by Lacy Carter
“Give me a sec,” Stephanie said. She smiled apologetically at Bonnie and proceeded to go through her phone.
Bonnie waited, wondering what was so urgent that it couldn't wait. She also wondered how long she would have to wait before she could start her interview. But she didn't have long to wait. A man sat down beside Stephanie and kissed her on the cheek.
“Sorry, I'm late,” he said to Stephanie, who rolled her eyes and turned to Bonnie.
Stephanie didn't have to say a word; Bonnie had an idea as to why she walked away from the spotlight and she got the sense that it had something to do with the man sitting at their table.
“This is Nathan, my husband,” Stephanie said. Though there was no obvious change to her expression, it was instantly clear that Stephanie radiated a measure of happiness.
Bonnie smiled and it was as if she'd found the answer to the dramatic change that caused Stephanie to leave the public eye. It was love!
There was a pregnant pause where Bonnie reflected on the revelation.
“Are we okay to begin?” Stephanie asked, snapping Bonnie to attention.
“Yes, of course,” Bonnie said.
***
As soon as Bonnie returned to the office later that day, she sat down and went to work on the article.
Stephanie Stein is not interested in revealing the real woman beneath her fame. She has no reason to share that with the public. She found some who truly loved her for who she was.
The Stephanie the world knew and loved, never knew or loved herself.
After an hour of writing, Bonnie leaned back and stared at her screen. A little too florid, a little too self-aware, and a little overwrought, but Bonnie found parts of herself in the article. She dived into the story vehemently, stripping away layer after layer of the person who the world wanted Stephanie to be—an icon, a symbol, and an object—and revealing who she really was, a woman who hid her beauty, her true beauty behind achievements, adoration, and praise because she was frightened of being herself.
Nathan never saw her as just another celebrity, he never looked at her like everyone else did. The more he got to know her, the more he discovered the woman behind the fame—her love, her hurt, and her compassion. When Stephanie met Nathan, they found an unexpected friendship. He accepted Stephanie for herself. It was enough for her to give up everything fame had to offer.
Bonnie didn’t give a damn if Al didn't approve of the article; she was going to write it anyway. Stephanie had fallen in the public's eye; she went from a one-time Grammy nominee to a mythical figure who people occasionally brought up in passing.
However, that day Bonnie had learned the truth. It was a beautiful story that she wanted to share with the world. Except, when she finished writing her article, Bonnie sat staring at the screen. She was unable to send it to the editors. Something about publishing it felt unfair, as if she'd just been given access to the inner sanctum of true love and was about to expose it to a harsh and critical world.
Bonnie deleted her draft and then deleted it from her recycle bin.
She grabbed her phone and called her sister. “Hey, Jen.” Bonnie closed her eyes and listened to her sister's voice as she answered. “Can I come and stay with you for a few weeks?”
***
A week passed and Bonnie had been staying at her sister's place in the relative quiet of her neighborhood, where she got to see her nephews and catch up with her sister. It was great to get away from the hustle and bustle of New York.
She was hanging out in the pool, which was Jennifer's idea; she said Bonnie looked pale and needed to catch a bit of sun. Jen worked as a part-time professor, and in between classes, she had time to take Bonnie shopping or go for a bite. Bonnie enjoyed lying low in Bloomington, which meant walking her sister’s Golden Retriever, Sadie, and shopping and binging on TVs shows. Jennifer was pretty cool and didn’t ask a lot of questions about the show.
They were sitting in the sun when Jennifer finally brought up Chad.
“So what was he like, Mr. Steel? I bet he was a total a-hole,” Jennifer said.
“You know, he wasn't a complete asshole, in fact, I really enjoyed his company,” Bonnie said.
“Oh, wow. I didn’t expect you to say that,” her sister said. “You were never into guys back in high school. I think there was that one time you decided to go to the prom, remember?”
“Oh god, I do. I even remember that awful dress.”
While they lay back in the pool, Bonnie gave Jennifer a brief overview of what happened between her and Chad, how they amped up the conflict between them for television, and how Chad took her to his hotel. She even told her sister that Chad was unlike any guy she had ever met. She never mentioned how out of her league she felt, though.
Later that day, after Jen was gone for the afternoon, she grabbed Sadie’s leash, a plastic bag, and a few dog biscuits, and left for Sadie’s daily walk to the park. Going to the park was one of the few activities she could do, especially when he sister was teaching; it helped clear her head.
Excitedly, Sadie dragged Bonnie to the park until she let her off the leash. The park was empty aside from another person, a man walking a Doberman. Spotting the other dog, Sadie made an immediate beeline for it, upon which havoc ensued. Both dogs barked frantically at each other.
Bonnie charged. Luckily Sadie and the other dog came within feet of each before they stopped and stared as if starstruck.
“Oh my god, I'm so sorry,” Bonnie said as she took hold of Sadie. The man held his dog on the leash.
“Don't worry about it, Oliver is harmless,” he said.
Bonnie didn’t want to take chances; she knelt down and put Sadie back on the leash. Feeling embarrassed, she apologized several times as she struggled with the leash. When she got to her feet, she stared at the dog owner. She stopped, taken aback.
“Bonnie, is that you?” he said.
Bonnie recognized him, he looked a little older and his face was much larger than all those years ago.
“Brian,” Bonnie said. The boy who had asked her to the prom all those years ago. At the last minute, she’d been too self-conscious to go, and had faked being sick. She’d always felt terrible about it, but her self-esteem wasn’t much better back then either.
They shook hands.
“What are you doing here?”
“I've just been staying with my sister for a bit.”
“Wow, this is so unreal. I watched you on that show Win a Filthy Bad Boy,” Brian said.
“Not the Bonnie you remember, huh?” Bonnie laughed. “So, you know what I've been doing. How’ve you been?”
“I've been great. I still live in the area. I just bought a house, been married for two years,” he said.
“I never thought you would settle down.”
“You thought I would be doing the single guy thing, maybe the bachelor lifestyle? Nah, I fell for Miesha Callen.”
“Miesha?” Bonnie vaguely remembered her. Miesha never really stood out; she was so utterly shy, she hardly ever spoke.
The conversation carried on casually for a while. Eventually, Bonnie said her goodbyes to Brian and went back to her sister's house. The moment she stepped into the door, her phone rang in her bag. It was Jill.
“Hi Jill.”
“Have you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“It's Chad, he's…”
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Also by Lacy Carter:
Captured Heart: A Bad Boy Romance
The Billionaire's Valentines Proposal
Bad Boy Baby-Maker: MC Biker Romance
Copyright 2016 Lacy Carter
