At that moment, a knock came at the door.
“Who is it?” I called out, already knowing that it would be Hunter.
“It’s Hunter.”
“Do you need one of us?” I asked.
“I need both of you,” he said from beyond the door. “Lexi wants to apologize publicly to Pepper. She wants it to be on tape. I questioned her about what she wants to say, I believe that what she has to say is genuine, and I think that it’s important that Pepper hears it on camera.”
“Because it’ll make for good television?” Pepper called out.
“Part of that is true,” Hunter said. “But after I listened to her, I believe there’s more to it than that.”
“What the hell is this about?” Pepper asked me.
“I have no idea,” I said, genuinely perplexed. “I mean, I did lecture Lexi after I scrubbed those bugs off her . . .”
“What did you say to her?”
I told her exactly what I’d said.
“So, this is about branding,” Pepper said with a roll of her eyes. “Lexi only wants to apologize to me because she’s worried about her damned image and her brand. Oh, that’s rich. I mean, as if that bitch even has a brand.”
“If I’m to be honest with you, Pepper, after what went down today, you need to be worried about your own brand. What you told me from the start is that what you want out of this show is a cosmetic line. Who knows what Lexi wants out of the show—and frankly, who the hell cares? But if you can somehow end today by settling the score between you two in a way that will last for the rest of the season, it will only help you in the end.”
“I did what was right for my mother today, Julia.”
“And for the most part, I agree with you. But by tossing earwigs into Lexi’s bed—your actions are already catching the eyes of millions on your social media feeds, and not every person is going to agree with what you did. Worse, what you did will be open to public commentary once the show airs this fall. The same is true for Lexi, whose behavior will be judged today by her social media followers and revealed yet again on television, when everyone sees just how cruelly she outed your mother. Trust me on this. Yes, the show wants all of you to be a healthy handful of terrible teens. But you and I are talking about your future right now. And no major manufacturer is going to get into bed with someone they perceive to be difficult—regardless of how popular you are. Understood?”
“I get it,” Pepper said.
“I’m glad you do,” I said to her.
“Because of her branding concerns, this entire apology of hers is going to look staged,” Pepper said to me. “And how is that going to look to a world seeking ‘reality’? People aren’t stupid, Julia. If we do this, I’m telling you right now that it’s going to look fake—and fake isn’t going to be a good look for Hunter’s reality show.”
“You make an excellent point,” I said. “So, before we shoot anything, let me try to work this out with Hunter, because the last thing he wants on his show is something that looks manufactured. Because that kind of bullshit is death when it comes to reality television—you and I both know that, and so does Hunter. Let me talk with him first before any apology comes your way.”
Pepper straightened her shoulders when I said that, flipped her hair behind her back in an aggressive manner, then stood and turned to me.
“Because of my father, I do understand business,” she said to me. “But an apology coming from Lexi Reynolds? After what I just did to her? Oh, that’s going to be rich, Julia. Even if it isn’t believable, it needs to come off as believable. Otherwise, my best advice for Hunter is to just scratch this shit from the show. Because if that girl doesn’t nail her apology to me in ways that looks like she means it? His show is as good as dead. You cannot bullshit my generation when it comes to these sorts of shows because we all live for the realness in them.”
“You’re right,” I said as I reached for my phone in my handbag and started to text him. “Let me convey your concerns to Hunter now. He will listen to me because he’ll get it, and then it’s up to him to convey to Lexi exactly how she needs to behave if she’s going to pull off this apology tour of hers. You’re thinking like a businesswoman right now, and I couldn’t be more proud of you. When you two first come into contact with one another, feel free to be furious with her—let your real emotions come through—but in the end, do your best to make amends with her so all of this can be put behind you.”
When I finished texting Hunter, I tossed my phone back into my handbag and looked at Pepper. “As your agent and your friend, I need you to remember the big picture here, which is getting you that lucrative cosmetic line you want. Because if you are consistently seen as coming off as a bitch, you need to consider—who would want to buy anything from you if they perceive you to be nothing more than a bitch? No one, that’s who.”
“Girl, I get it, and I’m good,” she said. “But I appreciate your advice, because at least you’ve got my back.”
“I do, Pepper.”
“I know you do. So, come on. Let’s get up and do this apologizing shit, because I, for one, am more than curious to see how that sorry-assed bitch is going to somehow find the words to apologize to me after the way she humiliated my mother today.”
She looked openly at me.
“Aren’t you curious?” she asked.
“Actually, when it comes to the hatred between you two? Right now, I feel kind of nauseous . . .”
“Then take my hand,” she said as she offered it to me. When I did, she pulled me off the sofa, tugged me in close, and thanked me as she kissed me on each cheek. When I stepped back, for a fleeting moment I saw the hardness in her eyes soften as I witnessed what she tried to show no one—all the hurt, betrayal, anger, sadness, and vulnerability she felt each day.
Pepper Winters was perhaps one of the most complicated people I knew, but after coming to know her—and after seeing firsthand why she had become the young woman she was today—I got it. I understood her pain, her rage, her sorrow, her resentment, and every other emotion that was boiling deep beneath her skin. All the money in the world never could fix the problems Pepper was facing with her parents. And because it couldn’t? She’d been trying to deal with them on her own for a long time.
