They had even sent in someone to do her hair and makeup, which was ridiculous. Sticking her in a fancy dress and an up-do wasn’t going to make her any more appealing to Angus. He wasn’t interested in her, and she knew it.
A knock came at the door, and butterflies swirled in her stomach. There would be cameras, cameramen, and zero privacy. It wasn’t a date; it was a show. She could handle it.
She rested her hand on the doorknob as she took a deep breath. Not a date. An outing.
“Penelope?” Angus’s voice filtered through the door.
One more deep breath, and she pulled the door open. And just as she suspected, there were all the trappings of the show. It didn’t stop her from gaping at Angus. That red hair combed just so, a smile that beamed, and smelling even better than he had before.
“Wow.” The word slipped off her tongue before she could stop it. “I mean…” she said and stopped. “I mean just what I said. You look like a heartbreak on two legs.”
“I can’t say you don’t either,” he said, his Scottish accent thicker than it had been. “That’s some dress.”
Yeah, right. She wasn’t nearly as skinny as the other three women. They’d probably filled out their dresses much better. But she wasn’t going to be a jerk tonight. She’d keep him at arm’s length, but she could do that and still look herself in the mirror.
She smiled. “Thank you.”
His eyebrows lifted. “No smart remark?”
“I’m trying a new approach. Maybe if I’m nice, you’ll leave me alone because I’m boring, and then the audience will get tired of me.”
Angus tilted his head. “That’s the only reason you’re going to be nice? To be boring so I’ll leave you alone?”
She hung her head. “I don’t hate you. I don’t even know you.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I don’t want to know you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want a relationship. I like my simple life. I have a routine, a business, and a dog. What you have might work for you, but I don’t want it. I don’t want all this attention or those.” She waved her arm toward the cameras.
His eyebrows knitted together, and his eyes turned stormy. “Could we just be civil long enough to plow through this date? That’s all I’m asking. Just a few hours, and then I’ll drop you off right back here. We’ll end exactly where we started.”
Penelope nodded and stepped into the hall, shutting the door behind her. A heavy silence settled between them as they reached the limo, and it lingered the entire drive to the restaurant.
The show had rented an Italian place, which would have been fine for most, but she’d have to be careful with what she ate. It did make her wonder if Angus was the one who chose the place. Did he know she was diabetic? Maybe they’d told him and he’d forgotten. Either way, she’d keep it to herself. No point in adding to the level of discomfort of the date. Er, outing.
Angus cleared his throat as he put down his menu. “Do you think we could talk? This silence isn’t golden; it’s painful.”
She picked something to eat and set her menu down. “Sure. What would you like to talk about?”
“I know you didn’t audition for the show, but has it really been that bad?” There was a hint of sadness in his voice like he was taking her rejection of being on television personally.
With a smile, she cast her gaze to the table. “Actually, it hasn’t. I like how quiet it is of a morning. I like sitting outside at night in front of the fire. I like that I can’t use my phone so I’m disconnected from the world. I could live here if it weren’t for the fact that I love the beach so much.” When she looked up, Angus’s lips were slightly parted like he was stunned she’d answered him.
He seemed to recover and smiled. “I like the quiet too, especially at night.”
“Do you know what we’re doing after this? No one would tell me.”
Before he could answer, a waiter filled their water glasses and took their orders. Once the waiter was gone again, Angus said, “I was hoping to surprise you.”
What? Not once had a surprise ever gone well for her. Well, not since Paige decided to declare her an enemy. “I hate surprises.”
“This is a good one. I promise.”
“I guess I’ll take your word for it.” She didn’t mean for her tone to sound so sharp. “I’m sorry. That came out harsh. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Angus took a sip of water and leaned forward with his arms on the table. “I know the tabloids paint me as a bad guy, and for a while, I was. But I swear I’m not that person.”
He said it with such conviction. But he was an actor. There were cameras zooming in and out. Cameramen were walking around. How was she supposed to know which face was the real him?
She raised an eyebrow. “And how exactly am I supposed to know that? You make your living pretending to be someone you’re not. Your entire career is based on not being yourself. How could I possibly ever know the real you?”
His shoulders sagged. “I guess you can’t.”
After that, they ate their meal in silence, and again it stretched as they left the restaurant and headed to whatever surprise lay in wait for her.
When the limo stopped, she’d been so lost in thought that she didn’t even know they’d arrived at their destination. The driver opened the door, and as Penelope stepped out, her mouth dropped open.
“A theater? And they’re putting on La Bohéme? Performed…in Italian?” She turned and faced Angus as her heart pounded. “How?”
He smiled. “I did a little digging and found that you’ve always wanted to see this. It just happened that it was playing tonight. It’s the local theater, so they’re not professionals, but I thought you’d like to see it.”
Penelope was stunned. “You did the digging or Barb?”
“Me.”
What could she do now? This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. He had to be playing her. Had to be. But should that dictate how she treated him? Without a second thought, she circled her arms around his neck and whispered, “Thank you.”
