Color Me Yours

by Jen Talty

  Not this time.

  Nope. The media laid into him, calling him a fake. A fraud. Wondering why he needed to pay a woman to be on his arm. They picked on his manhood. Not a big deal. He could take it.

  He didn’t care. He’d weather the storm. So would his business.

  What killed him was the way the media treated Kennedy. They painted her out to be a cross between a prostitute, like the character Julia Roberts played in Pretty Woman to a cold calculating, gold-digging woman who went rogue after her boyfriend cheated on her and only wanted Hawk for his money.

  Which made no sense and those covering the story knew it, but they still tried to put that square peg into the round hole.

  “Thought I might find you here,” Rusty said as he pulled up a chair. “Hey, James. I’ll have what he’s having.”

  “I wish he would slow down. He’s five shots in.” James set a glass on the counter.

  “I’ll keep an eye on him,” Rusty said. “When was the last time you talked to her?”

  “Yesterday morning when I left the house,” Hawk admitted. Not for lack of trying though. He’d called her eight times. Texted at least that many.

  Nothing.

  She didn’t pick up. Call back. Or text.

  “I know this doesn’t make up for anything, but Cindy was fired, and we’re doing a public apology to you for her bad judgment on the show tomorrow.”

  “I appreciate that, but it doesn’t change the fact that what she reported was all true. Even the spin she put on it wasn’t that far off.”

  “This might help the sting a little bit. She was arrested about two hours ago.”

  That got Hawk’s attention. “For what?”

  “She set the entire thing up at your house. Paid the cleaning person to take pictures. Paid another photographer. That’s illegal. The story will switch to her and her weird obsession to make you look bad.”

  Hawk laughed, shaking his head. “Not so weird. I dated her a long time ago, and I guess she’s still bitter over the breakup, though I had no idea.”

  “She actually mentioned that.”

  “I’m shocked. She swore she’d deny ever knowing me that way. It was shortly after Isabelle and I broke-up. It didn’t last very long. Things were fine until Heather, who is one of Cindy’s best friends. Ever since then, I swear, Cindy’s had it in for me.”

  “And Kennedy,” Rusty said.

  “That’s what I don’t get. What does she have against Kennedy?”

  “Why did you and Cindy break up?” Rusty asked.

  Hawk shrugged. “I was starting to sign some big up-and-coming names. Some top models and actresses. I had the mindset of being a player, and she was kind of boring. She wanted to get married and all that crap. I wanted a good time. We lasted all of maybe a month. When I first started dating Heather, she was a party animal, and then she wanted to get married. That’s when I walked away.”

  “Is that when Cindy went wacko?”

  “No. It started when Lorna and I broke up.”

  “The night Kennedy got shitfaced and you carried her home like a sack of potatoes,” Rusty said.

  “What are you getting at?”

  “Cindy was here, in Thirsty’s that night.”

  “No way. How do you know?”

  “Her Instagram stream.” Rusty held out his phone and showed some images. “So, when you and Kennedy were outed as a couple during Heather’s accusations, Cindy thought sharing that image would cause a lot of problems.”

  Hawk swirled the bourbon in the glass before bringing it to his lips. “Okay, but why?”

  “Well, she really believed you and Kennedy were a couple. The two of you were very convincing.”

  Hawk chuckled. “It was easy because I fell in love with her.” He’d barely allowed himself to think those words, much less say them out loud, but he needed to get them out there, or he was going to go mad.

  “That was obvious when we had dinner together that night.”

  “We were faking.” Hawk shook his head.

  “You can’t fake something that special. You might not have known it or been involved intimately, but the two of you are perfect together,” Rusty said.

  Hawk lifted his glass. “I thought so, but we’re done before we even really got off the ground.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  No shit. “Tell me more about this theory of yours. I’m curious. Why did Cindy keep going after Kennedy?”

