Chapter 12 Harrison
HARRISON
Gwen wouldn’t stop chattering at me as we waited in the green room before the show, like she was having sympathetic stage fright.
I didn’t get nervous before appearances, but her energy was starting to stress me out. I knew half of it was due to guilt over her accidental involvement in the mess. We’d had a tense conversation after Scarlet left, and I’d gotten irrationally angry at her.
Was it because she’d had a part in derailing a carefully laid plan or because I didn’t like hearing about her ex?
I couldn’t allow myself to probe that question too deeply.
There was no point. Anyway, after I finally stopped to think it through, I was able to realize she’d done nothing wrong.
There was no way for her to have known Ian was working for Scarlet these days—or that he’d take his grudge against Gwen this far.
There was no sense blaming her for the actions of a jealous ex.
And I was more than happy to not give any additional thought to her romantic past. It was hard enough to keep from thinking about our shared past. But Gwen wasn’t the woman who’d made my head spin in Aspen anymore. She worked for me and nothing more.
Even if my dick still refused to believe it.
Why did she have to wear a dress that slid up her thigh whenever she crossed her legs? Does the woman not own pants?
Gwen looked up from her phone. “Okay, major sigh of relief. Scarlet and Co. just got here.”
Her concern was sort of adorable. “Everything is going to be fine. Stop worrying.”
“Worrying is sixty percent of what you pay me to do. Worrying keeps me on my toes, and that keeps you safe. Scarlet did say she had a surprise, which I don’t love. I prefer knowing about every aspect of an appearance like this.”
“Hey, folks,” we heard a soft knock on the door as it opened. “Everything okay in here?”
So far, we’d had two production assistants come through, along with the sound guy to get me mic-ed up, but this time it was the man himself, gracing us with a pre-interview visit.
Of the current crop of late-night hosts, Ryan was the one I found the least annoying. He didn’t do dumb skits, or goofy songs. He kept the focus on his guests and employed his cheeky Australian wit to keep them on their toes.
“Just wanted to pop in and say g’day. Everything good? Ready for redemption?” Ryan rubbed his hands together gleefully.
No wonder he was happy. The little stunt from the night before had made him the talk of every social media platform, and now Ryan was poised to have a second night of incredible ratings thanks to me.
“Hi Ryan,” Gwen said brightly. “We’re doing amazing, thanks. Super excited for the appearance. Right, Harrison?”
She sounded like a stage mother, but she didn’t need to coach me. For once, I was glad to be stepping in front of a camera so I could finally set the record straight and put this nightmare behind me.
“You know it, Gwen,” I said with the warm smile Denise had once made me practice for an hour straight before a key interview.
I didn’t like smiling on cue, like a seal balancing a ball on his nose, but it was a tool I knew how to use when the situation called for it.
“I think we’re going to have a great night. ”
“Perfect!” Ryan responded. “That’s what I wanna hear. See you out there.”
As is always the case with TV appearances, we went from twiddling our thumbs backstage to being rushed into the wings.
“Hold on, let me do a quick check,” Gwen said. She went up on her tip toes and examined my face.
She was so worried about making sure I didn’t have anything caught in my nose or teeth that she didn’t seem to notice she was just inches away from me. Given her proximity and the dim light backstage, it felt like we were about to kiss.
Which wouldn’t be the worst thing.
“Whoops, the makeup artists didn’t blend you,” she said under her breath.
Gwen smoothed her fingers along the side of my face, and I fought the urge to shiver at her touch. She smiled to herself as she rubbed my jawline over and over. Gwen was totally focused on getting the job done, but my awareness was on how intimate the move felt.
“There! Perfect. You look amazing,” she grinned at me. “You’ve got this.”
Have I got you? That’s what I want.
But no. Of course I didn’t have her. And if I had any sense, I’d put the idea out of my head completely.
“I know I do,” I shot back at her, and she flinched a bit at my clipped tone.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “Just some pre-show jitters.”
It wasn’t my nerves. I needed to fully admit to myself that I still wasn’t able to get past my attraction to the woman.
Falling for Gwen was not an option.
“Mr. Ashford, this way please,” a woman in a headset said, using her clipboard like an aircraft marshaller. “We need you right at the edge of the set now.”
I glanced at Gwen, and she looked like she was afraid to wish me luck.
“Thank you,” I said to her before following the woman. “For getting me to this point. I appreciate all the work you’ve done.”
She relaxed a little and gave me a genuine smile. “Teamwork! Now go make me proud.”
Her words made me pause. Yeah, deep down, beneath all my concerns about shareholder value and saving face, I did want to make this petite force of nature proud of me. I straightened my back and got ready for the performance of a lifetime.
“Thank you, Gwen.”
I watched Ryan do his thing from my spot in the wings, and then before I even heard him say my name, I was being directed to head on stage.
Normally, when guests walked out the big red door and onto the dais, the crowd cheered like crazy, helped by the many light-up applause signs in the studio.
But for me? Nothing but a few limp claps, and I could’ve sworn I heard someone boo.
Yeah, that was pretty much the welcome I was expecting.
