The Game (Wagered Hearts Series, #3)(55)

"Thank you for bringing me this dress," I said once I'd changed back to my black tights and sweater. "If I'm going to be out at all, I might as well look good, right?"

"Exactly. What made you decide to go anyway?" she asked. "I mean if I were in your shoes, I'd probably stay home and throw myself a little pity party."

"I thought about it," I laughed. "But then I figured, why not go? I had to come out of hiding some time, and I might as well make as grand an entrance as possible."

"I'm glad to see you back to your old self. Some of the stories they ran--" she gave a visible shudder.

"Thank God I avoided most of those," I said. "But at the end of the day, it's all just words."

"That's a good attitude to have. Lord knows I couldn't come out of it as unscathed as you."

"I'm not perfect--don't get me wrong--but maybe for the first time in my life I realize what's really important. I've been so one track minded for most of my life, thinking I had to toe the line and be a certain way for people to accept me and take my work seriously. But look how that turned out for me. I'd tried to do everything perfect, but in the end, it all blew up in my face. The people I thought were on my side were the quickest to turn on me. Now, I'm just going to be myself, and f**k whoever doesn't like it."

"Bravo!" Mel said clapping. "That's the spirit. You'll be back on top in no time, I can guarantee it."

Mel stood awkwardly and bit her bottom lip as if she were trying to work up the courage to say something.

"I'm just going to cut right to the chase. I've spoken to Rob," she said. She paused, watching to see how I would react to the news. I really wasn't too surprised by it. Maybe deep down, I'd expected her to do that. And maybe that's why I called her to dress me for the awards in the first place. Seeing that I wasn't kicking up a fuss, ready to throw her out, she continued.




"He'd like to see you. He asked me to help him set up a meeting."

There it was. I let the words sink in, trying to work out how I felt about it. I couldn't help feeling pleased and a little curious about what he had to say to me. After the way he acted at his parent's party, I was sure I never wanted to see him again. Then when he didn't bother refuting the stories that ran about us, I thought he'd finally thrown in the towel as well.

"What should I tell him?" Mel asked.

"I need a little more time," I said. "I mean, I'm not totally against it, but I'm just not ready yet."

"You don't have to explain it to me," she said. "Take all the time you need. I'm surprised, though. I thought I'd have to use my Jedi mind tricks to get you to agree," she said.

"Maybe a few weeks ago," I laughed.

"But what changed your mind?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe I just want to hear what he has to say."

Over the past several weeks, my initial anger had turned to a dull kind of pain. Even though my parents and even Charlotte had suggested that there was more to Rob and my relationship--that he was as into me as I was of him--I tried to ignore them. What good would it do, after all? I felt betrayed by him, and that was a hard thing to get over.

Even though technically our relationship was only for show, he must have known I had feelings for him, and yet that didn't stop him from treating me like dirt and ultimately exposing our arrangement.

I couldn't be too mad at him, though. He had tried to warn me many times and he made no secret of the fact it wasn't real. It was my own fault for not listening, or thinking I could change his mind somehow.

In the end, I only had myself to blame. Now I had to put on my big girl panties and act like a professional. Ending things with Rob the way I did by walking out on him and his family left a bad taste in my mouth. At the very least, we could still be cordial to one another. That was what I wanted right now, I just needed to steel my heart against hoping for anything more.

"I'll let him know then," Mel said. "I'm sure he's anxious to see you again."

"Ok, I'll let you know when I decide," I said, feeling more than a little anxious myself.

***

Ever since Mel had left, I'd been thinking about meeting with Rob nonstop. I knew it needed to be done. I'd kept him hanging long enough, but it had just been easier to put it off for another day. Then that turned into another day, and another, until it had been a week and I still hadn't been able to muster the courage to make the call.

Sure, I told myself that I'd been busy. That was partly true. I'd arrived back in LA a few days ago. After being holed away at my parents, I'd gotten used to the relative privacy there. My family had formed a protective shield against outsiders, and any paparazzi or journalists milling around too close learned very quickly not to hang around or mess with my family.

So coming back to LA was a pain in the ass. When I got off the plane and headed out of the airport, the paparazzi were waiting out in swarms. I had no idea who had tipped them off, but it had been a shock to the system to see them all there with their cameras clicking away.

On top of dealing with that, Charlotte, Arnie and I had been discussing how to handle my reemergence at the awards show. I'd been laying low long enough, and now it was time to make my big splashy appearance. Arnie was adamant against my meeting with Rob.