Fox spun on his heel and faced them. He knew they’d just badger him endlessly until they got the whole story. So, he might as well get it over with. “She lied to me. She can’t be trusted, just like Becky.”
Eli’s head recoiled. “Are you sure? That doesn't sound like the Sienna I know.”
Fox snorted. “I mean, how well do you know her? She lives in York, right? You see her maybe twice a year for holidays?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Listen. I went to the safe room after what happened with Harry. I needed to calm down for a couple of minutes. And guess who showed up? Sienna.” He stopped and gave Eli a tight-lipped smile. “She pretended like she needed a break from the cameras too. Yeah, right, like she ever wants to be out of the spotlight.”
“It’s possible she needed a break too.” Eli didn’t sound too convinced.
Possible, but not probable.
“But that wasn’t it,” Fox said. “She pretended to care. We had this big heart to heart, and I thought I was getting to see the real Sienna and then—” He pursed his lips together. They didn’t need to know about the almost kiss. With any luck, no one would ever know. “Then the cameraman, who had been hiding behind a tree the entire time, sneezed.”
“Whoa,” Wade said.
Fox pointed at him. “Exactly. It was all for show.”
His friends both shook their heads and frowned.
“It really doesn’t sound like her,” said Eli. “I know she’s kind of a drama queen but the past few days…” He bit his lip.
“What?” said Fox. “She’s been magically transformed? Having cameras everywhere and the fame she wants most within reach have somehow made her less interested in the spotlight?”
“She hates this as much as you do, I know it.” Eli crossed his arms. “She wants to be a real actress, not some reality show drama queen.”
Fox snorted. “Well she’s doing a really good impression of one.”
“I don’t know if she can fake the way she looks at you,” said Wade, rubbing his chin. “When you two start fighting like bratty kids, it’s entertaining for everyone, but her whole face lights up when you walk into a room.”
Fox wanted that to be true, so badly. More than Eli or Wade could possibly understand. But could he really let himself trust so much after everything he’d been through?
“I can’t think about all of this right now,” he said and ran his hands through his hair. “I need a break. A real one.”
Wade lifted a finger. “I know,” he said. “How about we go out tonight. The next competition isn’t until tomorrow. We’ll find a way to really lose the cameras and get a drink or something.”
A drink or something.
Wade was great, but he didn't know all of Fox’s past, not like Eli. And while Fox didn't have a problem with other people drinking, he had done a good job of staying away from alcohol for the last ten years. After his fit in the safe room earlier, he didn't think it was a good idea to go anywhere near a bar.
But escaping the Emerald Inn sounded great. Escaping the cameras even better.
He nodded. “Let’s do it. Let me just grab my hoodie real quick.”
But when Fox turned to go up the stairs to his room, he saw Sienna racing down the hall toward the safe room—and there were tears in her eyes.
Sixteen
7 Days Until Dream Wedding
Sienna rushed to the safe room. She wasn’t sure how much Bruce had seen—or how much had been captured on camera—but regardless, things were not going well.
Please let it be empty, please let it be empty.
She opened the door, and relief flooded her veins when she found it vacant. She hurried in, closed the door and leaned her back against it. The tears that were already spilling down her cheeks began to fall in thick streams as Sienna struggled to catch her breath.
The last hour had been a nightmare in every possible way.
First, there was the look of utter betrayal on Fox’s face when the cameraman sneezed. The two of them had been about to kiss, something Sienna didn’t even know how much she wanted until then. But when Fox realized he’d been set up—not that Sienna had done it on purpose—he thought it was for all for show.
Second, there was the way the cameraman walked up to her afterwards to get a close up of her reaction. Even with her years of acting classes, Sienna wasn’t sure she’d covered up the gut-wrenching agony that had torn through her body at the sight of Fox running off down the path.
She’d tried to storm off like Fox had but unfortunately the cameraman stayed right behind her the entire time. As they walked toward the Emerald Inn, he’d asked questions like, “How long have you guys been sneaking off to make out?” and “Do your sisters know?”
But the pièce de résistance, the fishhook in her heart, had been “Do you think Fox will ever talk to you again?”
Sienna knew he was trying to get footage of her breaking down. His job was to pester her with difficult questions while emotions were running wild. But she didn’t have answers for his questions and hadn’t been able to say a word without risking the tears building in the corners of her eyes from spilling over.
Then there was the fact that her roommate had sent twenty-three texts in the time it took to get down to the inn. Sienna had quickly glanced at each one, careful not to let the cameraman see what was on the screen. Each message was only a few words, and misspelled at that.
Where are u?
Landlord keeps calling…
I need a check by tmorrow.
Or our boxes r on the street.
Sienna was in trouble and there was no way out.
And last, but not least, Bruce was waiting for her when she finally arrived at the Emerald Inn. He wore a smile the size of Texas when he saw Sienna and asked for an interview about what happened with Fox.
That had been the final straw.
While she couldn’t be sure, since her vision was blurred from the tears that fell, Sienna thought she might have seen Bruce’s impossibly wide grin grow even further at the sight of her emotional breakdown.
