Falling Star

by Laura DeLuca

  Drew slammed on the brakes, but he was driving too fast to avoid impact. With his heart now pounding in time with his head, he tried to swerve, but to no avail. He barely had time to panic. He didn’t see his life flash before his eyes the way so many people reported. A millisecond after he realized what was happening, the hood of the car collapsed under the force of the collision. Drew heard the crunch of metal and the sound of wood splintering. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was the airbag deploying. A white balloon plummeted into his face and chest, cutting off his air supply. Then all he saw was darkness.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lainey didn’t think things could get any worse after the horror of discovering the tabloids and breaking things off with Drew. A night of alternating between screaming into her pillow and crying until her eyes were swollen had left her with a dull headache and the desire to stay buried under her blankets for the next three weeks. But knowing there were still clients struggling to get their lives back in order after Hurricane Sandra forced her out of bed and into the shower. She couldn’t leave Erin and Stephanie to handle things alone, but she wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable discussion with her friends—the pathetic stares, the exaggerated words of encouragement. She’d avoided calls from everyone all night, choosing a soak in the tub over well-meaning platitudes. It was over between her and Drew and no amount of talking would change that.

  Good riddance. I was perfectly happy before I met him and I’ll be happy again once he’s back in Hollywood where he belongs.

  Lainey needed to give herself the reminder because each time she thought about Drew, her heart gave a painful tug and she questioned whether she’d made the right decision. Should she have tried harder to see his side of the argument? A part of her screamed a silent yes, but common sense told her the whole relationship had been as fictional as the other roles he’d played over the years. Drew’s whole life was one big fantasy, but Lainey could only avoid reality so long.

  “Oh, no.”

  As soon as she reached the lobby, she realized the repercussions of her entanglement with Drew would continue even if he was no longer a part of her life. When she peeked through the windows and noticed a few people with cameras perched outside the lobby waiting for her to make an appearance, she felt vindicated in her decision. Drew was nothing but trouble and the lurking paparazzi were more proof of that.

  “I’ll show them.”

  Lainey had no idea how the reporters managed to track her down, but they obviously didn’t know there was a back entrance that led to the parking lot. Pulling her scarf up to cover her hair, Lainey raced down the rear stairwell to her Fiat. The spies were so busy sipping their coffee, they didn’t even notice her until she pulled out of the driveway, peeling away so fast she actually burned rubber. Lainey caught a glimpse of them waving frantically in the rearview mirror, but didn’t waste a second pondering what they wanted. They’d done enough damage for one lifetime.

  “Parasites.”

  Lainey grumbled under her breath as she steered over the Wildwood Bridge and onto the parkway. She would’ve loved to stop for a coffee, but as long as the convenience stores were stocked in tabloids with her face plastered on them, lattés were a luxury she’d have to forego. Instead, she wondered how long she’d have to dodge these so-called journalists before a new story caught their attention. She felt violated having her private life suddenly become public knowledge, but she was certain once Drew returned to Hollywood the windfall would follow him, and Lainey’s brief role in his life would be a distant memory. Nevertheless, things were obviously going to get worse before they got better. When she neared the office, she caught sight of the same type of swarm she’d managed to avoid at the condo. Lainey sighed as she turned down a little used back road.

  “Thank goodness for side streets and back doors.”

  Lainey parked her Fiat a few blocks away from the office and with her concealing scarf securely in place she began a steady jog back to the office. She was grateful she’d decided to wear a pair of tan khakis and a sweater instead of a long skirt she’d probably be tripping over. Before long, Lainey reached the back of the building where there was a rear entrance used mostly by smokers on their breaks. It faced the hardware store across the street and unless someone parked in the very edge of the lot, they wouldn’t even realize the doors were there. Unfortunately for Lainey, these reporters must’ve scoped things out a little better than the ones at her condo. She’d just reached the smelly metal contraption where her co-workers deposited their cigarette butts, when one of them caught sight of her.

