Hollywood Enigma: Hollywood Name Game Book 5

by Alexa Aston

  He explained how he’d met with Sarah Hartnett and peppered her with questions and wanted to do the same with whomever coordinated Knox’s foundation.

  They reached the car, having walked in a wide circle, and Scarlett headed back to Rhett’s house.

  “You seem enthusiastic about both projects,” she said.

  “I am. Rhett suggested I focus on one to begin with instead of doing a half-assed job on both.”

  “I agree. Are you leaning more toward one than the other?”

  Wynn thought a moment. “If I had to pick, I’d go with arts education. It would have a greater impact on more lives. I’m not opposed to cashing in on my Carbon Man fame with kids. If I’m being killed off, I probably should run with the charity idea now while Carbon Man is still a hot commodity.”

  She punched in the code and pulled through the gates and into Rhett’s driveway. Turning off the ignition, she said, “It’s wise to go all-in on one venture. I think using your fame for good and addressing the fine arts in public schools is a great choice.”

  “I’ll need you to help draw up the papers. Sarah said it’ll fall under a 501(c) (3) organization and we’ll need to file an application for tax-exempt status. Since you handled establishing the ones for Rhett and Knox, I know I’ll be in good hands.” He smiled. “Eventually, though, I will want to pursue the production company idea and will need you to incorporate that, too.”

  Scarlett’s stomach roiled. She hadn’t made Wynn aware that he was no longer her particular client. Henry had done what she’d asked and handled the meeting with Rylon with ease, gleefully reporting to Scarlett how smoothly things had gone. Since that time, Wynn had needed no legal advice or spoken to her about his affairs. She had gotten caught up in the day-to-day routine at Rhett’s and then her own caseload which she had picked back up. Informing Wynn of the transition from her to Henry had been on a back burner, something she knew was there and yet had chosen not to think about, much less address.

  That had to end now. She would explain what happened then let Wynn know, in the long run, it was his choice and he could request that she once more be put in charge of his legal affairs. It would be messy, though, and lead to a world of trouble between her and Henry. The animosity the older man felt toward her was already a lot to handle, along with all the other pressure she felt being a partner at Lymon McGraw. If Henry was forced to release Wynn back to her, he would make Scarlett’s life utterly miserable. Perhaps she could persuade Wynn to remain with Henry and keep the peace while still seeing Wynn was represented by the best, especially since they were now involved. In fact, if Henry learned of their affair, as managing partner, he could call her out on conflict of interest with a client and then Wynn would have to remain with Henry as his attorney of record—if he stayed with the firm.

  And if Wynn left? Scarlett would never hear the end of it. Henry would never let up, much less give her a moment of peace in the future. It would only grow more intolerable when the elder Lymon finally retired.

  “Lymon McGraw will be happy to draw up all the necessary papers,” she began, choosing her words cautiously. “We—”

  “No, I don’t want just anyone at your firm taking care of this. You’re my attorney, Scarlett. I know you might be uncomfortable handling business affairs for me because we’re involved but I trust you. Only you.”

  “Henry Lymon is the best we have, Wynn. You couldn’t have a better attorney representing you. He’s like a dog with a very juicy bone and never backs down. Ever.”

  Anger flashed in his eyes. “Henry was great as a pinch hitter when we wrapped things with Rylon Pictures but he’s not the one I want representing me, especially in something so personal and important.”

  She took a deep breath, knowing she would now have to give him the choice. Which would wreck her professional life in the process. “Officially, I can’t do it, Wynn, because I’m not your attorney of record anymore. Henry is ever since the Rylon deal closed.”

  “What?” Confusion filled his eyes.

  “The only way Henry would represent you during the Rylon negotiations was if I passed you exclusively over to him.”

  Wynn’s face flushed a dull red. “He didn’t do anything other than smile and point out where everyone was to sign. Sure, he told me he was thrilled to have me on board at Lymon McGraw and that he did everything he could to make sure the needs of his clients were met, but I had no idea that meant I was solely his client.”

