“Olivia was sleeping in the back of your car?” The question was Billie’s. Her tone was accusing.
“She had jet lag. She fell asleep on the way home. I let her nap for a while. I nipped out to get coffees for when she woke up. I didn’t know there were any photographers around. I didn’t see them, or I wouldn’t have left her—obviously.”
“You expect us to believe that in the five minutes you left Olivia alone, someone that wasn’t you happened upon Olivia sleeping in the car, took her photo, and then decided a week later to sell it to a website?”
There was a moment of silence.
“I don’t ‘expect’ you to believe anything, Billie, I’m just telling you what happened. I was gone for five minutes and I didn’t take the photo, so someone else must have.”
Casey turned to look at Olivia. Olivia could see the anxiety, the tension, in her face, even as her words sounded defiant. She wanted to say something comforting, but she didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t conceive of Casey taking her photo and selling it, but the idea of some random paparazzi happening upon her in the car seemed so unlikely. And—she hated herself for even having the thought—Casey did need the money. For her mom. Things were desperate, she understood that much. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Could she really be that wrong about the kind of person she thought Casey was?
Olivia shook the thought away, ashamed for even thinking it. There had to be another explanation.
“It could be someone from the hotel maybe.”
Casey looked at her with a mixture of hurt and disappointment and then her expression closed. The hurt replaced with a blankness that made clear Olivia’s defense of her had come a moment too late.
“I think I’m going to go and have that walk.” Casey moved toward the door. “I’m sorry someone did that. That someone has enough animosity toward you to not just sell the photo, but to make up the lies that went with it.” Without waiting for a response from Olivia, she left.
Olivia fought the urge to go after her.
“It’s obvious that she did this.” Billie moved to Olivia’s side. “We should report her in the morning. Ask for another driver. I knew there was something off about her. I don’t know why you let her get so close. I would have thought you’d learned your lesson last time.”
“Shut up, Billie. You don’t know anything about her.” The defense of Casey was automatic, but maybe Olivia was the one who didn’t know her. Her instincts had let her down before.
“Thanks for bringing it to our attention, but you can go now, Billie. We’ll take it from here.” Louise sat down and started to gather up her pretzels.
“Well, I’m going to talk to the studio people and see if they can do a cease and desist thing with this website. They can’t say these things about Olivia without evidence. I mean, this isn’t just about you getting photographed. The studio will be annoyed about this. Another story about you drinking on the job. And all of it reflects pretty badly on the show.”
“I wasn’t drinking. I wasn’t even on the job, Billie. It was my day off. Can you stop being so fucking dramatic?” All of Olivia’s frustrations were boiling over. “Maybe you should just leave like Louise asked you to and stop interfering. I can deal with this on my own, Billie. Like you kindly pointed out, it’s not like I haven’t had plenty of experience.” This time, Olivia didn’t hide her anger.
Billie didn’t even flinch.
“Of course you have. You’ve been very unlucky. The studio’s shown a lot of patience clearing up these situations for you.” Her words were sympathetic, her tone sounded anything but. She was reminding Olivia of what she already knew—the studio would be annoyed by this and they might start to question whether she was unlucky, or just showing poor judgment. There was even a chance they might start to lose patience with her.
Billie left the room and Olivia sat on the floor. She put her head in her hands. Liam slid along the floor till he was next to her, pulling her into a sideways hug.
“It’s okay, Liv. No one’s going to care. This website is trash anyway. No one believes a word they print.”
“I just can’t believe Casey would do this.” Olivia’s brain was scrambling to make sense of it all. She was finding it hard to imagine Casey wanting to hurt her.
Louise joined them on the floor. “Me neither. I mean, I know she needs the money, but I had a good feeling about her. And I thought you two had something good brewing. It seemed like she really liked you. I’m surprised.”
“I don’t think it’s Casey,” Liam said.
“Why?” Olivia let herself hope.
“The first photo they ran had Casey in it, so she obviously didn’t take that one. And whoever sent that photo to the website was the one who started with this whole ‘Olivia is drunk on the job’ thing. And if it was Casey, why go with that story? Why not tell them that Olivia had been assaulted? It’s a much better story.” He waited a beat. “Then today, there’s another photo, another suggestion that Olivia’s drunk, on the same website. It only makes sense if the same person sent both photos and pitched the same story, and since Casey couldn’t have taken the first one, it would be a massive coincidence if she took and sold the second one to the same website.”
They sat quietly for a moment.
“They’re remaking Columbo. You have to audition,” Louise said. “That makes perfect sense and you are awesome.”
“And I agree with Lou. Casey seems pretty smitten with you. That much is obvious even to me.”
“Like you’d know if someone was smitten with you,” Louise muttered. “And who even says ‘smitten’ any more. Hey, Liam, the nineteenth century called, it wants its word back.”
Olivia waved a hand at Louise, wanting her to be quiet.
“So someone else is taking photos, selling them, and making it look like I’m drunk? But why? Who?”
“At first I thought it could be a hotel employee. They could have gotten the first shot easily enough. And they have CCTV, so they could have seen you in the parking lot and taken a quick photo. It’s taken through the side window, not with the door open.”
