Vote Then Read: Volume I

by Carly Phillips

  His hands cover mine, and the tension in his jaw releases. “It’s not your fault.” He sighs. “We can deny it, but I don’t I want to. It would be like denying a piece of my soul. I’ve done that for too long. I’ll fight him.”

  “I don’t want to cause you any pain. I’m so sorry. I can fix this. I can.”

  He stares into my eyes, disbelief turning to anger. “You’re not going back to him if that’s what you’re thinking. I said I can fight this and I will. I have a good lawyer and a pit bull of an agent.” Referring to the few people on the set, he says, “And they won’t give us up.”

  “I can handle this quietly. Just give me a chance.”

  “You may have quit a job, but this could cost you your career.”

  “I don’t think he really wants to hurt me—professionally or personally.”

  “He’s hurting you by going after me. Nothing is beneath him to try to get you back. It’s a ploy. Don’t play into it.”

  “I’d rather it cost me my career than lose you… again.”

  He hugs me, his hands around my head, holding me to his chest. “You may cost me a pretty penny, but you’re not going to lose me.”

  We found out how much this lawsuit was going to cost later that night—fifteen million dollars if we fight it. Either way, we walk away the losers.

  Danny hangs up the call with his lawyer and says, “Whoever said love doesn’t cost a thing lied.”

  “I want to laugh, but I can’t.” I lie on the bed while he stands at the balcony with the doors wide open. I don’t think he hears me, so I call to him, “Danny?” When he doesn’t respond again, I go to him. Touching his shoulders, I can feel how tense they are.

  He turns just enough to see me behind him. “I’m fucked, Reese.”

  That’s not the Danny I know. His tone is all wrong, not fitting the man who seems to always look on the sunny side. His resignation hurts my heart. Leaning my forehead against his back, I close my eyes. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  “My lawyer said we have two options.”

  I move onto the balcony next to him. His hands grip the railing so tight his knuckles are whitening. “What are they?”

  “I can fight it but most likely I’ll lose since, well, we’ve breached the contract. Fighting it in court means we try to find a sympathetic jury who believes love is stronger than a contract. But legally, the contract is the final word with the judge.”

  Not good. “And the other option?”

  He won’t look at me. My stomach rolls when he turns away and lowers his voice. “We walk away until the term of the contract expires.”

  No. “That’s six months to a year. Maybe longer.” I won’t do it for even a day. “The expiration of those clauses were based on us working together—”

  “And the ads being public, apparently, not just shooting the ads.”

  “No.”

  “Yes, Reese.” When his gaze hits me it’s harsher, more troubled than I’ve ever seen. “My lawyer has gone over the contracts twice looking for a loophole. Klein isn’t new to this. They know how to word these things. I signed it. Hell, you fucking signed it.”

  The clause flashes through my head. I’ve been in a Danny daze and forgot my better judgment at the bedroom door. Shit. “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want you to be sorry. I just…” He walks inside and sits on the end of the bed.

  “I knew better. I knew what I was signing and,” I say, looking away from him pained I’ve brought this on him. “I shouldn’t have crossed that li—”

  He holds a hand out to me and says, “C’mere.”

  I walk to him. Standing in front of him, I add, “I don’t want you to hate me. I don’t want to lose you.”

  He leans back, inviting me to straddle him. Running my fingers through the hair around his ears, I wait for him to talk. Taking hold of my hips, he tries to give me a smile but it’s not really there. The worry runs deep. “I want to be with you. I don’t want to lose you, not for six months and definitely not for a year. We’ve lost ten already. I don’t want to wait to start a life with you. Do you want to be with me? Right here, right now, do you want to be with me?”

  My eyes fill with tears threatening to fall. “That’s all I’ve wanted for what feels like my whole life.”

  Sitting up, he drags me closer. He kisses my chin and whispers, “Say it again. For me.”

  “You’re all I’ve wanted my whole life.”

