Three Little Wishes

Chapter Twenty-Three

Camilla sat cross-legged on her bed, waiting for her call to Gail to connect. They’d both been busy the past couple of days, Gail with contract negotiations with Lilianna Rose’s parents and Camilla with her family. Admittedly, Camilla had been spending quite a bit of time in her bedroom, catching up on sleep. Staying in character 24-7 was exhausting. She’d been tempted to confess that she’d regained her memory several times, but she couldn’t do it. Not with her sister Gia making it clear that she wanted her gone.

She didn’t blame her. Camilla knew she had a lot to make up for, not only with Gia but also with her daughter. Noah and Riley too. But her sister, who’d once been easygoing and the peacemaker of the family, had turned into an unforgiving hard-ass. Their relationship wasn’t showing any sign of improving. If anything, it was getting worse.

“Hey, sorry I missed your call earlier,” Camilla said as soon as Gail picked up.

“You haven’t been online, have you?”

“No. What’s going on?” She held her breath, praying that photos of her in Sunshine Bay hadn’t surfaced.

“About two hours ago, TMZ broke the news that Hugh’s PA Emily and your ex’s girlfriend, Giselle, aren’t BFFs like you suspected. They’re lovers. There’s a video online of them making out last night at the Polo Bar in NYC. It’s already gone viral.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding. The news wasn’t as bad as she’d feared, but it wasn’t good either. “As much as I want to say, ‘Karma is a bitch’ and laugh my ass off that Jeff got exactly what he deserves, I can’t help worrying that somehow this will blow back on me. You know as well as I do that an unhappy Jeff doesn’t bode well for me.”

“I do, and knowing Jeff as well as you do—”

“You probably know him better than me. You saw through him from the beginning.”

“I’ll refrain from saying I told you so.”

“Oh please, you’ve been saying it for the past year.”

“I have, haven’t I?” Gail laughed. “Well, let’s hope I’m wrong this time because you don’t need something else to deal with, but my guess is you’ll be hearing from him within the next seventy-two hours.”

“I’ve already heard from him, remember? He wanted to crow about Giselle getting the part of Rachel West. Honestly, I don’t know what Hugh was thinking.”

“He won’t be crowing the next time you hear from him. He’ll be declaring his undying love for you, putting the entire blame for your breakup on Giselle. He’s going to crucify her in the press.”

“You’re probably right. He’s such a snake. I feel sorry for Giselle, and Pinky, as surprising as that may be.”

“It isn’t surprising, not to me. You’re one of the most compassionate and forgiving women I know.”

“I’m sure I can find a hundred people who would disagree with you,” she said, cocking her head at the sound of voices wending their way upstairs. “Sounds like the gang is all home. I’d better go. I’ve spent the past three hours in my bedroom. They’re going to start wondering what I’m doing up here.” She’d planned on going down when the demon dog woke her up with his incessant barking, but then she’d heard Sage swearing and hadn’t wanted to face her niece without backup. She wasn’t up for another round of twenty questions.

“Do me a favor and call Hugh. He texted again this morning, checking up on you,” Gail said.

She knew he was worried about her. He’d sent her a couple of texts. The first one had been to let her know Giselle had gotten the part. He’d been sweet and apologetic and told her to give him a call.

“He still has no idea about the accident? Nothing has leaked in the press?” Camilla asked.

“He has no idea. No one does. But I have received several requests for a comment from you about Giselle and Pinky, so you’ll need to be careful. And if Jeff frames this the way I think he will, the paparazzi will be hunting you down.”

“He’s the gift that keeps on giving, isn’t he?”

After they’d said their goodbyes and disconnected, a thought came to Camilla. She grinned and texted Gail. “What do you think of me hiring Pinky as my new PA?” she typed, adding several laughing emoji.

“Brilliant!!! And I’m being serious. But we both know Hugh. He’ll stand by Pinky and Giselle. Call him!!”

“Texting him now, Mom.”

She responded to his last text. “Sorry it’s taken so long for me to respond! A few things came up that I had to deal with. I’m sure you’re snowed under with the breaking Giselle-and-Pinky news. I hope it doesn’t prove too much of a distraction. Thanks for checking up on me. You can take me out for a drink when you get your Oscar nom.”

As she got off the bed, her phone rang. She frowned at the screen. It was Hugh. She connected the call, and his deep voice came over the line. “Pinky?”

She laughed. “Emily of the pink hair.”

“Ah, it’s purple now.” She heard the smile in his voice. “So are you going to tell me what’s really been going on? And don’t give me the ‘things came up’ line, Cami. You’re the ultimate professional, and you missed the read-through with Clive.”

For some reason, it hit her just then that the only people in her world who didn’t call her Camilla were Hugh and Gail. And if the other people who mattered most to her called her Cami, maybe it was time that she did too. Maybe it would reconnect her to the girl she used to be. The girl who’d had big dreams and who’d lived life to the fullest, enjoying every moment as if it were a precious gift. She wanted to be that Cami again.

She crawled back onto her bed and leaned against the pillows. Maybe it was that warm, sexy voice of his and the fact that she’d considered him a friend for more than fifteen years, or maybe it was because her life was such a mess and she was feeling a little lost, but whatever the reason, she decided to confide in Hugh. She trusted him, and the people she trusted were few and far between.

“How much time do you have?” she asked.

“For you, all the time in the world.”

“How did you and I never hook up?”

“You were either married or getting married.”

“I’m an idiot.”

“You might not have the best taste in men, but you’re far from an idiot. Now stop trying to distract me and tell me what’s going on.”

She did. She told him everything from how she’d gotten pregnant at seventeen to where she was now, trying to make things right. The one thing she didn’t tell him about was Will and the part she’d played in his death.

