Maybe Celine was right. Maybe they should cancel.
But within minutes, a fresh pair of socks were on Will’s feet, and Hanna was ushered to a chair in front of the large dressing room mirror as if she were royalty, instead of the hot mess she actually was.
Some poor soul was attacking Will’s shoe with a hair dryer in the corner. God bless them.
One woman started in on the tangled mess that was Hanna’s hair, while another took out her cosmetic tools and went to work on Hanna’s face.
Will leaned against the wall behind them, his jaw set in a firm line. “You sure you’re okay with this, Hanna?”
She started to nod, which got her a slap on the shoulder from the hair lady. “Yes. My stomach isn’t rolling like it was earlier. I just want to get this over with.”
Moving one muscle would probably be a disaster. She might lose a toe, eye, or fistful of hair.
Alec stood to the side with his notes. “So, you’ll walk out there, and the first section will be improv banter. They’ll make a few jokes, and you both just roll with it and don’t say anything too stupid, okay?”
She started to nod her head but got a swat on each shoulder from both the hair and makeup women. She settled for an “Mmmhmmm” out of her clenched mouth.
“After that, we’ll go a little deeper into your engagement and the whole ‘Holy Hanna’ scandal. This isn’t tabloid TV. We’ll keep it clean.”
Will gave a thumbs-up. “That’s why we picked you guys.”
“Not saying the questions won’t be pointed, but just be honest and entertaining. After all, that’s what our viewers want. To see a show.”
A show. As in fiction, fake, and unreality. She could definitely give them that.
Alec excused himself, saying he had to get out front and that Celine would come get them when it was time.
The miracle workers put the final touches on their subjects and hustled off to their next victims.
Will stood and slid on his sports coat over his white dress shirt. The man looked downright yummy when he dressed up.
Her heart threatened to jump right out of her chest. “I’m still nervous. Can you imagine if we would’ve had to do this in bare feet?”
He held out a foot and wiggled it. “But I have handsome toes, so I guess you’re the one missing out, aye?”
She would have been offended at his blatant mimicking of her Minnesota accent except for the adorable wink he sent her afterward, “I have seen your bare feet, and I don’t think anyone is missing out.”
He chuckled and helped her out of the chair then motioned for her to twirl.
She did so, allowing the floral tea-length skirt his mom had helped her choose to flare out a bit. It reminded her of the dress hanging in Lilith’s closet. The one she’d never wear.
The nerves came back, but Hanna stood up straight. She would ignore them and get this over with.
At least she had the shoes and outfit Lilith and Carly helped her pick out. She’d never have brought the brown leather high-heel boots for herself in a million years. She had to admit, though, they were pretty amazing, especially with the tan sweater and dark red top to match. It wasn’t an outfit she’d have picked, but it totally matched her personality. Simple, a bit vintage, with a bit of surprising funk. Yeah, that was her. Although the “funk” part was questionable many days.
Will let out a low whistle. “You look stunning, my dear.”
“Your pretend dear, you mean?”
“Today, you’re my dear. Let’s go put on a show together, shall we?”
Celine poked her head in. “You’re on in five. You both ready finally?”
The woman needed to take some “nice” pills.
This was it. Their big interview. Could she do it?
There wasn’t a choice. She had to. For Dad. For Lilith and Harrison.
For herself.
And maybe, just a little, for Will, too.
“Yup, we’re ready.”
The intro music, some funky Jamaican-meets-country-western number, blared overhead as Hanna held tight to Will’s hand just outside the main studio set. She wasn’t sure who was on before them. Her mind was too occupied with trying not to throw up again.
It had been a long time since she’d done the whole interview thing. She should be used to it after all the billions she’d given while on the set of The Price of Love.
But the bright lights, the crew rushing around, the cameras everywhere, it all overwhelmed her yet again, just like it had the first day on set almost a year ago now. She wasn’t a cursing woman, but a few choice words she would have loved to call Carly for making her do the show had run through her brain that day.