  Our lips meet in a gentle caress while his hands slide up my back. The kiss deepens, darkens, as something else possesses it. A need. A craving. A conquest. He turns me over on the mattress, my back flat as he moves on top, his body urging mine to join his rhythm.

  We kiss, but soon the frenzy slows, an ominous cloud hovering above the bed. His forehead is rested against mine, one small kiss placed on my lips before he moves to the side of me. I snuggle against him.

  Lying there with our hearts exposed, our emotions raw, I feel outside my body, a feeling I was temporarily distracted from when he came back into my life. I don’t want to live in the dark anymore. Not when I have so much light back in my life. I refuse to let go. I will fight. I will fight for us, for this second chance.

  Emotional exhaustion leads to sleep, and I give in.

  Awakened in the middle of the night by ringing, Danny sits up startled. He grabs his phone and answers rashly, “What?”

  I sit up and lean against the headboard watching him, trying to give him privacy, but his temper has a rippling effect. He responds, “I can’t do it… I won’t.” His anger gets the best of him, and he gets out of bed. “That makes no sense. Who’ll believe us?” The moonlight highlights each sculpted muscle on his bare body as he stands looking out through the closed French doors. “Give me time to think. I’ll call you in the morning.” When he hangs up, he looks over at me. I’m pinned by his gaze; unable to read the most readable eyes I’ve ever seen. He’s hiding something from me, protecting me.

  I can feel it.

  Wrapping my arms around my legs, I rest my chin on my knees. “What’s wrong?”

  Walking to the bathroom, he says, “Get some rest. We still have the shoot tomorrow.”

  “Danny, tell me what’s wrong?”

  He stops in the doorway with his back to me, and says, “Go back to sleep, Reese.”

  Swinging my legs off the bed, I don’t reach the door before it shuts. I open it and my eyes meet his in the reflection of the mirror. His palms rest heavy on the marble counter, and he asks, “Were you always this feisty?”

  “No. I learned that lesson the hard way.”

  “What lesson did you learn?”

  “That I need to stay and fight for what I want.”

  “It’s like history repeating itself. But this time, we may not have a choice.”

  I move to the counter, ducking under his arm and sandwiching myself between the marble and him. “What does that mean?”

  With just a breath between us, he replies, “The collective advisement is for me not to see you again.”

  His words punch me in the gut. My arm covers my stomach and I ask, “By your lawyer?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s fifteen million dollars, not including legal fees.”

  A harsh breath escapes when I’m sucker-punched by the reality that he might not fight for me. Leaning back, I need perspective and being this close makes me lose it. “What are you saying? I thought you were going to fight?”

  “You said you didn’t want me to.”

  “I want you to, Danny. Of course I do. I’m a woman. I want you to fight for me. I just don’t want you to lose your money or your life doing it. I could never live with that guilt. You’d never look at me the same.”

  His expression softens and he steps back. With a sly grin on his face, he says, “I’m going to be very upfront with you, Reese. I’ve got money in the bank and endorsements that will earn out over the next few years. I would give
anything to be with you, but if something were to happen…” His hand waves down his body. “This is my reality. My job is based on my face, my body.” Looking away briefly I can see how much this troubles him. “I couldn’t take care of you. Not how I’d want to. I don’t have a career that will support me for a lifetime without saving my money now. My agent, my lawyer, and my financial advisor all tell me not to fight this and to settle out of court.”

  “If you settle, how much will it cost you?”

  “Seven.”

  “Seven million dollars?” I try to process how fucked up this really is, that our love has caused a lawsuit.

  The silence is broken when he says, “If this was two years from now, I’d be more comfortable with the savings. A plan is in place to grow the money and I’ll have those endorsements paid out. But right now… I want to buy us a house one day and the real estate market in LA is insane.” Taking my hands in his, he looks right into my eyes. “I will give it up for you, Reese. For this second chance.” He touches my cheek. “I lost you once. I won’t lose you again.”

  “You won’t lose me if you don’t fight this. But I can’t sit by and let you take this hit all on your own.”