Other than offering a murmured word of comfort when she got a little emotional, Hugh mostly stayed quiet.

“So there you have it. The messy, complicated story of my life.”

“I get first option on the movie rights.”

She laughed. “I’m not writing my life story, Hugh.”

“I’m begging you. Please, write this story.”

“You’re serious?”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

“First off, I’m not a writer. Second, I couldn’t open myself up like that. People would crucify me.”

“You’ve been in the business long enough to know that some will, but people need stories like yours, Cami. They need someone like you, a gorgeous woman who seems to have it all, to show them that no one’s perfect, that you’ve been knocked down and got back up, that your mistakes don’t define you, and that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. We can talk about the actual writing of the book. I think you can do it, and I’d like to see you give it a try. I’m happy to read your first few chapters. But I know several authors who’ve worked on celebrity biographies.”

“I can’t believe that not only do you want me to do this, but you think I can.”

“The Cami Monroe I know can do anything she sets her mind to.”

“There’s more to the story, Hugh. I’ve never told anyone. It’s ugly, and it’s… it’s unforgivable. If anyone found out, I could be in serious trouble.”

“Hang on a sec.” She heard him talking to someone in the background. “As you know, I have a situation to deal with here, but as soon as everything calms down, I’m coming to you.”

“Hugh, no. You’re busy. You don’t have to drop everything to come hold my hand. I’m fine, honestly.”

“I’m not coming to hold your hand, Cami. I’m coming to convince you that you need to write your story, and to hear the part of it that you haven’t shared with anyone.”

“I can’t, Hugh. I can’t tell anyone, not even you,” she said, the panic coming out in her voice.

“You don’t have to tell me, but I’m still coming.”

“You’re busy!”

“Cami, for the first time since I’ve known you, you’re not in a relationship. Do you really think I’m going to risk you meeting someone before I can convince you to give me a chance?”

She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest, tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn’t deserve a man like Hugh in her life. He was beautiful inside and out. So she did the only thing she knew that would convince him she wasn’t worth it. She told him about the night she’d killed Will Bennett.

When she was finished, she buried her face in the pillow. Over her muffled sobs, she heard him swear and waited for the sound of him disconnecting.

Instead, his voice came over the line, deep and pissed off. “Baby, your sense of timing sucks.”

“I… What?” She sat up and wiped her eyes.

“You know what I’m dealing with, Cami. It’s not like I can charter a plane and come to you. My phone is blowing up, I have producers losing their minds, and—”

“After everything I just told you, you still want to see me?”

He blew out a breath. “Someone’s just walked in so I can’t say what I want to. But nothing you could tell me would change my mind about you or what I want with you. I’ll call you tonight.”

She heard someone yelling in the background seconds before Hugh disconnected, and she stared at the phone, stunned that what she’d told him hadn’t changed his mind about her. And then, under the shock and disbelief, a tiny flicker of hope rose inside her. It had been a long time since she’d felt hopeful about anything, and it scared the hell out of her.

Her fingers trembling, she texted the person she turned to in moments like this. “I talked to Hugh. Gail, he likes me. He really, really likes me. Me!” She pressed Send and then closed her eyes after rereading what she’d sent. She sounded seventeen. She was about to text Gail to just ignore her when her phone rang.

As soon as she connected the call, Gail said, “On a scale of one to ten, how scared are you?”

“Twenty.”

“That’s what I figured. Now, for once in your life, you’re going to listen to me, Cami. If you blow this because you don’t think you deserve that man, I am coming to kick your ass, and I’ll kick it all the way around Sunshine Bay.”

“Are you going to wear your pointy shoes?” Cami asked, half laughing, half sobbing. “I told him everything, Gail. Things I’ve never told anyone, not even you, and he didn’t care.”

“Of course you did. You’re the queen of self-sabotage.”

“No, I’m not. I’m queen of the mean girls.”

“You like to pretend you’re queen of the mean girls. Although I have to admit, you have gotten much better at putting the trolls in their place over the past ten years. You can’t see me, but I’m rubbing my knuckles on my chest. I’ve taught you well.”

“You have. I couldn’t have become queen of mean without you.” She wiped her eyes. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Gail. I love you, you know. You’re my best friend.”

“Cami! Damn it, you’ve made me cry, and I don’t cry! I knew this would happen. I never should’ve told you about the job offer.”

“Don’t you even think of backing out. I’ll call Lilianna Rose’s family myself. You are taking that job or I’ll come kick your ass all around New York City, and my shoes are way pointer than yours.” After the two of them stopped laugh-crying, Cami said, “You need to know what I told Hugh. I should’ve told you years ago, but I didn’t want to lose you. I didn’t want you to hate me.”

“Cami, there’s nothing you could tell me, absolutely nothing, that would make me love you any less than I do.”

After Cami finished telling Gail about that night, she heard her sniff before clearing her throat. “I always knew there had to be a reason why you kept dating, and marrying, men who didn’t deserve you. And it wasn’t just about the men you gravitated toward. You’ve been punishing yourself for thirty years, and it stops now. What happened to Will was horrible, but it wasn’t your fault. It was a tragic accident.”

“I don’t know how you can say that, Gail. I told him I’d stay awake. He wouldn’t have been on the road that night if it wasn’t for me. If I—”

“Enough. I’m serious, Cami. Enough. You can’t change what happened. But somehow, someway, you have to come to terms with this. We’ll figure it out. We’ll get you into therapy with the therapist who diagnosed you with PTSD. She couldn’t help you before because you didn’t tell her about the accident. She’ll be able to help you now.”

“I have to make amends for what I did. I have to—” A knock on her door cut her off, and Cami whispered into the phone, “I’ve gotta go.”