“Sorry about her. She’s really protective of me,” Paige explained.
“Does she think she needs to protect you from me?”
“She’ll come around. Did you decide which room you want?” Paige asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah, I’ll take that one,” I said, hooking my thumb behind me at the room with the pool view. “But if I’m staying until Tuesday, I’m going to need to do some laundry.”
Paige chuckled. “Good point. Well, you can’t just wear the same thing the whole time anyway, no matter how many times you wash it.”
I looked down at my black shirt and basketball shorts. “I’m technically not even allowed to be wearing this right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was fine to wear on the hike because that’s a fitness activity, but I can’t wear basketball shorts if I’m not working out. The Marines have a lot of rules about ‘proper civilian attire.’”
Her eyes widened. “That’s hardcore. Well, I’m all for it, because it’s all the more reason for us to do a little shopping while we wait for your bike.”
“Shopping?”
“Yep. Let’s hit the mall.”
Two hours later, I had a couple of new outfits and a decent hole in my savings account. I’d been so relieved that our shopping trip was cut short when Paige got a text that my bike was gassed up, washed, and ready for us at her house.
I quickly changed into a fresh pair of dark wash jeans and a button-down shirt, fresh kicks, and a bomber jacket that looked similar to the one I already owned but cost twice as much.
“Very handsome,” Paige said when I joined her in the foyer.
“Thanks. I feel like Pretty Woman.”
She rolled her eyes. “Hey, you insisted on spending your own money and chose your own clothes. That wasn’t a makeover sponsored by your sugar mama.”
“That might be true, but I would have gone to Target if I was really in charge. Now I’m wearing fifty-dollar underwear.”
“And how do they feel?”
“Like heaven, obviously. Who knew a simple cotton blend could be so luxurious?”
“Tom Ford.”
I shook my head. Today was the first time I’d ever heard of the dude, but I’d spent a hundred bucks on a two-pack of his underwear. It hadn’t felt right to let Paige buy my clothes, but if this relationship continued, we wouldn’t be able to make a habit out of these little shopping trips or I was going to have to start moonlighting as a pizza driver for extra cash.
“Are you ready to go?” I asked.
“As I’ll ever be.”
The paparazzi swarmed around Chase’s Hollywood Hills estate. We pulled up to the gate, Paige’s security team in the black SUV behind us. My grip tightened on the handlebars as we rolled up to the men and women with their flashing cameras.
Being on the bike instead of safely inside a vehicle made me nervous. We had nothing around us to ensure that they kept their distance. Thankfully, they seemed to respect Paige enough not to get too close, but I still hated that she was so exposed just in case.
“Paige,” a man called out, “is this the guy you cheated on Chase with?”
Another yelled, “Why are you guys here, Paige? Did you come to rub it Chase’s face?”
“Are you guys all friends, Paige?” came another.
The gate opened and Chase’s security kept the paparazzi from entering the property as we pulled through. Relief flooded me when the gates closed behind us, and Paige’s grip loosened, too.
We got off the bike and took off our helmets, nodding to security as they parked next to us.
“That went better than I expected.” Paige fixed her windblown hair into a bun on top of her head.
Before I could answer, award-winning actor—of both TV and film—Chase Donahue opened his massive glass front door and stepped outside.
“Hey, Paigey,” he said with a wide smile.
My stomach turned. Paigey? Was he five? I’d seen Chase play Paige’s love interest on TV for so many years that it took my brain a second to remember that this was real life and they were broken up. The only problem was, their characters broke up a lot on the show, too. They always found their way back to each other, even if they saw other people in between. If this clown thought life was going to imitate art with him and Paige, he was dead wrong.
“Chase,” she greeted him icily, “I didn’t realize your house was a rehab facility now.”
He quirked a brow. “You know I don’t like the people in those places. They’ve got so much drama. And speaking of drama, I didn’t realize you’d bring a guest to our meeting.”
“Right,” she replied, coming over and giving my arm a quick squeeze. “This is Noah, my boyfriend.”
“Ah, official titles, huh?” He walked toward me, extending a hand. “Nice to meet you. Come on in.”
I swallowed and shook his hand, then followed him into the house behind Paige. How was this going to go? We’d done what we’d been told, showing up together as a united front. Now what? I’d have to sit by and listen to this joker explain his publicist’s strategy behind smearing Paige’s reputation in the papers? And we’d all discuss it like it was no big deal? Hollywood was a strange land.
We sat on a stiff leather couch. His house was all black-and-white tile and leather, cold and detached. It was the complete opposite vibe of Paige’s house. Hers felt warm and inviting. Genuine and loyal. This was like a dentist’s office.
“Okay,” Chase said, rubbing his hands together, “what’s up, lovebirds?”
“I want you to make a statement saying you lied about me cheating on you,” Paige said simply.
Chase shrugged. “No.”
I watched as Paige’s eyes widened in shock. “Why not?”
“Because that would make me look like a total loser,” he replied.
I couldn’t help it, a snicker escaped from my lips, and I tried to cover it up with a cough. “Sorry.”
