27. Finn
FINN
“ A nother thing for when you’re back,” I said, talking to Brenna’s voicemail. “I need you to reach out to the team at the Dolby and make sure event permits have been obtained. I don’t want any surprises before the premiere next month.”
I hung up, staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I adjusted my tie and swept my hands through my hair.
A month of post-production, four days of reshoots, and many editing hours later, we were finally ready to showcase the first rough cut of Every Day to a carefully selected group of investors, distributors, and press.
The event had already been on the books before I’d known we’d have to do reshoots, which meant getting the rough cut done in time had been a round-the-clock operation. Tonight, though, it would finally pay off.
All the stress, all the aggravation, all the hours spent looking over X’s shoulder and following up with the editors daily…This was what it had all been for, and I was eager to see the first reactions to the film .
I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed back out into the bedroom when something caught my eye in the hall. I turned, taking in Sierra, clad in a shimmery floor-length evening gown, the same dark blue as her eyes.
Lord Meowington padded along beside her, staring up at her like she might produce a treat from a hidden pocket. I hadn’t caught her at it yet, but I was convinced she had started offering him treats as a way to earn his affection—and damn it all if it wasn’t working.
Actually, the treat thing worked on both of us because she looked delicious, and I wanted to devour her.
“Well?” she asked, doing a little twirl before reaching me.
“You look amazing,” I said, hardly able to take my eyes off her. I didn’t know how I ever would with all that creamy skin on display and the fabric clinging to her hips like that . And Christ, that slit when she walked…
I tugged on the collar of my shirt. It was damn hot in here.
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the kiss I gave her, though it felt perfunctory. Stiff. I frowned, on the verge of asking if something was wrong—but she ran her hand up my chest, distracting me. “You look pretty great yourself. I’m really liking the tux.”
“This old thing?” I said, cocking my head, trying to get a smile out of her. “I had my name down for a hot designer, but she didn’t have room on her schedule for me.” I pulled her closer, running my hands over her backside. “Too busy making movies.”
She hummed softly against my neck. She’d been a little quiet, a little standoffish, since she’d run after my mother that day we watched the ruined scene. I knew she wanted me to reach out and fix things, but I was done cleaning up after my mother .
I’d finally accepted the simple truth that there was no fixing Cathleen Lockhart.
You just had to roll with it. And I had no intention of apologizing for that day.
I wasn’t the one who’d been sneaking around set with the director.
I wasn’t the one who’d bungled up what was essentially the most important sequence in the film.
I went in for another kiss, but Sierra turned her head at the last second, and I caught her cheek. It reminded me of that first fake date, all those months ago, and an uncomfortable knot tightened in my chest. I pulled back to catch her eye.
“Don’t ruin my makeup,” she said, smiling a bit.
“I’ll ruin any part of you I like,” I growled, squeezing her hips.
She laughed softly. “Not until later. Ready to go? I saw the limo downstairs.”
“Just about,” I said. “I’ve got a box of gift bags to carry down and another set I have to add comment cards to for after the screening. Someone had the great idea to tie all the cards to the bags with finicky ribbon.”
“I thought Brenna was in charge of that?” Sierra said.
“Yes, well, Brenna picked a great week to get the stomach flu.” I sighed. Sierra was right. Brenna really was invaluable. Maybe I did need to pay her more. “And if I don’t have the comment cards available with the bag, I may as well not have had a test screening in the first place.”
This was my chance to gauge the initial audience reaction, to fine-tune plot and pacing, and to generate some real buzz. I’d hand-picked select members of the press—people I had long-standing relationships with. People I could count on to give even a rough cut of the film a fair shot .
Sierra grabbed my hand, cutting through my spiraling thoughts. “Why don’t you take this box downstairs? I’ll finish the comment cards on these and meet you in the limo.”
“No, seriously, Sierra,” I said, picking the comment cards up from the dresser. “I really need to make sure these are per?—”
She snatched them from my hand. “One comment card per bag,” she said, fluttering her long lashes at me.
“It’s not rocket science. And I’m good with finicky ribbons.
I’ve got this. I’ll meet you down there in five minutes.
” She pressed up on her toes and lightly pecked me on the lips. “Just please try to relax.”
“I’ll relax when I retire,” I said, picking up the box of ready-to-go gift bags.
Sierra snorted. “As if. We both know you’ll never retire.”
I flashed her a wry grin on my way out the door, checking my emails as I made my way downstairs, mentally reviewing all the things I still needed to do.
Get to the venue. Hand gift bags over to staff to put on seats.
Turn on the charm. Greet guests. And hope the movie was everything I wanted it to be.
I reached the limo, handing the gift bags over to the driver. My phone vibrated with a notification of a new email. It was from Jillian—subject line URGENT. What now? Honest to God…I opened the email immediately, skipping over her brief message to click on the video attachment.
“Another day, another scandal! Welcome back to Rumorz , my lovelies,” a familiar voice said. “Do we really expect anything else from Hollywood at this point?”
I scowled down at Milli, the notorious gossip fiend.
“And do I ever have a juicy tidbit for you all about everyone’s favorite Behind-the-Scenes Beefcake.
” My stomach dropped as she kept talking.
“Or should I say, about his new boo, Sierra Banks. I know we all wanted to believe it was true love for the engaged couple, but Rumorz has an exclusive interview with Trey Rollins and, boy, does he have a story to tell.”
Trey Rollins ? I thought. As in Sierra’s jackass ex-boyfriend Trey?
I watched the video through to the end, confusion rattling through me as Trey claimed that he and Sierra were currently in a relationship and that she was two-timing me. A laugh launched up my throat, getting caught behind a mountain of disbelief.
