by Melody Grace
Griffin sank back in his seat, his anger leaving as swiftly as it had come—leaving nothing but guilt and shame in its place. What could he say to her now? All that running to leave her past scandals behind, and he’d just brought the biggest one of all direct to her doorstep.
What could he do to make this right?
He drove back to Sweetbriar Cove, his dread growing by the mile. After everything they’d been through, he knew how important a fresh start was to Lila—and how hard she’d struggled to leave her tabloid rumors behind. Griffin didn’t know much about the Hollywood machine, but even he knew this scandal was worse than anything that had come before. Hell, they were even talking about it on the radio, the DJs joking around between songs.
“I don’t know who the lucky guy is, but I want to buy that man a beer!”
“I mean, wowza, she knows what she’s doing—”
Griffin angrily shut it off. He drove in silence, wondering how the hell he could possibly explain. He hadn’t fully understood before what it was like to live under the microscope like this. He’d thought Lila could just choose not to show up at a premiere or fancy party, and then they’d leave her alone. But they’d found her, even way out on the Cape.
No, he reminded himself, with a stab of self-loathing. They hadn’t found her. Jordy had given the game away. It was Griffin’s fault this had happened, and now all he could do was try to pick up the pieces and hope Lila would even speak to him again.
When he arrived at Rose Cottage, there was a pack of paparazzi stationed in the lane outside. Griffin climbed down from the Jeep—and was immediately mobbed.
“How long have you been screwing her?”
“Are you getting married?”
“What’s Lila like in bed?”
Griffin set his jaw and plowed through them. But when he banged on the front door, there was no answer. He tried calling her, but it wasn’t Lila who picked up.
“Griffin!” Alice’s voice was laced with disapproval. “Where the hell have you been?”
“I had to make a detour,” he said, feeling guilty as hell. He should have been here to protect Lila from this madness. “Are you with her?” he tried peering through the windows, but all the drapes were drawn. “I’m out front. Let me in.”
“She’s not there,” Alice replied.
“Then where are you?” he demanded.
There was a pause.
“Alice,” he said again. “Tell me!”
Alice exhaled. “We’re hiding out at my place,” she admitted. “We had to sneak out the back and hop a fence to get away.”
“Is Lila there?” he asked, worried. “Let me talk to her.”
Alice paused. “She’s on the phone to her people in LA right now.”
It was a bad lie, and Griffin knew it. “Please,” he asked, feeling an ache. “I need to talk to her.”
“She really just wants to be left alone,” Alice said. “But . . . You should come over. Talk face to face.”
“I’ll be right there,” Griffin vowed.
“Take the long way around,” Alice added. “They’ll try and follow you.”
Griffin fought his way back to the Jeep. Sure enough, a bunch of them tried to follow as he drove away, and he wound up taking every back lane he could think of to shake them off. He felt like he’d landed in a bad spy movie—but this was Lila’s real life here. People talking, following, stalking her.
Could she ever forgive him for this?
“Tell us what we can do,” Alice asked, looking anxious. “Wine, vodka, tequila?”
“I'm fine,” Lila lied, and gave her a weak smile, but she could tell Alice wasn't convinced. “Letting me hide out here is plenty,” she insisted, just as the others came bustling in from the kitchen.
“Emergency chocolate lava cake,” Summer announced, setting down a plate.
“Plus chips and dip, and daiquiris,” Poppy said, adding to the spread.
Lila didn't have the heart to tell them she couldn't eat a bite. They'd all rushed over to help sneak her out of Rose Cottage, and now they had set up camp in Alice's living room, with enough snacks to feed a small army. They were trying to cheer her up, Lila knew, but she couldn't forget the real world was still waiting, full of judgment and recrimination.
Her phone buzzed again, and Lila reached to look, but Alice snatched it away. “You're taking a time-out,” she declared.
“I need to see it,” Lila protested.
“Why? Because they’ll be saying something different from the last message?” Alice countered. “It's not good for you. Ten minutes,” she added, tucking the phone in her pocket. Lila didn't have the heart to fight her on it.
