Hollywood & Vine

by Olivia Evans

  While Levi sat in his dimly lit office gathering negatives from his camera, notes from conversations with Aubrey, and check copies, Josie relaxed on her sofa. She planned on losing herself in trashy TV and letting her mind go blank. That idea went to hell when Anders’ face appeared on the television. Her hand hovered over the arrow key for a moment before she dropped the remote in defeat. It seemed no matter how hard she tried, he refused to be forgotten.

  After Anders’ text about missing her, she’d been a mess of conflicted emotions. She missed him too. It still didn’t change anything. In all his texts, not once had he asked to see her. He never mentioned anything that happened with Aubrey or the last time they’d seen each other. She wondered if he was just lonely. Maybe he wanted a connection to someone familiar but wasn’t willing to deal with the hard stuff.

  With a sigh, she turned off the television and stood from the couch. He’d texted her a few days ago about a convention he had to attend for the movie they’d worked on. She knew he was leaving in the morning, but when he came back, she had to talk to him, no matter how much the idea terrified her.

  The next morning she woke tired and groggy. She stumbled through her morning routine, wanting nothing more than a strong cup of coffee. She’d just pulled onto the freeway when her phone rang. Digging it out of her bag, her brows pulled together when Levi’s number flashed across the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “Josie, hey. I’m sorry to call so early, but I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Okay,” she answered, her voice full of hesitation.

  “Can you meet today?”

  “You can’t talk to me about it now?”

  “It’s…it’s not a conversation to have over the phone.”

  She wanted to say no. She had a bad feeling that whatever he wanted to talk about wasn’t going to be good. “Are you free for lunch?”

  Levi blew out a heavy breath. When he spoke, he sounded both relieved and resigned. “Does one o’clock work for you? I’ll text you the place.”

  “One is fine. I’ll see you then.”

  The rest of the morning, Josie tried to concentrate on work. She met with Craig to discuss designs and budgets for their next project, but nothing could hold her attention. She was too distracted. It also didn’t help that Aubrey was expected in the studio at some point for a meeting.

  She hated that Aubrey would be at the convention with Anders. Josie was certain Aubrey would find a way to be around him as much as possible. She feared what would happen once they were seen together. Her life had finally gone back to normal. She hadn’t been forced to deal with the paparazzi in over a month. The thought of having them come around again because Anders and Aubrey were back in the spotlight made her anxious.

  At half past noon, Josie dropped her pen on the desktop and headed to her car. When she walked into the diner twenty minutes later, she found Levi seated in a booth toward the back. “Hey,” she greeted, sliding into the seat across from him.

  “Hey.” Levi wiped his palms over his jeans as he tried to work up the nerve to tell her everything. “Look,” he began before pausing to clear his throat. “Fuck.”

  “What’s going on?” Josie didn’t like how nervous his behavior made her.

  Levi gripped the manila envelope by his thigh and pulled it onto his lap. “When I took those pictures of Holden’s restaurant, I truly had no idea he was your brother. It was a chance at a job doing something I love without intruding in people’s lives. I never expected to see you again. But there you were, the owner’s sister.” The memory still blew his mind.

  “I don’t have many friends in LA. The ones I did have, well… It turned out they weren’t very good friends after all. I thought for sure you’d tell Holden I was a bad guy, but you didn’t. Hell, you were even nice to me. Even though we’re not what you’d call friends, I’d like to think we’re more than acquaintances. Your brother is a great guy, and his friendship is the first real one I’ve had in years.”

  “Levi,” Josie sighed. “I’m not trying to push, but what’s this all about?”

  “What I’m trying to say is that your family―you, Holden, and Madison―are important to me. You gave me a chance when you didn’t have to, and I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt you.”

  “You haven’t―”

  “I have,” Levi interrupted, his hands shaking. “Fuck it.” Sucking in a deep breath, he lifted the envelope from his lap and pushed it across the table. “Just know that none of this was ever intended to hurt you.”

  Josie stared down at the envelope like she expected it to explode. “What is this?”

