Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
AND HE ACCUSED her of thinking too loud?
Seated on the floor with the couch at her back, she worked at her laptop on the coffee table. He was pottering around in the kitchen, preparing lunch, she hadn’t asked what they were having. She was still astounded he was on this level at that time of day.
Though she tried to keep her focus on the screen, her awareness of him, and his distracting awareness of her, kept interrupting.
“You should say sorry to Terra,” she said, typing.
“I’ll say sorry to her when she says sorry to you.”
“Mason caught up with me at Brooker.”
“Lunch again?”
“I pretty much told him to run and jump.”
“Good girl.”
“I guess I’ll still have to see him at work when…”
At work. At Brooker. That turned the cogs.
“I have people on salary,” he said, chopping away. “Why do we need the middleman? Ozzie does the paperwork, he could set you up with the company—”
“Leave Brooker?” she said, her fingers hovering over the keys. She thought a second, then… “We’re really rushing into this, aren’t we?”
“We’re making plans that suit us,” he said, tossing something into his mouth. “I told you I’m not set on anything, we’ll make these decisions together.”
There it was again. With his partner. Love. Holy fuck.
The door burst open and there was Roxie, arm aloft. “Welcome to the carnage!”
That wasn’t such a bad descriptor of her life. Thanks, friend. Although, to be honest, since her little outburst by the patio, life made much more sense.
“Did Zairn get away okay?” Ariella asked when her friend came closer… leaving the front door open. “Uh, the door—”
“Hatfield’s getting stuff out the van with his peeps.”
Right. Yes. Hatfield.
“Want something to eat, RK?” Cam asked from the kitchen.
“If there’s food, I’ll eat,” Roxie said. “We have to work though, so don’t be all distracting like with the hotness and the smile. Don’t smolder at us.”
“I’m not distracting,” he insisted.
“You are distracting,” she said, boosting up to the couch. “You shouldn’t be here while I do this.”
“I can hear you talking about Spencer. Your past is your past. It doesn’t upset me.”
“Thank you for that permission, Mr. Misogynist,” Roxie said, channeling an attack dog. “Women don’t need permission from men to converse about their own histories. We are not owned by—”
“I will make myself scarce.”
It wasn’t so much the talking about Spence as it was about the thump of her heart when he was close by. Them was new. She couldn’t answer questions about it but also didn’t want to be fading out because she smelled his soap or glanced one of those killer smoldering smiles Roxie referenced.
“After lunch,” Roxie said, gesturing her over to the kitchen island. “We have a bunch of questions to vet.”
What she would talk about and what she wouldn’t…
“I don’t mind talking about facts, what happened, what didn’t…” Ariella gathered up her things to carry them to the kitchen and set them up again on the island. “But I won’t get into the seedy stuff.”
“How good he was in bed? Penis size? Things like that?”
“Those for sure,” she said. “But I won’t be led into a conversation about the inappropriateness of it.
The man’s not here to defend himself and I’m not rich enough to defend us if the Raiths come after me.
” Which they would. “They’ve been looking for an excuse to tear me down for years.
They’d have done it when Spence was alive if it didn’t mean tarnishing the Raith name.
After he was gone, they asked me to sign a gag order. I wouldn’t.”
“Now he’s not around to be the one at fault, they can pin it all on you.” Roxie rubbed her arm as she sat on a stool. “I told you not to worry about money, didn’t I? If the Raiths want to fight—”
“We’ll take it to them,” Cam said, fixated on her.
“Well, would you look at that,” Roxie said, beaming. “Calm Cam Collier can get worked up into a lather.”
“Ariella did nothing wrong.”
“I’m on your side, Collier. Your name is now my sister’s name.
Is the name of my future godchildren. We will not be hoisted on our own petard.
You screw up their name, I screw up you.
” Roxie sighed. “Although there was a brief second you were almost the one at the altar with Jane, but that’s a story for another time. ”
How did that happen? Cam’s confusion matched hers. And there was that look again.
“You’re doing it again,” Cam said.
Roxie tried innocence. “I’m doing nothing.”
“You’re looking at me like that.”
“I’m not looking at you like anything.” Roxie sucked a breath through her teeth. “Questions. Questions.” She tossed her hair back. “Greg! I need questions!”
The Hatfield guy she’d met at Crimson entered at exactly that moment. “We’re doing this downstairs?” he asked.
“Yes, downstairs—”
“Downstairs?” Panic infused her as a couple of guys went down there with… stuff. “You can’t—no one—”
“It’s okay,” Cam said, pushing a plate across to her. “They’re doing it in the gym. That’s the easiest space to move shit around without getting in the way.”
Good, Cam approved. Roxie played at entitled, but always respected others’ autonomy.
“We’ll do questions with Hatfield today. We’ll go shopping—”
“Shopping?”
“Gets us out in the street for Roxiverse. Glam. On the spot stuff that couldn’t be further from on the spot. Then it’s off to Crimson for—”
“I don’t know if a night out is a good idea.”
“A night out is basically mandatory,” Roxie said and turned sly. “But as you and Cam know, leaving is at each partiers own discretion.”
“What does that mean?”
Cam pushed another plate to Roxie. “Means we can leave whenever we want.”
“Like you did the last time you were in Crimson together for all of four point five seconds, mm?”
“Why would we go to Crimson just to leave again?”
Cam’s motivation for last night aside. If they were together, there was no need to go to Crimson to meet up.