Her?
An eligible bachelorette to some bigwig CEO?
Not likely. She was a country bumpkin dressed up in a rich woman’s wardrobe, the best that Macy’s had to offer. At that moment, when The Price of Love’s producers had swarmed and issued commands and frowned at her poor choice of makeup, she would have given anything for some jeans and a Vikings sweatshirt. But everything changed the moment they introduced her to William.
She closed her eyes, cutting out her surroundings, and let herself remember, for the first time since realizing that William was really a big mean wolf.
They didn’t do the whole ride-up-in-a-limo thing like other shows.
No, each woman drove up to a big mansion in rented red convertibles. Which had only upped her nerves even more. What if she ran into something? What if she ran into him?
Her hands shook on the tan leather steering wheel as she crept up the driveway, knowing that a snail would probably pass her at any moment.
She’d stopped the car in front of a huge fountain decorated with flowers and the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on.
William.
And then she’d done something that to this day she still rolled her eyes at.
There was no controlling it. The biggest belly laugh ever flooded out of her. Her? Little ol’ Hanna from Embarrass? In a red Corvette, getting ready to meet one of the most handsome men on earth to see if he wanted to marry her? And to top it off, he probably had more money than all the residents in the northern half of Minnesota combined.
If that wasn’t hysterical, then Minnesota was just a little chilly in the winter.
Like a gentleman, he’d walked to the car and opened the door for her, offering a hand to help her out. He shut the door and lifted his eyebrow. Obviously, this was the part where she should say something. But all laughing had ended the moment she’d laid her hand in his. It was as if someone had equipped her voice box with a MUTE button.
He squeezed her hand and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Will.”
A camera had inched in close on each side, and she squelched the enormous desire to shove them away. Instead, the sound of his voice had jarred the button. “I’m…Hanna.”
A wink and another hand squeeze, and he nodded his head and escorted her toward the fountain. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Hanna. I look forward to talking to you inside.”
Like an idiot, she nodded and all but ran for the mansion door, wondering if she’d make the record for the quickest a girl was sent home.
Obviously, that had never happened.
A whisper in her ear jolted her back to the present. “They’re getting ready for a commercial break. We’re on next.”
She blinked and felt her body sway, only to be steadied by the man who had, at one time, stolen her heart.
The producer signaled commercial, and the crew ran into action.
This was it. Their moment to right the wrong.
Will nudged her with his elbow. “You’ll wanna see their previous guest.”
Glad for the diversion, she peeked around the cameraman who stood in front of her only to come face-to-face with her teenage heartthrob, the only “rebellious” crush she’d ever had on a movie star growing up.
Her skin turned clammy; her head swirled in breathless lack of oxyge
n. She leaned into Will even more to keep upright.
Mr. Gorgeous, complete with tattooed arms, shaggy hair, and thick-rimmed glasses he probably didn’t even need, arched an eyebrow and said in that horrifically handsome voice that only Johnny Depp had, “Good luck out there, girl.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
You are not jealous of Johnny Depp.
Will could tell himself that a thousand times, and he still wouldn’t believe it. Hanna had almost fainted at the sight of the man.
Why did women have to do that, anyway? It wasn’t like he would have gone gaga over the sight of some sexy female star.
“Do you need a towel to wipe up your drool?”
She straightened her back and lifted her chin. “No, I’m fine. I just had a little, uh, crush on him when I was younger. Brought back memories, is all.”
Sure.
The music cued again, and the voice of the hostess rose above the applause of the audience. A crew member turned a mobile TV their direction so they could see the set. “Next we have a special treat for you. Eight months ago, we cheered on William Preston, CEO of skincare and cosmetic giant Foster and Jones, which, by the way, produces the fantastic face cream I use every morning, as he chose Holy Hanna Knight as his future bride on The Price of Love. But then a wee bit of a scandal arose after a pesky little interview William gave.”
