Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Okay, you’re seriously glowing. It’s kind of annoying.” Rachel plopped down on the sofa next to me.
“You’re one to talk,” I said. “When we first met, I didn’t think it was possible to see you smile this much.”
She bit her lip. “My mom really liked him,” she said quietly.
I bumped my knee into hers. “I’m happy for you. You and Arnie make a lot of sense together.”
Trace walked in wordlessly and sank into the couch on the other side of Rachel, resting her head on Rachel’s shoulder.
Rachel glanced at me and frowned.
Trace sighed loudly. “Don’t stop talking on my account. I’m numb to any pain.”
Wincing, I sat forward so I could see her face. Gone was the redness caused by her free-flowing tears from earlier. Now she just looked dull and over it.
“The family meetings didn’t go well?” I asked, already knowing the answer .
“About as awful as you could have expected. My mom was so nice to him and asked what I did wrong?—”
“You didn’t do anything wrong!” Rachel and I exclaimed in unison.
“Tell that to my mother,” Trace said. “Anyway, Danny at least had the decency to defend me. He said it wasn’t anything I’d done, he just wasn’t ready . Whatever that tired and overdone cliché even means.”
“And his mom?” Rachel asked.
I was almost scared to hear the answer.
Trace’s bottom lip quivered. “She was amazingly sweet, of course. Said she already loved me and cried when Danny told her it wasn’t going to work out. She basically sobbed and called him an idiot and told him he needed to settle down and stop risking his life for fun. And I just sat there awkwardly, trying not to cry. As soon as Brady called cut, Danny pretty much ran away from me and I haven’t seen him since.”
“He’s a coward, Trace. I’m so sorry,” Rachel said.
“He’s missing out,” I added. “You can see it all over his face. He already regrets letting you go.”
Trace hung her head. “It doesn’t matter whether he regrets it or not. I’m heartbroken all the same. Getting through the finale tomorrow is going to be miserable. I can’t wait to be home with a very large glass of wine and a cold compress over my eyes.”
Heels clicked through the room announcing Sofia before she appeared in our circle and sat in one of the armchairs perpendicular to the sofa. We fell quiet and she huffed out a disgruntled sigh.
“You’re seriously going to just sit there in silence because I’m here?” she questioned.
“How was meeting Grant’s family?” Rachel asked, her tone somehow both snarky and sweet at the same time .
Sofia twisted a piece of her hair. “Oh, it was amazing,” she gushed sarcastically. “Totally made me fall for him.”
The corner of Trace’s mouth turned up. “At least you’re in a good mood.”
Sofia analyzed her nails. “It was great catching up with my friends—the ones who signed me up for this. I was kind of stressed about how that whole Eli thing would play out on TV, but apparently people like how strong I am. I have, like, three hundred thousand followers now.”
“And that’s really what this is all about,” Rachel responded dryly.
“Exactly,” Sofia agreed.
“I’m glad it all worked out,” I offered.
Sofia waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, consider everything that happened between us water under the bridge. I’m so beyond over it.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I feel the same way.” While I didn’t care about or need any absolution from Sofia, it still felt good to end this experience with completely cleared air.
“So, how did meeting the big movie star go?” asked Sofia.
“And how was seeing your sister?” Trace added.
“Seeing Piper was great. I’d missed her and she loves Eli.”
“Who wouldn’t? The guy is sickeningly charming,” Rachel said.
“And as for his dad...well...it went.” I didn’t want to say too much for fear of it being aired. “He didn’t disapprove, at least.”
“I’m sure he’s just glad his son is keeping it in his pants,” Sofia said.
“Shut it, Sofia,” Rachel warned.
“It’s fine. Eli was really reassuring through everything. I feel good about it—about us. ”
“If that’s really all true, I’m happy for you.” Trace smiled but apprehension still flickered in her eyes. Her warning days ago—about what Danny had overheard—felt like it was from a different lifetime. I appreciated her having my back, but if there was anything I had learned through this experience, it was that I had to take risks. I could no longer go through life scared of my own shadow. That hadn’t gotten me anywhere.