She raced through the inn, not caring who she bumped into on the way. She just knew she needed to be someplace away from Bruce, or Jason, or the cameramen who seemed to be everywhere.
Sienna sank to the floor, her back still against the door of the safe room, as she pulled out her phone.
Seriously? Lila sent three more texts?
She didn’t bother reading them. Instead, she quickly dialed Lila and put the phone to her ear. It didn’t even get a chance to ring before the voice of her roommate blared through the speakers.
“Look who finally decided to call me back,” came Lila’s angry voice.
“I’ve been busy.”
“Oh, that’s right. With that reality show for your sister’s wedding.” A tired sigh came through the receiver. “Did you get your big break yet?”
Bruce’s smile filled Sienna’s mind again, and she struggled to compose herself. She didn't need Lila knowing just how dire things were. They were friends, and they’d helped each other out when some months had been tight, but this time they were both overdrawn and out of time.
“I’m really close.”
“That’s really great, and I’m happy for you and everything, but that doesn’t change our current problem of a very irritated landlord. He said he’s let late rent slide too many times. He needs dependable tenants.”
“I know—”
“Which is why I’ve started accepting applications for sub-letters.”
Sienna’s breath caught in her chest. They’d always talked about taking on a third roommate, under the table, of course, but leaving the apartment had never been an option. It couldn’t be. Not when they were both so close to making it. “You what?”
Lila paused, and Sienna’s heart sank. “And I’ve already found someone I like. They can move in two weeks. It’ll take all the pressure off both of us.”
Easy for Lila to say. She’d still have a pla
ce to live when the new girl moved in. What was Sienna supposed to do? All of her fears of coming home with her tail between her legs were coming true.
“What about my stuff?” she managed to squeak out.
“The new girl moves in after you get back from North Carolina. That should give you at least two days to pack.”
Sienna bit the inside of her cheek to keep the tears at bay. She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved Lila wasn’t throwing her stuff in the front yard.
“Okay.”
“I’m sorry,” Lila said, her voice softer now. “But I can’t risk losing the apartment because I can’t cover the full rent. If it had been the other way around, and you’d needed to get someone last minute, I wouldn’t be mad at you.”
Sienna nodded, even though Lila couldn’t see—and even though she would never do the same thing to Lila.
“I’ll see you when you get back, okay?”
Sienna nodded again and ended the call.
The sobs that burst out of her shook her entire frame. She didn’t know what she was going to do. One thing was for sure, she never wanted to leave the safe room.
Sienna looked around the small space. Other than one completely empty shelf, the room was stocked with enough linens to make a small bed. Maybe if she put enough blankets under her, the floor wouldn’t be so bad.
A soft knock came on the door.
She sniffed. “Occupied.”
“Sienna?”
It was Fox.
Sienna groaned and covered her face with her hands. And as much as she wanted to talk to him, Sienna didn't want Fox to see her like this either.
“Can I come in?”
“What is it with you and bothering me when I’m in locked rooms?”
Fox didn’t answer, and she’d thought he’d left, until the sound of his soft command came through the door.
“Let me in.”
Sienna had lost all her willpower to refuse him. With a deep breath, she stood up and opened the door. She peeked over Fox’s shoulder to see if anyone else was waiting outside. Bruce was standing down the hall with his arms crossed, but there weren’t any cameras nearby. The producer raised his brows at her, but she ignored him and stepped aside to let Fox inside the small closet.
“Is everything okay?” Fox asked once he closed the door behind him.
No, everything most definitely was not okay. And even without knowing all the things that had happened to Sienna since they parted ways, it should have been obvious to Fox. Mascara must be streaking down her face and her eyes had to be red and puffy.
Sienna snorted. “Yep. Everything is just peachy, thanks for asking.”
Fox fixed her with a stare.
Sienna crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you here? Don’t you hate me right now?”
“Eli said you hate this reality show thing as much as me. Is that true?”
Great, now the boys were gossiping about her? She hoped Bruce hadn’t been around to hear it. Sienna could not deal with this right now.
She shrugged. “Does it matter? You’ve already made up your mind about me.”
“Just answer the question.”
Boy was he annoying, even when he had every right to be mad at her.
“Fine, I hate it. Happy? This isn’t what I trained for. This isn’t what I want to do. But it’s the only way to get me where I need to go.”
“Is that why you’re crying?” He took a step closer. “What’s going on?”
A desire to tell him everything warred with her need to keep up her facade, even if it was mascara-covered and puffy. “It’s not your concern.”
Fox took another step closer, putting his body only inches from hers. Her traitorous eyes went to his mouth as her mind drifted to the almost kiss.
When Sienna managed to drag her eyes back to Fox’s, she noticed that he was also looking at her lips. So, she wasn’t the only one who was thinking about what had happened in the woods. Sienna shoved down the flutter of hope that idea prompted in her heart. She cleared her throat, and Fox’s cheeks turned red.