The host, Mike, laughed. “A wee bit? I couldn’t walk ten feet without hearing about those two for like three months afterward. It was worse than when Tom and Katie split.”
“Okay, fine. The huge, gigantic, overblown scandal, is that better?” She flung her skinny little arms wide and pretended to hit Mike in the face.
“Hey, hey. Overblown is in the eye of the beholder. A lot of people said that if either of them had at least come out and explained themselves, it wouldn’t have been so bad.”
Kate put her hands on her hips, acting affronted by Mike’s comment. “Excuse me, but their love life is no one else’s business. Whether they hooked up”—she used air quotes while she said “hooked up” and winked at a camera—“or not is no one’s business but their own.”
Mike sat back and shook his head. “Kate, you’ve been in show business long enough to know that you can’t get in front of a camera and expect no one to care about your sex life. It’s just a fact of life.”
“Well, we’re excited to have Will and Hanna on our set today to tell their side of the story.”
The theme music to The Price of Love started to play, their cue to enter the stage. Will escorted Hanna, letting his eyes adjust to the bright lights and his ears to the cheering crowd. Show business was not his thing. He hated this. But it had to be done, and he had to be smart and on his game for Hanna.
He owed her at least that.
Mike, a big man of football stature that could squash him like a bug if he wanted, stood and shook his hand, a big smile on his face despite his not-so-supportive comments a few moments ago.
Will switched with Hanna and gave petite Kate a hug. To his surprise when he released, she gave him a hard sucker punch to the gut.
He fought a second for his breath. “Did you just punch me?”
The petite brunette hopped onto her high-top chair, crossed her legs at the knee with her navy skirt resting just above, and sat back looking very proud of herself. “Yup. That was for Hanna, who I doubt would ever do it, and for every other woman in America who wishes they had the opportunity.”
Oh, this was not looking like such a stellar idea now. He hadn’t known Kate was a Will hater. “I—” What did a guy say to that?
Hanna put an arm around his side and pretended to help him to his seat, even though he wasn’t hurt enough to need it. “Thanks, Kate. But don’t worry. Will and I are good now.”
Mike laughed and leaned forward, elbow on his knee. “The question is, Hanna, how good?”
She laughed, playing the part perfectly. “If you’re referring to what I think you’re referring to, not that good. But good enough that I’m wearing a ring again, and we’re talking about wedding dates.”
Kate clapped and squealed like a silly schoolgirl then reached for Hanna’s left hand. “You have to show me the rock!”
Hanna extended her hand, a sweet smile gracing her lips. “I know, everyone says it’s not big enough. In Will’s defense, I’m the one who picked it out. Honestly, I adore it more than the original I got at the end of the show. It’s just like my mother’s was, except a little bigger. And,”—she leaned forward as if speaking with Kate only—“it’ll still inflict some damage if I need to keep this one in line.”
The audience laughed, as did Kate and Mike.
Mike slapped his hands on his knees, commanding everyone’s attention. “Okay, girly stuff out of the way. We all want to know. What happened to you two? No one would ever give a statement, so we all had our own guesses. We want it straight out of the horse’s mouth though. Why did you guys split? And what brought you back together?”
Will started to reply with the words he’d rehearsed over and over for the last week, all politically correct, giving no real details but enough to stop more questions, but Hanna beat him to it. He only hoped she wouldn’t screw this up.
“What split us up is pretty well known. Will and I fell in love on TV. That’s a hard thing for anyone. But the press likes to brand people a certain way, and I was very adamant that my faith and values stayed intact throughout the show. But William made some poor decisions with his words in an interview, and the press and social media ran with it. Honestly, I was crushed.” She paused and closed her eyes and took a breath. Will prayed she wouldn’t cry. But she just took a long breath, opened her eyes, and put on the superwoman face he’d come to adore. “My virtue is important to me, and I’d worked hard to make sure that on and off camera my actions were something I could stand before God and be proud of, so for him to insinuate something untrue, it was very difficult for me to handle.”
