29. Chapter 29
Aura
I’m still yawning in spite of our later-than-usual call time.
The sun is already up and shining down on the vast fields as I pull into the long driveway.
After truth time last night, I hung out with Sav and Shayla until midnight, and it was actually fun.
We drank wine, ate a bunch of tasty snacks, and just hung out like regular girls.
Shayla even surprised me by opening up a bit, telling us about a barrel racing accident she had last year and how hard it’s been to come back from that.
It was refreshing to just have a normal night hanging out with friends.
But some of their insights are still lingering in my head.
I drove myself in this morning though, because I need some alone time before everyone else descends on the place.
And then I’ll have to call Janine and Belinda, because I have no idea what’s going on with my team.
Last night was my brief break from facing the situation.
I let their messages and calls go unanswered, so I could take a little time to get my head on straight, but now it’s time to face reality and figure out what the damage control plan is.
Quint is weighing heavily on my mind too, but I still haven’t figured out what I’m going to say to him.
Out the window, I can see ranch life has already kicked off its day.
Someone is leading a horse out to the field.
I squint, but all I can tell is that the long, lean form in the distance isn’t Quint.
There’s something distinctive about his walk that I’d recognize anywhere.
It’s hard to place, but there’s a casual swing to his stride I’ve come to recognize.
Maybe don’t analyze that one too closely.
But it turns out I don’t need to make one of the calls I was planning.
After putting the car in park, I lean my head back against the headrest, closing my eyes for a minute to gather myself together before I tackle the difficult conversations.
But a rapping sound on my window sends my heart racing and I open my eyes to see my publicist peering at me through the window, preparing to knock again.
I wave her off, scrambling to get out of the car.
“Aurelia, honey, so good to see you.”
Janine reaches out a hand to gingerly pat me on the shoulder.
“I was about to call.”
“Of course you were, but this situation felt like it deserved an in-person visit. Plus, I’ve been reading cowboy romances lately, so I thought I’d check out the situation.
Your cowboy is pretty hot. Are there more of them around?
” She looks around and her mouth pulls down at the corners as she lifts a foot to drag her now-dirty stiletto heel from the grass.
“I didn’t know it was going to be quite this natural, though. ”
I stifle the laugh that threatens to bubble up. “You came out to a working ranch and you were expecting paved walkways?”
“Well, it’s a set. I thought they’d have made things a little more comfortable for us.”
I think maybe she’s been spending too much time in LA. Having worked in the film and television industry for several years, you’d think she’d be a little less optimistic about filming conditions on location.
“It’s a real working ranch, Janine. This is what you get.”
“Of course.” She glances around. “Is there anywhere I can grab a coffee?”
“Well, unless you want to drive all the way into town, craft services will have to do.” I take her elbow and lead her toward the trailer where the coffee is.
“I suppose that will do,” she says, following me over to base camp where the craft trailer is located. The area is already full of people getting things set up for the day.
“Hey, Joe,” I say, nodding at our key grip as he adds some milk to his coffee.
“Morning, Aurelia.” He nods back at me with a smile.
“You know that man?” Janine asks once she has her coffee and we make our way down the driveway toward the small barn. As the only solidly paved place, I figured it would be the best spot to take her for a walk, and there’s no way I’m hanging around the crew for this conversation.
“Yes, he’s on the crew.”
“Huh.”
This is the kind of attitude I hate, and it’s the opposite of what we’ve built on the set of Sterling Hearts.
This production has been amazing and welcoming.
We’ve gotten to know the crew, because they’re humans too and without them, we wouldn’t have any show at all, so we treat them with respect and gratitude for the hard work they do.
The opposite of the toxicity and cliquiness that Paisley Creek devolved into at the end.
I steer the conversation to the reason she’s here. “Okay, so do you have a plan for how we’re going to handle this fresh batch of negative publicity?”
But instead of looking worried or going into damage control mode, she clasps her coffee cup to her chest, turning to me with a smile as we step through the shadowed doorway into the quiet barn. “Isn’t it delicious?”
Wait a minute. My stomach dips. Her reaction is all wrong.
“No, it’s a catastrophe. You had me fake-date him for the good PR.
Remember the story you spun? Sweet country boy and Hollywood star?
That all came crashing down, and now I’m right back where I started, looking like an entitled star breaking some poor guy’s heart. ”
Which might in fact be just what I’m doing, come to think of it.
“I know, isn’t it glorious?” she says, clicking down the aisle ahead of me.
Why does she not sound surprised or upset or anything but gleeful? “No, it’s not glorious. They’re making me look like a fraud. Like a flaky star flitting in and faking a relationship to improve her image. That was not the plan.”
“Yes, it was, darling. And look, it’s working. I got you back in the news once again. Everyone is going to be talking about you and the show. Ratings are going to skyrocket because everyone is going to want to check out Aurelia Lane’s comeback.”
