While I waited for Livi, I scheduled hair, makeup and nail staff to come to Hattie’s home, to get ready for her appearances. Livi showed up just after I ended the last call, in which I sent him upstairs, telling him Hattie was ready for him. We gave each other an understanding look, both of us knowing we needed to keep the “workout” session behind closed doors—literally. I left a note for Hattie to let her know I would be around if she needed me. Figuring I had some time to kill, I was on my way to my favorite hotspot for a cup of tea, but as I was about to get in line my phone rang, so I veered off to a secluded spot in the café to answer a call from Bennett.
“What do you want now?” I asked. “More money, now that you’re a star?” I was surprised when he laughed. “What’s up?”
“Very funny. No, I was just calling to see if you tipped off the paparazzi.”
“Well, per Hattie’s request, I did last night—”
“No, it’s today I’m asking about—it appears that they’re swarming This & That.”
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know—maybe call them off. That’s your job, right?”
I chuckled to myself. “Well, I work for Hattie, not you, so why not try calling the cops if you see fit?” I suggested. Bennett sighed, then I added, “Since you are Hattie’s man now, maybe you should take advantage of it—you know, it could be good for business. After all, Hattie is one of Hollywood’s most beloved actress.” There was silence on the other end of the line, and I wasn’t sure if we’d been disconnected. “Bennett, are you there?”
“Yeah, sorry, I just thought that maybe Hattie could come in the restaurant—maybe we do a publicity stunt here…”
“Um, yeah, maybe, but let’s take this one step at a time.” At the moment, I had bigger things to worry about. I looked at my watch, then at the long line, seeing that I should cut this conversation short. “Look, I have to go, but I will see you tonight, for yours and Hattie’s appearance.”
“I’ll be there,” he said, then surprised Chelsey by adding, “Thanks for all your help on what to do with the paparazzi, and of course with Hattie, too. I look forward to getting to know her—rather that is trying to.”
“Of course,” I said into the phone, as I strolled to the back of the now short line, still eager to get my caffeine fix. We hung on the line a bit more, then, before I knew it, I was standing at the front of the counter. “I’ll talk to you later,” then I pressed the end button on my phone and placed my order, all while I thought of Bennett. “Come on, Chelsey, shake it off,” I told myself, walking to my car, suddenly surprised to be thinking of Bennett Grayson. Okay, yes, he was handsome, funny, and kind, so what happened to him? Where was the torment he gave me, or the constant need to push me out of his way? Could time truly change someone so much, I started to wonder. Thankfully, I only had tonight’s dinner, the charity benefit tomorrow afternoon that I’d managed to get her a plus-one invite, and then the red-carpet event two nights away, then this stunt with Bennett would be over, because that’s when Hattie was scheduled to go to London, for a vacation.
When I got back to Hattie’s house, I made my way upstairs, happy to see that her bedroom door was open and that her “workout” was finished. “Hi, Hattie,” I said, entering the room, surprised to see her in bed. “Are you okay?”
“Chelsey, except for the red carpet, I need you to cancel all my appearances with Bennett and me.” She slumped deeper under the covers and pressed on her temples with her index fingers and closed her eyes.
I rushed to her side. “Hattie, of course. Do you need me to call a doctor?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” She opened her eyes, then sighed. “Hattie, I fired Mel today. I just can’t go through this rouse anymore—it’s not me, and it’s not something I want to continue.”
Whoa! I gently sat next to her, trying to read into what she was saying, curious as to what brought this on so suddenly, considering how much she loved being back in the spotlight. “Where is this coming from, if I might ask? I thought you were happy to be back in the spotlight.”
“Will you please just do what I said, and please let Bennett know?”
“Yes,” I said simply, not wanting to upset her any more than it seemed. “Can I do anything for you?”
Hattie shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She looked at her nightstand table that had a glass of water, a sock of crackers and a cool cloth. “Livi is taking care of me.” I looked around the room, confused because I didn’t see him. Hattie managed to let out a small laugh. “He’s hiding in the living room until you leave.”
“Ah, okay.”
She closed her eyes again. “Right now, I just want to sleep, Chelsey, so you have the day off. Go, and enjoy the beautiful day. I will call you if I need you.”
