I bite my lip and adjust my dress. “Let’s play it safe tonight.”
Chase takes my hand and leads me away. I glance back at Stephen as he adjusts himself. He can’t have me in public and he knows better than to let his gaze linger for too long. So, Chase gets me all to himself, but I see his eyes catch a few times. He seems to be looking for someone. I nudge him. “What’s going on, gorgeous?”
“Thought I saw someone I recognized.” He takes a drink of beer. “You want something to drink, sweetheart?”
“Maybe a margarita?” I ask.
He smiles and kisses my cheek. Without another question, he jumps up and goes to the bar. I glance around, looking for anyone out of place. My skin itches from being caught earlier. I made light of my dad with Stephen before, but now that we’re getting really…taboo, I’m more worried than I thought I’d be.
Not to mention what would happen if the press got a hold of this. My career would be over. Just…over. I’d be looking at porn-star stardom and nothing else. I notice a squirrelly brunette who doesn’t seem to belong with the catering staff but wears their uniform. Even if it’s too big.
She seems pretty plain and Chase hardly gives her a second look. He’s too focused on the margarita and his phone. I swallow and accept the drink when he returns, putting on a quick smile. Chase shows me his phone and I see his team playing.
To distract from the party, we discuss the plays and Chase lights up at the chance to explain things to me. It’s refreshingly straightforward. But then I notice a few eyes on us and I take his arm. We have to make the rounds and shake hands, even if it’s my least favorite part of the night.
I need to land some auditions to prove that Stephen isn’t the reason for my success. By the end of the night, my feet ache and I’m exhausted. Too exhausted to even entertain the idea of joining Stephen and Chase at their house.
Which leaves Chase with a slight pout, despite the obvious concern on his face. Stephen nods to me and shakes my hand politely. “Take care of yourself, Olivia. If you keep overworking, you won’t have time to enjoy yourself.”
I roll my eyes at the obvious implication, and I know my face is on fire, but I can barely keep myself standing. All the fake smiling and ass kissing plus the shock to my system earlier have me falling into bed and into the grip of nightmares that don’t let up until my alarm clock screams at me in the morning.
Trying to shake off the lingering mental exhaustion, I pamper myself in the shower, then wrap up in a robe and walk to the kitchen to my cheat food drawer. I grin at the cinnamon buns in the fridge and get them in the oven before I get a cup of coffee ready.
Turning around, I find my dad. I blink at him a few times, glance at the door, then arch an eyebrow.
“You’ve been avoiding me, Olivia.”
I wonder why. “I haven’t been. I’ve been busy.”
“Oh, that’s very clear.”
I lean my head to the side. I don’t understand his tone at all. He exhales and runs his hand through his hair. It’s thinning and graying. He definitely hasn’t aged as gracefully as Stephen. Maybe it’s the soul-sucking women he dates.
Still, I feel a familiar apprehension creeping down my spine. Goose bumps rise on my skin and suddenly I’m fighting vomit trying to claw up my throat. Not even the sweet smell of cinnamon can help with that.
“Dad, what’s going on? I don’t know what Wifey Wannabe has told you—”
“Nothing. She and I broke up.” He sighs and shakes his head. “Olivia, I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong, but clearly I haven’t been the best dad.” I know he doesn’t want my opinion, so I bite my tongue and let him continue. “But there are certain things you need to understand about being in the public eye. You need to assume you are always in the public eye. Always. I’m not happy about what I’m going to have to do, but I want you to know…”
“Know what?”
“I just want the best for you, and sometimes that means doing things you may hate me for, but it’s all for your own good.” He nods once, as if that answers everything. “You’ll understand soon enough.”
“I’d understand sooner if you told me!”
Still, he starts to walk to the door. “I have a meeting tonight. We’ll have to postpone dinner.”
As if that’s anything new. “Dad, explain what’s going on!”
He pauses and rubs his jaw, his eyes flicking to me then away. “I can’t talk to you about this, Olivia. Perhaps you should hear it from someone else. Or perhaps you should take a vacation for a month or so. I’ll pay for it.”
“Dad, just—”
“No.” He actually puts his foot down, literally. “I’m the father here, Olivia. I don’t have to give you reasons. Not that you’ve ever obeyed me anyway. I just wish you’d be honest and up-front with me.”
He gives me a look of utter disappointment and I hold onto the wall to keep from shattering under the look. I’ve seen him so mad that his face is purple. I’ve seen him upset, devastated, and cold as ice. But he’s never given me that look. The one that says, “I’ve failed with you.”
I swallow and watch him leave. I call Stephen without thinking. “Something is happening.”