Aster sighed. “Guess we’re about to find out.”
TWENTY
SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM
Tommy was acting weird, and it was making Madison nervous.
She glanced in the vanity mirror, ensuring that her wig was still on, her makeup in place. She’d been careful to stick to her role and keep her arm covered. And yet not long after they’d exited the freeway, something had shifted between them, and she’d been unable to get him back on her side.
She remembered the previous times they’d met, back when he was a naive country boy who was in way over his head. He’d been so much easier to manipulate back then.
The summer had changed him. Now he seemed resentful, edgy, like he had somewhere better to be.
Was it because back then she’d been Madison Brooks—the It Girl at the top of Ira’s get list? She doubted it. Their kiss felt like something more had sparked between them—something more equal and intimate than the usual fan/celebrity hookup.
Did his change of heart have to do with Layla?
Was he really so devoted he wouldn’t indulge in a little harmless flirtation?
And if so, what the hell did he see in her?
She guessed Layla was pretty enough. And God knows she was driven and ambitious in a way Madison might’ve found admirable if the circumstances had been different.
But the way Layla had gone after her on her blog had earned her a place on Madison’s blacklist. Her most recent post ensured she’d remain there for good.
Madison looked out the window and sighed. Tommy was so keyed up, she worried he might try to drop her off and drive away before she even had a chance to put her plan into play.
“Stop,” she said. “Stop right here.”
Tommy motioned toward the windshield. “There’s nothing here.” His tone was a combination of jittery and annoyed.
“I know. Just—I want to say something before we arrive.” She waited while Tommy reluctantly pressed his foot to the brake and slowly rolled to a stop. When he killed the engine, she said, “I’m sorry.”
He removed his sunglasses and studied her face.
“If I got too flirty, or made you feel uncomfortable in any way, then I apologize.”
The look she received in return was blank.
“I know you have a girlfriend and—”
“We’ve been over this.” He gripped the wheel hard. She’d pushed him too far. “It’s weird how you keep bringing it up.”
Madison studied him. “I thought you and Layla Harrison . . .” She left it unfinished, but Tommy just stared out the windshield and clenched and unclenched his jaw.
“I’m tired of every nuance of my life being dished out for public consumption.” His features sharpened, his lips flattened in fury.
“You wanted to be a star.” Her words echoed between them. “It’s part of the deal.”
He turned to her, eyes burning. “I never wanted any of that. I never wanted people to dissect my choices—who I’m dating, what I’m wearing, what I drive, where I go, what I eat, drink. Everything I do is under a microscope, and if they don’t like what they see, they don’t hesitate to unleash their contempt in the comments section. It’s total bullshit! My personal life is none of their business, and yet they act like they own me. All I wanted, all I truly ever wanted, was to make music that people enjoyed—that’s it!”
Madison simmered in fury. Any residual guilt she might’ve felt over stringing him along had just vanished. If there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was when people acted like victims of their own good fortune. The other thing was when people blamed outwardly instead of getting real with themselves.
“You sure about that?” Her voice was her own, no more pretending. “Because last I checked, you wanted fame and the fan base that comes with it. Only your dream didn’t come packaged to your exact specifications, so now you think you have the right to complain to anyone who will listen. Well, too bad. The spotlight is shining on you, so what are you going to do about it? Are you going to run back to your hick town and let the locals use your return to defend their own sorry avoidance of whatever dreams they once had but never found the guts to pursue? ‘Look at him,’ they’ll say. ‘He soared so high he touched the sun, but in the end, he came running right back to us.’ Will you play into their narrative? Performing sad songs at the local dive bar and pretending you’re relieved to have escaped the evils of Hollywood—to be back among all the real people living real lives?” She rolled her eyes. “Give me a break, Tommy. I’m all too familiar with the sort of world you fled, and I’m here to tell you that Hollywood is far more raw and gritty and real than just about anywhere else. It’s a place of soaring triumphs and devastating defeats. Where fortunes rise and fall on the whims of an increasingly fickle public that’s impossible to please. Every choice is a risk and the stakes are tremendous, and yet every failure offers another shot at redemption. So you tell me, what’s more real than that? From the moment you arrived here, you entered the game. And trust me, you’re one of the lucky ones. It didn’t take you very long to get known.” The laugh that followed was harsh. And though she knew she should let up, she’d kept the sentiment bottled up for so long the words had to be spoken.
She’d been pretending to interview Tommy off and on for hours, and she was tired of the way he’d framed his life. Maybe that sort of regretful, wide-eyed, how-did-I-end-up-here bullshit story would work in print, but as it turned out, nothing he said would ever go any further than the inside of his car.
The irony wasn’t entirely lost on her. For a person who specialized in deception, Madison was demanding 100 percent authenticity in return. Only then would she know she could trust him.