“Wait, you did this? You planned this?” I’m in shock, numb. To be fair, I’ve never really trusted Janine. But she is a brilliant publicist, and I thought she was at least on my side.
There’s a shuffling sound behind us, and I turn around to spot a gray horse poking its head out over the stall door.
“Of course. I arranged those initial photos to leak to the press, and now I’ve gotten the truth out there. You haven’t been in the news this much since you left Paisley Creek. You’re welcome.”
Anger and confusion war with each other as I process her words. “This is not what I wanted, Janine. This isn’t what we talked about. I thought we’d put out some sort of amicable press release that he and I had broken up or something. Not drag him down with me and make him look like a fool too.”
She laughs, wiggling her fingers at me dismissively. They’re tipped in blood-red polish. “Well, nobody would have cared about that story. It wouldn’t have gone anywhere. This? This is huge. Some great publicity for you and the show. You’re already all over the internet.”
“Are you kidding me?” Anger is quickly overtaking the confusion and fear. “Was Belinda involved?”
“No, she didn’t need to know. But I’m sure she’d approve. Your success is her success. All we want is for you to succeed.”
I have to walk away from her, because I have a feeling my publicist wouldn’t let it slide if I broke her nose. The gray horse nods its head, beckoning me, and I stroke its long nose. Ghost, the stall plate says. “Sometimes I wish I could blend in like a ghost,” I whisper to the horse.
Out loud, I say, “Success is not measured in publicity stunts. It’s good acting, good choices, and reliability.
I don’t want to be the spectacle. I don’t want a media circus or drama in my life.
I want this.” I spin around in a circle, arms wide, and I realize it’s true.
I don’t want to go back to the hustle and insincerity of LA.
I want this. I’ve never felt more relaxed and more at home than I have at this ranch.
And there’s a little pain in the knowledge that while it’s been incredible for me, my presence here is a disruption the family doesn’t really need.
Janine sniffs. “This place stinks. I don’t know why you’d want to stay here willingly. You’ve got that premiere coming up in two days. This little ‘stunt,’ as you call it, will guarantee you’re in every magazine, every online blog. Drama is your brand.”
My hands are shaking as the anger boils over, and I can’t contain it anymore, but I keep my voice quiet so I don’t spook any of the horses.
“Drama is not my brand. I’m in it for the long haul.
I got into acting because I love it, not because I wanted to expose my entire life to the world.
I thought you knew this! You saw how upset I was after Paisley Creek.
That drama hurt me, and this is going to hurt someone I care about.
For fuck’s sake, Janine, I actually have feelings for the guy whose life you just turned upside down.
Now he’s not going to want anything to do with me.
And if this show gets picked up for a second season, I’ll have to come back to film here and see him and his family. It’s a nightmare.”
She blinks. “Really? You actually like him?” Her face splits into a Cheshire Cat grin.
I don’t like the look of glee in her eye.
“I could spin that. It’s strange, but doable.
” She waves a dismissive hand, all her plotting forgotten.
“But you know it’ll never work out between the two of you.
Not unless he follows you to Hollywood, and that never works.
These regular people just don’t understand what it’s like being a celebrity.
He’d never be able to fit into your life. ”
And there it is, laid out plainly. The thing I’ve been most worried about.
This thing between us can’t work, and I’m just dragging things out if I try to pretend like it can.
What are the options? I move here and spend half my time traveling to LA or New York for publicity tours, premieres, events, filming at other locations?
His entire family and the town are disrupted by the paparazzi, eager fans waiting outside the gates, invading their privacy?
He can’t move to LA. His life his here. Does he travel with me to events and abandon the ranch?
It wouldn’t be fair of me to expect that of him.
My phone buzzes against my thigh, and I slide it out, more than happy to avoid further unpleasant revelations from Janine.
Quint: Are you okay? People keep sending me all these articles about us and the fake dating thing. Can we talk?
Glenna rushes into the barn while my thumbs are hovering over the screen. “Aura, there you are. You’ve got to go. They need you in hair and makeup.”
I nod distractedly at my assistant. “I’ve got to go, Janine. We’ll talk later.” Probably right after I find a new publicist.
Even if I don’t have time to talk now, I can’t leave Quint on read. That wouldn’t be fair, especially after the way I ran off last night. This’ll give me some time to gather my thoughts, though. Explain everything to him in a way that makes sense. It might destroy me, but it’s for the best.
Aura: I’m filming all day today and tomorrow, then immediately catching a plane to LA for the weekend. I’m so sorry, but can we talk on Monday?
I pause, then send one more message.
Aura: I’m okay, though. Mostly, anyway. It’s just…a lot.
“Come on.” Glenna grabs my arm to hurry me along.
I can finally glance at my phone again as I settle into the chair in the busy hair and makeup trailer.