Kissed Blind (Hot Pursuit #2)(43)

“Well, surely there’s a place close by. Why don’t you take this young man here with you?” She faced Vance with a raking gaze. “And find some place that makes them. We’re in the heart of this city. There has to be something nearby.”

Oliver held up his hand and shook his head. “That’s not necessary. This doesn’t have caffeine anyway.”

Cici’s chin rose high, and she savored the moment.

Camille sighed. “It doesn’t matter. You have to trust me. I know how to make you feel better. You can’t afford to be sick during filming. You know I’m right.” She stroked Oliver’s arm.

Oliver nodded. “I’m still drinking this, but Vance, would you mind taking Cici to find me a green juice?”

Vance glanced at Cici and smiled. “I’d love to.”

The thought of Vance and Cici being alone again made my skin crawl. It was enough knowing he’d done what he had with that Sherry girl. I didn’t think I’d be able to emotionally handle him being swooned by Cici too, but I couldn’t stop it. They left, and I stood guard while Oliver and Camille took a seat at the table on the sidewalk.

My stomach began to grumble as soon as a whiff of Oliver’s salad blew my way. The smell of bacon and a mix of savory herbs whetted my appetite further. I’d have to wait until Vance returned to grab a bite. I kept my distance while Camille and Oliver began to eat. Well, Oliver ate and Camille watched.

“A well-timed salad doesn’t undo anything,” Oliver said. “You know that, right?”

Despite his soft tone, Camille shushed him. “Please, we’re in public. People could be listening.” With my back to them, I assumed she meant me.

“No one can hear us.”

“What about her?”

“She signed the paper just like everyone else does who works for us.”

“Oliver.” Her voice dropped lower, but I didn’t miss the clipped edge. “I would prefer it if we didn’t discuss this now. It’s bad enough Cici is always around.”

“You never trust anyone.”

“Maybe because you never hire frumpy girls to attend to your every need.”

“That’s ridiculous. You don’t either.”

“No, I hire gay men.”

His fork clanked against the table. “Are you including Jude?”

“Oh please.” She heaved. “Okay fine, he was bi-sexual.”

He coughed on a bite of food. “That makes all the difference. It’s Hollywood, the land of illusions. I’m as good as the company I keep, wouldn’t you agree?” A long moment of silence followed.

She groaned. “Ugh, whatever, I don’t want to discuss it. Let’s drop this and have our lunch.”

“I don’t feel like dropping anything. With the twentieth anniversary event next week her name is bound to come up.”

“No, it won’t. No one will mention her. It would only come up if you bring it up, like you insist on doing all the time lately.”

“It bothers me.”

“Conveniently, now it bothers you.”

“It always did. I just never said anything before.”

She groaned. “I’m getting tired of you throwing her name in my face as ammunition every time we have an argument. We agreed on how to handle this years ago. Let it be.”

“Maybe I don’t want to.”

“Yeah, well...I figured.”





Fifteen





Camille’s heavy chair scooted along the pavement, and she left Oliver to eat his lunch. Oliver ate what he wanted of the salad and sipped from his drink but eventually tossed it all in the trash. He stopped by to talk to me as the actors were called to take their places.

“How’s everything going?” Oliver asked, slinging his hand over my shoulder and giving it a quick squeeze.

A bright light flashed out of the corner of my eye, and the moment had been captured. It would take a New York minute for it to be splashed all over the tabloids given how quickly they’d plastered the other image from the park and devoured it. The only other thing to consider was how long it would take before Gabe saw it and jumped to conclusions.

“Good,” I said, bobbing my head at the camera toting annoyance. “I know you said this is normal, but how do you get used to this constant attention?” The cameras continued to click away in the distance.

He shrugged. “It gets to me sometimes, but I try not to let it. When it needles its way into my home then it bothers me.”

“It needles its way into your home? I didn’t see you as the tabloid reading type.”

“No, not me. Camille. She says she hates them, but I know she loves the attention. She didn’t appreciate the picture they released of you and me at the park. I have to admit, it was a great fraction of a second they caught when I was looking at you. Primo material to give the gossips some fat to chew.”

I covered my eyes. “Oh God, she must hate me.”

“Why would she?”

“I don’t know. It seems like it would be a logical reaction when someone is rumored to be your husband’s love interest.”

He chuckled. “So you saw it too.”

“More or less. I heard about it.”