“No, but I sure as hell know you,” she snaps, and I frown.
“I’m not sure—”
“You’re that bitch that ruined R’s life. Now you’re here trying to move in since he has money, and you want to do it all over again.”
“R?”
“Reed!” she huffs.
It clicks all at once. I know this voice. It’s the same voice that was on Reed’s answering machine when we were in the shower.
“Trisha,” I finally say, wishing I could have put off this meeting—at least until Reed was here.
“Yes, Trisha. The same Trisha who gave Reed a career that millions would kill for. I picked him up when he didn’t have anyone, and you left him broken. Now, you want to move in and destroy all my hard work. You want to control his decisions. Who the fuck are you? Will you not be happy until you completely tear down everything Reed and I have built together?”
I don’t like the way she keeps linking her and Reed’s name together. I know they don’t have a sexual relationship. Reed is not the type to do that with someone who is navigating his career. Still, there’s something almost unhinged about this woman right now. So, I don’t question her. I think my best bet is to try and calm her down.
I feel a moment of dizziness and that familiar tingle that happens right before a panic attack comes on, but I fight it down. I can do this. I can push through and show myself and Reed that I can handle his life—even if I am seeing the overtop side of it this trip. Reed is going to owe me a week on a private beach somewhere for a honeymoon though, damn it. I look down at my ring for a second and breathe. I do it discreetly because I don’t think it would be a good idea to draw crazy lady’s attention to my engagement ring.
“Listen, I’m sorry you’re upset, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past.”
“You bet—”
“But, I love Reed. I don’t plan on bringing him down. I don’t want to hurt him. That’s the last thing I have ever wanted.”
“It sure as hell doesn’t look like it,” she yells, throwing a newspaper down onto my stomach. I grab it as I stand up. Suddenly, I don’t think lying down or sitting is the best position to be in right now.
I wince as I take in a picture of me standing with my hand over my mouth as Reed stands up. It’s right before he covered me with his jacket, and Jesus, my dress really was completely sheer. It’s so bad that there’s a black square over my boobs to hide them. Right beside that picture is a grainy photo someone shot of Reed fighting with those two men. The headline reads, Ryker Lane arrested for a brawl in an upscale restaurant.
“Shit,” I hiss.
“You see? You’re already bringing Reed down! Do you even realize the damage this will do? His record company will drop him for this kind of publicity. You’re destroying everything, you bitch! You’re the reason he fired me!”
“Actually, no she’s not. I fired you because you are a poison.”
“Bullshit!”
“Really, Trisha? Do you seriously want to do this right now?”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ve treated me like an idiot, not to mention the crap you said about the woman I love—”
“Love. Jesus, when did you get so stupid? I’m the reason you are where you are.”
“The sad thing is you probably believe that,” Reed laughs bitterly.
“I know it!”
“Let me tell you what I know, Trisha. You’ve been following me around since I got back in town—despite being fired. You even leaked to the press where I was last night.”
“Prove it,” she scoffs.
“Trisha, don’t tell me that you haven’t realized what you can find out if you grease enough wheels?”
“You can’t fire me legally. We have a contract!”
“You, not Callie, gave me reason to not only fire you, but to sue you.”
“There’s no way. All I’ve ever done is devote my life to making you a success,” she counters, but even I can tell she’s nervous.
“All you’ve ever done is scheme and plot. You’ve been skimming money from me and the band for fucking years,” Reed snaps, his face betraying a rage that I never want to see on his face again.
All pretense falls from Trisha’s face. I didn’t like her before, but now you can see nothing but pure hate coming from her. “Fuck you, I deserved that money. I’m the reason you got all those endorsement deals!”
“You deserved the agreed upon percentage that was stated in our contracts. That and nothing more. You’ve been stealing for fucking years,” Reed says, his voice cold. “I’m calling security and having you escorted from my property.” I watch as he hits a button on his phone and starts talking into it.