His gaze narrowed in on her. “Why? Are you hoping I’ll give you another headline?”
“What?” She reached for his phone. The color drained from her face as she read the article. When she looked up at him, worry lines bracketed her eyes. “I can explain.”
“Don’t bother.” His angry words died in his throat when he realized she’d done what most anyone would have done in her situation. “I probably would have done the same thing in your place.”
“But you don’t understand. I—I backed out of the deal. Once I knew you better and you told me what my aunt said to you, I backed out.”
He wanted to believe her but he couldn’t allow himself. “It looks like you gave them plenty to work with.”
“This isn’t my stuff. They did a hatchet job on the information I supplied them. Please. You have to believe me.”
Anger pulsed through his veins. He was angry at the tabloid for printing outright lies. And he was furious with himself for not listening to his gut. Instead, he’d let down his guard with Gabrielle. He’d let himself fall for her and it’d all been a lie.
“Just go.” His voice rumbled.
“But the fund-raiser—”
“Is taken care of. You said so yourself.
All the arrangements have been made. Now that your end of our deal has been fulfilled, it’s time for you to leave.”
When she didn’t move but rather stood there with tears glistening in her eyes, he said with a low guttural growl that he knew she hated, “Go now. And don’t come back.”
He turned his back to her because it was killing him to send her away. He would try to forget the happiness that Gabrielle had brought to his life. He would banish the image of her warm smile—a smile that she would get when he walked in the room.
Because none of it had been true. While he’d been falling in love with her, she had been figuring out how best to twist the knife. And she’d succeeded. Worst of all, he deserved it and more after causing the accident.
His last little bit of hope that his name would be cleared was also gone. The future looked bleak. He just hoped the article brought Gabrielle and her father some sort of satisfaction.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THIS WAS THE absolute last place he wanted to be.
Deacon stood off to the side of his newly manicured lawn. Despite what he’d said to Gabrielle, the estate did look spectacular. She hadn’t overlooked a single detail. And his staff had gone above and beyond to make everything perfect for this occasion.
After Gabrielle left, it had been too late to cancel the fund-raiser. He knew it was up to him to see it through to the end. Only things weren’t turning out quite as he’d imagined.
With not one, not two, but three scandalous headline articles in as many days that featured him in the worst light, he didn’t think anyone would attend. Instead, everyone was in attendance. He didn’t know if they’d come in spite of the article or to find out if any of the lies were true.
The only person not there was the one person he longed to see—Gabrielle. He knew he should be angry with her, yet when she said that she’d backed out of the arrangement with the magazine, he’d believed her. But it didn’t mean they belonged together.
He drew his thoughts up short. Today he had to be a gracious host.
He really couldn’t believe all of these people had shown up. There were fellow actors, directors, pillars of the music industry and people he didn’t recognize, but what they all had in common was that they were happy to be here. All were smiling, talking and greeting each other. Food and drink flowed freely. The golf course looked better than it ever had, thanks to Gabrielle’s insistence.
He’d already had compliments and slaps on the back that his scars had healed so well. After that doctored photo in QTR, where they’d made him to look like some sort of monster, people were pleasantly surprised by his normal appearance. It felt surprisingly good to greet friends and acquaintances. And he had Gabrielle to thank.
A mariachi band played in the background as well-dressed people mingled. Deacon worked his way past the crowd. He was headed for the rose garden, hoping to gain a moment alone. Though people had been accepting of him, it was all a bit overwhelming.
And then Gabrielle appeared in the distance.
Deacon came to a halt. It couldn’t be her, could it? Not after the way they’d ended things. He blinked and looked again.
She was gone.
He expelled a disappointed sigh. It must have been someone that resembled Gabrielle. He assured himself it was for the best. She would soon forget him and move on with her life.
And then Gabrielle came back into view. She had on a yellow crocheted dress. The spaghetti straps showed off her slim shoulders. The plunging neckline hinted at her voluptuous breasts. He swallowed hard. A slit ended high up on her thighs, letting the crocheted high-low skirt show off glimpses of her long legs. She really was a looker.