Chase’s eyes landed on me, almost as if he’d forgotten I was sitting there. Without even acknowledging me, he turned back to Paige. “You don’t need me to say I lied in order to say it’s not true.”
She sighed. “I can say it’s not true until I’m blue in the face. That doesn’t mean people will believe me.”
“Some people will,” he said. “And the rest will have sympathy for me. We both win.”
Paige and I shared a glance. She looked frustrated, surprised, and confused. I cleared my throat. “Paige? Can I talk to you in private for a minute?”
She nodded, and we stood. “Be right back, Chase.”
He waved a hand. “Oh, take your time.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked when we were out of Chase’s earshot.
“I think I should wait outside while you guys talk.”
“What? Why?”
I cut a glance over to Chase. “Is he acting weird to you?”
“I mean, this whole thing is weird, but yeah. He’s not being himself.”
“I can kind of tell. He’s got this whole relaxed thing going on, but I’m pretty sure it’s just because of me. I think you’ll get further with him if I’m not sitting with you.”
She shook her head. “Wow.”
“What?”
“Most guys wouldn’t want to wait outside while their girlfriend talks to her ex.”
“I’m not most guys.” I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m serious, though. I think he’ll be cooler about it if he doesn’t have to worry about me. Besides, I trust you.”
11
Paige
I watched Noah walk outside with an ache in my chest. He was so good to me. He always had been. What if I’d made a different choice all those years ago? Would we have been together all this time? Instead of getting to know each other all over again, could we have spent the last eight years developing the adolescent simmer between us into a full-blown fire?
My eyes traveled back to Chase, not quite regretting the years I’d spent wi
th him, but not really seeing the point of them either. He was handsome, obviously, he wouldn’t be the lead actor on Young, MD or have gotten any of the other film roles if he weren’t. His muscular frame and square jaw had gotten him more jobs than his slightly less attractive counterparts, despite maybe having less talent than they did.
I tried to remember what I’d seen in him, beyond his looks, all those years ago. Was it the fact that we’d been young actors in our first romantic story arcs and we couldn’t separate fact from fiction? Maybe. It could have also been the proximity and long hours. Truth be told, a lot of relationships happened behind the scenes on set, most of which never get revealed to the public.
Either way, whatever I saw in Chase when we’d met hadn’t been strong enough to keep us together continuously over the life of the show. We’d started and stopped our relationship almost as much as our on-screen counterparts. And as I looked at him now—now that I’d reunited with Noah West after all these years—I couldn’t even recall the feelings that had once led me into his arms.
Chase held out his hands as if to ask what I was waiting for, so I crossed the room and took my seat across from him on the couch. “Noah’s going to wait outside.”
“You told him to kick rocks so we could talk in peace, huh?”
“No. He offered to let us have a minute alone.”
I could see the surprise in his eyes, but he shrugged. “How big of him.”
“Chase. Cut the crap. Why are you doing this? I know we’ve gone through some hard times, but I thought we were in a good place right now.”
“We are.”
“Then what’s the deal? Why would you want the entire world thinking I’m that kind of person when you know I’m not?”
He sat back on the couch and exhaled. “Paige, the story was out before I even knew they were going to run it. You know these things take on a life of their own and we don’t always get a say.”
“That might be true, but you’re the one deciding not to help me right now. My publicist already told Sandra McCarthy that it wasn’t true, and now it’s between me and one other girl. If you would tell the public that you lied, not only do I think I’d get the part, but I also just think it would help ease the transition of ending the show.”
Chase shot to his feet and threw up his hands in frustration. “Oh yeah, please let me help you ease your transition away from the show. Give me a break, Paige.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry you’re over your role as Young, MD, but I think you need to stick it out for everyone else’s sake. You’re being selfish.”
His words hit me right in the gut. “Chase.”
“I’m serious. This cast and crew have become a family for the last eight years and you’re just over here wanting to move on to bigger and brighter things, not caring what happens to anyone else.”
It was my turn to stand. “Are you kidding me right now? You’re an Oscar-winning actor. You get any role you want and Young, MD works around your filming schedule. I’m in the title role and they tell me I can’t work on any projects that will conflict with filming.”
He blinked at me. “I mean, I can see how it would be hard for them to accommodate both of us.”
I stared at him. Chase and I had both been on the show since we were so young, each of us claiming a breakout role. I was an eighteen-year-old playing a sixteen-year-old savant, and he was a twenty-one-year-old playing a regular med student. He quickly became my on- and off-screen boyfriend; it kind of felt like we’d grown up together in the industry.
The only problem was, I watched him get every opportunity, while I stayed in the same role. I watched him use Young, MD simultaneously as a platform to claim big roles and as his security blanket between films. I’d never been afforded the same opportunities, rather was told (repeatedly) “not to quit my day job” by the people around me.
“Chase. This is my shot to do something else. I love what we do, and I love the show, but isn’t it better for it to end while we’re still so high in the ratings than to get to the point where no one likes us anymore and we just fade away?”
