“What are you doing here?”
“I need to find Nicole.”
“I told you she’s gone home.”
“I know that, but where did she go? I have no idea where she lives.”
“She doesn’t want you to find her.” She stepped out on the stoop, standing toe to toe with him. “Why don’t you leave her alone? Haven’t you screwed up her life enough?”
“I’m trying to make it right, Laura.”
She rolled her eyes. “There’s no way you can make this right, Mr. Movie Star. Just take yourself back to Hollywood. Leave her alone.”
Reece hated that the girl now clearly despised him. “If you talk to her, tell her I’m at the Savoy until the end of the month.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure, I’ll burn up the phone lines passing on that information.”
He shook his head, turning away. “Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her . . . never mind.” He walked away—his shoulders hunched.
~ ~ ~
Nicole arrived in New York at three a.m. London time. Her eyes were red from utter exhaustion. She hadn’t slept a wink on the flight. Her brain was overflowing with excess information and thoughts circling round and round in her head. She snatched her luggage from baggage claim, heading for the bathroom. She needed to splash some water on her face and get her thoughts in order. She couldn’t fall apart in front of Audrey.
As she was leaving the bathroom, she walked passed a newsstand, seeing her face plastered across the front page of at least three tabloid magazines. She squinted, reading the headlines, “Reece Collins and female friend caught swimming with the fishes.” “Reece loves to give it from behind.” “Brit boy likes to slam the Yank.”
Nicole was suddenly nauseous and lightheaded as the color drained from her face. She was now an international, amateur porn star. Yeah, that’s something every girl wants on her resume.
She blew out a breath from between her lips, straightening her shoulders. She wasn’t going to let this destroy her. She was going to work through every debilitating obstacle thrown her way and conquer this foe.
She stopped at the Starbucks, ordering a venti white chocolate mocha with an extra shot. There was nothing better than a jolt of caffeine when she was feeling low.
She took a seat in the café, pulling her laptop out of its case and firing it up while she waited for her editor, Audrey to arrive. She had a few hours to wait before her flight home, so she decided the best way to forget her problems was to lose herself in the troubles of her characters. Soon enough, she was tapping away, her coffee forgotten at her side.
She looked up from the screen only once to discover a few people staring at her. She quickly lowered her head back to the computer, surreptitiously covering her face with her hair. She didn’t know if they recognized her from the pictures, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
She was scanning over what she’d written as Audrey arrived, sitting down beside her.
“Sorry I’m late. It’s been hectic at the office. How are you?”
Nicole glanced around. No one was looking their way. “I’ve been better; how about yourself?”
Audrey patted her hand. “Things will improve shortly. A new scandal will come along, and your sexcapades with Reece Collins will fade into oblivion.”
Nicole hmphed. “Have you gotten many offers for my porn video?”
“We’re in negotiations,” Audrey replied, laughing. “Stop worrying so much. You’re not the first person caught on film at an inappropriate time.”
“I know, but you don’t know what I’m going to be walking into when I get home.” She was avoiding all phone calls with a 9-1-9 area code.
Her editor took pity on her. “If it gets too bad, come back and stay with me. I liked your company before you left for merry ole’ England.”
“Thanks. I’ll think about it.” She reached into her laptop case, retrieving a folder. “These are the revisions you wanted. I hope they meet with your approval.”
Audrey’s eyes skimmed over the words. “It looks good. I’ll go over it thoroughly when I get back to the office before passing it on to the proper channels.” She straightened the pages, clipping them together. “I want you to keep working on your next novel. Just write, even if you think it’s terrible. Type until your fingers bleed, and then type some more. Were you able to get any research done?”
“Yes, I got some really good stuff.” She grew quiet, thinking about the ruins and Reece.
“It’s going to get better, Nicole.”
She glanced up, tears in her eyes. “I know. I don’t know how our heroines do it.”
“Do what?”
“Live with a broken heart.”
“They do it because we give them the strength to do it. Give yourself some of that strength while you’re at it.”
“I’ll try.”
“You will, or you will not; there is no try.”
“Thank you, Master Yoda.”
Audrey smiled, but she looked tense as well. “He’s been calling the offices. My voicemail is inundated with messages.”
Nicole felt her eyes widen. “You didn’t tell him anything, did you?”
“No, I’m not under any obligation to offer him that information.”
“Thank you. Whatever you do, don’t let him find me.”
Audrey nodded. “We’ll do everything in our power to protect your anonymity, but you have to face the truth, Nicole, your face and name have been linked to a high-profile actor. You’re going to be on the mind of every housewife in America for some time.”
She grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”
Audrey checked her watch. “I need to go. I was at the office all night doing damage control. I’m exhausted.
Nicole felt awful. “I’m sorry to put you through this.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get a few hours rest and head back to work. Have a safe flight. Call me when you’ve gotten settled. Get some rest.”