  Wynn let a flurry of curses fly from his mouth. She couldn’t tell if they were meant for her or Henry.

  “I should sue Henry Lymon,” he declared. “The bastard wasn’t honest with me. He could’ve had the decency to be upfront and let me know I’d been shuffled around.” Glaring at her, he added, “You could’ve told me, too. But you didn’t.”

  “That was the deal we struck,” Scarlett revealed. “I had to agree or he wouldn’t have accompanied you to the meeting. Without legal representation, everything would have fallen apart and the studio would have hung you out to dry.” Scarlett paused, trying to diplomatically tell Wynn he still had a choice and yet hoping she could convince him to remain with Henry.

  “You could’ve gone with me,” Wynn said stubbornly. “You knew I only wanted you. It wouldn’t have taken an hour to go in and take care of things.”

  “Are you serious? Rhett needed me. My family needed me,” she said, her voice rising in anger. “He’d been shot.”

  “The doctors said he was going to be fine,” he countered.

  “Doctors can be wrong,” she yelled, her temper flaring out of control. “They said the threat of infection was serious. If it spread, he might have lost his leg. I needed to be there for him. For Cassie. For the kids. I had to choose family over you. Don’t you get that?”

  Wynn scrambled from the car and slammed the door. Through gritted teeth, he said, “I would’ve understood, Scarlett. If you’d told me upfront. Instead, you kept it from me and made a deal behind my back that I never would have agreed to. That’s what hurts. I get where family trumps me. I’m just a guy from a one-night stand who needed a way out of a contract. You thrive on challenges. Going up against the big boys at Rylon and winning soothed your ego. You won that negotiation, Scarlett, but by hiding the truth, you lost me.”

  He stormed away, yanking open the door of his Range Rover and gunning the motor. She watched him race down the long driveway and sail through the gates. Stumbling from the car, a wave of nausea overwhelmed her and she hurried a few steps in order to throw up in the bushes.

  Scarlett knew Wynn would be angry when he learned what she’d done.

  She just hadn’t known it would cost her relationship with him.

  CHAPTER 19

  Scarlett went into the house and hurried to the powder room. She closed the door and dropped her purse on the floor before turning on the cold water and cupping her hands to gather water in order to rinse the awful taste away. She dabbed her mouth with the towel and stared at her image reflected in the mirror. This woman bore no resemblance to the one she’d been before she’d left the house. After she’d had sex with Wynn.

  How could she have been so stupid?

  Wynn had been nothing but transparent with her. Though known as a private man who rarely was seen in public, he’d been open with her from the beginning. Funny. Affectionate. Caring.

  And she’d blown it.

  He’d been her client. Her client. She should have done what was best for him—and that meant being by his side during the ultimate meeting with Rylon. She’d been so afraid that the studio executives might change their minds if she delayed the contract signing by even a day. That word would leak to the press on what was going down and put a crimp in the delicate negotiations. Sending Henry Lymon to the meeting with Wynn would’ve put the fear of God into anyone in that room. Henry’s reputation of being ruthless and attentive to details, as well as never backing down, had served her well and gotten what Wynn desired.

  In her heart, she knew s
he should have told him that the switch to Henry would be permanent. Even if he’d argued against her better judgment, he had a right to know. She had been lacking both professionally and personally and now suffered the consequences. Once the deal had been completed with Rylon, Wynn would have had the capability of pulling out of Lymon McGraw and finding different representation. Since he now had the contract he’d wanted, he could go back to Del and let his brother rep him in the future if he wished. If he were smart, though, Wynn would find a skilled entertainment lawyer. He’d need one, not only for his future career moves but one experienced in creating private foundations and incorporating businesses in the entertainment field. At this point, she couldn’t see Wynn staying with Lymon McGraw.

  She couldn’t blame him. She, Henry, and the firm itself had broken trust with him. And Wynn wasn’t someone who would give them a pass.