I respected her for trying to overcome that, and even though I sometimes felt she went too far when her anger got the best of her, I did hope that one day my guidance would show her a better way to handle her anger.
“To a lifetime of partnering together,” she said.
“To a lifetime of it,” I said. “And I mean that, Pepper, because you’ve come to mean a great deal to me. Now, are you ready to see Lexi?”
“I know how to keep the initial part of our conversation real, if only because I truly am furious with her after what she did today,” she said. “As for the second part? Trust me, I can pull it off. Because when it comes to navigating my relationship with my ridiculous parents? I’m a better actress than you think I am, if only because I’ve had to be one for the better part of my life because of how they’ve verbally abused each other, as well as me. I mean, when it comes to getting along with those two? I’ve pretty much already earned a master’s degree in acting. So, please don’t worry about how I’ll handle myself when Lexi goes into apology mode. What you need to worry about is whether Lexi will believably deliver. Because if she doesn’t?”
She shook her head at me in defeat.
“All of us are in trouble, because I’ll say it again—whatever she says to me better look real to the cameras. Because if it doesn’t? I fear all of us are going to be taping multiple apologies before the day is over . . .”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
When we entered the living area, my eyes swept the brightly lit room for Hunter, who was standing to my left with his arms folded across the broad expanse of his muscular chest, which now was covered with a fresh white T-shirt. Lexi was standing beside him in a pair of dark skinny jeans and a long-sleeved, stylish black shirt.
It didn’t escape me that despite how swollen her face looked, she’d clearly troweled on the makeup before she went in front of the cameras with her apology to Pepper.
Girl’s totally come to this party prepared, I thought. Not that I can blame her . . .
She’d shrewdly covered as much of her body as possible—either with clothes or with layers of foundation. Her long, raven-colored hair hung on either side of her face, clearly in an effort to mask whatever Pepper’s earwigs had done to her when they bit the hell out of her neck and throat.
Surrounding us were three cameramen with their cameras hoisted up on their shoulders, while others tended to the lighting, and another crew made certain that the booms soaring above us would capture whatever Lexi had to say to Pepper.
And also whatever Pepper has to say to Lexi, I thought with concern. Because when it comes to my girl? And especially now that I know how protective she is of her mother? I still have no idea what the hell she’s about to say or how she’s going to handle any of this despite the guidance I’ve given her, or how she’s promised to handle herself. She’s that unpredictable . . .
After nodding at me—which sent shivers through my body after the conversation we’d had before I’d dealt with Pepper—Hunter stepped into the center of the space, and turned to face Lexi and Pepper.
“The cameras aren’t rolling now, so for the moment, everyone can just relax until I’m finished speaking,” he said, the frustration clear in his voice. “Even though I’ve never done this before because this is, after all, a reality television show, I’ve decided to bend the rules a bit, if only to give each of you a shot at redemption.”
“Redemption?” Pepper said. “For me as well? Lexi is the one who started this bullshit, Hunter. I’m just the one who finished it.”
“Yes, for you as well, Pepper,” he said. “Because after what you two pulled on each other today, trust me—you’re both going to need redemption, especially if you want to have careers when you leave this show.”
“Please,” Pepper said. “My career is already in the bag, Hunter. So, trust me on this—I’ll be just fine when this season is finished.”
Oh, God, Pepper, come on! We just spoke about this!
“But do you know that for sure?” Hunter asked. “Because corporate America is watching you, Pepper, just as hard as they’re watching Lexi. In this business, the only thing that’s certain is that nothing is certain. So, here’s what’s happening now. While you were talking in the Confessional with Julia, Lexi came to me and said that she wanted to apologize to you on camera. You can go through with her apology or not—it’s your choice. If you do decide to hear her out, how you two behave toward one another is solely on you. You might exchange a few heated words. One of you might offer the other a truce. Or both of you might make matters even worse by attacking each another. Do what you want, because regardless of what you say to each other when we go live on tape, this ugly arc of the show is either going to end tonight, or it will continue going forward. My best advice is that you be smart and think about how your reputations on this show will affect your brands in the future. Yes, everyone on this show is supposed to have their share of ‘terrible’ moments, which the audience loves, craves, and expects. But when you give them truly ‘evil’ moments, which we saw from each of you today? Whether you want to believe it or not, that can be a deal breaker for your fans. What both of you need to know now is that whatever we capture on camera tonight will be used on the show, and depending on how you react to Lexi’s apology, Pepper? You might live to regret your behavior and your words if you go in too hard.”
Despite how seriously he takes reality television, he’s nevertheless allowing them to make informed decisions when it comes to their futures, which is beyond generous, kind, and fair of him, I thought in admiration. And he’s right. How Pepper chooses to behave when Lexi apologizes to her will affect her career going forward. But had Pepper really heard him—and me—when it came to how much she needs to protect her brand? Or is she so angry because of the way Lexi outed her mother that she doesn’t give a damn about any of this, because she comes from money—and she knows that she’ll never have to worry about her financial future?
