Chapter 12 Tori
Tori
The look on Hailey’s face was priceless.
She looked shocked and horrified, which was incredibly validating.
Many of my so-called friends in the industry thought I’d overreacted when I discovered that Mom was not only paying herself ten times more than the average manager commission but was also paying for everything from her massages to her groceries out of my business account.
If I hadn’t insisted that my accountant go through my taxes with me in detail, I never would have figured it out.
I expected her to ask for details, but as usual, Hailey surprised me. “It must have been hard to learn that kind of thing about your own mother.”
“It was,” I confirmed. “By the time I realized what was going on, I was pretty in-demand in Hollywood. I put out the word that I was looking for new management, and I had dozens of inquiries. Then I did something important: I went to online college and took business classes so I could understand my own finances.”
“That’s great,” Hailey said, giving me an encouraging smile. “You have to take care of yourself in this world.”
I just stared at her, remembering how my mother, my accountant, and a few other people implied that I was wasting my time.
The only person who’d supported me was Pepper.
She’d grown up as a child actress before developing crippling anxiety and retiring from the business.
Now she was my assistant, right hand woman, and the closest thing I had to a friend.
“What does your mom do now?” she asked.
“She lives in the mansion she bought with my money, goes to a lot of lunches with important people, and tries to influence me to do her bidding so she can get more money out of me. It’s a constant source of tension between us.”
Hailey’s face softened with sympathy. “That sucks.”
“Yeah. What about your parents?”
“It’s always just been me and my mom. She’s awesome. I know it sounds corny, but she’s my best friend.”
“Does she live here in Seattle?” I asked.
“She lives in an intentional community about an hour away from here.”
At my confused look she said, “It’s kind of like a commune. A bunch of people living simple lives off the grid, working together as a community. They support themselves with farming and selling crafts online.”
“So your mom has the internet?” I asked half-teasingly.
“No. One of the community members uses the computer in a café in the closest town to manage their website.”
I shook my head. These people lived a much different life than me. I wondered what Hailey’s mom and her little commune would think of me. Something told me it wouldn’t be good.
Suddenly I yawned so loudly that my face flushed with embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I’ve been up for over twenty-four hours now. I’m afraid I’m dead on my feet.”
“We should figure out the sleeping arrangements,” Hailey said as we shared some candy bars for dessert.
It turned out that Kit Kats were pretty good, but Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were like crack. They were so delicious I could have eaten about five packages myself. Only through years of self-control was I able to stop after two cups.
“I only have one bed here and that couch isn’t the most comfortable to sleep on…”
She wasn’t kidding. That couch had zero padding, but still…
“I can’t have you giving up your bed for me,” I interrupted.
She gave me an amused look.
“I have no intention of giving up my bed,” she said firmly. “No offense, but you invited yourself to stay over here, remember? I warned you that you’d be more comfortable in a hotel.”
“So what are our options?” I asked curiously, hoping she wasn’t going to suggest that I sleep in the bathtub like one of those old movies.
“Your options are the couch, which as I said, is kind of uncomfortable. Or we could spread the cushions on the floor. I think I have a sleeping bag around here somewhere.”
She paused, and I thought she wouldn’t say anything else.
I debated texting Pepper to see if she could send over an air mattress or something. Hailey appeared to be having an argument with herself before she finally said, “I have a queen sized bed. I suppose we could share. It’s only for one night.”
And there went my panties. Although if she thought I was letting her go after only one night, she was nuts.
I wasn’t sure how we would work it out, but after kissing her I knew one thing for certain: I was going to spend the rest of my life with this woman.
I just needed to figure out how to make that happen.
“Sure, we can share,” I said, going for casual. “No problem.”
“I just want to be clear on the expectations,” she said, giving me some assertive eye contact that only made her seem hotter. “I’m inviting you to sleep with me, not fuck me. No touching or kissing, just sleeping.”
“Understood. Although that kiss before…”
She held up a hand. “You’ve been through a lot the last twenty-four hours. How about you just get some sleep, and we’ll figure out what’s happening between us later.”
This woman never did what I expected. She spoke her mind plainly, didn’t give me any special treatment, and wasn’t afraid to put me in my place.
I was pretty sure I was in love with her.
I used the toothbrush I always kept in my purse to brush my teeth, then washed my face and put on a pair of loose cotton shorts and a tee shirt that Hailey loaned me.
They both hung on my thinner frame, but the shorts had a waistband that tied, which helped me keep from losing my bottoms as I walked to the bedroom.
It was a little chilly in the apartment, so Hailey added another blanket to the bed, spreading one out on each side so we didn’t have to share. Why that disappointed me, I couldn’t say. Well, I could say, but I wasn’t going to think about it.
“Do you have to work at the coffee shop tomorrow?” I asked as I slid in between the sheets.
They felt different, the material soft and worn, but still a little less substantial. I realized it was because I was used to the high thread count sheets I used at home, the same kind I had on set or in the high-end hotels I occasionally stayed at.
I lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling while Hailey went into the bathroom to do her own preparations.
Thanks to the thin walls, I could hear the water running as she moved around in there.
It felt incredibly intimate. When she returned, fresh faced and smelling of minty toothpaste, I had to clench my hands into fists to keep from reaching for her.
“No funny stuff,” she admonished when she got into bed.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“I can’t believe I’m allowing a total stranger to sleep in my bed,” she said so softly I was pretty sure she didn’t realize she’d said it out loud. “It’ll be my own fault if I wake up with my throat slit.”
I turned to face her. “If I was going to kill you, I wouldn’t slit your throat. That’s way too messy. I’d hold the pillow over your face to smother you, then the cops would probably think you just died in your sleep.”
I knew this from a movie I’d done.
She whipped her head in my direction. “You are seriously disturbed.”
“I know. Good night Hailey. And thanks for everything. Truly. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“I don’t want anything from you,” she said. “Sometimes people do nice things for nothing in return, you know.”
“Not in my world, they don’t.”
She sighed deeply. “Your world sounds sad.”
She had no idea.