  “Just open it. Please.” Levi looked at his lap, unable to meet her questioning gaze.

  Tapping her finger on top of the table, her eyes bounced between Levi and the envelope. Sighing, she unfastened the top and pulled out the contents. Her brows drew together as she thumbed through the papers. Checks written to Levi from Aubrey covered page after page. The amounts varied but all of them were substantial. She paused when she saw Anders’ name written across the page in Levi’s messy scrawl.

  “What is all this?” she whispered, her eyes darting across the pages. Notes about vehicle descriptions and gate codes jumped off the page and sunk like boulders in her stomach. It was when she reached the last page that time came to a screeching halt. At the bottom, in bold print were the words that had changed Josie’s life.

  Ivy=Josie Bane

  mystery solved

  “You know what it is.”

  “Why…?” she choked, her throat tight. “You were working for Aubrey? You helped her?” Josie blinked back tears, her grip tightening around the pages. “Why would you do that?”

  Levi lifted his gaze. Guilt and regret swelled inside his chest as he took in her bright red cheeks and shimmering eyes. “Because I was broke. Desperate. No one would hire me, and I had this huge debt thanks to Anders. I was going to lose everything.” Levi grunted in frustration and gripped the back of his neck. “When Anders rejected Aubrey, she became obsessed. That’s why she pushed for the fake relationship. She was certain she could win him over. When that didn’t happen, she became suspicious. She was convinced the only reason he wouldn’t date her was because he was seeing someone else. She would tell me where they were going to be and set up pictures for me to snap.”

  “The morning he left her house…,” she trailed off.

  Levi nodded. “And the kiss at her house. Everything. She set it all up.”

  “And me? How did she find out about me?”

  “She went through Anders’ phone while he was passed out and saw the texts from someone named Ivy. She flipped. That’s when she called me to take the pics. She wanted it to look like they’d slept together.”

  Josie’s hands shook as she lost the tenuous grip on her emotions. Tears brimmed her eyes. “He didn’t sleep with her that night.” It wasn’t a question.

  “No. She wouldn’t have kept pushing if she’d had her way. When she overheard you and some girls at the studio and realized that you were Ivy, she told me to run the story. I tried to talk her out of it, I swear, but she would have found someone else to do it. She wasn’t going to stop until she’d exposed you and Anders.”

  “She overheard?” Suddenly all of Josie’s conflicting emotions merged. They twisted and turned until the only thing she felt was white-hot, boiling rage. “She wrecked my life, and you helped her! You lied to me. You said you weren’t a pap anymore.”

  “When I told you that, I was telling the truth. I just didn’t tell you how recently I’d quit. It was a shitty thing to do.”

  “Why are you telling me this now? What do you have to gain?” she spat.

  Levi shook his head, a humorless chuckle parting his lips. “Nothing. I’m telling you this because I care about you, because what I did hurt you. I’m trying to make it right.”

  “Make it right? You want to clear your conscience?”

  “No. I want to clear yours. Ande
rs didn’t do the things you were led to believe. At least not where Aubrey was concerned.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? You want me to believe you’re telling me this because you want to clear Anders’ name? Don’t bullshit me.”

  “I don’t give a shit about Anders, but I do care about you. You’re unhappy, and I had a hand in that. I’m trying to do the right thing.”

  “The right thing would’ve been never getting involved with that psycho bitch in the first place!” Josie stood from the booth and glared at Levi. “All of it. She was behind all of it. Exposing me, the lies about Anders, everything. And you helped her.”

  Levi’s shoulders slumped in defeat as he nodded. “Yes.”

  “As happy as I am to find out the truth, don’t expect my gratitude. You can go to hell.” Grabbing the envelope, she stormed out the door to her car. Her body vibrated with anger as puzzle pieces clicked into place. It had been Aubrey all along. She’d played a game with Josie’s life and flipped her world upside down. Wrapping her hands around the steering wheel, she shook her head.