  “Lainey! Wait! Tell us how you feel about being the other woman!” A man in a pinstripe suit demanded.

  Like a domino reaction, the rest of the journalists caught the scent and came running, nearly trampling Lainey in their haste to get to her. She held up a protective hand, instinctually shielding her face as camera flashes went off, all the while attempting to back into the safety of the hallway. Not that gaining access did her any good. The area was a deserted passageway linking the different divisions of the insurance agency and a few other offices that rented space there. There was nowhere for Lainey to hide and no one around to come to the rescue. The pushy reporters continued to circle her, shooting off questions so fast she couldn’t have answered them even if she wanted to.

  “Lainey, do you think Andy will leave Catherine for you?” This came from a woman with long blonde hair.

  “What can you tell us about the cult you belong to?” asked a pockmarked kid who didn’t appear a day older than sixteen.

  Then an annoying brunette with a big nose, chewing her bubble gum like a cow, shoved past her competition to get right in Lainey’s face. “How did you feel when you heard about what happened to Andy last night?”

  “No comment!” Lainey shouted. “Leave me alone.”

  Ignoring her protests, the paparazzi continued to bombard her with questions she had no intention of answering and some she didn’t even understand. Before they could swarm her completely, a foreboding form with thinning brown hair and wire frame glasses emerged in the corridor, dressed in a pink button down and gray slacks. He stood barely an inch taller than Lainey, but he emanated an authority that caused even the pushy reporters to take a few steps back. Lainey actually inched closer to the wall herself while the older man stared everyone down.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” The foreboding tone caused a sudden hush. “Don’t you people understand this is private property? Your being here is impeding my business operations, not to mention causing a fire hazard since you’re blocking the emergency exit. Now, get out of here before I call the cops and have the whole lot of you fined for loitering.”

  There were a few protests about freedom of the press, but the journalists still grudgingly backed off. Greg Conway, Erin’s dad, stood in the doorway watching until they were out of the parking lot, choosing to set up camp on the public sidewalk beyond the building, where Greg’s authority officially ended. He obviously didn’t like it. His nostrils flared as they glared at each other from their opposing corners. Lainey half expected her serious, straight-laced boss to turn his annoyance on her, but when he finally squinted in her direction, his expression softened considerably and his gaze displayed only sympathy.

  “I’m sorry you had to be subjected to that.” Greg set his lips in a frown. “If it continues I’ll hire a security guard to keep them off the premises during working hours. I can’t have anyone harassing my employees.” His voice softened. “Or my daughter’s closest friend.”

  Lainey blinked back tears, unsure whether to be grateful or embarrassed that she needed Greg to step in and protect her. “Thank you, Greg. I appreciate your help. I’m so sorry my messy life is interfering with my work. I had no idea they’d show up here.”

  Greg studied her with concern instead of judgment. Erin’s dad had always been strict when they were kids. The former Gulf War vet became infamous for drilling her boyfriends wit
h a machinegun in hand or bouncing a grenade up and down like a tennis ball. Neither was armed, of course, but it still terrified the boys, and humiliated Erin. Lainey never admitted it to her best friend, but she had secretly envied the relationship Erin had with her dad. It made her miss her own father even more, and she often wondered what antics Mr. Riccardo would’ve come up with to scare away her suitors.

  “None of this is your fault,” Greg reassured her, patting her shoulder and bringing her back to the present. “You’re one of the hardest workers I have here and I look out for my own. Now, are you certain you’re up to working today? I’m sure Erin can hold down the fort without you if you’d like to take the day off.”

  “N—no, I’m fine,” Lainey managed to stutter. “Better to stay busy.”

  Gregg nodded his consent and with his hands folded behind his back, took the stairwell leading to the second floor commercial department while Lainey scurried to reach her desk in the homeowners division. A few co-workers snickered as she passed, but she hadn’t expected any less. Word of mouth traveled fast in Cape May County, even when it didn’t make national headlines. She’d harbored no false hopes that the articles had somehow slipped by everyone’s radar.

