by Jillian Dodd
“Good for you, Kitty Valentine.”
When we end the call, I think about the guys I’ve dated since this all started. I gave them all happy endings in my books, but I can’t help but wonder how they are doing in real life.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
When I get to the hotel, I'm told that Mr. Ryder and his adorable dog have already arrived.
Although when I open the door and see a beautiful suite laid out in front of me, I start to feel like I’ve arrived. I’ve never stayed in a room like this before.
Phoebe quickly greets me. She’s got a chewy stick in her mouth, and she gives me a lick before taking it back in the living room, where she lies down in front of the expansive windows to chew on it.
Matt strides out of what I assume is the master bedroom, nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair is damp, and it’s obvious he just got out of the shower.
“Oh, sure. I had to wash my hair in the kitchen sink this morning, and you’re here in luxury.”
“I splurged on a suite,” he says. “You like it?”
I wrap my arms around his neck. “I haven’t seen it all, so I’m not sure I can answer that question yet.”
He sweeps me off my feet, carries me into the bedroom, tosses me on the bed, and takes off the towel.
We’re lying in the comfortable bed—like, seriously, you just sink down into it and never want to leave—in the afterglow of amazing sex, when Matt says, “You like the suite now?”
“I still haven’t seen the bathroom.”
“It’s beautiful, but I think ours will be better,” he says, his face turning serious. “They don’t have a fireplace.”
“This was a good idea,” I reply, my eyes taking in the ornate ceiling and chandelier above me.
“Agree. It’s a pretty place. This bed is amazing, and one of the reasons I chose this hotel is because Jack’s wife said they use the same beds that we are supposed to have in our room. She wanted us to make sure we liked it. Do we like it?”
I nuzzle up to his chest and run my fingers across it. “It’s like sleeping on a cloud.”
“We haven’t done any sleeping yet,” he teases.
“Still, can’t you tell?”
“Yes, I can, and I agree. It’s the most comfortable bed I’ve ever been in.”
“Way better than being surrounded by plastic tarps and sleeping on a mattress on the dining room floor,” I say. “And Phoebe is thrilled to be lying by the window, looking out at the chaos of Manhattan rather than experiencing it for herself.”
That makes Matt chuckle. “Sorry I’m just asking this now, but you distracted me. How did it go with Maggie today?”
“I distracted you? You were the one wearing nothing but a towel,” I say with a laugh.
The back of his hand caresses my cheek, and he stares into my eyes, looking serious. “You’re beautiful. You’ve been distracting me since the first day we spoke. Dating others didn’t work. Being your friend didn’t work. Being mad at you didn’t work. This,” he says as his hand moves south, “works much better.”
“She lets out a content sigh,” I say, “wondering how she got so lucky. How she ended up in this bed, with this man. The man of her dreams.”
“Oh, are you writing our story now?”
“We’re writing it together as we go, but I was just thinking of how I used to write perfect moments like this but never really experienced them myself.”
“After you and Blake split up, you told me that you couldn’t find a guy in college who lived up to your hopes and dreams, so you decided to write him.”
“And in typical Matt fashion, you took that as a challenge? I remember you saying that maybe you should start reading my books. So that you could see how you measured up.”
“And?” he says, pressing his lips—well, really, pressing his whole body against me along with his lips.
“You don’t just measure up, Matt. You’re better than even I imagined.”
He throws one fist up in the air and yells out, “Ha! Hail to the victor!”
We get out of bed eventually and take a long, hot shower together. Then, we put on the matching hotel robes and order room service.
We’re sitting in the living room, sharing minibar beers and taking in the setting sun, when I ask, “You know how we were talking earlier about writing the perfect guy?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, wait. I need to tell you about what happened with Maggie first. She seems resigned to the fact that she needs to take me seriously or she’s going to lose me.”
“Do you think she will make a good offer? The kind you want?”
“I hope so. I do really like working with her. Or at least, until recently, I did. I’ve thought a lot about what you said about publishing myself, and although I agree with you that I maybe could make more money and that I would be fully in control, I’m not sure I want to take on the responsibility of basically owning a publishing company. I want to have more free time to spend with you, not less.”
“Makes sense,” he says. “How did Maggie leave it?”
“She said she’d get back to me, but as soon as I left, Blake called me.”
“Ah, yes. The billionaire. Mr. Screw Up and Try to Fix It with a Million Roses.”
“You almost sound jealous.” I smirk at him. “He said he shouldn’t be telling me but that Maggie was given a blank check to keep me.”
“Wow. The billionaire might be my new best friend. Good thing I put this suite on your credit card.”
My mouth drops open in mock horror.
“Just kidding,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Keep going.”
“I think it will all work out, but it’s what he told me after that got me thinking. He met someone. He’s taking time off, and he sounds happy. In my books, I gave all the guys I dated happy endings, and I can’t help but wonder how they are doing now.”
“Well, the whole world knows how rock-star asshole Dustin is,” Matt says with a scowl. “And I do happen to know that Luke, your hockey player and my friend, is loving being a full-time professional. And get this: Ginger broke off her engagement with Mark not long after he broke his leg and is now engaged to Luke.”
