Sabrina kept her tone professional. “Patient confidentiality means I never share identifying details.”
“But you helped Claire Jordan.”
Sabrina smiled, repeating herself. “Patient confidentiality means I never share details on any of my clients.” Claire had advised her to repeat her answer over and over whenever she didn’t want to go into more detail, until the interviewer moved on. It was better than saying “no comment,” which Sabrina had thought sounded too closed off for a counselor.
Joanne shifted gears. “So I reviewed the tape from Sunshine America.” The makeup artist smoothed foundation on Joanne’s face. “You mentioned helping your friends who struggled with committed relationships. Was that them having trouble committing or their boyfriends?”
Sabrina chose her words carefully. The last thing she wanted was to throw another friend under the bus. She didn’t kid herself that anything said backstage wouldn’t then be brought up in front of the cameras. “Eventually, there was a mutual commitment. My friends and I are in a singles book club, the Happy Endings Book Club, originally for the purpose of finding love.”
“I love that! The Happy Endings Book Club!”
Sabrina smiled to herself, thinking of some of the early votes for club names. Mad had been campaigning hard for SLUTS (Super Lovers of Underrated Terrific Stories). “It turned out no men were interested in dishing about books with us, so we dropped the singles part and just focused on the romance novels we all love.”
“A romance book club. Cool! What’s your favorite read?”
“We all loved the Fierce trilogy. That’s how we met Claire Jordan. She was brought in by a former member, the author of the books.”
Joanne grabbed Sabrina’s arm. “Those books are so steamy.”
“Right?”
Joanne looked up while makeup was applied to her eye. “So the Happy Endings Book Club is dedicated to romance, and you help your friends achieve that in real life. Is that how it works?”
“In a way, yes. We help each other, you know, bear witness to all the ups and downs. Everyone’s so supportive.”
Joanne pushed the makeup lady’s hand back from her eye and leaned close to Sabrina. “I think I want to join this book club too.”
Sabrina smiled. “We’d love to have you, but you’d have to move to Connecticut.”
She laughed. “So have you worked things out with Logan?”
Sabrina tensed; the loss of him still fresh. But Joanne didn’t know that. As far as everyone else knew, they’d had a lovers’ quarrel on the street in Manhattan. “We’d like to keep our relationship private. Everything’s fine, though.” She was not about to declare a fake breakup of her fake relationship just before a big interview. Besides, she wanted to keep the focus on her career, not her crappy love life.
The makeup lady resumed adding eyeliner to Joanne’s eyes, and Joanne got quiet. Good. Sabrina had handled that like a pro. She decided to ask a question of her own. “So—”
Joanne cut her off. “Were you and Logan really fighting like the article said?”
Sabrina worked hard to sound composed and professional. “No. We’re more the talk-things-through type.” At least that was what Claire had said they’d be like if they were actually a couple. Sabrina wasn’t so sure.
Joanne pointed a manicured finger at her, saying in a singsong voice, “He looked pissed.”
“That was taken out of context,” Sabrina returned, unable to keep the sharp edge from her voice. “I’d like to avoid the topic of my relationship with Logan during our interview. Claire told me that was part of our agreement.”
Joanne straightened. “I know my job.” She tilted her chin as blush was applied to her face. “Just curious, you know, girlfriend to girlfriend.”
“Gotcha. So tell me all about how you got The Joanne Show.”
Those were the magic words because Joanne went off on an animated description of her gradual climb to her own show, from bit parts on TV, to a brief stint as cohost of a morning talk show, to taking a break to be a mom, going in a completely different direction and doing standup comedy, appearing on other late night talk shows, and then finally landing her own show.
Sabrina relaxed, glad to have the focus off her and also really entertained. Things went smoothly from there. Joanne began their interview with a shout-out to the Happy Endings Book Club, and Sabrina said a quick hello to her friends through the camera. Just thinking of them made Sabrina feel supported. They’d watch this later and cheer her on.
Joanne kept true to her word, not mentioning Logan at all during their interview, not even asking about Sabrina’s personal experiences at all. It was all about what Sabrina would recommend to people in different relationship situations, which was fun for Sabrina, tackling hypotheticals.
By the time the interview ended, Sabrina was elated.
“All clear,” the director said, and the lights dimmed, the cameras turned off.
“I really enjoyed our interview, Sabrina,” Joanne said warmly. “Thanks so much for choosing to appear on my show first.” That had all been Claire’s doing, being savvy to which shows Sabrina should do and in what order.
“My pleasure. I hope it was helpful to your viewers.”
“I’m sure it will be.”
She went backstage, gathered her things, and headed out the back exit, where her ride, another black Mercedes, waited. The moment she stepped outside, she froze, shocked by a crowd of paparazzi and reporters waiting for her. Holy shit! She was a relationship counselor, not a celebrity. Lights flashed in a flurry of pictures, momentarily blinding her. A microphone was shoved in her face. “Did you become a relationship counselor because you were left at the altar?”
Nausea roiled through her stomach, her skin cold and clammy.
More microphones appeared. “Are you going to Kevin’s wedding?”
“Was your article a revenge piece against Kevin?”
