Chapter 48
Harper lay on the bed, staring at the constellations on the ceiling, but not really seeing them. She was too numb with the disbelief of what was happening, her mind whirling with thoughts. She’d feared this. And now it was reality. Had she made it happen? Had she said something to Suzanne to cause this?
Nothing she could think of but maybe she had. Maybe she was to blame for this. Well, of course, she was. Her lies had created this problem.
Except she hadn’t really lied. Not the kind of lie that was being reported on social media. Nothing blatant. Never a straightforward lie.
How many people in this world were doing a job only because someone had thought them capable of it? That was no different from what she’d been engaged in.
And it wasn’t like she hadn’t had some training. Yes, she was entirely self-taught, but once she’d realized the path her life was taking, she’d searched out and devoured the best books on grief, depression, decision-making, career counselling, basic money management, and then there were the lighter subjects like how to dress for your body type, color theory, general etiquette, and techniques for winning people over.
She’d taken some classes online, too. Some were college classes that had been offered by various institutions for free, some were courses she’d paid for, but she’d never stopped learning. Anything she thought could help her help her clients, she’d done.
Now this.
Suzanne didn’t even have a clue what Harper really did. How many times had she listened to a client cry because they’d been overlooked for a part or an award? How many times had she held their hand or offered her shoulder when a client had been torn apart by the press for some tiny thing?
She knew what a lot of people thought about actors. That they were overpaid and spoiled. It was true that actors weren’t brain surgeons or rocket scientists. Some of them weren’t even very nice people. Those types she never took on as clients. But a lot of them were a genuinely good sort with big hearts and fragile egos.
It couldn’t be overlooked that they were also providing entertainment that helped millions of people escape their own less-than-ideal situations. What was better than forgetting your own troubles by having a good laugh or cry because a character on the screen had made you feel something?
She sighed. All of that would be ignored. Instead, the press would focus on Harper and how she’d created this new persona to dupe celebrities into giving her their money. Dupe. That was the exact word one of the articles had used.
Not once had she ever duped anyone.
Now her clients would fire her, and she’d have nothing. She’d still have this house, but without an income she could only afford to stay here for so long. Could she find a job that would allow her to stay here? What could she do? Who would hire her?
There was Mitch, but—she cringed. Did Mitch know about her? Had he seen the stories? He was going to hate her. He was going to be furious with her. She could just feel it. Joyce might be, too. The pair of them might never speak to Harper again.
She thought about checking her phone to see if there were any messages from Mitch or Joyce, but she’d left it on the coffee table in the living room. Probably better she didn’t look. She couldn’t bear to see all the texts, missed calls, and voicemails that were undoubtedly waiting for her.
Harper drew in a ragged breath. She wanted to climb under the covers and stay there, head buried beneath the fine cotton sheets.
A soft knock on the door. “Harper? It’s just me. Can I come in?”
“Yeah.”
Frankie entered. “How are you doing?”
Harper sat up, heaving out a sigh. “Not great.”
“I can imagine.” Frankie sat on the edge of the bed. “Lucas is coming over. If anyone knows about social media, it’s him. I told him he could bring Scout. I hope that was okay.”
“It’s fine, but…” Harper winced. “He must think I’m a terrible person.”
“He thinks nothing of the kind. Neither does Prisha. Remember that.”
Harper nodded, but she wasn’t so sure. “Why is he coming over?
“He’s going to help me craft a statement for you. We’re not going to do anything without your input, obviously, but this is his domain. He knows how these things work. Once it meets your approval, you can send it to the media outlets or publish it on your own social media. Whatever you think is best.”
“What I think is best is if Suzanne was uncovered as the devious, destructive toad that she truly is. What gives her the right to do this to me?”
“Nothing. But she’s connected and her husband’s a big somebody and that’s given her an unfortunate amount of sway.”
“I hate her,” Harper snapped, anger building up in her. “She had no right to do this to me. I wasn’t hurting anyone.”
“I know. I hate her, too. If it makes you feel any better, people like that are generally very insecure and have serious personal issues.”
Harper looked up through her lashes at her sister. “It does make me feel a little better. But not as much as figuring out what one of those serious personal issues is and sharing it with the world would.”
Frankie smiled, which made Harper smile. Frankie took Harper’s hand. “You know I love you. And that’s not going to change, no matter what happens.”
“Thanks.” She sniffed. “I appreciate you reaching out to Lucas. Getting a statement out would be good. But then I’m really going to have to figure out what I’m going to do with my life. My career is gone. It can’t survive this kind of scandal. No one’s going to trust me again, and I don’t blame them.”
“You know…” Frankie’s mouth turned up at one end, a mischievous little smile if ever there was one. “You could always write a book. I bet there’d be a bidding war.”
Harper shook her head. “I can’t do that. I’ve signed an NDA with every client I’ve ever taken on.”
“Not a tell-all. A work of fiction, loosely based on what you know. Think Old School Joan Collins.”
“You mean Jackie Collins, her sister.”
“Same difference. But yes. And see? You’ve always been a huge reader. You know what’s entertaining when it comes to books.” Frankie poked Harper in the shoulder. “You could totally do that. You could make this scandal pay off for you. Maybe Mitch could even help you.”
Harper cut her eyes at Frankie. “I doubt Mitch is even still speaking to me.”
Frankie’s smile faded, but the sound of the doorbell interrupted whatever she’d been about to say. “That’s Lucas.” She patted Harper’s leg. “Come on out and talk to him. Let’s work on this statement.”
Harper exhaled. “Let me splash some water on my face. I’ll be out in a bit.”
“Okay.” Frankie left.
Harper went into the bathroom. Her eyes were red and puffy. A splash of water wasn’t going to help much. She did it anyway, doing her best to rise above what she was feeling. Wasn’t easy. But moping and being miserable wasn’t a long-term solution.
Getting a statement out was at least something.
She dried her face, applied a few dabs of concealer, brushed her teeth, put on a fresh T-shirt, then went out to face Lucas, praying he really could help.
He was in the kitchen with Frankie and Willa. Both of them were looking at him with stars in their eyes, although Frankie’s stars were mingled with hearts. He was a great-looking guy. She could see why they were crazy about him.
Archie and Scout were sniffing each other enthusiastically in the living room.
Lucas looked in her direction. “Nice to see you, Harper.”
“Thanks for coming over. I appreciate it. Frankie said you might be able to help me.”
He nodded. “I’ve reached out to a few influencers that I’m friends with, briefed them on what’s going on and they said they’d be happy to help, too.”
“Really? Meaning what?” She sat at the counter.
“Meaning they’ll help by sharing the statement you put out. Collectively, they have a reach of about twenty-five million followers.”
She blinked. “Twenty-five million? And they’re willing to help me?”
He nodded. “It’s a great community. And they all know what it’s like to become the prey in this kind of hunt. Bullying is wrong, no matter what age it happens at. Now, what do you say we get writing?”
Harper sat up a little straighter as a light seemed to shine at the end of the tunnel. “I’d like that a lot.”