The instant Angus wrapped his arms around her, she realized she’d made a grave error. Tingles erupted and coursed through her when his breath tickled her neck as he whispered, “You’re welcome.”
She quickly stepped back and avoided eye contact. That hug had thrown her, along with the fact that she’d done it in the first place and that her traitorous body had liked it. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, searching for words that seemed just out of reach.
“Maybe we should go inside?” Angus smiled as he pressed his hand into the small of her back.
Zaps of electricity spread from his hand, climbing her spine so quickly that she shivered.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
She flattened her hand against her stomach and shook her head. “No,” she said as she worked to keep her voice even.
They walked through the gathering crowd, past the ticket booth, and into the theater where he led her to a second-floor box. Over the next thirty minutes, the show set up their cameras, but Penelope wasn’t going to let the fact that she was on camera take away her enjoyment of this play.
Chapter 12
Angus watched Penelope as she enjoyed the opera with rapt delight. She sat on the edge of her seat with her arms folded over the railing, hanging on to every note and every word. When she’d said thank you, she’d meant it.
The look of shock on her face when she realized where they were and what was playing would stay with him long after the show. For the first time that he could remember, he’d given someone something and they truly appreciated it. If he wasn’t mistaken, she’d even been a little tearful.
He was still trying to process the hug she’d given him. It was genuine and sweet, and it had lit him on fire. Every nerve he had felt bare and raw with the voltage that passed through him. The tickle of her breath as she whispered her thanks. The softness of her skin. The way she fit against him. He was supposed to leave the sho
w with a career, not a relationship. But that didn’t stop the errant thoughts.
When the first act ended and intermission began, Penelope turned to him with a smile so wide he felt blinded, the first genuine smile he’d seen her give. “That was incredible, right? You could feel it in the music. I don’t even know what they were saying, but it was so powerful.”
He’d seen something incredible all right. Her. “Aye, it was really good.”
“Why did you do this for me?”
Why? Barb had urged him to figure out how to get through to her, so he’d broken down and called her sister. He’d put on a fake accent and pretended to be someone with the show.
Finding La Bohéme playing at the local theater company was a total stroke of luck, and whoever was smiling down on him had his eternal gratitude. Mostly because Penelope Cooper had the best smile he’d ever seen. He was glad Barb had pushed him.
“We got off on the wrong foot, and I thought this might help fix it,” Angus said.
She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth and nodded. It almost seemed as though she was debating with herself. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the lights dimmed, and the music began as the second half of the opera started, cutting off whatever it was she wanted to say.
Once the opera was over, they returned to the limo with their entourage. Angus had to admit, the cameras were getting to be a little much. He wanted to talk to Penelope, just Penelope.
She braced her hand on the seat, her gaze not quite meeting his. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for taking me to see this opera. I’ve seen it on film, but seeing it in person, I could feel it all the way to my soul.” Her gaze lifted to his, and tears pooled in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“I just didn’t want you to hate being on the show.” The minute it left his lips, he regretted it. That wasn’t what he meant to say, but she was beautiful, genuine, and dangerous. One lethal shot of her, and he’d be done. It was better this way.
And just like that, the light left her eyes. “We had an agreement to avoid each other. I’ll be keeping my end from this point forward.” She turned her gaze to the cameramen. “Penelope will be signing off now.” She hugged herself as she scooted close to the limo door, putting as much space between her and Angus as she could.
“Penelope, I’m―”
She held up her hand. “I’m done for the night.”
Angus leaned his head against the seat and let his eyes glaze over as he stared out the window. One stupid, thoughtless sentence had destroyed what was otherwise a great night. Of course, he could try to fix it, but like she’d said, how would she ever know who Angus really was? Did he even know anymore?
* * *
A confessional tonight? Did it come with a priest? Because that was the only way Angus was going to feel any better.
Vincent crossed his ankle over his knee. “That was some blowout in the limo.”
“Aye.”
“Did you think she’d be that upset? After all, you were just trying to make the show a little more pleasant for her.” Vincent lifted his eyebrows, expectantly waiting for an answer.
Angus thought these interviews were supposed to be lighthearted. “I don’t know what I expected.” Lie. He knew she’d be hurt. He’d been trying to figure out why he’d said such a stupid thing to begin with.
After his breakup with Clara, he’d stayed away from anything meaningful. The idea of getting close to someone again was frightening. What if they turned out to be like her? He knew his heart couldn’t handle being crushed like that again.
“Do you think maybe she was getting into the spirit of the show? Maybe playing it up a little?” Vincent asked.
Angus hadn’t thought about that, but now that Vincent mentioned it, there was that fear. Maybe she was just pretending herself. What if she was just using the ruse of being a simple dog-groomer to get close to him?
He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.” Truth. He was a decent actor, and he knew what good acting looked like. Her tears were real, and so was her heartbreak. “I think she was genuinely upset.”