Nicole stood with her, hugging her editor goodbye. “I will. I’ll start jotting down some ideas for a new story. We’ll go over them when you call.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Audrey waved farewell, disappearing down the terminal.
Nicole straightened her spine, focusing on her computer. She typed another five pages, looking up and off into space occasionally as a thought disappeared or when she had to rethink a way to write a specific sentence.
She glanced at her watch. It was nearly time for her flight. She finished her cold coffee, packing her laptop away and securing it over her shoulder. She passed through the security checkpoint, walking to the assigned gate. As she sat down, she glanced around. No one was watching her.
She noticed the TV was turned to a news program. The subject was Reece Collins and his sexcapades. She felt like slinking down in her seat to hide.
Why couldn’t the press be respectful, allowing people, famous or not, to live their lives? Why did every little thing a celebrity did have to be scrutinized under a microscope? She and Reece hadn’t done anything wrong. They were expressing, in the most intimate way possible, their feelings for each other. At least she had been.
She stared at the monitor, a look of determination crossing her face. She wasn’t going to feel ashamed for what happened anymore. She was going to own it. Make it hers. She straightened her shoulders. She wasn’t going to allow this to be the end for her. If the press found out where she lived and hounded her for an interview, she was going to stand in front of the cameras and proudly claim her sexuality. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She owed explanations to no one.
The attendant called the flight number. Nicole stood up and held her head high as she boarded the plane. She found her assigned seat, pulling her laptop out of its case and getting to work. She had a novel to wri
te. She wasn’t going to let anything get in her way of doing that.
Someone sat in the seat beside her, murmuring a hello. Nicole turned to smile at the person, introducing herself. She waited for an exclamation, but there wasn’t one. She turned back to her computer.
“My name is Amanda,” the girl in the seat beside her said. “I know who you are. You’re that girl in the pictures with Reece Collins.”
Nicole glanced over—her new outlook shaken a bit. “Yeah, that’s me. Crazy, huh?”
“You’re a lucky girl. Do you know he went on the news today to blast the press for invading his privacy?”
She shrugged. “Well, those Hollywood types can push their weight around, voicing their opinions.”
“He also said you were innocent of any wrong doing and should be left alone to live your life in peace. He said you’d suffered enough because of him.
Should have thought of that before you screwed me, Reece Collins. “That was nice of him, but it probably did little good.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right, but it was nice of him to try to keep your name out of it.” Nicole didn’t respond. The girl leaned close. “He also said he was truly sorry for hurting you.”
She grimaced in derision. “Yeah, well, words are cheap. Actions on the other hand are worth their weight in gold.”
Amanda’s voice was quiet, commiserative. “He looked really sad, as if his heart was breaking.”
Nicole’s fingers paused over the keys. “It wasn’t sincere. He’s an actor and a con artist. You can’t take anything they say seriously.”
“You looked like you believed him, at least for a while.”
She studied the girl. She couldn’t be more than eighteen or nineteen—her sister Lindsey’s age. “Yeah, I did believe him. For that small bit of time, it was amazing. I was happy, but the movie ended.”
“I think your heart is broken too.”
She shook her head, blinking back tears. “There’s no heart in me left to break.”
Amanda tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “Can I ask you one more question? Then I’ll leave you alone.”
“Go ahead. There’s nothing left for me to hide.”
The girl’s cheeks dimpled. She was blushing. “Was the sex as amazing as it looked?”
Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle. “No, it was much better.”
~ ~ ~
Shortly after the flight landed, the passengers disembarked. But determined to be the last to leave the plane, Nicole held back. She was hoping to avoid the crowds as she entered the terminal. It was a wasted effort, though. The moment her foot stepped off the track, cameras started flashing, the whirring of digital lenses filling her ears. The moment of truth had come. The paparazzi were there to capture every embarrassing moment of her reunion with her family.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and waiting for the buzzing to stop. She counted to twenty, opened her eyes, and felt ready to face whatever life threw her way.
The paparazzi shouted questions as she walked through the terminal. Her goal: the baggage claim area. She would retrieve her luggage and get the hell out of Dodge.
As she descended the escalator, the first person she saw was her brother, Thad. The second was her sister Lindsey, and then she saw her mom and dad. Her mom stood there, staring with a look of disappointment on her face. Her dad, well, he walked toward her with open arms; his expression was full of unconditional love and understanding.
Completely flabbergasted by his reception, Nicole did the only thing she could possibly do. She fell into his embrace, sobbing out her heartbreak.
Nicholas DeLancey wrapped his arms tight around his baby girl, promising her everything would be all right.
Chapter 7
Nicole was her father’s namesake for good reason. She had inherited his ginger locks, along with his forthright attitude. She was the most like him, although both were too stubborn to admit it.
