible, but we’re all over the house. I’d have no idea who to point a finger at. I’m sorry, Angus. I don’t know what to do.”

  He slapped him on the shoulder. “Not your fault.”

  “Is she doing okay now?”

  Angus looked over his shoulder at Penelope. “Seems to be.”

  “Good to hear. I’ve got to get back. I have Carrie, Troy, and Gary going with Barb. Me and two others are staying here. If she’s up for the date, we’ll be going with you, and we’ll stay invisible.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  Jeff opened the door, and Angus followed him out.

  “I’m going to grab a shower while she’s resting. Keep an eye on her until I get back,” Angus said.

  “You got it,” Jeff gave him a two-finger salute.

  Angus took one last look at Penelope and headed for his room.

  Chapter 33

  Penelope groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Her midsection burned as if she’d done a bajillion sit-ups.

  “You need to stay still.” Angus brushed her cheek with his fingertips as he sat next to her on the bed.

  “What happened?” She tried to shake the grogginess by rubbing her eyes.

  “We don’t know yet, but it was more than bad creamer.”

  She licked her lips as her gaze met his. “How do you know it was more than bad creamer?” Or a bad reaction to what could have been a prank? She’d keep that to herself, though. If it wasn’t a prank, accusing Zora and Amber would only make them hate her more.

  Angus took a deep breath and told her about his stalker, the letters, and how they’d started up again. He didn’t want to scare her, but she needed to know since she was the one targeted. At least, that’s what he thought. Until now, there’d been no reason to mention it. He’d thought they’d stopped.

  “That’s awful. And this person has threatened you?” Penelope asked.

  “Naw, not until the letters started back up. But the threat isn’t aimed at me, rather those around me. They had threatened Clara in the past after we’d broken up. But the letters usually weren’t like that.”

  “What did they normally say?”

  “They’d talk about how much they loved me and my movies. They’d detail fantasies of us together—in disgustingly vivid detail. They broke into my house a couple of times. Police took photos and fingerprints, but they were never caught.”

  “I can’t imagine what it was like for you. All that would’ve been scary enough. How are these letters different?”

  “The new letters aren’t overtly threatening, but the tone is entirely different. Mostly, they still love me, and they’d take care of anyone who tried to hurt me.”

  “Wow, I mean, I’d heard of people becoming obsessed with celebrities, but now, hearing you talk about it…I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I just wanted you to be aware.”

  Penelope shrugged. “I bet it was the creamer. Maybe it had bacteria in it and I had a weird reaction to it.”

  “I hope it was; otherwise, we’re going to have to be extra careful about who comes and goes on the set.”

  “Right.” Penelope covered her mouth as she yawned. When she glanced out the window, she noted the bright sun streaming in. “What time is it?”

  “A little after four. Are you hungry?”

  “Not really.”

  “Don’t you need to eat? What about your blood sugar?”

  He had a point. Even if she didn’t feel like eating, she needed something in her stomach. “I don’t really know what there is here. I stick with eggs in the morning.”

  “I have a friend who could bring us some burgers.”

  The mention of burgers made Penelope’s mouth water. “Okay. You offered to make hot tea the other day. Does that offer still stand?”

  “You bet. I’ll get the tea started and order some food.”

  “I’ll take a quick shower while you’re doing that, if that’s okay.”

  He wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. “I’ll be back for you.”

  She nodded. “Okay, I won’t be long.”

  As soon as Angus was out the door, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and shower. Afterward, she put on a clean pair of pajamas. Her stomach wasn’t ready for jeans yet.

  When she was finished, she meandered out, towel drying her hair. Just as she tossed the towel back in the bathroom, a knock came at her door, and she answered it.

  “That was good timing,” she said as Angus scooped her up. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking you to the living room so you can eat.”

  She glanced around. “Uh, I think I can walk.”

  “I’m sure you can, bu
t I have a selfish streak and wanted to hold you.” He winked.

  Her cheeks burned, and she noted the lack of cameras pointed in her direction. “Where are all the cameras?”

  “They were taking a break,” he said as he carried her out of the room and set her on the couch. “But they’re back on now.”

  She circled her arms around his neck. “Thank you.”

