Was it too much to hope the viewers would be happy we broke up after seeing the way Gwen had acted when I wasn't around?
Maybe they'd sympathize with me?
But even if they didn't, I was glad to be free.
"What happened?" Kate asked, jumping out of the car once the safe house's garage door shut behind her. I had been sitting in the garage ever since I'd called her to come and pick me up. I couldn't be in that house with Gwen for one more minute.
"We broke up." I stood and shouldered my duffel bag.
"You what?" Her blue eyes widened.
"I broke up with Gwen."
"I heard what you said. I just…how could you do that and be so calm?"
I shrugged and walked toward the back of the car. "It's been inevitable from the start. We're too different. We want different things. And we definitely have different goals."
The only thing Gwen seemed to care about when I broke up with her was that we wouldn't get our own show when this whole thing was over.
Doing another show was the last thing I wanted. I wanted less spotlight, not more.
Clearly, Gwen had been on the show for the wrong reasons. I wasn't even the real prize she'd been going after all along.
Well, she could do her own show if she wanted. There were twisted people who liked to watch girls slap baby sea otters and make fun of homeless people. Gwen would be perfect for a show like that.
"I'll tell Alexis everything, so you don't have to," I said, shoving my bag in the backseat. "You won't get on her bad side because of this. You're just picking me up…you didn't cause the fight."
I climbed into the passenger’s side, and Kate finally moved, getting into the car. "But it's my job to keep the happy couple, you know…happy. I'm so getting fired for this. So long moving up the ladder."
"You won't get fired. I'll handle this. I can take Alexis."
Kate cocked an eyebrow that told me she doubted my persuasive abilities.
"Really. I'll deal with Alexis. We'll figure something out. And I'll do you even better and get you that pitch."
"Oh please, don't bring me into this.” Alarm rose in her eyes. “I want no part of it."
"Trust me." I smiled. "You'll be fine."
"Okay." Kate pushed the button to open the garage door and turned on the engine. "You better not make me regret this."
"You won't."
Though even as I said it, the future headlines passed through my mind.Drew Burrows, also known as Mr. My-Billionaire-Abs-Have-Their-Own-Twitter-Account, had twenty-five of the most eligible women in the nation, and he still sent them all home. At least he still has his ego to love him back.
Yeah, this was a disaster.
I’d been homefor two hours before I realized I'd accidentally left my wallet in the bathroom. But instead of calling Kate and having her drive me back to the getaway house, I decided to break the rules and sneak myself over to grab it. I knew the garage code, so I'd be able to slip inside. Gwen would still be there, waiting for Dion to pick her up and take her back to the airport, but I could endure her death glare for a few minutes.
So I climbed into my most inconspicuous vehicle from my garage—my old truck from college that I'd saved as a reminder of where I'd come from—then drove to the secret house.
Once safely tucked inside the garage, I stuck my head into the kitchen, happy that the coast was clear. Maybe I'd lucked out and Gwen was taking a nap before her flight. That would be a dream.
I tiptoed into the hall, breathing a sigh of relief that she wasn't in the living room either.
How did I get so lucky?
I grabbed my wallet from the bathroom counter, passing by Gwen's bedroom door. But just as I was walking by, a low voice came from inside.