When I considered that, all I could do was sigh with a kind of inward resignation that tonight might not go as well as I hoped.
Whatever the case, her career is in her hands at this point, I thought. I’ve done my job. Hell, I’ve done my best. I’ve warned her. And Hunter just warned her. So, choose well, Pepper—because Hunter is right. Corporate America will judge how this goes down between you and Lexi, likely at the very moment you want them to back that cosmetic line of yours . . .
“Are you in, or not?” Hunter asked Pepper.
“Sure,” she said with a shrug. “I’ll listen to whatever this bitch has to say to me. And then I’ll clap back.”
“Do what you want,” Hunter said. “But don’t expect me to fix this for you in the editing room after all is said and done, because I won’t. I’m giving you an opportunity to correct everything that went down between you two today. You can have it out, you can come to terms, you can call a truce, and if you want, you can end this bullshit now. Or not, because I’m not going to be the one determining how far you take the opportunity I’m giving you—or whatever words come out of your mouths. All of that will be on each of you. And if, after the fact, you have second thoughts about how you behaved? Sorry about that, because there will be no second takes.”
He isn’t screwing around. Nor should he. But did Pepper hear him when he said that this take was it—that this was their final chance to get things right?
If she knows what’s best for her, she’d better have . . .
“Each of you might be asking yourself why I’m doing this for you, so let me tell you why,” he said. “It’s because I believe in you two girls, and I see the careers you have in front of you if you take this moment seriously. If you don’t and if you choose to throw it all away? Don’t ever expect me to be this kind to you again.”
“I appreciate that, Hunter,” Pepper said to him. “As angry with her as I am—and as uncomfortable as I’ll admit this moment is—I’ll listen to whatever Lexi has to say to me.”
With the heat gone from her voice, I felt a bit of relief, because I could tell from Pepper’s tone that she understood the ramifications of her actions when Lexi apologized to her. Proud of her, I reached out for her hand, squeezed it—and then she squeezed it back.
“How do you want this to play out?” I asked Hunter.
“I thought that Pepper might be in the kitchen getting herself a glass of water when Lexi enters the room. It’ll be clear by Lexi’s stance and her expression that she’s come to the kitchen to find Pepper. And when that happens? We are off script.” He looked at each of them. “With our advice in mind, you two will take it from there.”
“Go to the kitchen,” I said to Pepper. “Pour yourself a glass of water. Do your best to behave as if you don’t know that Lexi is about to enter the room. When she does? Be the actress you told me you can be. Act surprised. Listen to what she has to say to you, then react as you will. At first, the audience is going to expect a fiery exchange between each of you. How you find your soft landing—if that’s even what happens during this one take that Hunter is offering you—is up to each of you. As you know, there will be no second takes to fix things if you decide to go off the rails. But Hunter and I have said enough. Both of you have officially been put on notice. So, good luck to you, because as I see it? After today, both of you need all of the luck in the world when it comes to achieving whatever dreams you have for your futures after this season of the show ends.”
* * *
Once the camera, lighting, and sound crew took their places in the kitchen, Hunter shot me a look of concern before he called out, “Pepper, go into the kitchen and pour yourself a glass of water. Lexi, you’ve got thirty seconds before you join her there. That’s all the direction I’m giving to you, so good luck t
o you. Now, go!”
I stood next to Hunter on the sidelines, and literally could feel my skin tingle. Thirty minutes ago, this man had told me that he was in love with me, just as I was secretly in love with him. And now we had to deal with this. It was too much, but since we had our jobs to do, we had to focus on the moment—and not on us. So, we watched Pepper walk into the kitchen without a care in the world as my heart slammed hard against my chest for all that was to come.
I’m literally on edge right now, I thought to myself.
Deal with it, girl.
God, I hate my conscience . . .
I watched Pepper go to one of the cupboards, reach inside, and grab a tall glass. She was busy filling it with ice and water from the refrigerator door when Lexi rounded the corner, and stepped into the room.
“I need to talk with you,” she said.
“Oh!” Pepper said as she looked around at her in mock surprise. “Look at what all the STDs in the world just dragged into the room. Why, it’s Lexi Reynolds. In what language would you like to talk, Lexi? Slang? Because given your IQ and your level of education, I’m assuming that ghetto is your first language.”
“Hilarious,” Lexi said. “But whatevs. Look, I’ve been thinking about today . . .”
“Which oddly suggests that you’re capable of thought,” Pepper said with a bemused smile as she stepped away from the fridge and leaned against the side of the island with her glass in hand. “Quelle surprise.”
“Kell what?” Lexi said.
“That would be French, darling,” Pepper laughed. “It means, ‘what a surprise.’ Which you’d certainly know if your slovenly parents had the means to send you to the city’s best schools, as my parents did for me.”
“Pepper, I came here for a reason,” Lexi said. “I don’t want to get into it with you right now.”
“Really, Lexi? After the shit you pulled on my mother today, suddenly you don’t want to get into it with me? Why don’t I believe that?”
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