Sierra and I lived together and worked together. Unless she was having really intense phone sex in random five-minute intervals while she pretended to be in the bathroom, there was literally no way for her to cheat on me without me noticing. What exactly was this guy talking abou?—
The limo door flew open. “It’s not true!” Sierra cried breathlessly, her cheeks flushed. She’d clearly run all the way out here in her heels. “Jillian just copied me on the email, and it’s not true! Trey is lying. That goddamn bastard.”
She threw herself down in the seat beside me. “I mean, sure, technically we never actually said the words ‘break up’ but only because he ghosted me all those months ago. But considering it’s November now, and we haven’t spoken or seen each other in all this time, I think it’s pretty well implied.”
She sounded angry, and I could understand. The guy had ditched her, and now he was toying with her for his own gain. He needed to get a life and leave Sierra the hell alone.
“I swear, I only ever got one text from him after we ended things,” she continued, “and that was the night Shaw shredded her dress. I didn’t even read it. ”
“Okay,” I said, feeling like she was spewing words at me at a million miles an hour.
“Okay?”
“I believe you.”
“You do?” She blinked at me. “Oh.”
I laughed at the perplexed look on her face. “Sierra, I think I’d have noticed if you were carrying on something with Trey. Trust me, I wouldn’t be so foolish as to get cheated on again. Not after Layla.”
“Right,” Sierra said, settling back in her seat as the limo set off.
I scanned the rest of Jillian’s email. “Apparently Jillian thinks we can use this.” Clearly, Trey was hoping to discredit Every Day and get additional buzz for his movie, but I employed the best PR team in LA.
Jillian didn’t come cheap, and it was for good reason.
“There’s a dozen ways we can spin this to our benefit.
It’ll help us build interest, and we didn’t even have to pay for it. ”
“Really?” Sierra said. She leaned against my shoulder, reading some of the email. “Is she serious about sending him a fruit basket?”
“I think that was a joke.” Frankly, the thought made me a little sick. Trey had discarded Sierra and was now trying to use her. Sure, Sierra and I had been playing games with the press, but not at anyone’s expense.
At this point, I’d rather get Trey blacklisted from Hollywood than send him any kind of fruit basket, but if Jillian was telling me this latest scandal was a good thing, then we needed to chase it because it was best for the movie. Best for the studio.
“I’m not sure I’m following,” Sierra said, pulling back. “How does this work for us? ”
I put my hand on her knee. “Because we don’t even have to lie. Jillian says we spin it as the jealous ex trying to come in between the lovebirds. We talk about him ghosting you, how devastated you were, and sympathy immediately falls on your side. And clicks for Every Day go through the roof.”
Sierra looked uncertain. I took her hand. “It’s all okay. You haven’t done anything wrong, and I don’t want you blaming yourself.”
“I think I’m just a little rattled at the idea of airing out my dirty laundry with Trey for the sake of publicity.”
“It’ll be all right,” I said. “We don’t need to go into a lot of detail. We’ll just make it clear to the press that we’re solid and you were as surprised as everyone else to see the article surface.”
Her face shifted, just a fraction, her eyebrows twitching, her jaw tensing, but she nodded, staring out the window as we arrived at the event space.
I’d rented a private screening room at the Directors Guild of America, and by the time I exited the limo, buttoning my jacket, I’d managed to shove all my emotions into a little box in the back of my brain.
Trey’s interview. Sierra’s reaction. Jillian’s plan. It would all still be there tomorrow. Tonight was about the movie.
I walked around the limo, opened Sierra’s door, offered her my arm, and escorted her inside.
The evening began with hors d’oeuvres and chitchat as the guests arrived and drinks were served.
I did my duty—greeting friends, smiling and schmoozing with the press, and selling Sierra and me to a curious crowd.
“Can you ask the staff to get the gift bags on the seats?” I said discreetly to Sierra.
She nodded, disappearing from my side .
“Hey there, Lockhart,” Tony Stafford said, waltzing up with his whiskey and a firm handshake.
Tony worked for LA Weekly . We had a long-standing relationship that went all the way back to our college clubbing days.
“You’re a busy guy. Been trying to get my secretary to lock you down for lunch for months. ”
I laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. “Just running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Making a movie, keeping a fiancée happy. It’s not for the faint of heart.”
“It isn’t any easier when you’re married,” Tony joked. He cocked his head, sipping his drink. “Couldn’t help noticing you and the Mrs.-to-be are in the press again. Hearing some very interesting things on Rumorz .”
I knew he was angling for info on the Trey interview. These press types lived and breathed breaking news like that. I sighed, shaking my head. “Jealous exes always crop up when you’re the most happy.”
“Can I quote you on that?” he asked, shooting me a wry grin.
“Only if it’s attached to a glowing review.”
He laughed. “You’re gonna have to send the poor guy a consolation prize. Seems like he lost out on a good one.”
“Sierra’s amazing.” I glanced around for her in the crowd. “She’s really turned things around for me—made me see the world in a whole new way. Just like in the story we’re trying to tell in Every Day .”
I shifted the conversation back to the movie, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs as I mentioned a forthcoming press release from Hart of Gold Productions, just like Jillian had instructed in her email.
People couldn’t help but follow a good trail, and I knew Tony would let the info slip as he chatted with other guests .
By the time people left here tonight, I wanted them buzzing about Every Day while also using the publicity from Trey’s interview to skyrocket those reviews to the top of everyone’s For You page.
“Anyway, you’re right,” I said, shaking Tony’s hand once more as the doors to the screening room swung open. “I should probably send the guy a muffin basket.”
The group eagerly started for their seats, and I looked around for Sierra once more, frowning as I realized I’d lost her in the crowd.