  Scarlett sat on the toilet, not wanting to leave the powder room and run the risk of bumping into Cassie. Her sister-in-law read people better than anyone Scarlett knew and would instantly know something was wrong. Of course, when Wynn didn’t come around tomorrow, Cassie would definitely realize something was up. Scarlett needed a few minutes to come to terms with the mess she’d made before leaving this sanctuary.

  Her stomach lurched again and what was left of the penne all’arrabbiata she’d eaten began churning. She jumped up and lifted the toilet lid, vomiting the remainder of her lunch. The stench of the digested onions and peppers made her grip her sides. Surely, she didn’t have food poisoning again. That had been the sickest she’d ever gotten.

  Scarlett flushed and rinsed her mouth thoroughly—and stopped.

  “No,” she said aloud. “It can’t be.”

  She collapsed onto the floor, tears welling in her eyes, remembering how sick she’d been from eating the bad shrimp cocktail. How many times she’d thrown up. A good forty-eight hours or more.

  Her birth control pills.

  She’d taken one the morning she’d become ill. She was close to the end of the pill pack and hadn’t taken the last two because she couldn’t keep anything down. Then the placebo week came and after it ended, she started back up.

  Immediately, she whipped out her phone and began Googling. What she read didn’t put her mind at ease.

  She might be pregnant.

  She and Wynn had sex the night of Rhett’s casino party, two weeks after she’d been ill. She’d assured Wynn she was on the pill. No other precautions were taken. Had she had another period since then?

  No.

  She hadn’t thought anything of it. With all the stress surrounding Rhett being shot, it hadn’t surprised her that she skipped a month. When she was under tremendous stress twice before, the same thing had happened. She’d missed her period and then started back up with the next cycle once things in her life calmed down.

  Her gut screamed this time was different.

  Scarlett gingerly put a hand to her stomach. Was she really pregnant? She tamped down the elation that threatened to bubble up. She needed to find out for sure.

  Rising, she retrieved her purse and went to the kitchen for a bottle of cold water. She downed the entire thing and felt better. Glancing at the microwave, she saw it was time to leave to pick up Cadence and Harper. They had dance on Thursdays after school. Dash would get the boys since they had their karate lessons at the same time.

  She left the house without seeing anyone and paused at the Spitfire, feeling guilty to be driving it. Wynn had given it to her on a whim. She needed to see it returned to him. They hadn’t done anything official, such as redo the paperwork to place the title in her name, so it would be easy to turn the sports car back over. She’d do it first thing tomorrow.

  Scarlett headed to the school and joined the line of cars. The bell sounded and kids began streaming from the building. She caught sight of Kyle and Drew, both in their karate uniforms, huge grins on their faces. The boys went to Dash’s SUV, several cars ahead of her, and she watched him pull out.

  Cadence and Harper arrived and greeted her, both flinging their backpacks onto the floorboard and climbing into the back seat. They buckled their seatbelts and chattered the entire way to the dance studio. Scarlett walked them inside and waited outside the restroom while they changed into their leotards and tap shoes. They emerged with ballet shoes in one hand and their backpacks in the other. She took the backpacks and said she’d be waiting for them.

  “You’re going to watch us, right?” Cadence asked.

  “I sure will,” she replied, although she wouldn’t the entire time. She had an errand to run.

  The girls giggled and, holding hands, ran into class. Scarlett saw the usual crowd of moms had already gathered, some standing in front of the two-way mirror to observe the session and others seated, playing with their phone or reading from a Kindle.

  Leaving the studio, she locked the backpacks in the car and walked a quarter-mile south and ducked into a CVS. She found the section with tampons and condoms and cut down that aisle. It took her a moment before she spotted the home pregnancy test kits. She picked up a few, reading the instructions, and decided on one. She paid the cashier and then put the sack inside her purse before returning to watch the rest of the dance lesson.

