Chapter 26
NOLAN
26
Lights. Camera. Bullshit.
I stand behind the counter, pretending to polish the clean glassware as I watch this special episode of A Chance with Vance come together right here inside my bar.
There’s a small army of TV production people running around The North Node Tavern tonight with clunky headphones over their ears.
Some guy is carrying a big furry microphone, holding it high above his head. Then there are two men operating heavy-duty video cameras propped up on tall tripods.
And let’s not forget the woman traipsing around with a holster of makeup brushes, powdering and re-powdering the noses of anyone who crosses her path. I’ve been staying the hell away from that one.
From where I’m standing, I have a perfect view of the makeshift set they’ve put together at the back half of the bar. Stylish couches, fake flowers and candles every-damn-where with glowing purple lighting that bounces off the bar’s exposed brick walls. I hardly recognize the place.
I had to shut down business all day to accommodate this circus act. But the studio people wrote me a big, fat check to compensate for the inconvenience. Let’s just say my major suppliers are paid off for the rest of the year.
The money is a nice incentive. But that’s not why I agreed to this. My priority here is Inez. Being able to stand guard for her. Knowing that I can swoop in if these assholes try to overstep her boundaries. I’ve been staying on the sidelines thus far, but I’d rush into the middle of it in a heartbeat if I have to.
Right now, Inez sits beneath the beaming spotlight, looking as beautiful as ever. Karli and Daphne were here earlier, fussing over her outfit and making sure the makeup artist didn’t sabotage her makeup.
You never know with these Hollywood people. I don’t trust these television types one tiny bit.
Eventually, the girls got kicked out of here because Karli was being her over-the-top self as usual. But watching my sister and future sister-in-law looking out for Inez helped put me at ease.
I want Inez to know that my support system is her support system. She means so much to me.
But Inez is nervous now and she’s not doing a great job of hiding it. She’s taking shallow breaths and twisting her fingers in her lap in the moments before the interview is set to begin.
Even still, she looks beautiful, downright angelic with her caramel hair in a wispy updo. She’s wearing a pale blue satin dress that wraps around her body, secured at the waist with a knotted ribbon.
The cameras start rolling and the bubbly TV presenter snaps into character, putting on her fake persona. “I’m Sabrina Arborelli and tonight…the interview you’ve all been waiting for. I’m one-on-one with America’s runaway bride—Inez Machado, herself—for this special edition of A Chance with Vance.”
Inez gives the so-called journalist a guarded look. “Hi, Sabrina.”
The TV host immediately gets down to business. “So Inez, how have you been since the night of the wedding that didn’t happen?”
She asks the question with an air of concern. But I know it’s entirely fake. Because in the minutes before the cameras flicked on, Sabrina had been busy yelling at her husband over the phone and bossing the makeup artist around, not even bothering to spare Inez a glance even though they’d been sitting right across from each other on the set.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Inez starts. She forces a smile but it’s weak and tentative, and the lack of luster in her eyes tells me she’d rather be anywhere but here, under the harsh judgmental spotlight of America’s TV viewers.
“How so?” Sabrina elegantly crosses her legs and pins Inez with a look.
“I’ve struggled with a lot of guilt over my decision not to go through with the wedding.” Inez swallows. “I never wanted to hurt anyone, to disappoint anyone.”
“Well, you definitely have left a lot of people disappointed. All of America, actually.” The interviewer subtly cocks an eyebrow. “Would you say that you’re disappointed in yourself?”
I don’t know much about the rules of doing interviews, but isn’t that a leading question? That definitely sounds like a leading question. She’s not supposed to ask that.
Inez takes it in good stride. “I’m disappointed in how things unfolded. But ultimately, I know I made the right decision. For myself and for Vance.”
Sabrina chuckles snarkily. “I’m not sure how Vance would feel about that statement.”
A video of Mr. Hollywood starts playing on a nearby screen. It’s that clip where Vance is crying and claiming that Inez is the love of his life.
Re-watching the video now, Inez looks devastated. She sits there, her mouth opening and closing, like she’s not sure what to say. She just plucks at the beaded bracelet secured around her wrist. It’s the friendship bracelet that she made with Stella and me at home last week.
When the stylist had suggested that she remove it before tonight’s taping began, Inez had politely declined. She simply stated that it’s her lucky bracelet and that she’d be keeping it, thank you very much.
