2. Lauren
CHAPTER 2
LAUREN
O n the way to her mom’s victory speech, Lauren couldn’t help but wonder why it was that the best-looking men always seemed to have the worst personalities. The ridiculous bodyguard her mom had sent to escort her to the event was a perfect example of the trend. There was no arguing he was a snack, despite the grumpy expression that seemed to be permanently glued to his face. He was fit, too. His haircut and the way he carried himself gave her some indication he had a history with the military.
There was so much to like about him physically that his personality would have to be the absolute worst in order to counteract it. Somehow, though, he managed it. She’d be impressed if she wasn’t so irritated right now. Why did she need a chaperone anyway? Hadn’t she proven to her mom that she could be well-behaved enough to attend events without a babysitter? You would think years of being a perfect angel would get her somewhere on the trust-o-meter, but nope.
“Doughnuts,” she said. “We’ll stop for doughnuts three blocks down. The rule goes like this — every time I have to do something I’d rather go to the dentist than do, I get a treat.”
Her chaperone rolled his eyes at her. “Does it ever occur to you that if you behaved less like a child, you might be treated more like an adult?”
Lauren’s mouth fell open. She was far from above provoking the chaperones her mom occasionally sent her — just for fun, of course — but none of them ever rose to the bait this quickly. What was the fun if there was no challenge? This Wesley character was way too easy to troll. “Will you take a bribe, then?” she said when she’d gotten over her shock.
“Absolutely not.”
“What if it came in the form of delicious cream filling?” She winked at him.
Wesley sighed. “If I stop at a doughnut place, will you promise to leave me alone for the rest of the trip?”
“Deal!” She said, and as they turned into the doughnut shop, she added, “Coffee?” And she could have sworn she saw him almost, almost crack a smile. So he wasn’t completely one-dimensional in the end. Maybe she would just have to get to him from a different angle.
When they got to the gala, Lauren insisted on finishing her coffee while they were still in the car. It had heated seats after all, but Wesley was clearly not happy.
“We’re already extremely late,” he grumbled.
“Oh, Mom never starts her speeches on time,” Lauren said after swallowing her last bite of doughnut. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I have to worry about it.” Wesley turned to glare, and Lauren couldn’t help noticing how blue his eyes were in contrast to his darker colored hair. “It’s my job.”
“Oh, fine,” she said with a sigh. Then she threw back the rest of her coffee like it was in a red plastic cup and she was at someone else’s college party.
The gala was held at the swankiest hotel in Manhattan. It was all wine-colored carpets and marble and gold. The ceilings were about a mile high, and the chandeliers were so big that they looked like they would kill someone if they ever fell. The place was a palace, which Lauren always felt was over the top. She tossed her cup and glanced over at her chaperone.
His posture had gotten significantly more rigid, which she would have sworn was impossible after seeing him in her apartment. Apparently, he was even less comfortable in this environment than she was. Point in his favor.
As soon as they entered the ballroom, Lauren’s real smile faded, and she quickly put on her fake one to replace it. This was the mask she wore at all her mom’s events. She’d perfected the disguise over the years, and by now, it was foolproof. No one knew who she really was, not anymore.
When she was a child, Lauren had quickly learned that she was some kind of asset to her mom’s career. It was never acknowledged aloud, but she felt it in every public interaction she had. As a teenager, she’d risen up and fought it the only way she knew how — by doing the opposite of everything her mom wanted her to do. She went to every party she was invited to and several more she wasn’t invited to. She’d tried everything and partied like there was no tomorrow.
It was a typical rebellious phase, but her mom had paid the price for it and Lauren had to watch the fallout. The guilt she felt had been no small thing. One thing Lauren had always respected about her mom was the woman’s ambition. Despite Lauren’s father not being in their lives, Anne Bartlett had fought for her dreams and been a mom on top of it all. She wasn’t perfect, but she tried. Watching her heart break when the tabloids and her constituents blamed her for Lauren’s behavior had taught Lauren a vital lesson. There was a price to pay for every mistake Lauren made, and she couldn’t ever really guarantee that she would be the one to pay it.
The idea of someone else paying for her mistakes made Lauren fall in line and never fall out of it again.
“Lauren Bartlett.” Lauren turned to see who was addressing her. A man from her mom’s campaign team held out his hand with a huge smile on his face. Lauren shook it but struggled to remember the man’s name. “You must be so pleased about your mother’s win.”
“Pleased but not surprised, I’d say.” Lauren gave him her best political grin. “And thank you so much for your part in her success. She couldn’t have done it without you and the rest of her team.”