  “It’s my situation to handle.” I watch as he walks back into the bedroom and climbs into bed.

  I’m right behind him. When I climb into bed, he immediately pulls me close though I feel terrible I’ve caused him this much trouble. “I’m sor—”

  “Don’t say it again. I don’t blame you. I’m not innocent in this. You didn’t cause this anymore than I did.”

  With my head against his chest, I listen to his heart beating strong. “I’m to blame for Keaton.”

  He’s quiet. When I look up, his eyes are closed. “Sleep, pretty. We’ll deal with it in the daylight.” I close my eyes, and he kisses my head. “We always have tomorrow.”

  Do we?

  I’ve been given a chance at the life I’ve always wanted, and now it’s being taken away. My heartbeats are faint, the thought of losing him, again, devastating. When he reassures so kindly, I only have one thought…

  Do we have tomorrow together?

  32

  DANNY

  Tomorrow.

  Tomorrow.

  Tomorrow.

  Will we have a tomorrow? I remember the last time I foolishly thought I’d have a lifetime of tomorrows with Reese.

  TEN YEARS AGO

  Taking the stairs by two, my hand is on my pocket, making sure the box doesn’t fall out of my coat. The door is locked. I hate that I’m an hour late, but I can’t control flight delays due to bad weather.

  Unlocking the front door, I barge in excited to see my girl. “Reese, I’m home.” Silence returns my greeting. “Reese?” I shut the door behind me. Something’s off, but I can’t place it. “You here?” I scan the room as I walk through the living room into the bedroom.

  When I enter, I stand in the doorway. “Reese?” It’s clear she’s not here. I check my watch again. Damn. I hope she’s not pissed that I’m late. She knows how flaky flights can be. It’s not the first time I’ve been delayed or even had a flight cancelled altogether. She’s always understood in the past. I don’t know why she’d be mad this time.

  That’s when I see it, or should I say don’t see it… her stuff. I walk into the room and straight to the closet. Opening it wide, her stuff—it’s gone. Turning behind me, the room is empty.

  Of personality, of life, of love.

  The room is how it was before I met her.

  I dash into the bathroom. The counter is cleared, the drawers that held her toiletries now empty, the medicine cabinet left bare. Shit! I grab my phone from my pocket but find the ring instead. Going into the living room, I sit on the couch and set the ring, box lid hinged open, in front of me on the coffee table. I dial her number as I stare at the ring.

  On the fourth ring I go to voicemail. “Reese, it’s me. I’m home. Where are you? Call me. I want to see you. We need to talk.” When I hang up, I set my phone down next to the box. That’s when I notice the magazines on the table beneath it. I slide them out and look. Me. Ads I’ve done. Why are they here? I look back at the diamond ring sparkling from the light coming in through the open blinds.

  My eyes close as my head drops into my hands. Fuck. Looking at the magazines, almost all of them are of me and another model—female models. And not just from photo shoots. I always left the parties alone, but I know photos can be deceiving.

  Damn it, Reese. I call her again. When the voicemail tone sounds, I say, “Reese, please call me back. I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re not here and I want to see you. So badly. I need to see you. Please. Call me back. I love you.”

  I sit there with the phone set on top of a stack of magazines. Staring at the diamond in the middle of the black velvet box as the sun sets outside the window, the stripes from the blinds drift across the wall until it’s dark—inside and out.

  She hasn’t called. Still on Paris time, my eyes grow heavy as I stare at the two-carat princess cut sparkler I picked out just for her. Saving a percentage from my paychecks for this ring, I wanted her to have the best, the prettiest. The ring reminds me of her. Shutting the lid, I don’t want to see it anymore.

  Checking my phone just in case it somehow miraculously rang and I didn’t hear it, I’m still lost on what is happening. I get up, shove the ring and my phone in my coat pockets and take off. As soon as I get in my car, I start it but I don’t back out. I’m not sure where to go. Our closest friends have graduated and moved away. Reese has a part-time job on campus. I decide that’s my only hope.

