Separate Like Stars

by Diana Kane

  “Food begetting a picnic in the park,” she answers with a smile. “Turkey, bacon and avocado wraps, pasta salad, summer sausage, cheese, crackers, and a strawberry pretzel yogurt parfait thingy. I thought you weren’t hungry?”

  “I’m not particularly hungry. However, I am a bit thirsty.”

  “Well, we should have some soda and water in there too. I would have made something a bit more exotic, but with us spending the day here, I wasn’t sure how it would keep.” Where did confident Olivia suddenly go? Was it my reaction to the thing about getting married that chased her away?

  “Relax. The food we have sounds great. What are your thoughts on using those pillows you packed to lay out on the blanket until we’re ready to eat?”

  “I’d like that,” Olivia answers as she snags the handle of the duffel bag and tosses the pillows down, one on top of the other. “Did I misread your suggestion?” she asks when she catches me looking at her with a smirk curling the corners of my lips.

  “No, I think you interpreted it perfectly,” I reply, earning a heart-melting grin from Olivia as she slides out of the chair and situates herself on the pillows.

  Chapter 33

  I roll over and groan into the pillow. Olivia Bradley is doing my head in. Yesterday was fantastic, yet she declined my invitation to come inside, despite leaving me with a kiss that felt like it was promising so much more. My nipples stiffen as I recall the sensation of Olivia’s tongue dancing with mine as her hands possessively gripped my hips, the twitching of her fingers giving away her desire to do so much more. I could go down there right now and pounce on her, see if she’s capable of stopping this morning, I think as I reach over to check the time on my phone. All thoughts of seducing Olivia vanish when I see the number of unread messages, missed calls, and voicemails I have.

  “What in the world?” I question as I open my messages app and discover a text from Gavin at the top of the list.

  You’ve been keeping secrets, it vaguely states. Odd. Okay, I think as I return to my inbox and see a message from Kira.

  Holy shit! I can’t believe my eyes! Call me!

  “Oh no,” I groan as reality sinks in. My phone vibrates, alerting me to another new message as a wave of dread washes through me.

  I see you went for it. The paparazzi were all over my place this morning. I gave them a brief statement after they showed me the pictures. I’m happy for you. Call me.

  A feeling of foreboding sends a chill across my flesh as I slip from my bed. I hug myself as I make my way into the hallway to peek out the window that faces the road.

  “Not this shit again,” I whine after carefully pulling the curtain back just far enough that I can see the paparazzi parked along the side of the road, waiting for a glimpse of Olivia and me. I have no idea what they have on us, but I know from the three messages I read that our budding romantic relationship has to be the reason. I need coffee if I’m going to deal with this shit, I think as I let the curtain fall back and return to the bedroom for some clothes to slip into.

  Coffee in hand and Artemis and Apollo happily fed, I pull up a stool at the bar and open my laptop. A quick search for Jordan Cohen returns the damning evidence. Photographs of us at the museum, The Zone, and the park litter the news results. I expand the first picture and quickly click through them. The press has everything from a few different shots at the museum, playing Skee-Ball at The Zone, to Olivia and I eating, cuddling, and kissing in the park. I return to the search results and scroll down to find the inevitable video of Addison talking to the paparazzi. I reluctantly press play on the video, hoping that Addison played them like the pro that she is.

  “Hey guys,” Addison grins as she greets them, her eyes concealed by the sunglasses perched on her nose. “I’ve been quiet lately, so I’m not sure what has you camped outside my place this morning,” she semi-jokes.

  “Jordan Cohen was spotted cozying up with the same woman she was photographed with before your breakup. Do you have a comment regarding their continued relationship, one that you both insisted did not exist and in no way resulted in the two of you breaking up?” the disembodied female voice informs Addison from outside the camera’s scope.

  “Really? I’m assuming there are pictures,” she plays them, causing no fewer than three of the sharks to offer their phones to her. I watch as Addison accepts a phone enclosed in a sparkly blue case as she removes her sunglasses. Her smile broadens with each swipe that changes the photo.

  “Do you have an addendum to add to your video statement that no one was to blame for the breakup, that things just didn’t work between the two of you?”

  “Really, guys? I’m convinced that you’re all taking our breakup much harder than we did. We broke up months ago. People meet new partners and move on. I happen to know the other woman in the photos. I promise that they weren’t together before Jordan and I separated.”

  “So you’re saying that you believe that nothing happened between them before your breakup?”

  “I am absolutely saying that. Look, Jordan is still a close friend. She’s also incredibly honest. I showed the photos to her, and she told me nothing happened. I believe her. Additionally, Jordan and I still talk. She asked me for advice about the situation, and I gave it to her. I’m glad that she’s taking the leap and hope that she’s happy. Trust me, I’ll be calling her later to get all the details,” she adds with a laugh. “I mean look at how cute they look in this one,” she says as she turns the phone towards the reporters, showing them the photo of Olivia and I kissing.