“How does Logan feel about Kevin?”
“Do you help other jilted brides?”
Only her family and friends knew about Kevin. Oh, God, she was going to be sick.
The chauffeur, a large muscular man in his forties, shoved his way through the crowd and hustled her into the backseat of the car. The car door shut as more questions were hurled at her. Her friends wouldn’t have betrayed her. She swallowed down bile and jabbed the lock on the door.
Someone pounded on her window, making her jump. The guy gestured for her to power the window down. She stared straight ahead, heart pounding, all of her nerves raw and jittery. A moment later, the car pulled away.
She rubbed her forehead. How did they know? And how was this going to bite her on the ass in her next interview? She grabbed her phone from her purse to call Claire. One of the publicists at Sabrina’s literary agent’s company had set up the interviews, but it was Claire who had personally contacted producers and smoothed the way. Only Claire had the pull to make demands on what topics were off-limits in Sabrina’s interviews. Besides, she knew she couldn’t count on her literary agent to run interference. When Sabrina had shared her concerns with Joyce about the psycho relationship counselor possibly sabotaging her, Joyce had cheerfully replied, “No such thing as bad publicity!”
The moment Claire answered, Sabrina told her everything, the story tumbling out in a rush of words.
“Sabrina,” Claire said firmly, “I want you to take a breath, in and out. Stay calm. The last thing you want is to arrive at your hotel, find more reporters waiting for you, and blurt something in your emotional state.”
“Okay,” she managed in a strangled voice. She took a deep breath in and out.
“Now let’s take this one thing at a time. I’ll make some calls to the other talk shows to be sure that Kevin is not a topic for any interview. Give your agent the heads-up. If the producer doesn’t sign off on it, tell your agent to pull the interview.”
She ran shaky fingers through her hair. “Okay, okay.”
“Now who knew ab
out Kevin?”
“Everyone at the wedding, I guess. My family, his family, our friends from college.”
“Are there still hard feelings between you and Kevin? Would he want to lash out at you?”
“No hard feelings on his part. He sent me an invitation to his wedding. He actually emailed too, wanting me to meet his fiancée.”
“What a dick move!”
She calmed down a little with fierce Claire on her side. “I really don’t see what he’d have to gain from telling people what he did though. It makes him look bad that he ditched me.” She looked out the window, thinking hard. “Maybe if someone got in touch with my family. They love publicity and wouldn’t hesitate to share. Though, so far, I haven’t heard a peep from any of them. It’s possible someone was digging into my past and found out Kevin and I applied for a marriage license that was never filed, or, I don’t know, someone just started digging, talking to people who knew me back then.”
“Who wants you to fall on your face?” Claire asked.
“Tara Brinkman. That relationship counselor I told you about. She threatened me with a lawsuit, saying I was trying to steal her clients. I suspected she was the one behind that article on me and Logan supposedly having a lovers’ spat.”
“If she was motivated enough, I’d say it was her. The problem is proving it. We can’t take legal action against her without some evidence.”
“Legal action,” Sabrina echoed, rubbing her temple.
“It’s defamation of character, and you can sue her for it. You’re a brand now, and we have to protect the brand.”
She thought about that. She didn’t know about the brand stuff, but damage to her reputation would definitely damage her career. “I don’t even know where to start finding evidence. All I know is she’s trademarked herself as the Commitment Counselor and had a New York Times bestselling book called Goodbye Commitment-Phobe.”
“I remember her! Oh, yeah, she had her fifteen minutes of fame. She’s probably just jealous of you.”
“There is some overlap in our practices. She has an office not far from mine. One in Manhattan too.”
“I’ll get someone to dig into her a little more. See what she’s up to.”
She held the phone close, suddenly aware of the driver up front probably listening. “Claire,” she whispered, “I’m afraid of what she might dig up.”
“Are you somewhere private?”
“No.”
“Call me when you are.”
She let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”
“Don’t worry. You enjoy yourself out there, okay? It’s not every day you’re the toast of the town. Have some champagne and relax. I’m on it, and I’ve got your publicist’s info too if I need it.”
“Thanks, Claire. I’ll call you later.”
“Ciao.”
She smiled at Claire’s starry turn of phrase. “Ciao.”
Welp. This was either going to be a glorious rise to a new stage in her career or a spectacular crash and burn. She’d find out soon enough. Wait and see. Augh. She was terrible about waiting. She wanted control of her life. She needed stability. This was exactly why she’d avoided the spotlight in the first place.
~ ~ ~
Sabrina’s next interview wasn’t until six o’clock the next day, so she had a good long while to fret. She’d called Claire back once she was back at the hotel and told her all about her nutso family, who never committed to anybody, and all her fears of being a fraud. Claire took it in stride, assuring her it wasn’t anything they couldn’t manage. The important thing, Claire said, was to stay on message, and that message was “Sabrina is a warm, professional relationship counselor that you’d be lucky to have on your side.”
Sabrina had been reciting that motivational nugget to herself every time nerves got the better of her. She kept herself busy, working up an outline for her book and firing it off to her literary agent. Action was always better than inaction, especially in anxiety-filled times.