“Well, I guess we’ll see how this plays out over the next few weeks.”
“Aye.”
The camera quit rolling, and Angus stood. Maybe he did need to ask for a priest the next time.
Chapter 13
As soon as they got to the lodge, Penelope was instructed to change and go to the interview room. Why did they have to do this tonight? She was emotionally shot. What if she babbled like an idiot?
Vincent grinned as she entered the room. “Welcome, Penelope.”
“Yeah, I’m plum tickled to be here.” Her voice was as flat as week-old roadkill, and she felt about as good.
“Did you enjoy the opera at least?”
This one she couldn’t lie about if she tried. “I loved every second of it. It was so moving.”
Vincent tilted his head. “Even knowing that Angus only took you so you wouldn’t hate the show?”
She hated to admit it, but finding out that was his reasoning had cast a shadow over the entire thing. Her eyes stung as tears threatened. This was bait, but she wasn’t hungry. “It was kind of Angus to consider my feelings and take me to the opera. I knew there was a reason behind it, but I still enjoyed the opera.”
“That’s not how it looked in the limo. You seemed upset when he said that. Are you saying you weren’t?”
Penelope’s eyes slid shut as she hung her head, her thoughts caught in a rip current. “There’s no denying Angus is beautiful, but I thought…I thought I’d seen something real from him. I let my guard down, and I’ve been proven wrong. I wasn’t so much upset with him as I was myself.” She lifted her gaze to Vincent. “I don’t know what you people want from me. Most of the time I feel like a rag being wrung in someone’s hands.”
Her heart ached like a thousand arrows were sticking in it. Another reason to avoid Angus. If he could hurt her so easily, falling for him would be like volunteering to stand in front of a firing squad.
“Well, that seemed genuine. Right, audience? Tune in next week as we take a trip to a dude ranch for a little camping.”
With that, Penelope stood and left the room, going straight to her bedroom. How was she going to survive ten more weeks of this?
* * *
Long after the date with Angus, Penelope lay awake, thinking about the opera, him, and how hurt she was when he admitted he’d only done it because of the show. That’s why she’d kept her distance from him from the beginning.
Getting caught up in the show, forgetting why it was being filmed in the first place, and thinking Angus MacLachlan might care at all about any of them was too easy. A trip to see an opera she’d always wanted to see was nothing to him. It just happened to be playing? Right. And even if it was, the reason he took her was to get ratings.
Like a fool, she’d hugged him. Whispered a thanks. What would the audience think of her when they saw the show? How easily swayed was the girl who knew it was all a game?
Penelope stood, pulled on her robe, and shuffled out of her room. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why she felt so glum. Who cares why he took her to see it? She’d gotten to see a live version of La Bohéme.
On the back patio, she folded into a chair overlooking the expansive backyard, her knees tucked to her chest. The chill in the air almost made her reach for a blanket, but not quite. If she got too cold, she’d start a fire, but for the moment, she could handle it.
With her head leaned back, she let her thoughts wander again. Why had she let Paige get her into this mess? Why hadn’t she insisted on Paige either getting her out of it or taking her place? If she had, she’d be sitting on the beach in Destin, talking to George.
“Mind if I join you?” Angus asked.
Penelope yelped as she jumped. “I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t expect me to participate.”
Angus sat in a chair across from her. “I didn’t set it up just for the show. I
did it because…because I wanted to. There was no other reason than that. I said it because…I don’t know why.”
She chuckled. “Sure.”
He sat forward. “It’s the truth.”
She leveled her gaze at him. “And how on earth would I know that? How exactly did you find out about La Bohéme?”
“I called your sister and pretended to be part of the show.”
“Did she know it was you?”
His eyes closed, and he sighed. “No, I used an American accent.”
“Now that’s the truth. You pretended. The whole thing was pretend,” she said, her voice trembling as the last word fell off her tongue.
Angus scrubbed his face with his hands. He caught her gaze and held it. “No, it wasn’t. The only reason I pretended when I called her was because I had to. She couldn’t know who was calling because of the show restrictions. Do you know how hard it was to convince Barb to let me call her?”
Penelope stood, and he jumped up to face her. “I swear it. I did it because I wanted to,” he said.
“You took something that was precious to me and tainted it. You didn’t do it for me. You did it for you. To win me over. Do you think I’m so stupid that I don’t know why I’m still here? Ratings. You win me over, you win everyone over. The poor dog-grooming idiot who would be so stupid to think that someone like you might actually take an interest in her. There are cameras everywhere, and yet, for a second, I forgot.”
“That’s not true. You have to know that’s not true. I said something stupid, but nothing about tonight was fake. I wanted to take you because I knew you’d like it.” He took a step toward her. “You’re the most real person I’ve met in a long time, and this doesn’t have to be a slice of purgatory.”
Mending The Billionaire Movie Star (MacLachlan Brothers Romance Book 1) Page 6
