When Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek #1)(89)
Author: Brenda Novak

“What are we going to do?” Josh asked. He’d reached the office after Serge, so this was the first chance she’d had to talk to him. His call was the only one she’d been willing to answer. The humiliation and embarrassment was too fresh, too poignant, to cope with the sympathy of those who cared about her. She hadn’t even answered the phone for her father, who must’ve been tipped off by some patron at the gas station. She couldn’t imagine how else he would’ve heard.

“I don’t know,” she said. Her heart was aching so badly she couldn’t think clearly. She dared not leave her own bedroom, dared not venture out for fear she’d be cornered. It was only a matter of time before her father showed up on her doorstep. Or maybe Joe would come. She’d pleaded with them to give Simon a chance and they had. Now she felt like she’d set them up for a strong sucker punch.

She rubbed her stomach, feeling as if Simon had hit her there. Why had she believed in him? Why had she let herself fall for his looks, his charm, his playfulness and his incredible lovemaking? Of course he was good at making love. He’d had plenty of practice both on and off the screen….

It was his happiness that had convinced her he was sincere, she decided. He’d seemed so content while he was here.

She shook her head as she remembered his boyish smile when he was demolishing the kitchen. He’d left it in rubble, just like her heart.

God, all the warnings she’d ignored… On top of everything else, what Simon had done made her feel like an idiot.

“So you’ve seen it?” Josh said.

“Not all of it,” she replied. “But what I have seen is plenty graphic.”

“It gets worse. There’s no way we’ll be able to spin it into anything other than what it is.”

“No. And we can’t claim it’s not him. He left me, he went there, he slept with her. Our hands are tied. We have to let this one go, see how it affects Big Hit.”

It was easier to talk about the damage this might cause her business than her life. Although she’d admitted the truth to Josh, he hadn’t been around to see just how hard and fast she’d fallen for Simon, so at least she didn’t have to talk about her personal feelings quite yet.

“I doubt it’ll cost us clients,” he said. “Simon can’t blame you for this.”

“Doesn’t matter. It makes me look foolish and inept for getting involved with him. And you and I both know how fickle Hollywood can be. If I’m perceived to be ‘out,’ we’ll probably lose some of our clients, if not the majority.”

“We’re good at what we do. We’ll survive,” he insisted.

At least since the sale of the wedding pictures to People magazine, Gail would have deep enough pockets to carry the company for a number of months, if necessary. That was the one bright spot in her agreement with Simon. The contract stipulated that if he screwed up, she got the money, anyway.

Fortunately, she’d had the foresight to demand that stipulation.

She glanced at the diamond ring he’d left her. She’d gone to bed hoping it meant something, but now she knew better. She could sell it, too.

“So you haven’t talked to him?” Josh said.

“No.” He’d tried to call her once, at 3:00 a.m. After she’d talked to Serge, she’d noticed that missed call. But she’d been asleep when he made the attempt, and she definitely wasn’t calling him back.

She couldn’t believe he’d try to speak to her right after making love with Bella. Maybe he wanted to tell her before everyone else did. Maybe he had enough of a conscience to want to give her some warning.

Josh sighed into the phone. “This is sad. Except for a few naysayers who didn’t really matter, your marriage was well received. The campaign was working.”

“Are you talking about the naysayers who were shouting that I wasn’t attractive enough for Simon? Wasn’t dynamic enough? Wasn’t famous?” She’d known she was a regular, average person going in. But somehow, she’d let herself get caught up in the fairy tale.

“I mean those who are too stupid to know that you’re amazing, that he was actually lucky to have you.”

The phone beeped, telling her she had another call. Assuming it would be her father again, or Callie—Gail wasn’t looking forward to the moment Callie learned what had happened—she checked.

It was Simon.

31

Gail told herself not to answer. After what Simon had done, she couldn’t imagine why he could possibly want to talk to her. But her desire to hear some explanation won out.

Telling Josh she had to go, she called herself a fool for her weakness but switched over. “Hello?”

He didn’t bother with a greeting. “I didn’t do it, Gail.”

Her hand tightened on the phone. She’d thought he might try to present an excuse, or ask for her help in bailing him out of this latest mess. She hadn’t expected complete denial. “That’s your face in the footage, isn’t it?” she asked.

“It is. On the security video, anyway. I went there last night to see Ty. I spent a couple hours with him—”

“At midnight?”

“Yes. I woke him up. But I didn’t have sex with Bella. I didn’t even kiss her. She offered but I wasn’t interested.” He lowered his voice, which made him so much more convincing. “All I could think about was you.”

The ache in Gail’s chest grew worse because now the betrayal she felt was complicated by the fear that her love for him was making her vulnerable to accepting what he said over what she saw with her own eyes. “If that’s not you, who is it?” she asked, trying to hold out.

“I have no idea, but I didn’t sleep with her.” When she said nothing, he went on. “I haven’t touched anyone since I’ve been with you. I called last night because I wanted to tell you that I think we should stay together. I don’t want to lose you.”

Gail pressed her palm to her forehead. She wanted to believe him so badly. But she’d just been calling herself a fool for ever trusting him. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you believe me. I’ve never lied to you.”

He’d done some crazy things, some ill-advised things, but he was right—she’d never known him to lie. Still, caution advised her to proceed slowly. “So where did that video come from?” she asked. “How did it get made?”