By the time she got to the studio for The James Lyon Show, a late night talk show, she almost wished Logan was there, standing in the background, supporting her in his quiet solid way. But Logan wasn’t an option. They’d said their goodbyes. He was meeting up with Olivia Friday night after his most important investor meeting, and Sabrina wouldn’t be at all surprised if he moved in with Olivia after that, cementing their relationship in San Francisco.
Her time at The James Lyon Show was conspicuously lacking in the warmth that Joanne had showed her. She’d been left to her own devices in a small dressing room with her name taped to the door, until just before filming when a crew member brought her to the very masculine set with a dark blue backdrop, a black desk, and light blue guest chairs.
Sabrina stood off camera, where she’d been told to wait for her cue. A studio audience was already in place, most of them young and male. Not exactly Sabrina’s target demographic. Claire had assured her this show was key to Sabrina cementing her status. When Sabrina argued she wasn’t about status, Claire explained how that would translate into her book deal happening, which meant she’d reach a lot of people, men and women. Claire really understood Sabrina’s priorities.
James Lyon finally appeared, striding on set, tapping his desk for some reason, and then heading toward the audience. He was in his thirties, his black hair slicked back, tall and lanky, with a ready smile. They weren’t filming yet, the crew standing by for their cue. James waved to the studio audience before detouring to where she stood off camera, taking her hand in both of his and smiling. “So nice to meet you, Sabrina.”
“You too. I’m happy to be here.”
He gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it. “Your Happy Endings Book Club sounded interesting. Any other kind of happy endings going on there?” He winked and made an obscene gesture with his hand.
She didn’t bother to keep the irritation from her voice. “No. And I don’t like the way you’re speaking to me.”
“Touchy.”
“I’m a professional, and I expect you to be too, on and off camera.”
He adjusted his collar, pulling it away from his neck. “Yeesh, do I need to get my lawyer in on this?” His tone was jovial.
Sabrina was not amused. “Do I need to get mine?”
He grinned. “Feisty.”
She stared at him.
“Come on, lighten up. Just having some fun with you. We’re going to have a good show.” He strode onto the set, taking his seat at the big desk.
She took a deep breath, hoping for the best, unsure what she was going to get from this guy. She didn’t mind joking around, but she was a professional and wanted her work to be taken seriously. She was here to help people, not be the butt of a joke.
The show began. She waited for her cue before striding on stage, smiling at him before taking her seat.
“Sabrina Clarke, Hollywood Love Guru, everyone!” James gestured for the audience to applaud. They did, clapping and whistling. “Okay, okay.” He gestured for them to quiet down and turned to her. “Great to see you here, Sabrina.”
“Happy to be here.”
“Any tips for a guy like me? How do I get a woman to commit?”
The audience roared with laughter.
She smiled good-naturedly. “Actually, both men and women can fear commitment. Sometimes it’s an issue from their childhood that causes a lack of stability in their relationships.” Her mind flashed to Logan, and his mom leaving his family. Her theory had been wrong in his case. He didn’t have a problem with commitment. His brothers and sister were in committed relationships. His older brother, Josh, and his dad weren’t. Commitment was a deliberate choice. But what made some people take that leap of faith and others not, given the same circumstances?
“Sabrina?” James waved a hand in front of her face. “Still with us?”
She blinked. “Sorry. Commitment comes with trust, something that builds gradually over time as two people get to know each other. It requires going beyond the sur
face to what’s really meaningful to you.”
James grinned. “I find a lot of meaning in beer.”
The audience laughed.
Sabrina pasted on a smile, convinced Claire had agreed to the wrong show. Frat boy came to mind.
James got serious, saying with real sincerity, “I’d like to find love.”
The audience quieted.
Maybe she’d been hasty in her judgment. Maybe he hid real vulnerability behind his jovial manner.
“Sabrina, you think a guy like me could find love through your romance book club?”
She took the question at face value, hoping he didn’t make any happy endings jokes because she just might smack him. “I think reading romance novels would be a great start. They celebrate everything important in life—love, happiness, working through whatever obstacles separate two people, and joining them together.”
“Like the Fierce trilogy.” He shook his fingers in the air and blew on them. “Hot.”
She inclined her head. Everyone brought up the Fierce trilogy whenever romance came up, but those stories, based heavily on sexual dominance, were so much more than that. “I agree they’re very hot stories, but they also have deeper themes of redemption and forgiveness. Romance novels have a lot to teach us, and I think more men should read them.”
“I just might take you up on that.” He looked to the audience. “Would you guys like to see me do that? Maybe we’ll see how reading romance novels helps or hurts my chances with women.”
The audience cheered and whistled. God, Sabrina hoped he didn’t make those stories a point of ridicule. If he did, she’d have to start a campaign against him. She couldn’t stand to have her advice twisted for a mean-spirited joke.
James laughed. “When we come back, we’ll find out the qualities Sabrina looks for in a winning relationship.”
Winning. Relationships weren’t win or lose. They were give and take. She kept her mouth shut. She’d save that for the camera.
Chance of Romance (Happy Endings Book Club, Book 8) Page 9