“Good. Stay there tonight if you can.”
“Why?”
“You didn’t get my text?”
“Yeah, uh…maybe. Was it something important? I can’t remember.” She sounds completely distracted.
“No, it’s okay.” She probably barely remembers how to use the phone in her excitement. I clear my throat. “I’ve, um, temporarily moved out of the apartment.”
“I know. I heard! From Mira, that is. I think it’s smart to lay low for now. You’re the number one trending keyword in social media right now.” She then goes on, her tone turning half-accusing. “Because you’re engaged to Ryder fucking Reed!”
I cringe. I guess my engagement is finally registering now that all the excitement over Mira is out of the way.
“I never even suspected you guys had anything going! And I read that thing, you know, about him doing those three chicks a couple of weeks ago? So of course I assumed he wasn’t dating anybody seriously. But I guess you can’t really believe everything you read these days. So many fake stories.” She lowers her voice. “But seriously, you have to tell me what happened. I thought you were just getting over Shaun. If I didn’t know you so well, I’d say you were seeing Ryder behind Shaun’s back.”
“Yeah…it’s a long story.” I’m not sure how much to say. I trust Renni, but no one can know about the arrangement being fake. It isn’t my secret to keep. “But I’ve been working for him for a while, and you know… Ending things with Shaun just freed me so I could move on and give in to what’s been building up between us for a while.”
“Holy cow! And you never said a word.”
“Because.” I clear my throat. I suck at lying, so half-truths are best. “I didn’t want to sound like one of those delusional women who think they have a chance with Ryder. Do you know how many crazy mails I get from people like that? Even a whiff of anything, and the press would be all over it. You know how it is with a star like him.”
“Right. Right.” Renni sighs. “Oh my god, it’s so romantic! Just like in a fairy tale. We have to meet to celebrate our good news. And Gary and I want all the scoop.”
“Okay.” I want to ask whether Pyotr’s been behaving since I saw him kissing another man in the car, but I don’t. If everything goes well with Mira, Renni won’t need to fake it with him anymore, and his indiscretion won’t be her problem.
I push all the fake stuff out of my mind. We should be celebrating her good fortune really. Renni is a great actress with an incredible work ethic. Mira can do wonders for her career, and I’m confident that the agent will keep her end of the deal.
“All right, I have to calm down and get some sleep,” Renni says.
“Good luck. You sound like you just mainlined a silo of coffee,” I tease.
“I know! But I have to! Otherwise I’ll be no good tomorrow when I see Mira.”
“Just need to be yourself. That should be enough to impress the hell out of any agent.”
Renni laughs. “Thanks, Mom.”
I hang up and toss myself on the bed. At least Renni’s finally getting what she deserves. I stare at the ceiling. I’m okay where I am. I put a hand over my belly. My baby’s going to be taken care of. That’s what matters.
Still, an odd pang reverberates through my heart, and I feel like a shitty friend and human being for not being happier.
Chapter Sixteen
Paige
Something beeps in the dark bedroom. I scowl. It’s barely six. I know this because my alarm goes off at six ten—so I can have that extra ten minutes of sleep.
I grope for my phone and finally grab the offending electronics. “Hello?” I mumble.
“Good lord, Paige, is it true?”
It’s Mom’s voice, and I rub my face. “Wha—?”
“You’re dating Ryder Reed?”
Sleep evaporates. I blink. “Oh. Uh…”
“We saw the