  “It’s not a theory. I interviewed Cindy right before she turned herself in,” Rusty said. “She knew you never loved any of the other women, but that you loved Kennedy, and she wanted to make sure you and she had no chance of staying together.”

  “She was successful in her plan.” Hawk set his bourbon down. “James. I need a tall glass of water. Actually, bring me a gallon.” He cleared his throat. “Has this story broke yet?”

  “I’m sure it’s made the news, but I obviously have the exclusive interview that will air the first hour of my show, and I want to bring you and Kennedy on.”

  Hawk shook his head. “Kennedy won’t do it.”

  “Okay, but I’m still going to ask her. What about you?”

  “Nope. I won’t do it either,” Hawk said. “I’ll give you a statement, approved by my attorney, and Kennedy, if I can get her to return my calls, but that’s it.”

  “Give me the statement, and I’ll get it to Kennedy,” Rusty said. “You have my word I will only air it if she says it’s fine.”

  Hawk nodded. He knew he could trust Rusty. “Usually, Kennedy writes these things for me.”

  Rusty slapped Hawk on the back. “I’m going to call Kennedy now. Please get me the statement as soon as possible.”

  “Will do. And tell Kennedy to please call me.” Hawk pulled out his cell and set it on the bar.

  Still nothing.

  “I better call my lawyer. Do you have any copy I can give him on the story?” Hawk asked.

  “I already emailed you a link. I’ll be in touch,” Rusty said.

  “Thanks, man. You’re a good friend.”

  Rusty glanced over his shoulder. “Trust me. Kennedy will come around. Just give her some time and space.”

  Hawk wished he believed that were true.

  Kennedy flipped open her laptop and pulled up the email from Rusty.

  “Read it out loud,” Ethel said.

  Taking a sip of coffee, Kennedy cleared her throat. “This whole thing is crazy. I can’t believe Cindy was arrested.”

  “I can’t believe she paid someone to spy on you,” Jackie said. “That’s so creepy.”

  Among other things.

  “She totally ruined your relationship with Hawk.” Ethel snagged a couple of grapes from the tray and popped them in her mouth.

  “Don’t you two get that we were lying?” Kennedy asked, tired of her family acting like she hadn’t pulled the wool over their eyes.

  “You fibbed about when you started sleeping together, but come on, you’ve got it bad for him, and he for you,” Jackie said with a flip of her hand. “And don’t try to tell us otherwise.”

  “Will you please read the statement, so we know if Hawk needs to make any changes? The show airs in an hour, and they need your response,” Ethel asked.

  “His attorney helped him, so I’m sure it’s fine.” Kennedy sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. She clicked on the attached document.

  “Official statement from Hawk Jefferson. First, let me start by apologizing to the public for lying. It’s never becoming on anyone and not something I am proud of. I could rattle off a plethora of reasons, all valid, but at the end of the day, it’s a betrayal to the American public. That said, Kennedy Monroe does not live her life in the public eye, as I have chosen. And yet, she put herself out there because I asked her for a favor. Unfortunately, Cindy Lockhart decided to take a childish request made by me and turn it into something ugly, making Kennedy look bad. In Cindy’s quest to dig up whatever dirt she could find by any means possible
, including illegal ones, she has irrevocable harmed an innocent woman. I realize I played a role in what happened, and I can apologize until I’m blue in the face, but nothing is going to ever change the fact that I screwed up so bad, and now I’ve lost the woman that I love. What started off as fake turned into the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love Kennedy Monroe, and I’d do anything, short of lying again, to win her back. This ends the statement. Kennedy, you should know, Hawk plans on making the statement in person, not me reading. He’ll be here for the first segment.”

  Kennedy wiped the tears from her cheeks and closed the laptop. She opened her mouth and then snapped it shut.

  She did that three times but couldn’t form any words.

  “That can’t be his statement,” she mumbled. “His lawyer wouldn’t have drafted that. It doesn’t really cover the legal part of all this.”

