Page 53 of Breaking the Ice

“He may not have to pay child support, but he is paying. He’s lost all his corporate sponsors, and the Snow is trading him down.”

“So, you’re saying the truth doesn’t matter and all a person needs to damn another is the right kind of press?”

“Or the wrong kind of press. And being that Yolanda is press, she can spin this story any way she wants.”

I run a hand roughly through my hair. “Has she told anyone about the pregnancy?”

“Not yet.”

“But she obviously will.”

Tony says, “We think she’s going to do it while she’s up there in Maple Falls, where she’s got you both figuratively and literally cornered.”

“What if I came back to California?”

“She’d use it to her benefit to tell the world that as soon as you found out about the baby, you ran.”

I start pacing back and forth like a caged bear. “What if I leave before she tells anyone? If I come back now, it’ll be her word against mine that I know anything.”

Tony is quiet for a beat before saying, “She’s already got public opinion on her side.” He’s quiet for a minute before adding, “Come back today and don’t tell anyone you’re leaving.”

“I’ve got to tell my brother. But other than him, I won’t say a word.”

“Don’t tell anyone, Zach. I’m going to talk to Yolanda and see if I can guide her into announcing this while she thinks you’re still there in Maple Falls.”

Now I’m confused. “I thought you said you were canceling her contract?”

“Yolanda doesn’t know that yet. And while PR people are notoriously hired to clean up unsavory messes, I don’t like my firm being associated with creating them.”

I think about Ellie again and wonder what Yolanda is telling her. I’m seriously starting to get nervous that she hasn’t returned my text. “So, you’re going to play both sides?”

“Yes, but the only way it will work is if you drive to the airport and get on your plane and come home without telling anyone.”

It feels wrong to leave town without giving Ellie or Troy a heads up, but Tony might be the only person I know who can turn this storm around before it decimates my life.

“I have team pictures and a couple of interviews, but I’ll leave for the airport right after that. I’ll be in LA by this afternoon.” I quickly text my pilot to let her know that I need her.

Tony says, “Go to your beach house and hole up there. I’ll be in touch tonight.”

I have to trust that between me and Yolanda, I’m the person Tony wants to keep happy. If there’s one thing you can count on in Hollywood, it’s that people always like to back the winner. As disgusting as it sounds, being that I have the most money, I’m the perceived winner in this dog race.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Ellie

I don’t know whether to trust Yolanda or Zach. I believed Zach last night, but that was before I found out Yolanda was pregnant. And even though she could be lying about that, she went on and on about what a great kisser Zach is. Since he said he never kissed her, that makes him a liar. And if he’d lie about something as small as a kiss, it stands to reason he’d lie about something bigger—like sleeping with her. The whole thing disgusts me.

The only thing I know for certain is that someone isn’t being honest, and I’m somehow smack in the middle of it. Of course, that’s my fault for accepting money from both of them. I vow to return the money to whomever is telling the truth—once I know who that is. It’s the only way I’ll be able to live with myself for having anything to do with these people.

After I left the lodge, I drove over to the hospital to see my mom. I’ve been sitting in her room waiting for her to wake up for that last hour, but she hasn’t budged. The doctor said he upped her pain meds, and I know the effect that has on her.

My mom doesn’t stir until I’ve been sitting here for over two hours. Her first words are, “I thought I told you to stay away.”

“Hello to you too,” I say while reminding myself that a grouchy Mom is better than an unconscious one.

“I’m sorry,” she grumbles. “I just hate being here. I want to be home and sleep in my own bed.”

I wonder if I should tell her that her bed no longer exists, but I decide to hold off. “Any news from the doctor?”

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