“Because that would make it too obvious it was Casey,” Louise chipped in and Olivia shushed her.
“I’m just playing devil’s advocate. It doesn’t mean I think she did it.”
This time, Liam shushed her.
“I told you it’s not Casey. But it could well be Billie.” Without giving them time to react, Liam continued. “Number one, she’s mad at you because you keep saying no to her. Number two, you’re the star of the show, and we all know she hates playing second fiddle to anyone. Causing trouble for you like this will see your crown get tarnished and maybe that gives her an opening. And number three, she’s much more likely to understand that websites are interested in this kind of stuff than Casey is. She’s always getting herself deliberately ‘caught off guard’ by photographers. It’s how she keeps herself in the spotlight. She said as much.”
“Do you really think Billie would do this? It’s kinda dark, even for her.” Louise said what Olivia was thinking. It was hard to believe.
“It’s Billie.” Liam sounded emphatic. “There’s no other plausible explanation. And her coming in here to show you the article is just the icing on the cake for her. She gets to glory in your discomfort and try to lay the blame on Casey.” Liam drained the beer in his hand and put it down. “It’s a win-win.”
“What a nasty little bitch.” Louise reacted before Olivia. “I mean, she was acting all Bond villain about you in the car earlier today, but I had no idea she meant it, that she was capable of this.”
“I need to go and talk to Casey.”
She had to. She had so much to apologize for. And Casey had every right to be mad at her. Because Olivia had doubted her. It was an instant, but it was there. And while she was at it, she should apologize for kissing her, for making Bi
llie jealous, and for putting her in the middle of all this. And then she should obviously stay as far away from Casey as possible. Casey didn’t deserve to be caught up in all of Olivia’s crap. It could cost her the job.
“I need to let her know that none of us think she’s guilty of this.”
“Yeah, I think you do.” Liam reached for another beer. Louise handed him one.
“You deserve that, Columbo. And you deserve a pizza to go with it. How about we order one up?”
He nodded enthusiastically.
Olivia gave Liam a kiss on the cheek before standing to leave. She had the thirty seconds it was going to take her to reach Casey’s room to figure out exactly how she was going to salvage something meaningful from the wreckage of the last twenty-four hours. If she couldn’t, then she would have helped Billie to achieve at least one of her objectives—driving a wedge between her and Casey.
The walk to Casey’s room took her past Billie’s. She had a lot she wanted to say to her too, but that could wait.
She stopped outside Casey’s door and took in a deep breath before knocking tentatively. When she received no answer, she knocked again more loudly and waited. She still had no idea what she was going to say.
Damn. Too late, Olivia realized that Casey had gone out for the walk she had promised herself. She headed back to her own room. It would all have to wait till tomorrow.
* * *
Casey leaned against the railings and let the night air cool her down. She was wearing only a shirt, and she welcomed the breeze on her arms and her neck. She focused on the glimmering lights on the water in the hope they would soothe and calm her.
The churning feeling was mostly Olivia related. She was mad at Billie of course. If she’d stayed in the room any longer, she would have said a lot of things to Billie that would have been hard to take back. But Olivia doubting her, Olivia believing that she was the kind of person who would have taken a photo of her while she was asleep and then sell it for money, was a kick in the stomach. She hadn’t said it out loud, but she didn’t need to. Her hesitation said everything.
Casey had let Olivia see her life up close, and Olivia had formed a view of her because of it. It clearly wasn’t a good one. And if Olivia knew all the things Casey hadn’t yet told her—the kind of things that Olivia had even admitted she would feel vengeful about—her judgment would be even harsher.
She took in a couple of deep breaths. The cold air in her lungs felt good. Right then, she couldn’t feel anything but sadness about the way things had gone, but tomorrow, she was going to make herself feel grateful to have had this wakeup call. She had found it impossible to deal with the nonsense that came with Hannah’s “career,” but Olivia’s was much worse. She didn’t want—or need—the drama.
“Hey.”
Casey turned and found herself face-to-face with Olivia. She looked a little flushed—and very beautiful. It would all be a lot easier if Casey’s pulse didn’t quicken quite so much at the sight of her.
“I hope you don’t mind me coming after you. I wanted the walk. You made it sound as if Tower Bridge at night was worth the effort.” Olivia sounded hesitant and a little out of breath. “And you asked me to come with you—before Billie came and crashed the evening.”
“I wasn’t expecting you to come after all that.” It was true. “I just wanted to clear my head.” She couldn’t send Olivia away, but she was no longer in the mood for a moonlit stroll with her.
“I had to leave. I was worried Louise and Liam were going to start making out. I figured making an escape was the safest option.” Olivia made the joke, but the cheerfulness was forced.
Casey leaned back against the railing.
“You can see Tower Bridge up ahead.” She angled her head. “It’s probably no more than a five-minute walk from here.” She didn’t move. She wanted Olivia to go without her. “You can’t get lost.”
Olivia looked down at her feet, but not before Casey caught the look of hurt. She felt bad for hurting her feelings. But she was embarrassed and angry at being suspected by Olivia.