  “Oh, my God,” Ethel said. “Who gives a fuck about the legal part. This is the human part. The only part anyone really cares about.”

  “Why the hell are you still sitting on that sofa. Get up, run down to that station, and get your man.” Jackie grabbed her by the hands and yanked her off the sofa.

  “And your dog.” Ethel raced into the other room. “I’m sure they do hair and makeup.”

  “Oh no. I’m not going on live TV.”

  “Yes. You. Are.” Jackie shoved her out the front door and into her SUV. “I’ll drive.”

  “This is nuts. I can’t go down there.” Mindlessly, Kennedy pulled the seat belt across her chest.

  “Do you love him?” Jackie asked.

  Kennedy’s heart soared at the reality of her emotions. “How did this happen so fast?” One minute she’d been just his assistant, drooling over him in private, and the next, she’d been waking up in his bed, naked. “Does he really love me?”

  “He’s going to go on national television and tell the world. Um, I’d say so,” Ethel said.

  “This is crazy.” Kennedy glanced at her sisters. “I love him. Let’s haul ass.” The only question was, did she tell him she was on her way, or did she surprise him.

  She decided to go with the latter, but she might need a little help from a good friend.

  “Nothing. Why hasn’t she responded?” Hawk paced in the green room at the station.

  “I don’t know.” Rusty sat in a chair in the corner of the room, drinking his coffee. “I can push this to the end of the first hour.”

  “You know she opened the email, right?” Hawk asked. Fuck. If she read it and didn’t love him back, then no way in hell would she approve. Which was fine. “We should have sent her both statements.”

  “I’ll shoot an email over now, stating we can go with a different statement if she’s not comfortable with that,” Rusty said. “I’m sorry, man, I really thought she’d respond. I know she loves you.”

  Hawk shook his head. “I think it’s obvious that she doesn’t.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “If she did, she would have replied.” Hawk stopped pacing and topped off his mug. The bitter liquid soured his stomach even more. “In the end, this is all my fault.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up. Even if you hadn’t told me she was your girlfriend that night, she would have ended up at that bar because of the Heather story.”

  Hawk forgot about that, and Rusty was right. Hawk would have asked her to meet him there to figure it out. Or at his house. The pictures might have been taken anyway, and the story would have been spun. But it could have been worse had Rusty not been able to give him the heads-up. Cindy could have twisted that story a million different ways, and he and Kennedy would have never gotten ahead of it.

  And maybe they would have never found out how much they really cared for each other.

  He pulled out his cell.

  Hawk: Please. Call me. Or at least email Rusty back.

  Bubbles popped up, but then disappeared.

  Fuck.

  Could he blame her? Not really. And who told someone they loved them in an official statement? For a man who was almost forty, he certainly acted like a child. He was clueless about how to be in a real relationship or how to treat the woman he loved.

  He started pacing again.

  “I’ve got to get to the set. I’ll have my producer put you on at the very end of the hour.”

  Hawk waved and nodded. He followed Rusty out of the green room. He figured watching the show would keep his mind off things. He stood in the background, leaning against a large chair. Rusty opened the show by talking about Cindy leaving the show and her subsequent arrest. Damn, the man was good. He handled the entire story with kindness and respect. Even Cindy couldn’t be mad at what he said about her, since almost everything was positive. Of course, what she did was pretty gross, but his words weren’t cruel.

  In between segments Rusty leaped from his stool and raced over to where Hawk stood. “I have good news and bad news. What do you want first?”

  Hawk tilted his head and arched a brow. “You heard from Kennedy. She wants to go with option two.”

  “Sort of.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “She sent me a statement to read to follow up yours.”

  “Which statement?” Hawk asked.

  “She said she’s fine with you reading a combination of both. She wants you to address the legal issues and the personal aspect. She doesn’t want you to leave anything out. She said to think like she would if she were helping you with the statement.”

  Hawk laughed. “That’s harder to do than it sounds.”