  Lainey avoided their stares as she slunk into her own section of the building. She was never so grateful that she, Erin, and Stephanie had their own private quarters. Aside from the three of them, the only other office belonged to the IT guy who was normally too busy making rounds around the building to stay in one place long. Yet, even when she walked into her safe zone, Lainey still sensed the tension. Both Stephanie and Erin stopped whispering to each other mid-sentence when she stepped in the door, leaving little doubt in Lainey’s mind as to what they were discussing. When they noticed her standing there, they were blatantly shocked to see her.

  “Lainey!” Erin jumped from her seat and tackled her so hard they nearly toppled into Lainey’s desk. “I didn’t think you’d come in today when I saw the reporters out there. Where have you been? I’ve been calling you all night, and so have Elisa and Sharon. You had us worried sick. I didn’t know what to think and I was about to start calling you again. Seriously, are you trying to give me heart failure? You’re such a brat sometimes.”

  Erin made the whole irritated speech in one long breath, never releasing her death grip. Lainey returned the embrace, but still rolled her eyes. “Sorry about that. I turned off my phone last night. I needed some time alone to think things out.”

  “I can imagine.” Stephanie gave a nervous chuckle, but Lainey could tell she was worried too. “I’m not sure if I should be jealous or horrified. I mean, you slept with Andy Palmer, recently voted number six in the top ten hottest guys in the world. You do realize that, right?”

  Lainey huffed. “He was only in my bed because I didn’t know who he was. Do you think I’d have walked into this media circus willingly?”

  “Drew is a total ass.” Erin scowled. “I can’t believe he did this to you. I knew all men were pigs, but this is a whole new level of arrogance.”

  Lainey pulled off her jacket and dropped down into her swivel chair. Erin and Stephanie were attempting to help, but thinking about Drew caused that painful ache in her chest to return, something she’d managed to put on the sidelines while she dealt with the hassle of the reporters. Now scenes of all the happy moments they’d shared together flipped through her mind, ironically like movie flashbacks. It made her both whimsical and furious at the same time. If Drew were there, she might have thrown something at him again. Instead she took her hurt out on her handbag, tossing it on the ground with so much force, half the contents spilled onto the floor.

  “I feel so ... so used.” Lainey folded her arms across her chest as she sat back in her chair, as though that act alone could help keep her from falling to pieces. “Or like I was cast into a reality show, but no one ever told me the cameras were rolling. I loved him, Erin. I fell and I fell hard, but was it with a real person or a fictional character? That’s the thing that really bugs me. Well, that and the fact I didn’t even see this coming. I wonder if they have an Oscar category for biggest idiot because I’ve got that one in the bag for sure.”

  “You can’t be so hard on yourself,” Erin soothed. “None of us guessed who Drew was. Elisa and I even joked about the fact that he resembled Andy Palmer, but we never for a second considered the possibility he actually was Andy Palmer. The idea that a big star like that would hang out at the bar with us was too ridiculous.”

  “I agree with Erin,” Stephanie concurred, leaning against the doorframe. “Drew put on a good show and he had us all fooled, and by all I mean every single person who met him since he got here. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” She shrugged. “Just move on.”

  Erin raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of which, have you decided which direction you plan on moving in? Obviously you’re pissed and with darn good reason, but are you really done with him?”

  Erin’s tone indicated exactly where she stood on the subject. She had little time for the male gender as a whole and certainly wouldn’t spare a second thought on someone who’d been outright deceitful. Lainey agreed with the sentiment, but love wasn’t something she could flip off like a switch. A lump rose in her throat when she tried to form the words out loud, but Lainey refused to waste anymore tears on Andy Palmer. Instead, she stuck out her chin with feminist pride.

  “Last night I packed his bags and showed him the door,” Lainey told them proudly. “And as far as I’m concerned he can go back to tinsel town and never come back. I hope I never see him again—not on the big screen and certainly not in real life.”