I asked her if she was sure, and when she said she was I said my goodbye, then exited her home, as I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone to call Bennett to tell him the appearance was off—along with the rest of them, something I imagined he would be happy about.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Since Hattie cancelled the appearance tonight, and with only one left—the main one on the red carpet—Bennett’s part in this would be over soon.
So, while I was aware of what I was doing, I couldn’t believe that, on my day off, I was getting ready to meet Bennett. What did I think when I’d accepted his offer to meet at a well-secluded bar on the other side of town, both of us not willing to let it get out that Hattie’s boyfriend was seen with another woman—even a platonic one like myself? If Hattie ever found out about this, I would be in big trouble—and it didn’t matter if she had feelings for him or not, not with her career on the line.
Taking one last look at myself, having dressed in skinny jeans, a white dress shirt that was tucked in the front, and mocha-colored, high-heeled wedges, I tousled my hair that I loosely curled, seeing that I was ready for a night that I never expected to happen.
*****
Bennett had promised me that the bar he’d picked was low-key, but when I walked in, I immediately saw him. He was sitting in the back, in a corner booth, and was tapping away on his phone. His hair was slicked back, and he was dressed in black shoes, jeans and a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. If I hadn’t known it was the same Bennett from my past, I would’ve never known they were the same person—personality or appearance wise. I thought back to the day I saw his picture that Mel had sent over, back to our conversation on the phone when I’d let him know that he’s been selected to be Hattie’s companion, then see him in person again, and each time, I’d lessened my dislike for him. Not allowing another second to pass, I took a few steps toward him, and that’s when he smiled in my direction, making my heart do somersaults. Damn! “Hey, sorry I’m late,” I told him.
“No worries,” Bennett said. “I just got here.” We placed our order with the bartender, who placed napkins on our table in front of us. After he walked away, Bennett continued talking. “How’s Hattie feeling?”
“She’s fine. I think she’s come down with a twenty-four-hour stomach bug, so I’m hoping she’ll be feeling better by the time it’s red carpet time. I know how much she wants to walk it.” I took my bottle of beer from the bartender, giving him a nod, then turned my attention back to Bennett. “It’s nice of you to ask, which I’ll be sure to let her know.”
“Yeah, that’s me, you know, the nice guy.”
“Have you always been that way?”
He tilted his head down, shaking his head, then he looked back at me. “No, I haven’t. There are a lot of times I’d wish I’d been, especially back in high school. There’s this girl—she was overweight, and I tormented her, but what she didn’t know is that I really liked her. Since I was on the football team, my big head got the best of me, and I wondered what everyone would think if I was seen with her.” His eyes turned sincere, almost sad, and then he took a swig of his beer. “I just wish there was something I could do now.”
“What-what would you do if you could? Like, what would you tell her?” I found myself begin to choke on my words, and from the corner of my eyes, I felt them well with tears.
“I would start by letting her know I’m sorry. I’d let her know that I always thought she was beautiful and funny; that I loved watching her alphabetize her textbooks, her reading glasses, and that I loved how her shampoo smelled when she walked passed me.” He tightened his lips, then added, “If she would give me a chance to take it all back, I would with all my might, and I wouldn’t give up—maybe for a lifetime.”
I sat frozen, hoping that my jaw hadn’t dropped. I couldn’t believe Bennett’s words were the ones I’d waited to hear for half my life. I wanted to tell him that I was that girl, jump up and into his arm, and kiss him, but I couldn’t, nor did I move a muscle. All I said was, “That’s beautiful. She’d be a very lucky girl to have you tell her that.” I took a long swig of my beer, then asked, “Have you ever tried looking for her?”
“No, and there’s no point. Besides, I’m sure she wouldn’t even hear me out. Just my luck, she’s just as she’s always been to me—beautiful. Heck, I bet she’s married, and has kids, too.” He waved his hand in the air, adding, “There’s just no point in going back there—not now, anyway, right?”