“Gracious as always,” the man said. “See you around, Ms. Bartlett.” He turned away and Lauren was left to schmooze with the rest of the crowd. She shook way too many hands, and thanked way too many team members, never losing her perfect smile. It was a soul-sucking process, but it helped her mom. And maybe, just maybe, it would make up for the damage she had done in the past.
Lauren found a seat during her mom’s introduction, and Wesley followed and sat beside her like he was her actual shadow. “I’m here safe,” she muttered to him. “You can do your own thing now.”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “Your mother’s instructions were clear. I’m to deliver you to her directly after her speech. Until then, you’re under my protection.”
“That’s a little much.” Lauren crossed her arms and frowned. “She’s never been this protective before.”
Wesley shrugged. “There are people out there who aren’t very happy she won. She’s just making sure you stay safe, even though it’s probably unnecessary. You can’t fault a mother for being overprotective.”
Lauren knew she couldn’t argue with that, so she chose not to try. Instead, she watched as her mom took the stage. She applauded at all the right times, cheered when she was expected to, and was sure to smile every time she saw the cameras pointed her way. Everything was so fake, and however hard Lauren tried to roll with it, sometimes it got to be too much. Halfway through the speech, she got up to go to the bathroom. And halfway to the bathroom, she noticed she wasn’t alone. Her shadow had followed her, as shadows do.
“You’re not going to join me in the bathroom, are you?” she said to him without turning around.
“My instructions were clear.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. When they got to the bathroom, Wesley darted in front of her and went in first.
“What are you doing?” Lauren shouted after him.
“Clearing the room,” he called back. Then she heard, “Everybody finish up. This restroom is closed.”
Lauren cringed, and apologized to each person as they exited the bathroom. Once the room was cleared, Wesley held the door for her and gestured for her to go on in. Lauren groaned. “Thanks, I guess.” Then he followed her in and closed and locked the door.
“Really?” she said. “I can’t even go to the bathroom alone? Are you going to follow me in to the stall, too?”
“I hadn’t planned on it.” He almost smiled, which was a shock in itself. “Would you like me to?”
“Funny,” she said, scowling at him.
“It wasn’t a joke. My job is to keep you safe, so that’s what I’m going to do right up until your mother’s speech is over. Then I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Thank God for small favors.” Lauren pulled out her phone, started her favorite playlist, and cranked it to full volume. Then she handed it to Wesley. “Hold this for me.”
When she was finished, she washed her hands and took her phone back. Wesley went to unlock the door, but she stopped him. “Why?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at her.
“I just need a minute to breathe.” She leaned back against the counter and closed her eyes. These events always drained her, and sometimes she needed to take a minute to recharge.
Wesley leaned back against the door and gave her half a smile. “Tired of the act, are you? Not that I blame you.”
Lauren’s eyes snapped open, and she turned to give him a discerning look. No chance he could read her mind, but he may as well have. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged. “Take it as a compliment. You nailed it. I was almost convinced you were enjoying every minute of this nonsense.”
“Bold words. You’re lucky I’m not secretly recording them. My mom would have you fired for sure.”
He shook his head. “Your mother only cares about one thing — your safety. I don’t have to care about any of this pageantry. In fact, she probably prefers that I don’t. Less distraction that way. But the revelation that you don’t care about it either is new. I’ve got to say, your acting skills are top notch.”
Lauren sighed and pocketed her phone. “I should hope so. Acting is the only thing I’ve ever been good at.”
“I doubt that.”
“Well, it’s true.” Her shoulders slumped. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever really wanted to do with my life. But I had to put it on hold…” She clenched a fist. “For her. Anyway, it helps to think of events like these as practice. I don’t love getting typecast, though.” She forced another smile.
“You could always make the role more interesting. Throw a bit more sincerity into it.”
Lauren laughed at that. “Absolutely not. That’s how you lose yourself for real. I’m no method actor.”
“I have no idea what that means, and I can’t tell you how little I care.” Wesley unlocked the bathroom door and opened it. “Now, let’s stop bogarting the bathroom. Some people might need it for real.”
“Ugh, you were sent by my mom. You even sound like her.” She pushed past him and into the hall.
Her shadow followed. “I take that as a compliment,” he said.
