Queen of the Universe (In Love in the Limelight Book 2)
Page 24
God, that audition. Wendy had pirated a copy of the DVD from Tom. Arlen's audition with Lola reading the other part. They'd just met, yet every time Wendy watched them saying the lines, she knew she was really watching two people fall for each other. So hard. Wendy kept the DVD on her shelf with It's a Wonderful Life and Corrina, Corrina—her go-to stash of comfort viewing when she needed to remind herself that people weren't all bad and there was still some hope in the world.
Wendy swallowed. “Here goes nothin',” she whispered. And with a press of her finger, she sent the email to everyone on the cast and crew. The email she and Ray had spent hours carefully drafting.
Done.
And now for social media.
Her gleeful announcement of the marriage would be legion in terms of controlling any nasty gossip. It had to be done. And trouble-maker Colin Scott claimed to be allergic to social media, so he would never know. Not until he got back to hijacking kids' phones on Monday.
She just needed the perfect picture of Lola and Arlen. As she looked for the best shot, she stopped on one of Colin laughing with Lola. Well, he loved his sister, so he couldn't be all bad. And he actually looked up to Lola. She was a strong leader and one smart cookie, and Colin really seemed to love all that about her. When so many men would just try to take you down a peg or put you in your place. But still, to Wendy, he was just another good-looking macho guy who thought he was king of the world. Then again, he had actually laughed when she'd made a crack about his family jewels. Laughed! But had that just been for the sake of keeping the peace at his sister's wedding? Heaven knows, she'd used his “cease-fire for Lola's sake” to get in as many jabs as she could. He just made her so mad, making all the same assumptions about her that everyone else made.
Whatever.
She found the perfect picture and posted it on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. In the caption, she cooed over Lola and Arlen's whirlwind romance, taking credit for introducing the two of them after she “discovered” Arlen. It was all bull puckey, of course, but that was her story and she was sticking to it. Her publicly claimed role of matchmaker would quell the most vicious responses to the TV boss lady marrying the rookie gorgeous guy.
Wendy felt exhausted after what she knew was a job well done. Boy, other people's love stories could really take a lot out of her. But at least they didn't rip into her like her own love stories did.
When she was up in her bedroom, about to slip out of her dress, her phone pinged. She only ever got alerts from a very small circle of people she knew, so maybe it was Ray with news about how her posts were landing.
She picked up her phone. It was a text from Colin Scott. How the by-jingo had he gotten her number? That A-hole must have swiped it from Lola's phone. Rrrrrrr!
Colin: Classic. How do you even have the NERVE to make Lola's wedding day all about you? Take those fucking posts down NOW!
Wendy slammed her phone onto the bed. She wasn't even going to deign to respond. What a jerk face! What an amazingly horrible person! How DARE he!
She snatched up the phone to tell him where to get off just as another text pinged through.
Colin: Wendy Hunter, can you, for once in your pathetic publicity-greedy life, just do the decent, human thing? Can you just pretend, for one damn night, that you are a PERSON? With FEELINGS?
“Oooooooh!” she screeched. She kept screeching all the way down the stairs and out to her Prius. She was so livid she almost backed right through the gate at the end of her driveway.
Colin lay stretched out on the bed in his hotel room and looked at his phone for the zillionth time. No response from Wendy the Witch. And the posts were still up and getting more and more traffic. Maybe he should contact Ray. Colin knew Ray had Lola's back. God, the guy was supposedly just her assistant, but ever since that time he'd visited Lola in the hospital, when Colin couldn't get there until a day after the surgery... Jesus! Ray didn't even have a clue what it all meant for Lola, but he'd been there. Thank God for Ray Collier. Now maybe Ray could help put Wendy out of commission.
Colin was scrolling through his contacts when he heard pounding on his door.
He jumped up, wearing nothing but gym shorts, but it was good enough to answer the door. And what was up with room service? They were seriously aggressive.
He flung open the door and found himself facing a seething Wendy Hunter. “What the—”
“You bastard!”
“You should talk!”
“How dare you say such mean things about me? How DARE you?!”
“How dare YOU splash my sister's life all over social media as your own personal Cupid coup?”
“You don't get it!” She dropped her voice to a harsh whisper. “I am TRYING to do damage control because the media could rip Lola and Arlen apart over this marriage. Do you hear me?! And I am NOT about to let that happen. So back off because you DO NOT GET IT.”
“You have to be the star and believe me, I get that. I work with egomaniacs all the time. And let me tell you, your ego is no prettier than anyone else's.”
“Oooh!”
Colin saw it coming. Wendy hauled her hand back with all her force to sock him. He caught her by the wrist just before her knuckles hit his jaw.
And then he felt it. It was like an electric shock, but softer and warmer. The contact between them seared through him. Just touching her was shorting all his circuits. He sucked in his breath and locked eyes with hers.
The look she gave him was all awe-struck, and confused … and undone.
He moved back, pulling her towards him. Wendy stepped into the room, and with her other hand, she closed the door.
Catch a Falling Star
Available on Amazon Here
Dear Reader,
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Reading sure can be an adventure, and I hope it always brings you joy!
Sincerely,
Geralyn Corcillo
Also by Geralyn Corcillo
Novels:
Miss Adventure
Catch a Falling Star
Book of short stories:
4 in the Afternoon: Four Romantic Comedy Short Stories
About the Author:
When she was a kid in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Geralyn Vivian Ruane Corcillo dreamed of one day becoming the superhero Dyna Girl. So, she did her best and grew up to rescue animals and constantly pick up litter. At home, she loves to kick back by watching black & white movies, British mysteries, and the New York Giants. Corcillo lives in a drafty old house in Hollywood with her husband TV writer Ron, a guy who's even cooler than Kip Dynamite.
Acknowledgements
Thank you:
Victoria Depaoli
Lola Ross and Rebecca Scott
Ray Lancon
David McWhirter
Ron Corcillo & Russ Carney
and
Bruce Kluger – because who knows where the hell I'd be in my writing career if it weren't for you