“Right,” I said, agreeing because I knew he meant about his rouse with Hattie. But what if he knew about Livi? Would he still feel the same? Would he hate me for not telling him? Now that I knew he had a heart, I was sure that he was someone who didn’t like to be played with, but then again, that’s just what I was doing by keeping Hattie’s secret about Livi. Swallowing hard, I wrapped my arms around my waist and started chewing my bottom lip, desperately wondering what to do and how to handle this situation from here on out. Just get me through Saturday night!
“Another round here?” asked the bartender, who startled me, though I was grateful for the interruption, needing a chance to take in a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding.
Bennett and I accepted his offer for another round and were silent until they came. “Here’s to the night of the red carpet, and to hoping everything goes as planned,” he said, clinking his glass against mine.
“To the red carpet,” I said, so quietly that I wondered if I’d even uttered anything.
Taking a swig of his beer, Bennett reached for a menu that sat on the table and flipped it over. “Feel like getting a snack, maybe split an appetizer perhaps?”
I was glad that his tone was light as a breeze, rather than the semi-heavy one he had when he was talking about teasing me. “Sure, why not?” I told him, catching a quick glimpse at my watch. It was still early in the night, I wasn’t ready to go home, and I was having a wonderful time with Bennett.
“What will it be, the chicken wings, nachos, potato skins?”
“It all sounds delicious,” I said, licking my lips, “but I’d either go with the wings or nachos.”
He put the menu back, signaled the waiter, then looked at me. “I’m on it,” he told me, then waved down our waiter and placed our order of both, the wings and nachos.
“I figured since we wanted both, we could share.”
A warm and fuzzy feeling ran through me, liking how Bennett had taken charge, which was something I’d never really had in my previous relationships. Placing my elbows on the table, I titled my head and rested it on my left hand. “That, Bennett, sounds like a great plan.”
While we waited for our food, Bennett and I made small talk, then, once the wings and nachos were placed in front of us, we both began gobbling away, and we didn’t come up until one of each of our appetizers were left on the plate.
“That was delicious,” I told Bennett, wiping my hands on a paper napkin. “I can’t remember when I’ve had such greasy food, but it was worth every bite.” I reached for my bottle of beer and rolled my head back, then looked at Bennett, and was a little surprised to see him watching me, flashing me a wide grin. Running my hands through my hair, I asked, “What—why are you looking at me like that?” I picked up my napkin and wiped the corners of my lips. Crap! “Did I get it?”
Without saying a word, Bennett reached over the table, and with one hand he cupped my chin. I felt the pad of his thumb against my skin, and without thinking, I let him touch me. Closing my eyes, but only for a short second, I let him take care of me by allowing me to become vulnerable, which was something I was not good at.
“There, that’s better.” His grin softened, adding, “Hey, since it’s almost closing time, how about coming back to my place?”
Surprised by his offer, I said, “I think I can manage that. After all, how much trouble can I get in?” My question was rhetorical, but I knew he knew that by the way I saw him signaling the waiter for our check, along with a broad grin on his face. Once the check was signed and Bennett’s credit card was placed back into his wallet, we looked at each other.
He stood from the booth, then reached for my hand to help me up. “Should we go together, or do you want to follow me?”
“I’ll follow you,” I told him, as he grabbed my hand, and together, we walked out of the bar’s back entrance, while I hoped like hell that the paparazzi wasn’t stalking Bennett. The last thing I needed was for the press to get word out that Bennett was out on a “date” with a mystery woman—and, being Hattie’s assistant, I certainly wouldn’t put myself in the situation to be that woman. “Hey, on second thought, how about we go to my place?” I asked, thinking better of it. That way we were guaranteed to not run into anyone.
“Okay.” Bennett squeezed my hand, then gave me a grin—one that made me melt. He then closed the gap between us, his eyes dancing over my face, just as a cool breeze whirled around us, and I was holding my breath, completely enamored by him. When his eyes stopped on mine, he brought his hand to my chin and caressed it with the back of his. Very slowly, Bennett lifted my chin to his, then, before I knew it, his lips were on mine, but only for a second. “I—I’m sorry. We shouldn’t be doing this.” As if I were a danger, he took a quick step back, placing one hand on his hips and with the other, he slid his thumb between a belt loop of his pants.