“Sorry to interrupt, Calla, but we’re ready for you,” Brady said from behind the couch. I hadn’t even heard him approach.
“Guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” I waved.
Echoes of “Bye, Calla” followed as I went with Brady.
Surprisingly, I felt a surge of emotion as I walked away from them. The days of unwinding in that lounge with the people I’d met here were about to be over. The word ‘bittersweet’ came to mind. While I still felt like I couldn’t get out of here fast enough, I’d be forever grateful for my time at the lodge. It had already healed me in a lot of ways.
We arrived at a closed door. Brady jiggled the handle, but it was locked. “Huh, that’s weird. Calla, you wait here while I track down the key.”
Leaning against the wall, I let my eyes drift closed for a moment, ready to get this over with. But the sound of an argument down the hall had me snapping them open again.
Was that Eli?
There was no one in sight so I cautiously moved toward the sounds of hushed discussion. A door was ajar at the end of the hallway and Eli’s voice spilled out.
“I don’t give a shit about your approval,” Eli said.
“That’s not what you said when you agreed to this whole charade.” That was his dad.
I held my breath as I eavesdropped shamelessly .
“ Dad, I’ll do anything if you just let me make my screenplay ,” Tim said, sounding like he was mocking Eli. “You were desperate.”
“Desperate for you to take me seriously for once in my goddamn life,” Eli snapped back.
“Let’s all just calm down.” I recognized Shay’s forceful voice. What was she doing there? “This whole thing is almost over and it all worked out. America has been loving Eli and Calla together.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up at the sound of my name.
“I have to hand it to you, Shay,” Tim continued. “She’s perfect. Those big innocent doe eyes? Plus, that tragic story. She was the ideal choice to garner Eli some likability.”
“Dad!” Eli barked threateningly.
What the hell were they talking about? A pit formed in my stomach. I was terrified of what I would hear next, but my feet remained rooted in place.
“The voting so far hasn’t even been close. Of the millions of people watching, eighty percent voted for Calla and Eli. No one will care about his reputation after this,” Shay added.
“And thank God for that,” boomed Tim. “I’m sick of you always embarrassing me. If I hear one more damned interview question about my reckless son, I’m going to lose it.”
There were some mutterings I couldn’t quite make out before Tim started speaking again.
“Thanks again, Shay. This plan was genius. Get a sweet girl-next-door to fall for Eli on national TV so people forget what a scumbag he’s been? Brilliant. And you knocked it out of the park picking Calla. Although, I thought Eli was going to fuck it all up at first; she wasn’t even interested in him.” Tim let out an obnoxious laugh.
“Can you just shut the hell up, Dad?” Eli snapped. “Don’t talk about her. ”
“Relax, son. You’ve won. You’ll get to make your precious movie. You did good.”
“And we just have to get through this last day,” Shay pointed out.
“I know you should stay together for a while for appearances, but really, Eli. Going to Chicago with her? It’d be better if you just came back to LA.”
I stumbled away from the door, unable to listen any longer. My throat felt thick with nausea.
Plan? Perfect choice?
It had all been a set up.
Eli was supposed to choose me to clean up his image.
I dug my fists into my eyes, willing the panic to subside. How had I let my guard down so fully that I’d missed this? Here I was, just worried that I might get hurt because he could lose interest. The reality of it all was so much crueler than I could have ever imagined.
A choked sob escaped my throat before I covered my mouth with both hands. I whipped my head around, looking down the still-empty hallway. I couldn’t be here. I couldn’t face anyone like this.
Before my brain could communicate instructions to my feet to run, Brady turned the corner. He gaped as soon as he took in my distressed appearance.
“Calla? What’s wrong?”
All it took was the sound of my name for my flight response to finally kick in. Turning away from him, I sprinted down the long hallway. A few turns, and I was out the front door. I didn’t look back as I ran down the long gravel road.