“Oh my God! No!”
“Well, she wanted to be a pro athlete’s wife,” Matt says, shrugging as he takes another sip of beer.
“Should we page Dr. Jake and see how he’s doing?” I ask.
Matt nods, grabs his phone, and clicks around, pulling up Jake’s social media, which causes me to tilt my head and stare at him.
“You might have cut off all ties, but I … okay, maybe I was slightly online stalking some of the guys you dated when you dated them. I told myself I was doing it to keep you safe. That kind of thing.”
“That’s the sweetest thing I think I’ve ever heard.” I lean closer and give him a peck on the cheek.
“Shut up, Valentine,” he says as he pulls up a photo and puts it in front of me. “Look at this.”
This time, my mouth drops open from real shock. “He married his crazy ex, Erin? What was he thinking?!”
“Aw, look,” Matt counters. “They had their dogs walk down the aisle before them.”
“That is kind of cute,” I admit. “Well, I hope they are gloriously happy together.”
“Speaking of a gloriously happy married couple,” Matt says, clicking away again. “Check this out.”
There’s a tabloid headline: PAXTON CLEARY KICKS IT UP IN COWTOWN STRIP CLUB. And there’s a photo of Paxton with his arms around two voluptuous strippers while another gives him a lap dance.
I glance at the date. See the article is quite recent. “Still have an alert set up for news of him?”
“Yep. Let’s just say, I liquidated our Cleary Oil stock holdings.” He grins at me. “And have since turned the alert off.”
“I wonder if he was telling the truth. If the marriage didn’t mean anything.”
“Looks like it.”
“I feel bad for Lana actuall
y. She wasn’t nice to me at the party at their ranch, but now, I understand why. She was in love with him.”
The doorbell to our suite rings, causing Phoebe to wake, suddenly on full alert. She doesn’t bark, but she rushes to the door. Mostly because when the doorbell rings at Matt’s place, it’s because there is a food delivery that she wants in on.
I expect it to be room service. And it is, but Hayley is right behind the server and his cart.
“What are you doing here?” I say, causing the server to look confused. I point back at Hayley and then gesture him inside.
“I went to your place, and they told me you were here!” She’s carrying two large paper bags. I see the top of a bottle of champagne sticking out of one.
A lightbulb switches on in my head. “Oh, Hayley. Oh, Hayley!”
“It went through! The transfer! It went through!”
I toss my arms around her, squealing and shrieking along with her.
“I’m so happy for you!” I say even though I want to cry my heart out at the thought of my best friend moving so far away.
“We were ready to give up hope.”
Her cheeks are wet when I let go of her, which means we have something in common. I think a few tears are perfectly reasonable. So long as I can keep from falling on the floor and grabbing her by the ankles and begging her not to leave me.
Matt comes out and sizes up the situation as quickly as I did. “Hey, congrats! That’s great news! Come on in.” He looks and sounds genuinely happy as he takes the bags from her.
The waiter gets our food all set out on the dining room table and leaves, so Hayley starts adding what she brought to the mix. It’s an odd array—sushi, bagels, and cheddar cheese popcorn.
“Are you having cravings already?” I say with a laugh.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I was just hungry.”
“Well, let’s pop this champagne,” Matt suggests, picking up one of the bottles. “And the sparkling cider.”
“I know it’s not the same, but—” Hayley says.
“Totally worth it,” Matt says.
After we toast and take our seats, Hayley seems to finally notice our bathrobes. Our still-damp hair. “Oh my gosh. I didn’t even think! I totally just interrupted you. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s crunch time for the crew, so they kicked us out for a few days. We’re going to have this amazing reveal of the project when it’s all done,” I tell her.
“And you’d be proud of Kitty,” Matt tells Hayley. “She is going to be negotiating a new contract with the publisher—on her terms.”
“That’s amazing!” she says, shoving a vegetarian sushi roll into her mouth.
“I know! Blake told me he gave Maggie carte blanche in regard to me.”
“Wait. You talked to Blake?” she asks.
“Yes,” Matt answers for me. “Which led us down the rabbit hole. We were just playing Where Are They Now with all the guys she’s dated.”
“Oh, fill me in!” she says, deciding she’s done with the sushi. She dishes up half of the pasta I ordered and starts working on it.
Matt catches her up on what we know so far, and she says, “So, fireman, actor, and best man are left. I have the scoop on the best man. Kellen Briggs has moved to Tibet, where he hopes to find a better connection with the meaning of life—or at least, that’s what his parents told Zack and Kylie. In truth, he’s in Thailand, gambling.”
“That’s too bad. You’d think practically dying over gambling debts would cure you of something like that. Or cause you to want to get help. But then again, I’ve never had an addiction,” I say, feeling bad for Kellen.
“Let’s do the fireman next,” Hayley says. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was tipsy, but I think she’s just really enjoying this moment of fun after all the stress she’s been under. She punches a few buttons on her phone. “Oh,” she says, looking concerned and then quickly scanning whatever she’s reading. She looks up at me and says, “Bryce Nichols died from injuries sustained in duty. He was inside a burning home and aided the rescue of twin baby girls before the second story was overcome by fire.”
