LOL: Laugh Out Loud (After Oscar, #2)(80)

“Do I… skin it first?” He poked at it with the tip of the knife, accidentally sending it rolling. It fell from the counter and hit the floor with a squelching splat that sent melon guts flying.

Lolo shrieked, leaping back and clutching his robe tighter as though the fruit had intentionally attacked him. “Egads—it lives!” he cried, brandishing his knife at the poor broken melon.

I jumped in, hoping to calm the situation. “Here,” I said, gently prying the knife from his fingers. “Let me.”

He clutched me against him, his long arms surprisingly strong. “My hero.”

“Now wait a minute—” Larry started to growl.

Lolo pushed me away and drifted past Larry toward the hall leading upstairs. “Come along, Powder Puff. If you want to see me naked today, now’s your chance to watch while I change into something a little more—and perhaps a bit less—appropriate.”

With Lolo gone, I ended up on cantaloupe duty next to Diana as she finished hulling strawberries. My mom sat with Earl and the girls at the table, cutting up snowflakes while Roman gathered plates and silverware to set the places. So for a moment, Diana and I were more or less alone.

“I’m sorry about my mom,” I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the melon.

“She seems nice,” she said carefully.

I let out a sigh. “She’s a con artist.” I winced at how terrible the words sounded, how blunt. But Diana deserved to know the truth so she could protect herself and her family. “She’ll sell Roman out the first chance she gets.”

Diana nudged me with her elbow playfully. “This ain’t my first rodeo, Scotty. You don’t have to worry; I didn’t tell your mother a single story that hasn’t already been printed in one magazine profile or another.”

I blinked up at her, impressed. “Seriously? That was pretty smart.”

She grinned. “My little brother’s been a famous movie star for years. Thankfully, his agent brought in PR and media training for all of us early on. It’s made all the difference. I’m sure he’ll hook you up with them soon too.”

The casual mention of PR and media training brought me up short. While she continued cutting up fruit, I placed the knife aside and pressed my palms against the counter, trying to control my breathing.

Shit was getting real. This was actually happening. Nerves tickled my gut, but I tried my best to tamp them down. I cared about him enough to do this, to face whatever challenges at home or in the media. I wasn’t about to let those fuckers break us apart like they did with Roman and Pete.

But then again, Pete had actually experienced it, and I hadn’t yet. Not really. There’d been a few paps who’d tailed me after the carriage incident, but they’d quickly realized my life wasn’t exciting enough to document. It was nothing like what would happen once news of our relationship became public. What if I couldn’t handle it? What if I failed him?

Diana must have noticed my anxiety because she reached over and placed a hand over mine. “Scotty, I want you to know that this is the happiest I’ve seen my brother for a long time, if ever. And whatever your mom may or may not have done, doesn’t reflect on you. I can tell you have a giant heart. The way you are with my girls, the way you are with Nugget… hell, the way you don’t call that Larry guy out on his shit… you’re steady. Patient. Sweet.”

“But Roman can’t be seen in public with someone like me,” I said miserably, shaking my head. “It’ll ruin him.”

Her smile was knowing. “It’ll make him.”

I had no idea how she could say that so confidently. “How?”

“Because he’ll finally be comfortable in his own skin. He’ll finally know how to prioritize his work and his personal life. And you’re not the kind of person to let him hide away in that brownstone in fear. Remember when you were in the middle of the riding lesson and you hopped off Nugget to pull the girls over to the edge of the woods to show them the way that one icicle was hanging off the tree limb?”

“It looked just like a carrot. I didn’t want them to miss it,” I said defensively. “Earl didn’t mind.”

“Pfft, of course he didn’t mind. Because you were teaching his children how to embrace life in small moments. How to see fun and beauty everywhere. You didn’t stay in the saddle to continue what was expected of you. You took an opportunity you saw to enrich others, to share the joy of life with others. That’s what Roman needs, Scotty.”

My heart felt full from her words. “Thank you,” I whispered. “That… that’s amazing. Thank you.”

“You’re going to do just fine,” Diana reassured me. “Trust me. You’re not only going to be okay, you’re going to shine. Mark my words. The press is going to fucking love you.”

I still wasn’t sure I agreed with her, but I decided for the moment to at least try to entertain the possibility that she could be right. It wasn’t like I was a complete social nincompoop—as a carriage driver I’d interacted with strangers all day long. Since a hefty amount of my income was based on tips, I’d quickly learned how to be gregarious and entertaining. It hadn’t always been easy—just like everyone else, I had bad days and rude passengers, but I couldn’t let it show. I couldn’t let one bad ride cascade into the next. Instead I’d learned to hide behind a smile and an offhand joke.