Page 49 of Lucky Star

Chapter Nineteen

Cameron

Jillian and I clocked a group of paparazzi following us a few minutes after we’d left the studio for the day. Since we were on our way to one of our “dates” anyhow, we didn’t try to lose them. Instead, she put the top down on her convertible, and we pasted smiles on our faces and let them take as many pictures as they liked as we headed toward Malibu.

Before we’d left, we’d been taken us aside and told we needed to shift tactics because PR was getting questions about why Jillian and I spent so much time at locations that were notorious for being paparazzi-friendly. Now, they wanted us to make it seem like we were avoiding the paparazzi by picking small, quiet, out of the way places for these dates. Meanwhile, Aerin would reach out to some photographers who were on her payroll to make sure we didn’t go unnoticed. After all, the studio only wanted the appearance of privacy, not for us to actually be left alone.

That’s how we came to be sitting at a small table in front of the window at Maya, a Yucatan-style restaurant in Topanga Canyon. It being one of Sarah’s favorites, I never would have suggested it, but it turned out Jillian had been going there for years as well. This was our third trip there, and now bloggers had started calling it our “secret hideaway in the hills.”

Jillian took a sip of her beer. Smiling for the cameras we knew were hidden just out of sight, she said, “Murray asked me to ask you to be a little less handsy.”

I laughed out loud because her hand currently rested atop my open palm while her fingers rubbed small circles over the pulse point of my wrist. Taking a drink of my own beer, I responded, also smiling, “Pot meet kettle.”

She dragged her hand away and raised her arms to wrap her hair up in a messy bun. She used the movement as an excuse to scan the parking lot to see if we were still being watched. “Only two left,” she remarked, arching her back and tossing her arms out in a wide stretch. “That little exchange should make for some lovely photos.”

“Yeah, photos that are going to make the sainted Murray want to shoot me.”

She waved her hand and said, “Don’t even worry about it. He wouldn’t know how to shoot a gun even if you put it in his hands and gave him instructions.”

I choked on the tortilla chip I’d just shoved into my mouth, as she continued, “He’s actually okay with all of this. I just think he feels for not being okay with it. Hence the comments about touching me.”

“Yeah, well. Since the man has impeccable knife skills, I’d prefer not to test your theory. He may not be able to shoot me, but he could flay me alive if he wanted. I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

“Speaking of significant others,” she said with a raised eyebrow meant to encourage me to open up about how things were going with Sarah and me.

I liked Jillian well enough, but as a rule, I didn’t discuss my private life with people I didn’t consider close personal friends. Even though we’d spent practically all our waking hours together the last couple of months, we were still feeling each other out, and I didn’t know if I was ready to admit that things weren’t too great between Sarah and me at the moment. I shoved another chip in my mouth. If I was chewing, I wouldn’t have to answer.

“Well, how is she?” she asked, rolling her eyes to let me know that she was onto my stalling tactics.

“Let’s just say things are tense right now.”

“I wondered,” she said, taking another sip of her drink. “She seems really tense lately.” Her stare was guileless, but still, I didn’t know if I could trust her.

“She’s working a ton of hours. Broderick had her driving across the three different counties on Wednesday. She said she didn’t get home until after midnight.”

Jillian’s eyebrows twitched, and she notched her head to the side. “What do you mean, she said she didn’t get home until midnight? Wouldn’t you have been there?”

I blew out a breath and chugged half my beer before answering. “Like I said, things are tense.”

Setting her bottle on the table, she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m just going to say it and if that pisses you off, then so be it.”

I looked out the window, hoping she would just drop it. “I’d prefer you didn’t.”

“That’s obvious, but it’s also why it needs to be said.”

“Fine,” I said, dragging my eyes back to her.

“Am I to assume the reason Sarah had to tell you she didn’t get home until after midnight is because you weren’t home?”

I nodded.

“And this was on Wednesday?”

Another nod.

“That was the night we went to the opening of that photography exhibit, and you told me you had to get home early. Now, it might not be any of my business where you went afterward, but that means you lied to me, and it sounds like you’ve been lying to Sarah, too. Personally, I couldn’t care less if you tell me tall tales from now until the end of time, but I like Sarah. She’s a sweet girl who’s getting a raw deal, and if you’re fucking around on her, you need to stop.”

We squared off in a challenge-filled glaring contest before her eyes softened and she reached across the table, taking my hand. “She loves you, Cameron. If you’ve found someone else or are having second thoughts about marrying her, you have to tell her.” Her eyes took on a momentary, faraway look before zeroing in on me again. Dragging her hand back to her side of the table, she added, “If you’re cheating on her while she’s planning on marrying you, that will destroy her.”

---