“I don’t know. We’re one of the longest-running medical dramas on television. It’s been eight years. My people think we could squeeze at least another five years out of it before that happens. But we can’t do that if Dr. Young of Young, MD walks away.”
I sighed. “I’m not happy, Chase. You’ve known that for a while.”
“Clearly,” he said, gesturing between us. “Not together. Not happy. It’s been talked about.”
“I’m talking about the show, too. Young, MD isn’t even about a freakishly young doctor anymore. It’s just about a group of good-looking hospital employees doing their jobs while falling in and out of love with each other.”
“Uh, yeah, and people love it. Ever heard of Grey’s Anatomy? Let it ride, Paigey. Why can’t you just stick to the role you’re in? Why do you need to rock the boat?”
Women in this industry were constantly being told similarly dumb analogies. They act like we should be grateful for any role and not try for big ones. Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s blatant. But the glass ceiling was definitely there, and I’d felt like I’d been pushing up against it for a while, desperate to break through.
I didn’t want to just spend the rest of my prime years in the same role. I wanted experiences and challenges that would make me better at my craft. I wanted to stretch my talents and mold them into more than they were. And my big dream, which no one knew about, was to direct one day.
Well, no one knew but Noah. I’d talked about it on the day we broke up. I wondered if he remembered that whole conversation like I did and if he remembered what he’d said to me as we’d sat on a rock overlooking the Phoenix valley. I’d just admitted to him that I wanted a long career in the industry and that I wanted to one day direct films in addition to acting in them.
He’d looked over, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and told me, “You can do anything, PW. And whether I’m right there with you or not, just know I’m always going to be cheering you on from wherever I am.”
Tears sprang to my eyes at the memory. “Chase. If you ever cared about me at all, I need you to help me make this happen. I need more than the show now. I’ve worked hard, and I deserve the same chances you’ve gotten. Your lie is standing in the way of that for me, and I need your help to fix it.”
He looked me over, considering my words. “Paige. You’re talented, okay? I get it. But I need to think about my career, too. The game plan is that when you walk away from the show, it’ll be because of this craziness between us. We can’t work together anymore after what you did, or whatever. People will be more understanding of that than just ending it because you want to move on to bigger things.”
“I didn’t want to bring this up, but we have an NDA, remember? Your game plan is flawed because it violates our terms.”
He pursed his lips. “The NDA clearly states that we can’t say anything bad about each other in the event of a breakup. As far as I’m concerned, we’re not broken up. We’re going through a very public rough patch. Paige, my entire plan is that you cheated. You kissed this guy while we were still together. You really want to waste time and money going to court over a he said, she said thing?”
I stared at him. I couldn’t believe that after all of this time, after everything we’d been through, he couldn’t see that helping me rise didn’t mean that he’d fall. But if that’s how he saw it, then there was nothing I could do to change his mind. “So, that’s it then? You want me to just insist that I didn’t do it while you insist that I did, and let the public decide?”
“You have your fans and I have mine. It’ll work out for both of us, I’m sure.”
“Got it.”
He stepped closer to me, reaching out and cupping my face gently in his hand. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, almost like my body sensed a predator. I tensed, shooting him a warning look. He ignored it, pulling me close, w
rapping his other arm around me, and pressing me against his chest.
“I’ve missed you, Paigey,” he said against my ear, pinning me tightly against him. “Why don’t you get rid of this army guy and let’s give it another shot? Then maybe us reuniting will make all of our fans happy, and I can help you get some movie roles or something. I’ll even help you convince the guys at Young, MD to work around your movie schedule like they do for me. What do you say?”
I sighed, then squeezed my hands up between us and pushed him off, needing to use a little bit more force than I expected to. “You’re trash, Chase Donahue. Tell the papers whatever story you want, but I’m going to do what’s best for me.”
He rolled his eyes. “If you think it’s best for you to date some nobody soldier instead of me, you’re delusional. I know you, Paige. I know you way better than he does. Sure, you guys had a thing back in the day. But that doesn’t mean he knows you now, and that doesn’t mean he fits into your world. Think about it. Just because you buy him a bougie new wardrobe like his fairy godmother doesn’t mean he suddenly fits in. The differences will be too much to handle. He’s not like us. He won’t get it.”
His words hit me like a slap. “That’s not true. And he bought his own clothes.”
“Oh, perfect. That’s even better. I’m not a soldier, but I played one in a movie once, remember? I know what they make. You keep putting him in situations where he’s spending his savings to keep up with you and the ship will sink faster than you can blow up a floatie, you feel me?”
“You’re wrong.”
He pursed his lips. “I’m not. But don’t worry. When it all falls apart, I’ll be right here waiting to say I told you so.”
I held up my hands. “You know what? This is the perfect example of what I’m talking about. I came here to discuss my career, not my love life. There’s more to me than where the men in my life want to put me. Between you, my dad, and the producers, I’ve had enough.” I headed toward the door, then right before I left, I turned and called out, “Oh, and he’s a Marine. Stop calling him a soldier.”
Adored by You: A Sweet, Celebrity, Military Romance (San Diego Marines Book 7) Page 9