“It’s all in the edit,” Cam said. “You show up, move around the room. Appear to talk to one group or another. Drink in your hand. Dance. It only takes a few minutes to piece together what looks like a full night out.”
Roxie backed him up. “Mess your hair a little, rouge those cheeks with a tweak or two. The level of liquid in your glass goes up and down—could be vodka, tequila, maybe it’s water.
Who knows? Who cares? The music switches before the track is finished.
People move around. Mix it up. It’s opera, without the Italian…
Although I can get you an Italian, if you want one. ”
“This won’t be a permanent part of our lives,” she appealed to Cam. “Will it?”
“Crimson is a permanent part of our lives, there’s no getting away from that.”
“How sweet,” Roxie said, fanning her face. “What a touching sentiment.”
Cam just smiled. “As for playing to the cameras or fabricating our lives for the sport of others? Those are optional.”
“Reserved for birthdays and special occasions. Treats for when you’re very, very good,” Roxie said. “Have camera crew, will travel.” The woman glanced to the side and left her stool. “Tevin, you look like you need help. Where is Hatfield with our questions?”
As Roxie went over to join her crew, Cam picked up his sandwich.
“I don’t want to talk about us,” Ariella said, volume low.
“Now? No, I don’t think this is the best time to plan our future.”
“Not with you. Not about us, the real us. With the camera crew and all the people—what if they ask about now? About my life now? About romantic interests?”
“Say only what you want to say. Rox will protect you and you get to see the questions before. Nix any you don’t like.”
“Us is a big thing, but we don’t know how we’ll navigate it yet. Sometimes when there are too many people involved…”
“No one will pressure you. And you’re right, this is us, it’s no one else’s business or right to dictate, or comment on, our lives.”
“I’ll do Crimson because I know it’s important to the plan. I won’t stay late.”
“Come back here after and we’ll talk. Or I can come get you.”
Sweet, but risky. “We got away with it once, I don’t think we’ll get away with it again.”
“Can I tell you a secret?” Roxie’s voice rose behind her.
“Knox sleeping with Jane again?” Cam asked, amused.
“Ha-ha,” was Roxie’s response as she resumed her previous position.
He glanced at her. “Their relationship was secret for a while. At first, only Roxie knew about it.”
“That was an accident and it wasn’t only me, Merci knew too.” Whoever that was. “For being facetious, I’m not going to tell you the secret.”
“Oh no, what a shame,” Cam said, happy to shrug it off. “Where are the questions?”
Roxie pushed a tablet across to her. Only fair she should get first pass when…
Oh, boy. She’d never done a formal interview.
Never done any kind of interview, except for a job.
The media thing was astounding. The questions didn’t scare her, especially knowing she could veto them, but did people really want to know this?
Her feelings about Spence? Their private life?
She raised her eyes to Cam. “This is what your family do? Now I understand why you moved a continent away.”
“We don’t do this to our own, usually. It takes a certain level of confidence to be comfortable with prying.”
“A level of confidence most in the business have,” Roxie said. “Remember this isn’t live. You can stop, ask questions, take a break. There’s no clock.”
Could she sneak in a make out session with her unicorn? Those usually calmed her. Well, no, they riled her, but in a way that infused her with the confidence this might require.
“How will it work?” she asked. “How does it fit in with the big picture?”
“We get footage of us out and about together, which shows you’re part of my life. You’re my new friend, no one else’s. We do the Hatfield interview so explanations can be made without the pressure of the probing media who won’t cut you a break.”
“And this will air…?”
“At a later date,” Roxie said. “Soon. Though it likely won’t be before the mainstream media discover your identity.”
“Which is why you do Roxie’s stream,” Cam said.
“It will be live,” Roxie said, calm in her softly, softly approach. “It will be us. Just you and me talking. And if you get nervous or want to change the subject, I have no trouble pivoting. A lot of people are asking about Zairn and me right now.”
“People always ask about you and Z.”
“Because we’re beautiful.”
“And rich.”
“We’re charming,” Roxie retorted.
“And scandalous.”
“Some might say interesting.”
Cam almost snickered. “Car crash TV.”
“Hmm…” Roxie’s eyes narrowed. “I think I’ll ask Thena to change your last name.”
He laughed. “Because I’m ruining it for your future godchildren? There’s a good chance they’ll be my future godchildren too.”
“Co-godparenting? With you? Nope.” Roxie’s head turned to the side in an abrupt half shake. “I cannot co-parent with someone who thinks restricting intimacy is a valid life choice.”
“Any decision our godchildren make will be supported, by both of us, don’t pretend otherwise.”
She liked the semi-smile Cam always wore around Roxie.
The woman warmed him up, as she did others.
Being around, Roxie put people at ease and played, and though they hadn’t known each other long, Ariella knew, one hundred percent, that Cam was right.
Knox said Roxie would go to war for Jane?
She’d likely go to war for anyone on the right side of history.
“As long as there’s no undue pressure,” Roxie said, narrowing her eyes on him. “I’ll be watching you, Young Collier.”
“Expect nothing less,” he said. “Are we going to vet these questions? Talk too much longer and you won’t make it to Crimson until tomorrow… or the next day.”
“My words are all I have.”
“That and your bank balance, your beauty, your popularity—”
“You are in a real zinger of a mood today,” Roxie said, then let out a laugh. “I love it. You should be like this all the time.”
“I live to please.”
He did. He lived to please her, just as she did in return. Was that her? Them? That brought the glow in his expression and optimism in his tone?
They didn’t have all the answers. Yet. They’d get there… if they ever got a chance to talk about it.