Tears fill my eyes. “I’m very sad he’s gone, but part of me feels strangely glad for him. He wanted to die a hero.”
Matt reaches over and squeezes my hand.
Hayley grabs my other one, causing me to blurt out, “I’m so happy you’re going, but I’m so sad you’re leaving.”
“That’s just the thing,” Hayley says. “We’re not sure if we are.”
“What?”
She looks at Matt, and they share some kind of knowing glance. I wonder what’s up, but then she says, “Of course, I’m leaving in a few days, and I will be spending the holidays with Nicholas in California. But I listened to what you said the other day, about designing my life. And you were right. We’re thrilled the transfer came through. It takes the pressure off. We’re committed to being there at this point, but we’ve both put out a few feelers to other firms. We’ll see. And since I won’t see you for Christmas …” She pulls a small wrapped gift out of her bag.
“Oh, Hayley. I don’t have my gift for you here with me.”
“That’s okay. This is just something little. I was hoping to give it to you before your negotiations, as a reminder, but it sounds like you earned it today.”
I open the package and find a pretty bracelet with letter beads in the middle that spell out BADASS.
I get up off my chair and give her another hug. “This is amazing. I love it.”
She stands up and says, “Well, I hate to eat and run, but I have to eat and run.”
She pats Phoebe on the head and gives Matt a hug, and then she’s off.
We finish eating, and then Matt says, “Wanna watch a movie?”
“Yeah, that sounds fun,” I tell him. “Maybe a holiday one?”
He clicks on the television and scrolls through the channels. He stops when he sees Rafe’s face on the preview screen. A reporter is sitting down across from him and a pretty girl, who I assume is his costar, based on where she’s sitting next to Rafe in a pair of director chairs.
“Have you been scared during the filming?” the reporter asks the girl.
I remember that the lead role he got was for a horror film.
The girl reaches her hand over, squeezes Rafe’s, and says, “Not when I have him around.”
“Oh,” the reporter says, seeing television gold in front of her. “Are you two dating?”
“We’re enjoying our time on set,” Rafe says, obviously trying to be discreet. He’s such a nice guy.
“I wouldn’t call it dating,” the girl says with a chuckle. “More like hooking up. Being scared all day makes you horny.” She giggles and covers her mouth. “Oops. Can I say horny on television?”
“Well, we know what the actor is doing now,” Matt says.
“More like who he’s doing,” I quip.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
For the second day in a row, there’s champagne in the forecast.
At least, that’s what Maggie thinks. There’s a bottle in a metal bucket next to her desk, just like there used to be in the old days, but today is different. I’ve got my BADASS bracelet on. And it makes me feel invincible.
“There she is!” She rushes over to me before I’ve barely taken three steps into her office. “My superstar.”
Lois is behind me, and she very loudly clears her throat. “Cut the bullshit, Maggie, and let us sit down.”
Maggie’s cheeks match her red lipstick. “Of course. Let’s sit down and enjoy some champagne.”
“At ten in the morning?” Lois mutters just loud enough for me to hear.
I snort softly and exchange a look with her before we take our chairs in front of Maggie’s desk.
There I am, still on the wall. The same framed news items covering my stellar career. Gosh, I was naive back then.
Lois follows my eyes and gives me a knowing look. But she can’t smile. She’s in neg
otiating mode, I can tell. And I have to wonder if Maggie can too. Hence the too-bright attitude. The champagne.
Maggie pops the cork and laughs softly. “We’re on the verge of something big, ladies. Kitty Valentine is about to explode.”
I look down at myself. “I hope not. It’s been ages since I’ve had an excuse to get dressed up, and I’d hate to ruin this outfit. Not to mention, the shoes.”
Her smile falters. “I wasn’t speaking literally.”
“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Lois cracks her knuckles. “We know you want another ten books. You probably know I’ve been talking to two other publishers on Kitty’s behalf.”
Maggie sighs before putting the champagne back on ice. “Yes. Word gets around.”
“I’ll save us both some time by cutting to the chase. What are you willing to offer?”
Dang. I might as well not be here.
The two of them stare each other down like a pair of warriors who aren’t new to this field of battle.
Should I be recording this? I feel like I might want to go back and watch it again, maybe with Matt and Hayley and a lot of wine.
I have a momentary twinge of sadness at the realization that Hayley packed her bags and left for California this morning, so moments like that won’t be happening like they used to.
Maggie’s gaze slides away from Lois and lands on me. Her brow furrows. “Do you really want to go elsewhere? After everything we’ve been through?”
“That’s not fair,” I say.
“Isn’t it?” She plops down in her chair. “I bent over backward to keep you here. To revitalize your career. You were tanking. Or don’t you remember that?”
“So, what? I have no choice but to stay with you forever? You know I am grateful. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have continued with this trope-dating scheme for as long as I have. You know I’ve been unhappy with it.”
“So, we’ll stop it then. No problem.” She shrugs, hands in the air. “It’s done.”
Lois and I exchange a look.