  “Fuck that,” she scoffed as she started her car. “No way is that bitch getting away with this.” Turning out of the parking lot she had only one thought on her mind: getting to the studio before Aubrey left.

  Josie sped into the parking lot, her eyes lingering on the car waiting for Aubrey as she marched inside the building. She had no idea what she planned to do once she found her. The only thing clear in her mind was the need to let Aubrey know her time had run out.

  However, Josie’s single-minded focus was obliterated the moment they came face to face. Josie dropped her eyes to the floor then worked her way up Aubrey’s form as she tried to control her breathing. Aubrey was the epitome of every guy’s fantasy. The fact remained, though, that no matter how pretty a package she was and no matter how many tricks she pulled, she was nothing more than a desperate, pathetic girl with a bruised ego and a sinking career.

  The smile that split Josie’s face and the relaxed set of her shoulders was genuine when she came to a stop in front of Aubrey. Her smile grew when Aubrey staggered to a stop, her eyes wide with shock.

  “Josie?” Aubrey’s voice was high and unsure as her eyes darted around the hallway.

  “Can we talk?” The unassuming lilt to Josie’s voice caused Aubrey’s brows to furrow with confusion.

  “Why?”

  “I think it’s a conversation best had in private.” Josie tilted her head to the side, her eyes sliding to the crowd gathering down the hall.

  Aubrey straightened her shoulders. “Of course.”

  “Let’s go to the empty conference room down the hall.” Josie glided past Aubrey with her chin lifted and a small smile on her lips.

  “Well,” Aubrey spat, her nerves causing her annoyance to spike. “What could you possibly have to say to me?”

  Josie leaned against the table. Her expression was open, yet blank. When she spoke, her voice carried the same soft tone. “I’m sorry,” she exhaled.

  Aubrey knew Josie’s apology was bullshit, but the part of her that was Hollywood-saturated, that believed Josie was beneath her, couldn’t help but feel smug. “Oh? Exactly what are you sorry for? The part where you ruined my chance with Anders or the part where you talked to the paps and made me look like a fool?”

  Josie resisted the urge to grab Aubrey by the hair and slam her face against the table. Shaking her head, she pushed away from the table and relaxed her stance.

  “Oh, Aubrey. How could I ruin a chance that never existed? Anders wanted nothing to do with you.” Josie smirked and clasped her hands hanging in front of her. “As far as making you look like a fool, well, you did that all on your own. After all, I’m not the one in bed with the paparazzi.”

  Aubrey narrowed her eyes. “Who do you think you are? You don’t know anything about my relationship with Anders. You might have been sleeping with him but that doesn’t make you special. It makes you the same as every other trashy whore he’s fucked. You weren’t the one going out with him, the one he was dating. You were just some side piece of ass who couldn’t deal with it so you ran to the tabloids. It’s pathetic.”

  “Pathetic?” Josie scoffed. “Do you want to know what’s pathetic? A washed-up has-been who had to convince studio executives to arrange a fake relationship because she couldn’t seduce the biggest manwhore in Hollywood. When that didn’t work, you resorted to hiring a pap to take pictures to make it look like you had. Even wasted, Anders wouldn’t touch you.”

  Aubrey blanched. “What―”

  “Oh, we’re not to the best part yet,” Josie interrupted, her voice dropping to a whisper. “The best part is that after you outed me, played the victim, and had me terrorized by paps, you still didn’t win. You’re still the same loser you were all those months ago. The only difference now is that it’s no longer a secret. I’m going to make sure of that.”

  “You listen to me,” Aubrey hissed, embarrassment and rage surging through her. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. If you try to spread these ridiculous lies―”

  “You’ll what?” Josie laughed. “Call Levi to stage more pictures? Good luck with that.”

  Aubrey’s stomach dropped the moment Levi’s name left Josie’s lips. “You have no proof. Even if you did, no one would believe you.”