Kate leaned over and patted her knee. “Do I need to punch him again?”
Hanna laced her fingers through his and shook her head, much to Will’s relief. “No. Not yet anyway.” She butted him with her shoulder playfully and smiled. He had to remind himself it was just a fake put-on and not the real deal. “I had shut him out to take time to process, and honestly, as much as I knew the media was running with the story like a pig swimming in mud, I just wanted away from it all. But then Will showed up, all handsome and apologetic on his own accord. We’d both gotten overwhelmed with the whole media thing, and I think time apart helped put things into perspective.”
Will rubbed his thumb over her hand. “We realized that all relationships have issues. While I said something monumentally stupid, Hanna had it in her heart to forgive me, and in the end, we’re in love. And true love, given enough time and patience, can overcome a lot of things.”
Kate arched her eyebrows and tapped a finger to her chin. “Okay, so just to make sure all the air is clear. Are you, um, sharing nighttime accommodations while you’re together?”
Will smiled and squeezed Hanna’s hand. “I can answer that. We are definitely n—”
Hanna surprised him and everyone else in the studio by interrupting him. “Actually, we both feel like our sleeping arrangements are private. What I do and don’t do in my bedroom, as well as who I share my bed with and when, is my business alone. It is between God and me. I’ve made my stance on the matter very clear in the past, and have decided that answering any more questions on the matter is just beating the proverbial dead horse.”
Shock surged through Will’s veins. He’d expected her to vehemently deny any hint of bedroom-esque activities with him. And rightly so, since there hadn’t been, unless one counted their midnight chats in his parents’ bonus room.
Or the one night on the kitchen counter.
Sweat beaded on his neck at the memory.
Kate lifted her fisted hand. For a minute, Will feared she was going to attempt hitting him again. This time he’d be r
eady.
Instead, she directed it toward Hanna. “Fist bump, girl. If Mike can fist-bump his sports buddies he has on here, me and you can give a good fist to that.”
Hanna laughed and clashed knuckles with their hostess.
Mike cleared his throat. “Okay, so respecting your privacy and all, I am going to assume this means that poor Will here is going to still be left to himself at night. So does this call for a speedy wedding, then? Your dad taking out the shotgun and all just in case?”
Will shook his head. “I’m giving Hanna all the time she needs. The last year has been pretty crazy. On top of that, she has a wedding to plan. A girl can’t be rushed in these things, you know.”
The host held out his own fist. “Man, you better know it. You’re learning fast.”
The mammoth host’s fist crashed into his own. Will was going to be lucky to walk away from this thing without a broken bone.
Kate clapped her hands. “Okay, now it’s my favorite time. We knew our audience would be going crazy with questions, so we’re going to select a few to ask them live. How about that?”
Will shot a glance at Hanna. This had not been an agreed-upon part of the show, but there wasn’t a thing he could do about it now.
Mike looked at the card in his hand, ALIVE printed in dark, bold letters on the outside. “First up we have Donna, from right here in Brooklyn.”
A woman on the far right of the audience stood up, and a crew member handed her a microphone. She put a hand on her ample hip and stared him down over the rim of her equally large glasses. “Yes. My question is for Will-the-jerk. I read an article this morning that said the only reason you’re getting back with Hanna is to save your job. Is that true? Are you lying to her instead of just about her this time?”
Heat poured into Will’s face. He hadn’t even taken the time to check media sources this morning. Why had no one else told him? And who had leaked that information?
He blubbered around a moment, until Hanna sat forward. “I’ll speak for Will. It’s not true at all. We’ve had countless talks about his job and the impact all this has had on it. We’re both very aware of the situation, so there has been no lying to me being done. Will loves his job, and as it is with any man or woman for that matter, his career is important to him. I respect him for that, and honestly, if he was some guy who job hopped and didn’t care about providing for a family, I’m not sure I’d love him like I do. So to answer your question, the accusation is entirely false.”
The Engagement Plot Page 18