  Angus wrapped his arms around her, took a deep breath, and put his lips to her ear. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” He leaned back and brushed a piece of her hair from her face. “I’ll go get that tea.”

  She waited for him to leave the living room and shivered. She was so tired and wired all at the same time. Whether it was bacteria or something else she’d experienced, it had worn her out. And she had butterflies and electricity skating over her nerves. Closing her eyes, Penelope curled her legs under her as she rested her back against the couch.

  The slight rattle of a cup bouncing against a saucer startled her, and she opened her eyes. Angus set a tray holding the tea on the coffee table. “You were supposed to stay still.”

  “I’m comfortable,” she said as Angus handed her the cup. “Thank you.”

  He sat next to her on the couch. “Does your stomach hurt?”

  “Only when I move.” She snorted and grimaced. “Did Barb tell you she wanted me to let Clara think she got to me?”

  His lips twitched up. “No, but it sounds like something she’d do.”

  “How long have you known Barb?”

  “I met her when I first got to LA. She was my agent until she decided to try her hand at producing.”

  “I like her. She seems…” She paused, trying to find a word that fit Barb.

  “Real?” His smile was warm.

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “She is. If I’d listened to her, I wouldn’t be in this mess with Clara. She tried to warn me, but I wasn’t thinking with my brain.”

  “Why does Clara keep hanging around?”

  “Clara likes to hurt people, and she likes seeing people in pain.” Angus took her half-empty cup and set it on the coffee table. “It gave her joy to see me wallow and want her.”

  “What an awful human being. I’m sorry I was so judgmental toward you.” Penelope sighed and covered his hand with hers. “I’m sorry I let tabloid headlines influence my opinion of you.”

  “It’s okay. I will admit that thinking you hated me was hard. I handled the general public, but you gave the hate toward my bad behavior a face. I didn’t like what I saw.”

  His behavior had been because he was hurting. And she’d been mean and cruel. The sudden guilt weighed heavily on her. Brushing her fingertips along his temple, she said, “I should have known you were hurting. I should have had the sense to treat you with mercy, but I was too caught in protecting my own heart.”

  “You don’t like seeing people hurt, do you?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  He took her hand and kissed it. “I think that’s what I find most alluring about you.”

  She laughed. “Well, it’s not so great when you have a sister who uses it against you, which is why I’m here.”

  “Remind me to thank her when I meet her.” He winked.

  Warmth spread from her stomach all the way to her ears. Wait. Angus meeting Paige? “I’m not so sure that’s going to happen.”

  “You never know,” he said with a hint of mischief.

  She narrowed her eyes, tempted to press him. Instead, she decided to take advantage of the other women being gone. “Well, since we’re here alone, you can get an early start on the questions if you want. I’m not sure if I’ll have an answer for all of them, though.” Her heart warmed as his lips spread into a playful grin.

  Angus held her gaze, his look turning almost pained. “They weren’t filming while you were in pain, but they’ll be filming this.”

  She shrugged as he moved closer. “I figured as much.”

  Cupping her cheek, he said. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. It wasn’t okay, but it was for Angus. And while she hated the cameras, how she felt about him outweighed it. “Now, your questions.” She smiled.

  “Speaking of Paige, what’s your sister like?”

  What a difficult question. She loved Paige, but loving her was hard. And she was being filmed. The potential to hurt her was right in her face.

  “I love Paige. She’s outgoing, funny, genuine, sweet, and caring. Obviously, we look exactly alike, and she enjoys pretending to be me, which has led to some difficult situations more than once.”

  “And she doesn’t know about what happened with your relationship?”

  “No. She doesn’t even know I had one,” she said softly. “Right after it happened, my mom got sick. Then Dad died.” She fidgeted with the cuff of her bathrobe.

  Penelope paused and cleared her throat. “It was only a few months after we lost Dad that she showed up excited about being engaged. Then right as they were to get married, Tyler left her at the altar. It never seemed like the right time to tell her about my troubles. Plus, to be honest, I didn’t want to tell anyone I was so foolish.”

  A crew member walked in and handed Angus a white bag. He fished out a wrapped burger and handed it to her. She ate a few bites and waited for Angus to ask more questions.