  “So you don’t blame the other woman for your breakup?”

  “No. I mean, did Jordan ever blame any of the women I slept with while we were together? She didn’t, even though she had a hell of a lot more reasons to do just that. Like we said in the video, the things we want out of life didn’t align for the two of us. It was an amicable split. We’re still friends. You won’t hear a negative word about either of us from the other,” she adds with a smile that could charm most people into doing anything. “Jordan and Olivia are both great women. They deserve each other, and I hope that they find a way to make it work. Just give them some privacy and don’t sabotage their relationship before it has a chance to flourish,” she requests with a smile that begs them to defy her. “Now if that’s all, I really need to get to the set. This little show won’t film itself,” she teases with a wave before she hops into her Ferrari and speeds down the street.

  I watch the video one more time before grabbing my phone to return Addison’s text. I saw the video. You did great. Thank you for that. Call when you’re free today since I’ll be on house arrest. I finish my first cup of coffee and brew a second one before settling back on the barstool and dialing Olivia.

  “Olivia’s house of home-wreckers, how may I help you?” her chipper voice answers, causing me to laugh.

  “Oh god, I hope you’re actually finding humor in all of this.”

  “Well, it isn’t every day that you trend as a home-wrecker on Twitter,” she answers with a chuckle. “It’s fine. I’m not going to let this get to me. How are you holding up?”

  “I just got out of bed, but it looks as though it’s going to be a much more eventful day than I anticipated.”

  “Well at least that fancy fencing you put along the road is paying for itself,” she jokes.

  “That appears to be the case. I’m sorry about all of this.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. I don’t mind if the whole world knows how I feel about you,” she says as the sound of metal hitting the floor echoes in the background.

  “Are you at du Pays?”

  “Yeah, I came in early this morning to work on a few new menu ideas. Do you have enough food and coffee for the day?”

  “You’re so sweet. I have enough provisions to survive a few days.”

  “You gonna be holed up then?”

  “Possibly. I haven’t thought past this conversation yet,” I admit before taking a sip of my coffee.

  “Did
you see Addison’s statement?” she asks after a pregnant silence.

  “Yeah. She messaged me this morning to give me a heads up. I thought she did well. Hopefully it’ll get rid of the sharks, and we can go about our lives.”

  “I’ll support however you want to handle this,” she says before someone in the background grabs her attention. “I’m really sorry, but I have to go. Can I call you later?”

  “Please do. Try to have a good day.”

  “You too. I’ll talk to you in a bit,” she adds before hanging up.

  *****

  Up for some company?

  I’d love to see you, but unless you’re able to teleport into my dining room, I’m not sure how you plan to get past the herd out front, I reply to Olivia’s message. I would love nothing more than to see her, but given the media circus in front of my house, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it might be a few days before that happens.

  I have a plan. Be there soon, she cryptically answers.

  “Okay,” I mutter aloud as I fit another piece of the jigsaw puzzle I’ve spent the last hour working on into place.

  I’m approaching your back door, a message fifteen minutes later informs me. Wait, I didn’t catch the double entendre before I hit send, a second message adds, causing me to laugh.

  I’ll bet, I reply with a winking emoji.

  I didn’t, she answers, adding the little red devil emoji. Come let me in before someone spots me.

  “Hey you,” I greet Olivia as I open the door, intending to pull her inside and pin her against the bar. My plan falls by the wayside when I notice the bulky wrap around her left hand. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “I’m fine,” she answers before leaning down to kiss me. “I had to go to the emergency room for a few stitches after I cut myself,” she shares as I stare at her, my gut churning with concern.

  “Why didn’t you call? I could have met you there.”

  “I would have if it weren’t for your audience. A few of them followed me to the emergency room. Hospital security had to call in Calvin and his crew to help out.” Olivia’s words cause a torrent of irritation and rage to surge through me. It’s one thing to hold me prisoner in my home, quite another to follow her into a hospital when she’s seeking medical treatment.

  “I’m so sorry. I wish I could have been there for you.”

  “Right now it’s safest for you at home. I don’t want one of them causing an accident by trying to follow you,” she says as the fingers of her right hand toy with a strand of my hair. I want to point out that they could just as easily cause the same hypothetical accident by following her, but I let it go.

  “Will your hand be okay?”

  “Yeah. The stitches have to stay in for ten days, but it’ll be as good as new.”

  “Good,” I answer before leaning up on my toes to kiss her. “Wait,” I stop the kiss after a few seconds. “You cut yourself?”

  “It happens,” she answers with a smirk. “I mean, professional basketball players miss shots and chefs cut themselves on occasion. We have skills that minimize how often it happens, but when you’re distracted or in a hurry, sometimes you get sloppy,” she admits with a shrug.