“I guess you're right.” Lila sighed. There was nothing anyone could say to change things now. The photos were out there. “According to every blog and magazine around, I'm nothing but a brazen slut.”
“You hussy,” Summer said, teasing.
“Strumpet,” Mac agreed, and Lila laughed, despite herself.
“Are these the headlines in 1819?” she asked.
“Not to understate the gravity of the situation,” Poppy said, with a mischievous smirk on her lips. “But what is your workout routine? Your ass looks amazing in those photos.”
“Don't!” Lila buried her face in her hands.
“Seriously!” Poppy laughed. “If I had photos like that, I'd be the one sending them out to everyone I knew.”
“I would love to look that good when I take off my clothes,” Mac agreed.
“What bra were you wearing? It's cute,” Summer asked, reaching for more cake.
Lila felt a wave of gratitude. They were acting like it was business as usual to wind up a tabloid scandal. She could only wish everyone else felt the same. Already, her last few endorsement deals had been yanked, and she was guessing the role in Dash’s movie wasn’t far behind. Last night, it wouldn't have mattered to her, but everything looked different now.
There was a knock on the door. Lila tensed. “How did they find me already?” she asked, whipping her head around.
“It's OK, it's only Griffin,” Alice replied, going to the door.
Lila exhaled. She'd started the day fearful what his reaction would be, but after hours of radio silence, now she just felt hurt and confused. Why hadn't he called her back, at the very least? She knew this was a terrible situation, but she'd thought they would be facing it together.
Griffin appeared in the doorway. “Hey.”
He looked terrible. The other women exchanged glances and got to their feet.
“We'll leave you with the cake,” Summer said brightly.
Poppy squeezed Lila's shoulder as they filed out, and then she was left alone with Griffin.
She gulped.
“Where have you been?” Lila asked, swallowing back her fear. “I've been trying to reach you all day.”
“I know. I'm sorry.” Griffin looked away, his voice tense. “I had something to deal with.”
Lila blinked. “Something more important than the explicit photos of us currently making the rounds?” she asked, her voice rising.
Griffin finally met her gaze. “There’s something you need to know,” he began. He took a deep breath, running one hand through his hair in an anxious gesture. “The photos . . . All of this . . . it’s my fault.”
Lila froze. “What are you talking about?” she whispered.
Not Griffin. Please, not him.
“I’m so sorry,” Griffin said, ragged. “It was my brother. Jordy.”
Lila exhaled in a whoosh, relief crashing through her.
“He’s the one who took the pictures,” Griffin continued. “Then he went and sold them to the highest bidder. I swear, I didn’t know anything about it,” he added. “You have to believe me. I told you he was bad news, but I never imagined . . .” He trailed off, looking agonized. “I’m so sorry, Lila. I don’t know what to say. Tell me what I can do to make this right?”
She took another deep breath, trying to process it. E
ven if Griffin wasn’t involved, it didn’t change the situation. Her privacy had just been stripped away in the most humiliating way imaginable. “But where were you?” she asked, her voice breaking. “I’ve been here trying to deal with this on my own. I thought . . . I thought you’d be here with me.”
“I went to see Jordy,” Griffin replied. “I had to look him in the eye and see he really did it. But I swear, I’m here now. What do you want to do? Whatever you need, I’ll do it.”
“You don’t understand, there’s nothing we can do!” Lila blurted, tears stinging in her throat. “It’s over. All of it. My career, everything, it all went out the window the minute your brother sold me out!”
“It’ll be alright,” Griffin promised. “We’ll figure it out. This will all die down, and—”
“Stop it!” Lila interrupted with a cry. “Don’t say that. You don’t know how this works. You don’t know anything at all!”
“So tell me,” Griffin said, moving closer. “Tell me what happens next.”
Lila gave a bitter laugh. “Where do I start? My endorsement deals dropping me like a hot potato? No, wait, that’s already happened. What about my career? Every director in town is running in the opposite direction!”