Knowing that she decided to keep a piece of my daughter with her during this interview makes me feel even more protective of her. Knowing how important my little girl is to Inez makes me feel like she’s mine to protect.
After watching Inez squirm for a moment, Sabrina speaks again. “Have you spoken to Vance since your wedding night?”
“No,” she responds softly. “I had a brief conversation with him before I left the wedding venue but we haven’t spoken since.”
“So you mean you haven’t taken Vance’s calls…?” Sabrina smirks like she thinks she’s backed Inez into a corner.
“I mean he hasn’t called,” Inez clarifies, holding her shoulders high. I can tell that she’s already tired of letting this woman push her around. “To be fair, I have a new phone number, but my email address is the same. In fact, I reached out to him to offer closure but he never replied. He hasn’t tried contacting me on social media, either.”
Sabrina’s thin eyebrow rises challengingly. “So you’re implying that Vance isn’t as devastated as America thinks he is? You’re saying that he’s faking it?” Damn—this woman is being downright hostile. Every fiber of my being wants to swoop onto that set and get Inez out of there. But I know she wouldn’t appreciate that. In fact, I’d probably only embarrass her, and I don’t want to do that.
“I’m not implying anything,” Inez says firmly. “And I’m not in a position to comment on how Vance feels, because as I’ve previously stated, we haven’t been in communication.”
I spit out an angry grunt. Eyes swing to me where I’m still behind the bar, wiping the counter again and again with my dirty rag. One of those headset guys shoots me a stern look. I glare right back.
Let’s be real here—if that Vance asshole really wanted Inez, if he valued her, he would have made the effort to come after her. Instead, he’s been on every television outlet, crying and trying to gain sympathy. The man is after clout. That’s all there is to it.
Sabrina speaks again. “Inez, what would you say to all the people who are asking why—why did you walk away from the most eligible bachelor in the country?”
Inez sighs and from where I’m standing, I can see her breaking down under the weight of Sabrina’s harsh judgment. “Marrying him didn’t feel right in my heart,” she says weakly.
The interviewer has the nerve to laugh. In fact, the rest of the crew snickers right along with her. “You left Vance Cavendish at the altar because it ‘didn’t feel right in your heart’?” Sabrina makes air-quotes with her long, manicured fingers.
At this point, I’m done standing back here, pretending to mind my business. I walk around the counter and step up to where the filming crew is working, positioning myself where Inez can see me. I want to silently remind her that she’s not alone. At least one person in this room is on her side.
She looks my way. With all the light beaming down in her face, I’m not even sure that she can see me. But then I see the tiny smile that curls the corners of her lips as her eyes linger in my direction. “My gut told me to run, so I ran. And I have no regrets about that now. A wise man once told me that following my intuition is a good enough reason.”
“Your gut?” Sabrina all but spits out.
Inez confidently brings her eyes back to the interviewer. “Yes. My gut. Women are constantly encouraged to grin and bear it. To downplay our discomfort. To suffer in silence even when it’s killing us inside.” She sighs. “Maybe I’m a bit of a people pleaser, like society expects me to be. I didn’t want to let anyone down. But this is marriage we’re talking about. It’s a big deal. I couldn’t enter into a lifelong commitment if it didn’t feel right.”
“And you didn’t realize this until after you accepted Vance’s engagement ring?” Sabrina is implying that Inez went on the show for fame. She doesn’t have to say the words out loud but she’s definitely implying it.
“No, I didn’t realize that until after I accepted Vance’s engagement ring, because I was too busy trying to fit myself into a box that just wasn’t meant for me,” Inez says firmly. “I went on that show, looking for love, and at some point, I came to the harsh realization that Vance wasn’t the one. So out of respect for him and for myself, I walked away. How about we normalize encouraging each other to trust our intuition, even when it doesn’t perfectly align with society’s expectations? How about that?”
Sabrina’s nostrils flare and she rolls her eyes. Talk about journalistic integrity. Neutral and unbiased reporting, my ass.
Bold and confident, Inez continues. “I do want Vance to know that I’m deeply sorry for the pain I caused him. Hurting him was never my intention. But in the long run, calling off the wedding is what was best for us both. End of story.”
On that, she gracefully rises from her seat, removes the microphone clipped to her dress and shakily walks off the set.
One of the producers starts to stomp after her. “Inez! We’re not done here—”
I cut across his path, towering over him and staring him down. “Oh, we’re done here. Time for you to leave.”