LOL: Laugh Out Loud (After Oscar, #2)(14)

I also had a carefully printed Vermont address on a scrap piece of paper in my jeans pocket so I at least knew where Nugget was if I found a new carriage medallion owner to take us on. I debated about whether or not to head to the park right now to see if I could get any leads, but I’d just done it the day before and I worried about annoying people.

Instead, I ducked into the nearest place and bought a cheap phone. My mother was probably going crazy trying to reach me even though I’d told her I’d be out of touch for a few days before I’d sold my iPhone the week before.

But then I’d had to pay an unexpected vet bill at the stables for Nugget to stay current on her vaccines. In the end, that had only given us six more days, which wasn’t nearly enough for me to find another job that could pay enough for the stable fees.

But now that Nugget was on vacation, I could focus on earning some money.

I headed to the public library on Fifth Avenue and settled in to do some internet research. Before I started that, though, I pulled up my email account and shot my mom an email to her Corrlinks account in prison, giving her my new number and telling her what time to try and call me the next day. After clicking Send, I opened a new tab and pulled up a few job boards.

There were several restaurant gigs that looked promising as well as a janitorial service hiring overnight help. If I could work overnight, it’d be much easier to catch some naps in the park or a library during the day. That way my money would go a little further. Not having to spend it on rent or transportation would be huge.

I clicked the link to send in applications to three restaurant jobs and the janitorial job, crossing my fingers most for the cleaning position.

Then I spent a few minutes indulging in a little online research about my new horsey daddy. I typed Roman Burke into the search engine and was immediately met with a page of headlines about his most recent scandal. I ignored all the stupid bullshit ones, and clicked on the Us Weekly article that had come out shortly after the incident in the park.

There may be more to the story of Roman Burke’s wild ride through Manhattan the other day than meets the eye. While his representatives initially blamed the stunt on a misunderstanding due to his filming for the upcoming action movie, Deep Cut, sources present at the time claim a more personal reason for his hasty escape.

A witness claims Burke had a panic attack after a scaffolding collapsed on set. Whether or not that panic attack is at all related to the timing of actress Polly Macari’s paternity claims is unknown.

Despite confirmation that Roman Burke was dating Columbia literature professor Peter Navine as recently as last summer, there have long been rumors of Burke and leading lady Polly Macari involved in a secret liaison due to their on-screen chemistry in Infinite Payback.

Burke, who has always been open about being bisexual, is frequently spotted around town with both men and women, but has only ever confirmed a serious relationship with Navine in recent years. According to Burke’s spokesperson last fall, Burke and Navine parted amicably.

Did Roman Burke leave Navine for Polly Macari?

When asked directly whether Burke and Macari are in a relationship, Macari spokesperson, Jennifer Coleman said, “We will not divulge any information about Ms. Macari’s personal life at this time, only that the child she is carrying was fathered by Roman Burke.” However, Burke’s spokesperson has had a different response to our query.

Immediately after the incident, which concluded with Burke’s now-famous jaunt through Manhattan in a horse carriage, Burke’s spokesperson said, “It is well-known that Roman Burke and Ms. Macari are friends after having starred in several films together. However, Mr. Burke is not in a romantic relationship with Ms. Macari, nor has he ever been.”

But quickly after the incident, the Burke team seemed to change their story, saying,“We neither confirm nor deny the paternity of any child Ms. Macari may or may not be carrying at this time.”

It’s not quite clear why the change in stories nor why neither side is willing to clarify matters. Meanwhile, Macari and Burke both seem to be avoiding the spotlight by staying home or, in Burke’s case, on a closed set. There has been one confirmed sighting of Macari visiting Burke’s Manhattan brownstone for several hours, but no one knows what happened behind those closed doors.

I clicked away from the article, my gut twisting with annoyance. I honestly had no idea what I was more upset about. Was it the carriage incident itself? That made the most sense since it had led to my own predicament. Or was it the idea of a famously bi actor ending up with a woman? I knew that was unreasonable and selfish of me, but it would be a great loss to my team in some odd way. Fine, a great loss to my fantasies maybe. Or could it be that I was pissed Roman Burke was romantically involved with someone else? Because, we all knew if it looked like a duck and talked like a duck, they’d probably fucked.

Which really pissed me the hell off.

I grunted. It was none of my business. What was my business was finding a damned job. I clicked out of the article and back over to my email account. Nothing.

After blowing out a deep breath and scrubbing my face with my hands, I had to face a harsh reality.

There was no way in hell I could keep Nugget in the city.

I’d already begged the other medallion owners for a job and casually asked around to see if any drivers were planning on quitting or retiring soon. No luck. And now I was looking for a cleaning or restaurant job? In what reality would that pay enough to cover stabling fees, vet bills, and horse feed on top of rent and food for me?