“Casey, please. Can we talk?” Olivia lifted her head and fixed her gaze on Casey.
Casey could talk. She could tell Olivia how confused she felt, about the feelings she had for her and how surprised she was by their intensity. And she could ask Olivia if she had any of the same feelings. But Billie’s jealousy, the leaked photos, and the humiliation of Olivia believing Casey was the kind of person who would do that to her, had reminded her of just how crazy Olivia’s life was, and suddenly talking seemed pointless.
“We don’t need to. In Britain we like to say ‘some things are better left unsaid.’ And it’s true. Maybe right now there are things we both could say that we’d be better off not saying.”
Casey was finding it hard to look at Olivia. The unhappy expression on her face, the tension in her body. Despite everything, Casey had the impulse to comfort her.
“Well, I’m not from Britain, I’m from Brooklyn. And in Brooklyn, we say what needs to be said and we hope that—if it comes from a good place but isn’t said perfectly—people will cut us some slack.”
Casey didn’t respond. She was torn between wanting to walk away and wanting to hear what Olivia had to say.
“Look, Casey, I’m sorry, okay. I’m sorry for coming on to you in the bar. I’m sorry for being drunk enough to let myself kiss you and try to drag you into my room. I don’t know why you’d believe me, but I’m honestly not the kind of person who does that kind of thing. I’m not.” Olivia held her gaze steadily. “And I’m sorry that I made things awkward between us. I didn’t want that. I was really enjoying getting to know you, spending time with you. And I’m sorry if I’ve ruined that. I really am.”
Olivia sounded sincere. Casey should accept the apology and let them move past it all. But somehow, hearing her regret the kiss and blame the drink was hurtful. She realized she had hoped it had meant more to her than that.
“That’s what you’re sorry about? Well, okay, I’m sorry too. I’m sorry I didn’t maintain the ‘boundaries’ that I should have when I let you kiss me, when I kissed you back. It was naive of me, for a lot of reasons.” Casey took a breath. “But I’m more sorry you thought I was someone who would take advantage of you, of your celebrity, to make a quick buck. It shouldn’t need me to say it again, but I would never—”
“Don’t, Casey. You don’t need to say it.”
“It seems like I do. You know, if I’d wanted to make some money, I could have got a great photo of you and Billie cozying up in the bar. Or maybe one of you drunk, in your room, on your bed, begging me for it. I mean, I don’t know the going rate, but maybe that one would have earned me enough to pay a couple of months’ rent for my mom. Isn’t that what you all think? Isn’t that what you think?” Casey couldn’t keep the anger from her voice. She was so disappointed in Olivia. And in herself for daring to imagine that Olivia was different, that she wouldn’t judge her and find her wanting, like Hannah had.
“No one thinks that.” Olivia stepped closer and put a hand on Casey’s arm. “Not even Billie. Not really. It just suits her to try to blame you because she can see that we have…” Olivia faltered. “That we’ve become close, that we have something she wishes she could have.”
Olivia shrugged, but the intense way she looked at Casey suggested the words were anything but casual and Casey couldn’t look away. Seeing Olivia standing there in the fading twilight, Casey felt the pull of her attraction, felt her good intentions slipping away. She moved her arm, breaking the contact between them. She needed to get a grip on this.
“We have become close, probably a little too close in the circumstances. But let’s not make a big deal of it. I’m single, you’re single. You’re entitled to get a little drunk and do something you regret. And I’m entitled to want a life that’s simple enough not to see me fired for sleeping with a client, how
ever much I might want to.” She couldn’t stop herself from admitting it. “And I shouldn’t even blame you for suspecting me—”
“Casey,” Olivia said with annoyance. Casey held up a hand, asking Olivia to let her finish.
“I just mean, in your position, I might suspect me too. I had motive, means, and opportunity. But whatever you might think about me and my life, I would never do that to you. I would never stoop that low.” Something poked at her from the past, telling her she was wrong. She pushed the thought away. The situation with Olivia was completely different. “And tomorrow I’m going to ask David to find you another driver. It’s easier on everyone, me included.”
“Casey, please.”
“What, Olivia? It’s the best thing to do. You know that, really.” Casey desperately needed Olivia to help her make this situation easier.
“I don’t want you to do that. I really don’t. And please believe me when I say that I don’t think you would exploit me like that. It’s not at all who I think you are, and that’s not just because I don’t think for a minute that you’ve heard of any of the entertainment websites that would be willing to pay cash for a photo of me. Though we both know you haven’t.” She tried for a smile, but she couldn’t quite make it reach her eyes, and Casey couldn’t help but be moved by it.
“But you not knowing those websites, not knowing Susie, and being completely unimpressed by me and this weird life I live, are things that I really appreciate about you.” She lifted an eyebrow. “And since we’re clearing the air, I should probably admit there are a lot of things I appreciate about you.”
Casey felt her body react to the comment in precisely the way it shouldn’t. She willed herself to just walk away, but the hope that she and Olivia could salvage something from the mess of the last twenty-four hours kept her rooted to the spot.
“Well, if we’re being honest, I should apologize too. For letting things get out of hand, for kissing you back and then having second thoughts.”
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