  The girls came out half an hour later, excited about being with their friends as much as learning a new dance routine. Scarlett drove Harper home and then went back to Rhett’s. Dash would drop Kyle off when his class ended. Cassie was seated in the kitchen, a snack waiting for Cadence. She begged to take it into the den and eat while she read and her mom said okay.

  As casually as she could, Scarlett said, “I’ve got a few things I need to do at home. Get the mail. Check on—”

  “Go,” Cassie ordered, not even letting Scarlett finish. “You’ve been so sweet to stay with us. I know you have a life. You’ve got to get back to work full-time, too. We’re fine here, Scarlett. I appreciate everything you—and Wynn—have done this past month.”

  Cassie hugged her. “Go home and stay home. You’re welcome to come over as much as you like.” Her eyes twinkled. “I know, though, you’d appreciate getting some time alone. And having time to be with Wynn. Rhett and I think the world of him. He’s been so good for you.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes. Quickly, she wiped them away.

  “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. We just wanted you to know how much we appreciate you and how much we like Wynn. We couldn’t have gotten by these past few weeks without either of you.”

  “Thank you,” Scarlett managed. “I think I’ll go pack and tell Rhett goodbye. Remember, text me if you need anything.”

  In the end, she chickened out. After she gathered her things, she went to the gym and saw Rhett walking on his treadmill. She didn’t want to interrupt him, much less start bawling if he mentioned Wynn.

  She put her suitcase in the car and was pulling out as Dash came in. Scarlett waved jauntily and didn’t slow down. She wanted to get home and bury herself under the covers.

  After she peed on the stick.

  Though she took side streets, traffic was heavy, thanks to an accident. She pulled into her garage an hour later, jittery and on edge. She didn’t bother to bring in her suitcase. That could wait. The stick couldn’t.

  She tore open the box and began skimming the instructions once more before she forced herself to slow down and read them aloud. She didn’t want to miss anything or do something wrong. Finally, she knew what to do. It was really simple.

  Five minutes later, she knew for sure.

  She was pregnant.

  And the baby was Wynn’s.

  ◆◆◆

  Fury rippled through Wynn. Not at Scarlett. He was mad at himself. At this moment, he would win any world competition for biggest jerk on the planet.

  Why had he flown off the handle with Scarlett?

  The logical part of him, that wonderful left-brained mathematical side told him he was being ridiculous. Scarlett had put together an amazing
argument and convinced a group of stubborn Rylon executives to free Wynn from bondage. She’d created a full set of legal documents to make sure everything was in writing and spelled out every detail she’d fought for. She’d arranged for him to have the best lawyer at her firm accompany him to the signing so that no one at Rylon got cold feet or started throwing changes into the mix. In all honesty, she had even told Wynn that Henry was his new attorney of record. He hadn’t questioned her at the time, believing it would be easy to revert back to her once she returned from her leave of absence. Scarlett had done all of that under a tremendous amount of pressure—and he’d thrown it all back in her face like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

  Family meant everything to Scarlett. Wynn understood that because he felt the same. He’d pushed hard to succeed in acting because he wanted to take legal custody of Cady. His sister had suffered not only physical and emotional damage from the car wreck that killed their parents but she’d had to live with their vindictive aunt. Wynn did everything in his power to make enough money to challenge his aunt in court and win guardianship of Cady. As he’d grown more successful, he’d poured money into Del’s practice, allowing his brother to do more of the pro bono work he loved and thrived on—even as he paid for Payne’s cancer treatments at the same time. While the remaining Youngbloods weren’t as close and didn’t see each other as regularly as the Corrigan crew did, Wynn loved his siblings and would do anything for them.

  Just as Scarlett had for Rhett and his family.

  He knew she needed to be at the hospital in those early days after Rhett was shot. Going to a meeting with Wynn would’ve been out of the question. She’d done everything necessary behind the scenes and made sure he walked away with everything he’d hoped for. He knew she regretted not running the decision to turn him over to Henry Lymon by him. In the long run, did it really matter who looked after his legal interests? What was important was his relationship with Scarlett. Which he’d blown up over something petty. Something foolish.