  I stand in front of the alumni house, but logically I know it’s not open at this hour. It’s just gone eight at night. I knock on the door anyway, hoping what deep down I know is true is not happening, hoping she just got caught up in work and missed our date. I’m standing there knocking, praying her clothes, her stuff, that her being gone is all just a misunderstanding that can be cleared up.

  No answer.

  Not just the door, but for all my other questions as well.

  Getting back into my Jeep, I sit there, staring at the empty parking lot, not knowing what to do, where to go, what to think. I thought we were happy…

  I was happy.

  My phone rings and I jump to answer, scrambling to pull it from my pocket. “Hello? Reese?”

  “Danny Weston?”

  My body deflates in disappointment when I hear an unfamiliar male voice on the other end. “Yes,” I answer.

  “This is a reminder call that you have two movies overdue. I’m sorry, but we’re going to be charging your credit card on file unless you return them.”

  “Charge it.” I hang up.

  I start the car, and crank up the heat. Nebraska is so damn cold. While I drive back to the apartment, it starts snowing. First snow of the season. “Fuck you, Mother Nature.”

  My hands slam down on the steering wheel, my heart icing over like the road I’m on. I walk back into the apartment and check my messages. There are no new ones. I grab the box and am about to rip it from the wall, but I can’t. I can’t risk missing a call from her.

  I try calling her twice more before I tuck the ring into my drawer, hiding it under some boxers. I climb into bed and flick on the TV. Hours pass and I have no idea what’s been on or even what’s on TV now. I turn it off just after midnight and stare at the ceiling while snow falls outside, tormenting me and our tradition.

  The next day I have no choice. I drive the three hours back to her hometown. Her dad stands in front of me explaining that his daughter has moved to New York, lectures me that if I had loved her, I would know this. The door is shut in my face. I don’t know how long I stand there, but it’s long enough for Reese’s mother to reopen it and step out. “Danny, I’m sorry.”

  “Give her time.”

  “She’s hurt.”

  “She doesn’t want to hold you back.”

  “She’s been so lonely.”

  “Sh
e tried to get ahold of you, but there was no way.”

  “She’ll come around.”

  I don’t hear the rest, my head pounding while I have it confirmed. Everything I truly loved has gone away. Give her time… She’s been lonely? I was so lonely. I may have been surrounded by people while working, but not the one person who made me whole. I missed her every fucking day.

  Stumbling back to my car, I lean against it, not able to comprehend what I just heard, my heart refusing to accept that Reese left. Left. Me.

  I need to get away from here, from the memories, from this life, and this fucking snow. When I get in my car, I figure out what I have to do. The trip is long, the mileage racking up. I stop for gas, for food, and the occasional coffee to keep me awake, but I keep driving until I see the sign—Welcome to California.

  Walking into the Los Angeles Illustrious offices the following Monday, I don’t give myself time to change my mind.

  The receptionist smiles and I ask for Mark Warrant. I’m led to his desk in The Pit. He pulls a chair up and I sit in the small space. “I need work. As much work as you can fill my weeks with.”

  “What about Nebraska? As I said before, it would be easier if you were in New York or even LA.”

  “I’m here now. Can you get me more work?”

  He smiles. “I can get you a lot of work. Are you sure you’re ready for the commitment?”

  Commitment…

  “I’m ready.”

  Shaking my hand, he says, “Get ready, Danny Weston. I’m about to make you famous.”

  PRESENT DAY

  I spent extra time in makeup. The stress of the last few days has engraved tired lines into my face. Standing next to the vintage Aston Martin, I look away from the camera. Claudia is sitting in the car, her expression matching mine with different troubles on her mind.

  A Papillon barks at my feet. I bend down and pick it up, careful not to mess the expensive midnight-black Vittori suit I’m wearing. I let the dog lick my face and hear Claudia laugh as she lifts her sunglasses and stands up. Leaning across the seats, she pets the small dog. It’s a moment captured for future use. Even I know it’s gold to get something “natural” on camera.