Page 114 of The Backup Bride Proposal

“I’m sure he can explain this,” Brenna said. “Don’t worry about it.”

She laid her phone down and put on a smile. “I’m not worried. Not at all.”

She was worried plenty, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it until she talked to Kane.

••••••

Kane had justfinished a scene with Everly. It had gone well. They were catching up in a hurry and this was one of the many times he was damn happy she was his co-star. Shegrabbed her phone off a nearby table and started scrolling, stopping suddenly and grabbing his arm. “Oh no. This is not good.”

“What’s wrong?”

She handed her phone to him. The first thing he saw was a picture. It was from a distance, but it was clearly Everly, kissing some guy in front of a restaurant. But the headline was what really caught his attention.Everly Sloane Hot and Heavy on Location with Kane August.He looked up at her. “Oh, shit.”

“Yes. I’m so sorry.” She pulled him around the corner so they were alone. “Ethan flew in yesterday and we met in the city, snuck out for a late dinner. He grabbed me and kissed me and I guess there were paps around that I didn’t see. I had no idea. And now this.”

Mae was going to freak out. “Yeah.”

“The last thing I want is for my relationship with Ethan to get out. You know how the tabloids are. They’ll ruin things between us before we have a chance to get on a solid footing.”

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Let it play out. Rumors die down and we’ll deny them. I just can’t have anyone knowing about this.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Everly. What am I supposed to tell Mae?”

Her eyes widened. “I completely didn’t think…Oh, Kane. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me, too.” He dragged his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what he was going to stay to her.

“Tell her…tell her it was nothing. Please, Kane. Just for a while.”

“You’re asking me to lie to her.”

She paced back and forth around him. “I know, I know. I hate this as much as you do. But I really like him, Kane. Thismight be love. When was the last time I really cared about someone? Really trusted someone? He’s good for me and I need someone good in my life.”

Well, hell. Everly had been burned badly in the past. And Ethan was a good guy. They deserved a chance. “Okay. We’ll hope this is a one-off and it’ll die down. But you and I need to keep our distance so this rumor evaporates. On set, during scenes, and that’s it. After that we go our separate ways so if cameras are lurking, they get nothing.”

She gave a quick nod. “Got it. Promise. Thank you.”

She moved in to hug him, but he took a step back. “I mean it, Everly. I have something—someone—important to lose, and I can’t risk it.”

“I understand.”

He walked away, figuring that if this was on the tabloid sites, Mae had probably already seen it, which meant he was going to have to talk to her. He pulled out his phone to see if she had texted. She hadn’t, so he pressed the button on her number to call her.

She didn’t answer.

Shit.

He sent her a text:If you saw the gossip sites, it’s not true. Let’s talk.

All he could do now was hope that she believed him.

Chapter

thirty-two

“He sent youa text?” Brenna asked. “What did it say?”

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