Right before they entered the ballroom, right before Lauren had to become her political persona again, she snapped at him. “Suck up harder. Maybe she’ll promote you, and you won’t be stuck with me anymore.” And before he could respond to that, she walked on ahead to the ballroom and took her seat again. Her mother was still speaking, but her speech would be done soon. Anne Bartlett always sent her speeches to her daughter to read, and Lauren never failed to read them. It helped to see how hard her mom worked to remind Lauren of what she was sacrificing her freedom for. She looked up to her mother — she really did — and she believed in the big things her mom was trying to do. Next to a senator, someone trying to be an actor seemed so unimportant.
Her mom finished her speech and the crowd erupted in applause. The room was full of optimistic energy, and it was Lauren’s mom who had created it. Well, her mom and her mom’s speech writers created it. Probably, the decorators and event planners had something to do with it, too. Leaving out the wait staff would be a mistake. And who else? Not security. Definitely not security.
Wesley stood along with everyone else. “Let’s head backstage,” he said.
She walked with him, weaving around the chairs, toward the back where her mom was celebrating with her staff. Lauren and Wesley dodged hugs, high fives, and vigorous handshakes. As soon as her mom saw Lauren, she came in with a huge hug. “My baby finally made it! Was traffic an issue, honey?”
The volume her mom asked the question at told Lauren what her answer was supposed to be. The only acceptable reason for her to have shown up late was traffic. It definitely wasn’t procrastination, followed by a lost shoe, followed by a quick doughnut stop. Part of her was grateful to her mom for giving her an out, but another part of her missed the days when she would have just told the truth without letting it bother her. “Traffic was awful, Mom. But I’m so glad I made it in time to hear your speech.”
“I’m so glad, too,” her mom said with a huge smile. “Would you and your chaperone step aside with me for a moment? I have something to discuss with you.”
Without hesitation, Wesley nodded and followed her. Lauren was less sure of what they were getting themselves into. Of course, it wasn’t like she really had a choice. She’d been falling in line for so many years that, these days, it was almost automatic. Everything she’d sacrificed to help her mom’s career was a sunk cost to her now, and she wasn’t about to throw everything away.
They walked together down a hall with Anne Bartlett and some of her security detail. Once they were alone, Anne’s smile fell, and she was all business. “Your name is Wesley Pierce, correct?” she said, holding out a hand to him.
Wesley shook her hand and answered, “Yes, ma’am.”
Lauren arched an eyebrow at her mom. Something was up, no doubt about it.
“It’s great to finally get acquainted with you,” Anne said. “I have an assignment for you.” Wesley stood at attention, apparently ready for anything. “There have been some concerning rumors floating around on the internet. Until intelligence has pinpointed where it’s coming from and whether it’s a true threat, I want you to stay with my daughter.”
Suddenly, Wesley looked a lot less sure of himself, and Lauren let herself enjoy his confusion for a second until it sank in that this involved her, too. “Your daughter, ma’am?”
“Yes, Lauren here. She’s to be under twenty-four-hour security. Don’t leave her alone. I’m leaving you in charge of this. Please, see to it that my daughter stays safe.”
Though she was pretty sure her mom missed it, Lauren saw Wesley’s grimace. Admittedly, she was feeling the same. It sounded like her mom was assigning her a personal bodyguard, a permanent shadow. Her shadow would follow her to every single performance she gave, every audition. Even if she got a part, the rest of the cast would only attribute it to her mom’s influence. Walking around with personal security was going to be a nightmare. Especially this personal security.
After his initial grimace, Wesley revealed nothing. “It will be my pleasure, ma’am.”
Lauren clenched a fist and grit her teeth. This was going to be hell.
“Mom,” she hissed. “I can’t be running around with a bodyguard all the time. It’s going to be a really bad look for me.”
“How so?” her mom asked, oblivious as always.
“My auditions? They’ll call me a nepo baby .”
Her mom shrugged. “So what if you are? Use all the advantages you’re given, honey. You’re not out there trying to make friends. You’re out there to win.”
Lauren glared hard at her mom. She’d always been a frustrating woman, but this was beyond the usual helicopter-mom attitude. “It might shock you to know that I am out there trying to make friends. Networking is part of it, and friends are nice to have.” Then she muttered, “Not that you would know.”
Anne briefly rolled her eyes. “Then tell everyone he’s your boyfriend, I don’t know. Come up with something, but he’s going to be assigned to you whether you like it or not.”
“That’s probably the worst idea you’ve ever had,” Lauren shot back.
“Then you come up with a better one.” Anne shrugged. “Either way, enjoy your new bodyguard. Later, Lauren.” She stepped toward the door and turned back once to say, “You’ll thank me for this one day. Trust me.” And then she walked out of the room.