I turned on the charm anyway and smiled my way to Ryan. He slapped me on the back like an old friend, and I was on.
Ryan gave me the opportunity to explain my version of what went wrong during Scarlet’s ill-fated voyage with Ashford Jets.
Of course, I took care not to throw her people under the bus for being late for their reservation.
Then I worked my way through as much of the courthouse story as I felt comfortable telling.
I watched the audience’s reaction as I spoke, and I could see the sentiment shifting.
Angry expressions softened, and people actually laughed at my attempts at self-deprecation.
I could see Gwen in the wings with her hands clasped beneath her chin, nodding and grinning, there with me every step of the way.
I was nailing it. But there was still one more reveal waiting to come out once Scarlet joined me on stage.
“Folks, what do you say we bring out the woman of the hour?” Ryan said. “Shall we?”
As expected, pandemonium erupted. The band kicked off a song I recognized as one from her new album—because of course I’d studied it—and Scarlet walked out waving both hands at the audience.
Gwen had told me her outfits were a cheat sheet for her mood, so I was thrilled to see Scarlet had worn a sunny yellow dress.
As planned, Ryan handed me yet another bouquet of roses from beneath his desk, and I gave them to Scarlet.
This time, she smiled as she accepted them. We settled on the couch.
“Well, isn’t this nice?” Ryan grinned at us. “Harrison, you have something else for Scarlet, correct?”
“I do,” I nodded, and her eyes went wide.
“Scarlet, what you said last night about needing more than words from me to prove that I was truly sorry was absolutely correct. We’re both major animal lovers, and I know how important your dog rescue charity is to you, so with that in mind, I’m donating fifty thousand dollars to it. ”
The audience went crazy again.
“Hold on, hold on,” Ryan said to quiet them. “There’s more.”
“There is,” I agreed. “It’s easy to throw money at a problem, but I want to prove to you and all the Rushies that I’m serious about making things right. That’s why Ashford Jets is going to partner with the Scarlet Rush Forever Home Rescue and hold an adoption event in Los Angeles in two weeks.”
More cheers.
“And not only that—I’ll be covering all of the adoption fees at the event.”
Even more wild applause as Scarlet’s eyes welled up.
“Seriously?” she asked, placing her hand on my arm.
“One hundred percent. And I know you can’t attend since you’re on tour, but I promise you I’ll be there at the event, helping in every way I can. Boots on the ground.”
I glanced at Gwen in the wings, and she raised her hands triumphantly.
“Oh my gosh, that’s incredible,”‘ Scarlet said. She swiped away tears. “Thank you!”
She reached over to hug me over the gigantic arrangement of flowers.
“Well, I have a surprise for you as well,” Scarlet said as she wiped away the last of the tears. “I try to foster a few dogs per year, and my current foster…can you put the photo of him up?” She glanced around trying to find a monitor.
We all turned to look behind us as a photo flashed on the screen.
“Ohhh, no way,” I murmured as I looked at it. “What a good dog.”
It was a stocky bully breed, black, with a blockhead, disproportionately short legs, lots of forehead wrinkles, and a sprinkling of gray across his face. The audience cooed in unison.
“I know, right?” Scarlet laughed. “He came from a shelter in Alabama. He’s five and been there for eight months, so we figured it was time to turn the page for this handsome guy.
Black dogs have a hard time getting adopted, and bully breeds even more so.
Not on my watch, people! He’ll be with me until he finds his happily ever after. ”
“What a lucky pup! What’s his name?” Ryan asked.
Scarlet looked at me and smiled. “Right now his name is Giblet, but if it’s okay with Harrison, I’d like to rename him…Ashford.”
She couldn’t have picked a more perfect olive branch. By naming her foster after me, our truce was solidified. I found myself almost choked up at the thought of a lonely shelter dog getting the chance to start over.
“Well, Harrison?” Ryan turned to me. “What do you think? Is that pup worthy of the Ashford name?”
I grinned at the massive photo on the screen behind us. “He’s not only worthy, now he’s family! I’m going to cover his veterinary care for the rest of his life.”
“Whoa, now that’s a really lucky dog,” Ryan laughed. “Okay folks, you heard the man. Get your applications in to adopt the one and only Ashford!”
The crowd cheered.
“One last surprise for you, Harrison,” Scarlet said as the noise died down. “I’m giving you two VIP passes to my very first show of the Love, Scarlet tour tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden! Can you make it?”
I glanced at Gwen in the wings. She was practically glowing, hands clasped under her chin like a kid on Christmas morning.
Fuck.
A darkened VIP box and three hours of love songs.
Gwen in whatever dress she’d pick that would make it impossible not to stare.
I’d been white-knuckling my way through every single interaction with her, and now I was supposed to sit next to her in the dark while Scarlet Rush sang about second chances?
“We’d love to,” I said, because what else could I say.
The audience roared as Ryan wrapped up the segment. I walked off stage to where Gwen was waiting, practically bouncing with excitement.
“Oh my god, Harrison! This is going to be amazing!”
Amazing. Right.
That’s what I’d thought about Aspen too, right up until the moment I’d had to walk away from the best week of my life.
Tomorrow night was going to be so much worse.