Griffin paused.
“What?” Lila asked, seeing his expression.
“Well, I just wonder . . . is that really so bad?”
Lila stared at him in disbelief. “What?”
“I just mean, you already decided to leave Hollywood behind,” Griffin explained. “You’re going to start over, make a different life for yourself. So what does it matter if they don’t want you anymore?”
Lila could only gape. “What does it matter?” she echoed. “My naked body is all over the internet. People think I’m a joke, a slut! I spent the past ten years working my ass off to build something, a career, a reputation. So yes, it matters to me!”
Griffin looked regretful. “Look, I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now. But I thought you didn’t care what these people thought anymore,” he urged. “You’ve been telling me for weeks how miserable you were trying to keep them all happy. Your agents and managers and who knows who else? Just forget them all,” he added, taking her hands. “You don’t need this drama, you can just ignore it and be done with it all.”
Lila couldn’t believe this. “Those people are the ones looking out for me!” she exclaimed, snatching away from him. “They’re the ones who’ve been calling all day, trying to fix this, while you were off doing God knows what!”
“I told you, I had to talk to Jordy,” Griffin repeated.
“Right. Your brother. The one you keep letting back into your life, no matter how badly he screws it up,” Lila said bitterly. “How long will it be until he’s hanging out at your place again, stealing your beer like nothing ever happened?”
Griffin’s jaw tightened. “Never. We’re done, I told him so.”
“That still doesn’t solve anything,” Lila said tearfully. “It’s all still ruined for me.”
“It isn’t,” Griffin insisted. “You still have your life here, your friends. Me. We don’t care about what some stupid tabloids say. I promise you, this will all die down, and we can go back to the way things were, just you and me. Lila, it’s going to be OK,” he insisted. “Just ignore the gossip and reporters. This is still your chance to walk away. You don’t need that Hollywood bullshit making you miserable anymore!”
Lila looked at him, feeling hollow inside. He didn’t understand what it was like to see her whole career reduced to a few naked photos, like all her hard work and talent meant nothing at all. “If I leave now, they’ll think it’s because of this,” she said, numb. “That I’m ashamed. I’ll be some joke of a footnote, in someone else’s story. They’ll have won.”
“No, that’s not true,” Griffin argued. “You already decided to leave, remember? It was your choice, and this doesn’t change anything. Come on, Lila, don’t let them pull you back in!”
Something about his fervent arguing made her pause. She stared at him, her skin prickling with a new unease. “You never liked my fame, did you?” she asked slowly.
Griffin frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“The spotlight, the red carpet . . . You think it makes me shallow that I care about my reputation,” Lila said, taking a half-step back from him.
“I think it makes you miserable, caring what complete strangers think,” Griffin said grimly.
But Lila had her suspicions now, and she just couldn’t shake them. “Maybe you’re glad,” she said, feeling betrayal rip through her. “Maybe you’re secretly happy about it. Who knows, maybe Jordy didn’t get the idea alone, after all?”
“You really think I’m capable of something like that?” Griffin looked like she’d slapped him, and Lila exhaled.
“No. I don’t. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t happy. After all, if my name is dirt, then I don’t have a choice anymore,” she said bitterly. “I’ll never run off back to Hollywood or make you feel second best, the way your ex did.” She swallowed hard, but she couldn’t keep the tears from finally falling. “All my life, I’ve wanted a man who truly believed in me. Supported me. I thought I’d finally found him.”
“You have, I’m right here,” Griffin argued. “That isn’t fair!”
“Isn’t it?” Lila challenged him, feeling her heart break in her chest. “Look me in the eye right now and tell me you aren’t relieved. That there isn’t a small part of you that’s glad I won’t be doing Dash’s movie now.”
Griffin hesitated, then he vowed, “No.”
It was just a split second, but that pause lasted an eternity to Lila.
Oh God, she was right.
She deflated. “I was falling in love with you,” she whispered through the tears. “I really thought you were the one.”