  “Does it hurt? Are you supposed to ice it or anything?” I ask as I lead her by her uninjured hand to the table.

  “It’s still numb from the injection they gave me. I’ll take some ibuprofen when I feel the numbing medicine start to wear off.”

  “They only gave you ibuprofen?” I ask, shocked and concerned.

  “I told them it’s all that I need. I don’t want to take any narcotics. I’m sure I’ll be fine with an extra strength Motrin. Please stop worrying about my hand,” she pleads as she trails her fingers down my cheek. “It’s been a long day. I’m just happy to see you,” she says as she pulls me to her.

  “I’m glad I get to see you too. I wasn’t sure I would for a few days,” I admit as I rest my forehead against her shoulder. “How did you manage to sneak down here undetected?”

  “I left my backyard via the rear gate, made my way into the woods, and walked down here just inside the tree-line. I wasn’t sure if they’d spot me making my way to your sliding door, but even the moon wasn’t bright enough to give me away.”

  “My own invisible woman,” I manage before she kisses me again.

  “Now you see me,” she says as she faces me, “now you don’t,” she adds as she turns her body to the side.

  “Oh my god,” I simultaneously groan and laugh. “Did I really spend four years with you?”

  “Four of the best years,” she responds with a wiggle of her eyebrows before darting forward to steal a quick kiss.

  “They were pretty great,” I concede as I tighten my arms around Olivia’s waist. “I was working on that puzzle. Wanna join me?” I ask as I take a step away from her. I need to distract myself with something that doesn’t involve being physical with Olivia because my body still remembers my dreams from last night and her presence is causing it to hum.

  “I’m up for anything you want to do,” she answers sending a surge of illicit thoughts through my mind and a heatwave through my body. “Probably not that,” she adds with a grin as her fingers stroke my cheek.

  “Not what?” I ask as blood surges to my face.

  “Whatever it is that has your nipples threatening to tear through your shirt,” she says, her voice adopting a sultry tone as her eyes drop to my breasts. The tip of her tongue darts between her lips as she reels me in again and initiates a kiss that causes my knees to buckle and an aching need to tear through me. “I do want those things,” she rasps when we finally separate, “I just want two hands when it happens,” she adds as she waves her injured appendage.

  “You are very good with your hands,” I whisper as another wave of desire surges through my body.

  “I don’t remember ever hearing any complaints,” she quips with a cocky grin adorning her lips. I shake my head as I laugh, because what else can I do at this point?

  “No, I never had any complaints,” I assure her as I will my hormones to calm down. “Now, I think you should take a seat while I get you something to drink.”

  “I can—.”

  “I know you can, but please let me get it. Water?”

  “Yeah,” she answers as she takes a seat and begins eyeballing the puzzle. “Have you been?” she asks, indicating the picture of a Croatian waterfall on the puzzle’s box when I return to the dining room.

  “Not yet, but I’d like to make it there one day. Is it one of the countries you visited while traveling around Europe?”

  “I wish. I wanted to spend some time there, but it didn’t work out,” she shares as she tries inserting a piece of a cloud along the top border. “How was your day?”

  “After talking to you this morning I spent quite a bit of time returning missed calls and texts. Once I had my fill of that, I tried to work on writing but couldn’t focus on it. I did manage to do some yoga, laundry, clean, and a few other small tasks I’ve been putting off. I haven’t dared to go outside, so I figured that left me with plenty of time to finally attempt putting this together. In a word, today has been exciting,” I joke as I flash her a sarcastic smile.

  “Have you thought about how you want to handle them?” she asks as she flourishes her hand towards the front of the house.

  “I’m leaning towards issuing a statement or talking to them in the hope that they’ll get their pound of flesh and leave us alone. What do you think?”

  “I’ll support whatever you decide.”

  “I understand that, but this affects both of us. It’s caused you to be distracted and injured, it’s forced you to get creative and sneak down here just so we could spend time together, and you’ve now been dubbed a home-wrecker on Twitter. If I were to open up to the press, would you want to be there with me?”

  “You want me to do an interview with you?” she skeptically asks, that adorable crease forming across her forehead again.

  “It
’s not like we’ll be sitting down with Barbara Walters or anything.”

  “Didn’t she retire?” Olivia asks with a smart ass expression plastered on her face.

  “Yes, not that that was my point,” I answer as I give her a look to ask if she’s planning on taking this seriously. “My point was that I doubt people are interested enough to warrant some special interview.”

  “Uh, Jordan, if they aren’t interested, then what are all those paparazzi doing in front of your house?”

  “They’re out there because they’re still linking me to Addison. It’s ridiculous. No one was tagging Chloe as a home-wrecker, even though Addison was spotted with her before and after our split. Addison is the real star that will sell their stories. That’s why they’re out there.”