  “You’re right,” Josie conceded. “In the scheme of things, no one would believe me. But they’d believe Anders. I wonder how he’ll react when he finds out what you’ve done.” She wasn’t sure where her sudden surge of confidence had come from, but it was there. So was her belief in Anders. Maybe it was because Levi had confirmed Anders had never cheated. Maybe it had been there all along. Or maybe it had surfaced over the last several months when he’d shown a different side of himself. No matter the reason, Aubrey no longer intimidated her.

  Aubrey grinned. “Anders? He’s not going to help you. Do you think he’d ruin his career for you? I hate to think you’re that naive. After all, you two are over.”

  “Are we?” Josie smirked. “It would seem without the help of someone doing your dirty work, you have no fucking clue what’s going on.” Walking toward the door, she smiled again. “I can’t wait for you to get what you deserve.”

  Before Josie could pass through the doorway, Aubrey grabbed Josie’s arm and twisted her around. “You don’t walk away from me,” she spat. “Do you think you’ll win? This isn’t some fairy tale. In real life, peasants don’t become princesses.”

  Josie wrenched her arm free and glared at Aubrey. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me. Just because I haven’t slammed your face into a door doesn’t mean I don’t want to. I just refuse to give a desperate bitch like you the opportunity to play the victim again. And for the record, you’re not better than me. You can’t hurt me, and you can’t beat me. And as much as you’re loath to admit, you’re jealous of me.”

  “You have nothing I want.”

  Josie’s smile was full of mischief and her eyes conveyed all of Aubrey’s fears. “Don’t I?”

  Aubrey’s anger faded as the color leaked from her face. “You’re not still with Anders. He’s not that pathetic.”

  “You seem to like that word, Aubrey. It’s a good one.” Josie nodded. “Pathetic. It suits you.”

  Without another word, Josie glided out of the building and to her car. With shaky legs, she eased into her car and blew out a heavy breath. She had things to do at the studio, but the thought of remaining in the same building as Aubrey was too much for her to handle. She wanted to drag her into a crowd of paparazzi and throw her to the wolves. As good as it would have felt, however, she would have been no better than Aubrey. If there was one thing Josie was certain about, it was that she wanted to be nothing like that woman.

  Josie reached for her phone, pausing when Aubrey emerged from the side door. Her eyes drifted shut when she remembered Aubrey was heading to San Francisco for the convention. The same one as Anders. Cursing again, she dialed Madison’s number.
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  “Hey you.”

  “I need you to talk me out of doing something stupid.”

  “I’m going to need a few more details before I make any kind of commitment. Would I be entertained if I allowed you to do said stupid thing? Because I’ll need to factor that in before I give you an answer.”

  Josie rolled her eyes, but the smile in Madison’s voice kept her from snapping. Instead, she decided to get straight to the point. “I know who gave the paps my name.”

  “You have my attention,” Madison replied, all playfulness gone.

  “Meet me at my house.” Minutes after she walked through her front door, Madison appeared, breathless and wide-eyed.

  “Are you okay? What happened?”

  Josie laughed as she raised her eyes to Madison. “I don’t know what I’m feeling. This has been one hell of a day.”

  “I can’t decide if I want you to start at the beginning or skip to the part where you tell me whose ass I’m going to be kicking later.” Madison eased onto the chair across from Josie, not a hint of jest on her face. Her expression caused Josie to smile.

  With a heavy exhale, Josie recounted her conversation with Levi. To Madison’s credit, she managed to remain seated and quiet, only allowing a few choice words to pass through her lips. When Josie got to the part where she confronted Aubrey, however, Madison was on her feet.

  “Where is she? Is she still there? I swear to God―”

  “She’s gone,” Josie interrupted. “She left for the convention in San Francisco.”

  “I knew it,” Madison spat. “I knew she was involved. I just had no idea that she’d take things so far. And Levi…” Madison shook her head. “I don’t know if I want to punch him or kiss him. I know you’re pissed. You have every right to be, but can you imagine if he’d never come clean? Sure, you and Anders are talking again, but that lingering doubt would have always been there. Now that it’s gone, well, I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m just glad you found out the truth. What are you going to do about Levi?”