“I am!” Griffin insisted. “Don’t let this come between us. You’ve been letting them control your life for too long. Who are they, anyway?” he demanded. “Some nameless editors in an office somewhere? Someone you don’t even know, clicking through a story online? They don’t matter! What matters is right here, just you and me.”
“Stop!” Her voice cracked, and she hated herself for it, but she couldn’t keep the heartbreak from spilling out. “It does matter. Even if you don’t believe in any of it, you have to believe in me.”
“I do,” Griffin insisted.
“Here,” Lila said, aching. “But we don’t just exist in this bubble, Griffin. My life is going to take me out of Sweetbriar Cove. You said it was my right to change my mind, so what if it changes again?” she asked. “What if five, ten years from now I decide I want to act again. That I want my career back. Are you still going to be there for me? Or do you only want me when I’m hiding?” she said softly. “When I’m lost, and starting over, and don’t have anything else in my life?”
“That’s not fair,” Griffin said angrily.
Lila exhaled. “No, it’s not. But it’s true.”
All the fight drained out of her, leaving nothing but pure, aching heartbreak in its place.
“You should go,” she said softly.
Griffin shook his head. “I’m not leaving you like this. We need to talk about it.”
“What is there to talk about?” Lila gave a helpless shrug. “I need to start packing.”
He froze. “You’re going back to LA?”
“What else can I do?” Lila demanded. “I have to fight this. Come up with some kind of PR strategy, salvage some of my reputation, at least, before your brother makes sure I’m never hired again.”
Griffin exhaled, his face slowly shuttering. “You were always going back, weren’t you? All this talk of starting over was, what, some daydream? A fantasy. You were always going to leave.”
Lila swallowed hard. “I guess we’ll never know,” she said sadly. And they wouldn’t. That future she’d imagined just a few hours ago seemed to melt away. Maybe Griffin was right, and it
had all just been castles in the air.
“Good luck then,” Griffin said bluntly. “And for what it’s worth, I really am sorry.”
“Me too,” Lila said.
And then he turned on his heel and walked out.
She tried not to fall apart, even though it hurt to hear the door close behind him. What was left for her now? She’d thought she was starting over. She’d thought this place was her home. But now she could see she’d just been naïve.
There was no use running when scandal would find her anywhere. She knew what would come next: the reporters sniffing around Sweetbriar, harassing her friends, and stalking her every step of the way. Ruining everyone else’s lives, as well as her own. She wasn’t going to inflict that on anyone, not when they’d all been so good to her.
Maybe this was the deal she’d made, dreaming of the spotlight so many years ago. Maybe this was just the price she would always pay.
Lila wiped her tears away, and with a heavy heart, reached for her phone.
“It’s OK,” she said, when her publicist picked up. “I’m coming back.”
20
“OK, Lila . . . Turn a little to the left . . . That’s it, perfect!”
Lila gave a soft smile at the flashing camera. She was arranged on a lounger in her backyard, with a view of Los Angeles spread out behind her, posing for the crew that was set up all around the pool.
“Another, this time happier . . . Gorgeous!”
She forced her lips into another beam, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. It was four weeks since she’d left Sweetbriar Cove under a cloud of scandal, and the minute she’d touched down back in LA, her team had swung into action. “Leaked” stories in the press about her heartache and not-so-candid snaps of her about town, and started a ten-step rehabilitation plan, the cornerstone of which was a splashy tell-all interview with everyone’s favorite morning news host, Judy Summers—plus, of course, a photoshoot and cover story to match, all about her humiliation and brave return to the spotlight.
“That’s a wrap!” the photographer called, and Lila sat up. She smoothed down the sundress they’d styled her in and took a breath, trying to focus. The mayhem of the photoshoot was an adjustment after all those quiet evenings at Rose Cottage, puttering around the kitchen with the windows open wide. Here, the hot sun beat down on them, and two dozen people bustled in and out of the house, all on some important mission, with camera equipment and cables running everywhere. She should get used to it. They’d officially accepted the offer for her to star in Dash’s next movie, and she would be starting rehearsals next month.