  Stephanie whistled, impressed. “You always were one for ripping off the bandage quickly.”

  “What did you expect?” Lainey asked, feeling defensive. “The guy lied to me, over and over again. Even if I wanted to deal with all the baggage dating a celebrity would entail—” She gestured to the hordes of reporters on the curb to emphasize her point. “How could I have a relationship with someone I can’t trust?”

  Erin’s forehead creased in concern. She could read between the lines of Lainey’s brave words as only a best friend could. “You’re really okay with this—just walking away from Drew like nothing ever happened? Because twenty-four hours ago you were pretty crazy about the guy.”

  “I have to be okay with it,” Lainey whispered. “I’m sure there are millions of girls out there who think dating a famous actor would be a dream come true, but I’m definitely not one of them. I like my quiet life. The faster things get back to the way they were pre-Drew, the happier I’ll be.”

  “I don’t know, karaoke queen,” Erin teased. “Ever since we graduated from high school and you came out of your shell, the spotlight always followed you. I almost hate to say this, but maybe you’d be more at home in Drew’s world than you think. An actor and a writer—sort of an interesting duo, don’t you think?”

  Lainey shot her a dirty look. “You can’t be serious.”

  Erin threw up her hands. “All I know is I want my best friend to be happy. I stand by my statement that Drew was an ass not to tell you the truth from the get-go. But I also feel I wouldn’t be doing my duty as your best friend if I didn’t tell you not to rush into any decisions you may regret later.”

  Lainey raised an eyebrow. “Do you suppose somewhere in Hollywood Catherine Beaumont’s best friend is giving her the exact same advice?”

  “Of course if that part’s true you should dump the two-timing jerk-wad immediately and never look back,” Erin agreed. “But regardless of all that’s happened, I find it hard to believe Drew would spend months here if he had another lover waiting on the sidelines.”

  Stephanie nodded enthusiastically. “What Erin said. Maybe they had a brief fling before he met you, but if there’s one thing I could tell the few times I met him, it was that Drew only had eyes for you.”

  Lainey glared at them both. This wasn’t what she expected. She didn’t think her friends would defend Drew or sugge
st she should give him another chance. She wasn’t sure she agreed with their reasoning. Though she missed him already, it seemed foolhardy to allow her heart to override her common sense.

  Erin cleared her throat. “And now before you gouge my eyes out with that pen you’re attempting to strangle, I think I’ll get back to work.”

  Erin was right about the pen. Lainey loosened her grip after Stephanie went out to take her spot at the front desk. Before she even had a chance to boot up her computer, the phone rang. For once, Lainey was glad for the constant hustle of the customer service industry. She didn’t have much time to think about Drew or Erin’s surprising opinions when she got lost in her work. Two hours of paper pushing followed without any interruptions, until Lainey heard a loud engine pull into the driveway, followed by a string of curses that could only come from one person.

  “Why don’t you watch where you’re going, you damn troll? Can’t a girl even pay her bike insurance?”

  Lainey peeked out her window just in time to see Elisa flip one of the reporters the bird before stomping to the front door with her helmet under her arm. Stephanie recognized Elisa and sent her back without any formal announcements, but Lainey had a feeling this visit had nothing to do with a last minute bill. Elisa was visibly frazzled as she plopped down in the chair next to Lainey’s desk.

  “You’re here.” Elisa breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “I was afraid you might’ve holed up somewhere and I wouldn’t be able to track you down.”

  Lainey narrowed her eyes. Her friends were concerned, and granted, she hadn’t returned any of their calls, but it was a little drastic for Elisa to ditch her job at the bank. “Nope, I’m just at work. And you should be too. I appreciate you taking the time to drive here and check up on me, but I’m fine. The last thing I want is for you to jeopardize your position because of me.”

  “You haven’t heard, have you?” Elisa chewed nervously on her lower lip. “I really didn’t want to be the one to tell you about this. I should’ve sent Sharon. I totally suck at being sensitive.”