Pressing my lips together, tasting a combination of salty and sweet. Kissing Bennett was something I thought I would never do, yet, I already knew it was something I wanted to do more of, and I wasn’t going to let him get away—not yet anyway. “It’s okay.” I smiled up and reached out for him. “I didn’t mind, not even if it’s something we shouldn’t be doing.” I wrapped my arms around his fit body and said, “Come on, let’s go back to my place. What do you say?” I raised myself onto my tiptoes. “Just say yes.”
Bennett’s face was blank, but then I saw a glimmer of hope when he rolled his head back, looked up into the night sky, then his lips turned into a grin. He wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling me in for a hug. “You make it hard to say no.”
After we kissed once more, we both got in our cars and were on the way to my home, and my heart was up in my throat, still not believing that I’d kissed Bennett Grayson. What am I doing? This can’t be happening, I thought, at least not this way, and with my job, possibly on the line this wasn’t good—but didn’t I deserve to be happy? While Bennett had been a frog in the past, it seemed that he’d transformed into a prince, but the question was, whose prince would he be—Hattie’s for the world to see, or mine, where we could have a possibly happily ever after?
*****
Once we’d arrived at my home, I placed my purse on the entryway table, along with my keys, then I reached for Bennett’s hand, leading us into my living room, as I asked, “Can I get you anything?” When he shook his head, we took a seat next to each other on the couch. I leaned against him and placed my arm to embrace his. “It was great getting to know you tonight. You’re quite the kisser.” I shook my head, thinking how immature that sounded. What, are we back in high school? Get it together, Chelsey, I thought.
Bennett twisted in his seat and grinned. “You’re not bad y
ourself.” Then before I could say anything, his lips were on mine, and my arms were around him. As we leaned back into my sofa, I found myself getting comfortable, and just as I was about to pull him closer, he stopped in his tracks and pulled away with force. I looked up at him and saw his eyes were bugged out as if something had caught his eye. “Bennett, are you okay?”
He sat back on the couch and shook his head. “Wow, you must think I’m an idiot.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, sitting up and placing my right hand on his back.
He ran his hands through his hair, then let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Oh, like you don’t know.” Before he stood and started tracing the floor, he tossed me a smug expression.
“Will you just tell me what you’re talking about?” I scanned the room, not quite sure what sparked the sudden change in his behavior.
He took three giant steps toward one of my bookshelves, reached for a book, then turned around to face me. “This!” Waving the book, he held it out to me.
When I saw what book it was—our high school yearbook—I felt my world begin to collapse around me. Shit! “Oh...that.” My secret was out. He knew I knew who he was. Like I’d been kicked in the gut, my heart started to pound an ache in my heart caught in my throat. I had to do something, and fast, but what could I say to him that would make him understand why I did what I did? Reaching out to him, I stood and crossed the floor to stand next to him. “Bennett, please let me explain—”
He stormed past me, tossing the yearbook on the couch, saying, “Forget it—and forget this even happened.”
Diving into Olivia Pope mode, I knew I needed to fix this. Storming to the door, I stood in front of it, blocking his exit. “Bennett, you might not like me right now, but will you please just listen to me?”
He stopped before me, he placed his hands on his hips, giving me a hard stare down. “Not that I care, but fine. Explain away.”
After I swallowed the lump in my throat, I opened my mouth, then, like tears that wanted to fall from my eyes, the truth began pouring out of me. “When I was asked to find Hattie a companion to her events, never in a million years would I think you would have applied for it. I didn’t want to believe it was you—the Bennett Grayson who tortured me back in high school. Then, after I did a little digging, I learned it was you, so I selfishly selected you for the job. I knew Hattie tends to be rude—even, as you put it, bitchy, sometimes.” I looked around the room, landing on the yearbook that stared backed at me, then I looked at Bennett. “I wanted to hurt you, just how you did me in high school.” There, the words had been said, and while I knew it was an immature thing to do and think, especially after all these years, his words had been a lasting imprint of who I’d become. After running my hands through my hair and crossing my arms, I added, “What hurts the most is that when you told me how you felt tonight, and how you would apologize to the girl, that made my heart ache more than you’ll ever know.” I took a step toward him. “Bennett, I never knew you liked me back then. I mean, why should I, right?”
The Hollywood Setup Page 5