He shook his head. “I just want to help. Maybe there’s a way to shut down this whole crazy show. Audrey and Eli won’t want to keep going if we’re both miserable.”
Both miserable?
Apparently, he wasn’t thinking about kissing her. He’d come to his conclusions about Sienna, and he was desperate to get away from her. So desperate, he was trying to shut down the entire show.
But maybe it was better this way. Things were messy enough without their feelings getting involved. If they could go back to hating each other it would be easier to finish filming this stupid show and make sure Audrey and Eli got their dream wedding.
Sienna crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t need your help. I don’t need some kind of knight in shining armor. And even if I did, you’re obviously not the one to rescue me.”
When Fox recoiled, Sienna knew she’d gone too far. But really, what was Fox going to do? Pay her rent? Convince Lila to let her stay? Maybe he could use his musical influence to get her a role in the next big sitcom.
Yeah, right.
Fox ran a hand through his hair. “It’s okay to need help sometimes.”
She shook her head. “I don’t.”
“You don’t have to pretend to be perfect.”
Pretend to be perfect? Sienna felt anything but perfect. Things were starting to unravel left and right, and now Fox wanted to come into the safe space and remind her that she wasn't good enough? No way.
“I know I’m not perfect.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile usually reserved for over sharers on the subway. “But thank you so much for pointing that out.”
“That’s not—”
“My mother is always telling me how I’m not doing great in York and how I should just come home. But thank you so much for the extra support.”
“I just want to help.”
“Well, you trying to fix my problems isn’t going to change the mistakes you made in your past.” Unwilling to let him see the tears that were building fall, she threw open the door to the safe room and stormed out.
She barely registered the sound of the door closing behind her as she stepped into the hall and the strong stench of cologne hit her. With a sinking dread that at least served to dry up her tears, Sienna remembered that Bruce had been lurking outside the safe room.
She gave him a wary look. He was waiting for her, but she had no more energy left to pretend she was happy. And if that meant looking miserable for the camera, so be it. But if he wanted to get some footage of them talking about what happened in the woods, where were the cameras?
Bruce marched over to where she lingered just outside the safe room. His face was stern as he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to a small office down the hall. This can’t be good, she thought when he closed the door behind him and spun to face her.
“What do you think I meant when I told you I needed some footage of you and Fox?” His eyes were blazing.
Sienna flinched at his tone but kept her chin up. She could fix this. “That you needed footage of us?”
“Oh, good. So, I was clear. Then would you care to explain why you tried to lose my cameraman when the two of you went into the woods?”
Her heart almost stopped. “I didn't.”
Bruce lifted his brows.
“I mean, it wasn’t like that.” She held up her hands in front of her. “I was trying to talk to Fox so we could figure out how to give you something good.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know everyone thinks reality TV is scripted, and maybe that’s why you thought you needed to do something. But I needed real footage of you and Fox.”
“And there’s real footage of us in the woods,” Sienna said. Horrible, damaging, painful footage of Fox and Sienna opening up to one another followed by Sienna’s apparent betrayal. Meaning, reality show gold. Bruce should be thrilled right now.
“I need more than that. I needed to capture
that kiss. And if you couldn't give me that, I should have gotten your roommate drama.”
Sienna’s stomach dropped to the floor.
“Yes, I could hear all about how your roommate is going to kick you out and that was my something good. Too bad you made it impossible for me to use it by hiding out in the safe room.”
“But that doesn't have anything to do with the wedding.”
Bruce threw up his hands. “Who cares?”
Sienna cared. All of that drama with Lila was personal. It was beyond embarrassing, and it would paint Sienna in the worst possible light. She would look like an irresponsible and naive little girl who couldn’t hack it in the big city. The cameras didn’t see her working sixty hours a week on top of auditioning all over the city.
“People love a good wedding,” Bruce said, his words slow and biting. “But they also want all the skeletons in everyone’s closets. Viewers want to see the people on TV fall apart, and then pat themselves on the back for being so much better than them.”
“But—”
“And you might think you’re special because you’re an ‘actress’ just like every other twenty-something with a pretty face, but you’re not.”
But she was more than just a pretty face. Sienna wasn’t looking to get by on her looks alone. She’d worked her butt off for every single role she’d gotten. Her mother’s words about how sometimes working hard wasn’t enough echoed in her mind.
And though Sienna wasn’t sure she had any more tears to shed, she felt the tell-tale sting behind her eyes.
“Don’t try to lose my cameramen again, understand? Or else.”
Sienna nodded as Bruce walked out of the office and left her alone once more.
I’m an idiot, she thought as she paced back and forth in the small room.
All this time, she thought she’d been getting on Bruce’s good side. All his and Jason’s comments about how well she was doing had to have meant something.
Who was she kidding? Helping out a struggling actor wasn’t Bruce’s priority, or even something he liked to do. He was in the business of making viewers happy, not helping a ‘twenty-something with a pretty face’ get a job.
The Bridesmaid & The Jerk (Wedding Games Book 1) Page 12