  “Will you tell me what happened with your relationship?” he asked.

  Penelope’s stomach hurt again, but it was a different kind of pain. It ran from her heart all the way to the pit of her belly. “When I got out of college, I landed an internship with a prestigious accounting firm in San Diego.” She took a deep breath. Putting what happened into words made her relive the whole thing over again.

  “You don’t have to. I understand.”

  She waved him off and continued. “Tom Peterson was one of the accountants, and I thought he was…Superman. He ran charity drives and worked with the local food bank. At first, he was funny, charismatic, and kind. We started dating after I’d been there about six months. Over the next year and a half, I fell in love with him.

  “It never felt like anything was wrong. He’d have to go here or there out of town for work. Auditing sometimes takes you out of town, and it can take days to sort through things. So, I thought nothing of it.” Penelope’s voice trembled.

  Angus took her hand. “Hey, you don’t have to keep going.”

  She didn’t have to; she wanted to. Not that she was a fan of the cameras. It was just time, and maybe it would help Angus understand why she reacted so badly when Clara lied to her. Not that she was excusing it, just…explaining it. “I’ve already started. May as well keep going.”

  Swallowing hard, she slid her food onto the side table. “Tom wanted to keep our relationship quiet because he was in line to become a partner, and he didn’t want our relationship to be a topic of discussion when it came time to be interviewed. Dating coworkers was frowned upon. I loved him, so why not? I wanted him to have all the things he wanted. What did it hurt to keep quiet?

  “The answer to that came in the shape of a public scene.” A nervous laugh popped out. “Tom surprised me with a trip to this island for my birthday. That restaurant where we ate that first night was our restaurant. We loved it and ate there nearly every night we were here. We were having dinner there two nights before we were supposed to leave. We were talking and laughing.”

  She didn’t forget that the crew was filming her entire sordid confession, but with every sentence, the weight of carrying it by herself became a little lighter.

  “The door to the restaurant opened, and I don’t know why, but I glanced over. This immaculately dressed tall gorgeous blonde woman walked in. Immediately, she crossed the room, stopped at our table, and gave me a withering glare. Next thing I know, Ariel Peterson is broadcasting to the entire restaurant that I’m having an affair with her husband.”

  Angus’s eyes widened, and his shoulders drooped. “Oh…Penelope.”


  She bowed her head. “I hadn’t slept with him, but, of course, she would’ve assumed that. Dating a married man is just bad as sleeping with one, though. No one would believe me that I didn’t know he was married, but I didn’t. He didn’t have any pictures of her. He never wore a ring. But there I was, stupid Penelope Cooper, sitting in a restaurant with a married man, and I’d been dating him for a year and a half.”

  “What did you do?”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks as the memories came flooding back. “I bolted out of the restaurant and back to my hotel room. I was packing when Tom charged in. I wasn’t arguing about it. He was married. It was over as far as I was concerned. He blamed me for Ariel finding out. I kept insisting it wasn’t me. No one knew. The more I denied it, the angrier he got. Apparently, his yelling got the attention of some of the other guests, and hotel security kicked him out. I finished packing my things, bought myself a ticket back to San Diego, and handed in my resignation. Then I packed up my apartment and went back home to Destin.” She took a deep breath. “And that’s the story of how Penny became a dog groomer.”

  For the first time in six years, she felt so light. That story was out, and it felt so freeing.

  Angus wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Not only was the story out, but with the way he was hugging her, it felt as though he was trying to infuse her with comfort.

  He rubbed her back. “I can’t believe you never told anyone.”

  “Actually, I tried, but when I got to the counselor’s office, I just couldn’t bring myself to talk about it.”

  Leaning back, he narrowed his eyes. “Did Tom call you Penny?”

  “His lucky Penny. That name conjured such painful memories that I wouldn’t allow anyone to use it anymore.”

  “Did he ever try to contact you again?”

  Penelope nodded. “Yes, he showed up at my house in Destin. He basically groveled an apology. He said he would divorce Ariel and wanted to work on things with us, but it was over for me. I couldn’t trust him or my own judgment.”

  “Have you dated anyone after him?”