“Well,” I started, edging off the counterto get down. “I’m glad we did this.”
“Are you angry at me?”
“No. Is there a reason I should be?”
“No. Then can I ask you something else?”
I settled back again. “Sure. About?”
I pulled the short straw into my mouth andsighed a happy sigh when the cold apple juice hit my tongue.
“Jason Thorn.”
Intrigued, I gestured for her to go ahead.Charlotte didn’t ask many questions. She watched. She listened. She was shy tothe point that it was painful to watch sometimes.
“When you saw that video of Jason in thatalley…”
My face fell. Why was she even asking meabout that?
“Were you upset?”
Do birds shit?
What the hell?
Letting go of the straw, I raised aneyebrow. “Where are you going with this, Char?”
“Nowhere.” Avoiding my eyes, she playedwith the coffee machine I had bought with Lucy the day I got my first paymentfrom Amazon. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. He is a movie star, Liv. Isaw you two together that day—when he was dropping you off—”
“You left as soon as you met him Char.”
“I know. I know. But I see how excited youget every time you’re talking about him.”
“So?”
“Marcus thinks you’re—”
“I don’t care what Marcus thinks, Char. Andto answer your initial question, yes, I was upset to see it, but not because Iwas jealous or anything like that. I don’t have a say in his life. Hell, I’mnothing more than a friend or an old friend’s sister to him right now.” Ishrugged. “I’m not stupid enough to think otherwise. So what if I enjoy hangingout with him, wouldn’t you? It’s not news that he, um, enjoys having sex, forlack of a better word. Did all those people who bashed him on TV and onlinethink that he was a virgin or something?”
She nodded thoughtfully. “I heard thatafter the video was released, he was booted out from a few movie projects, andthere were rumors that he was actually losing his role in your movie, too.”
“Obviously, he didn’t.” I hopped down fromthe counter and tossed the now empty juice box into the garbage can.
“Well, still. It seems like he is a tickingbomb. I just hope that he won’t ruin your movie, too.”
The apartment door opened, and Marcus andLucy walked in.
I focused on Char. “He is a damn goodactor, Char. He can have any role he wants. They’ll forget about the video in afew weeks when some other celebrity cheats on his wife with the nanny, theneveryone will focus on them instead. What’s gotten into you today?” I asked,frowning at her.
“What do you mean?” she mumbled, notlooking at me.
“Hi, Liv,” Marcus greeted me on his way tothe fridge and oh-so-casually brushed a kiss on my hair.
Startled, I turned to him as he took awater bottle from the fridge and walked right out. “What was that?” I asked tohis back, pulling myself together.
He glanced back over his shoulder. “I saidhi. Or is that banned, too?”
Lucy bugged her eyes at me from the doorway.