Nicholas knew he’d been hard on all his kids, especially Nicole. She had the intelligence to do great things with her life, but she was a dreamer—her head constantly in the clouds. When she was a child, she always found more enjoyment talking to her imaginary friends than her siblings. She preferred immersing herself in books than playing with her friends. She worked hard, dreamed harder, and when she bled, she bled hard.
He knew she was bleeding now. He could see it in her eyes when she glanced his way. She thought he was disappointed in her. He was disappointed for her, not in her.
When he first saw the papers, he wanted to board a flight to England to snatch her home. How could she embarrass herself and her family in such a public manner? Then he remembered what it felt like to be in the throes of first love and how the brain was the least used organ in the body.
He’d studied her face in the pictures, noting the utter joy lighting her up from the inside. She must have really loved that man to give herself to him so completely, but now, that joy was gone. He wanted to know why.
He leaned away from her, cupping her jaw, scrutinizing her face. “I think you need a triple shot of Jim Beam and thirty-six hours of sleep.”
She smiled, sniffling and wiping her nose on her sleeve. “That sounds good to me.”
He pointed over her shoulder at Thad. “Get her suitcases. Meet us at the car.” Her brother nodded, moving off.
Nicholas steered the rest of them toward the parking lot with his arm still wrapped around Nicole’s waist.
“Daddy, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say anything now, Coley. Wait until we’re in the car.”
Her mother mumbled beneath her breath as her sister brought up the rear; all of them were circling her in a protective manner.
The reporters hounded them through the airport, following and shooting questions at them all the way to their car. But the DeLancey’s remained stoic and kept their mouths tightly closed.
As they exited the parking garage and headed down the highway toward home, Nicole huddled in the backseat between her siblings with her head lying on her brother’s shoulder. Her eyes were closed, but she didn’t sleep. Her mind was still circling. Her father’s welcoming attitude and his protectiveness were surprising. She thought he’d blast her in the middle of the airport, uncaring of the photographers and their unwelcome audience.
“How bad is it? Has it been terrible for you since the story broke?” she ventured.
Her mother stiffened instantly, glaring out the window with her lips pinched.
Her father said nothing for a moment, checking his rearview and sideview mirrors. They were being followed. He spoke quietly but firmly. “We’re handling this, but it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Your sister has been propositioned multiple times at school, and your mother has been scolded by the pastor’s wife for raising you without a core value system.”
Nicole gaped at her mother, horrified. “Mama, I’m so sorry.” Her mother prided herself on her good Baptist upbringing.
Lydia DeLancey turned in her seat, staring at her oldest daughter. “I told her to go pound sand. What my daughter does or doesn’t do is no concern of hers.”
“You’re not mad at me?” Her mother was a stickler for propriety.
Lydia’s eyes narrowed. “Of course I am, but I’m not going to allow someone to tell me I’m a bad mother or you’re a bad girl. You did something incredibly stupid and got caught. There’s going to be hell to pay, but we’ll all get through this.”
Thad hugged her close. “I’ve had to defend your honor a few times at the store, but who cares what a stupid bunch of rednecks believe.”
Lindsey leaned over with an impish smile on her face. “On the good side, I’ve never been so popular. You need to be scandalous more often.” She giggled but stopped when her mother shot her an angry stare.
Nicholas glanced at her in the rearview mirror, shaking his head. “It rocked me to the bottom of my bones to see those pictures, Nicole. I know you’re a grown woman and can take care of yourself, but I still see you as my little girl playing with her dollies on the front porch. I wanted to cover you from prying eyes and smack that man’s hands away.” He flipped on his blinker, moving to the left lane, pressing on the accelerator, and trying to put some distance between them and the reporters.
He sighed. “But on a bright note, it looks like you won’t be cold in the sack.”
Nicole’s mouth fell open in shock while her sister and brother laughed aloud. Her mother smacked her father in the arm.
“Nicholas, that was uncalled for.”
He chuckled. “I’m just sayin’.”
Nicole bit her lip, leaning her head back against the seat. “I can’t believe you just said that.” Her father was the most uptight person she knew, but sometimes he’d say or do something completely out of character, blowing her away.
He kept his eyes forward. “I figure he must have rocked your world. The only other time I’ve seen that look of ecstasy on your face is when you’re eating your Peanut Butter Cup Perfection sundae from Coldstone.”
Lydia moaned. “Nicholas, please. This is a completely inappropriate conversation to be having in the car.”
He glanced over at the passenger seat. “When should we have it, Lydia? Should I bring it up in the middle of church services Sunday morning?”
“I choose not having it at all.” She glared back at Nicole. “Why were you having sex in public?”
“We weren’t in public, Mama.”
Her mother’s head tilted, staring pointedly from beneath her brows. “That beach was public.”
Nicole exhaled loudly. “Okay, you have me there, but we thought we were alone. We had no idea someone was on the cliffs watching us. Reece thought he was safe from the paparazzi on his father’s property.”
An Accidental Love Affair Page 11