  “She gave me some guiding questions. I’m sure it will be all good.”

  “What does her statement say?” Hawk’s heart did a deep dive into his gut. Tears actually burned the corners of his eyes. He’d finally gone and done the one thing he swore to his parents was impossible.

  He’d fallen in love.

  And he wanted to get married and have kids.

  He wanted it all with Kennedy.

  But he wasn’t so sure she wanted all that with him.

  “She asked me not to say anything to you about it until I read it on air.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Hawk said. But Kennedy wouldn’t blindside him, so whatever it was, it couldn’t be worse than what he was going through right now.

  “Are you ready to do this?” Rusty asked.

  “Might as well get it over with.” Hawk let some woman fix his hair and put a mic on his shirt while he got comfortable on a sofa.

  Rusty took his spot on the big chair with his tablet on his lap.

  The producer counted down using his fingers.

  Hawk stiffened his spine. In all his life, he’d never been so nervous before.

  “Welcome back to The Morning Dose. I’m here with Hawk Jefferson.” Rusty swiveled his chair. “Thanks for being here today. Mind if we dive right into the topic at hand?”

  “Please. I want to set the record straight.”

  “Let’s start with the legal parts. You are aware that Cindy Lockhart was arrested, and some of her alleged crimes include hiring someone to invade your home and take pictures and even install cameras. Two others were named as accomplices in her attempts to attack your character, as well as Kennedy Monroe’s. Will you or Miss Monroe be filing a civil suit?”

  “First, we are working close with the police department to help them build their case. We are also turning over what we can to my legal team. In all honesty, I haven’t had a chance to hash this out with Kennedy, but I don’t want to drag this out, nor do I want or need anything, except an apology from Cindy or anyone else involved. So, my answer is, no, we don’t plan to file a civil lawsuit at this time. We have, however, filed restraining orders.”

  “It’s unfortunate what happened. We here at The Morning Dose are very sad and confused over the turn of events when it comes to our co-worker, and we are sorry for what she’s done to you and Kennedy.”

  “Thank you,” Hawk said. Time to take ownership of
his role. “However, some of this could have been prevented if I hadn’t asked Kennedy to act as if she were my girlfriend. It was a childish thing to do in order to get my parents—”

  “I think what you meant to say is that you and Kennedy acted as a couple before you became a couple, because isn’t it true that you are in a romantic relationship with Kennedy Monroe?”

  Hawk blinked. What the fuck was Rusty up to? This wasn’t in either statement. “No. Not anymore anyway. We broke up.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that. When?”

  “Saturday morning when the story hit. Kennedy’s not used to being in the spotlight and while much of what Cindy reported on was taken out of context, some of it wasn’t. Kennedy just had enough. I honestly don’t blame her. It’s a lot for anyone to take.”

  “So, it wasn’t a fake relationship then? You were dating Kennedy Monroe,” Rusty said.

  Hawk nodded.

  “You are in love with Kennedy, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. I am. I love her very much, but she and I aren’t in the cards.”

  “Then you’re playing with the wrong deck,” Kennedy said.

  Hawk whipped his head around, craning his neck. “What the heck? When did you get here?”

  A woman with a headset stood next to Kennedy, putting a microphone on her blouse.

  “Isn’t this a pleasant surprise.” Rusty stood with an outstretched hand. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Thanks for having me back.” Kennedy stepped in front of Hawk and gave Rusty a hug. She sat on the sofa and put her hand on Hawk’s thigh.

  He rubbed his eyes a couple of times. He glanced to the ceiling, wondering if maybe one of those big lights fell and landed on his head, knocking him out.

  “I think Hawk is still in shock,” Rusty said with a slight chuckle. “I almost feel bad doing this to him.”

  “Me too,” Kennedy said with a bright smile.

  Hawk tried to take a deep breath, but his lungs burned. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

  “I changed my mind after I read your official statement,” she said.