Page 49 of Broken Rules

“You’re about to see something else, as well.”Some of the sunshine drained from his voice.Was I the only one who noticed how serious he got all of a sudden?“This film represents passion.Dedication.Single-minded focus.It was directed by a young woman whose artistic vision is uncompromising.Unflinching.And you’ll see the results of that in the completed director’s cut we’re about to screen for you this evening.”

“Director’s cut?”I whispered while the same question echoed with confusion behind the looks and whispers flying around.

“All I ask is that you have a little faith.”His gaze swept the auditorium like he was looking for something.Someone.“And that you understand this was a labor of love.”

I couldn’t.It was too much, too confusing, too conflicting.Everything in me screamed at me to bolt, so I planted my feet, ready to jump out of my seat and run all the way back to San Francisco if I had to.

“Nope.”Claudia’s hand was a claw around my wrist, holding me in place.“Sit your ass down and watch.”

If anything, I was too stunned to move.“What is happening right now?”I hissed as the lights went down and the screen went bright.She wouldn’t answer, but she wouldn’t let go, either.She turned her face toward the screen the way everybody else did.

I couldn’t hold back the tears that filled my eyes as the first shot appeared on the screen.As the credits began to roll, we watched Danica go through the motions of her morning in the apartment above the garage where she worked.Her grim, tiny apartment was actually a set on the soundstage across from my old office.

I was too busy feeling overwhelmed to realize the obvious.It took a minute or two of me being pulled back and forth between heartache and embarrassment to realize what I was watching.

“My movie.”I earned a few curious looks from the people around us, but who cared?It was impossible, but it was true.I turned to Claudia and whispered, “My movie.This is my movie!”

“No shit, Sherlock.”Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.“Watch it.Enjoy it.You deserve it.”

My movie.

But how?How did he do it without me knowing?And how the hell did he get away with it?I looked around, convinced everybody was in on it but me.All I saw were people watching a movie, sinking into the world I created.

My world.

And now I was glad I sat in the back so I could watch everybody react.They laughed at the right times and cried a little during the dark moments.I soaked it up like a sponge, still dazed, unable to believe it was happening.It was real.Somehow, Lex had found a way to screen my movie instead of the monstrosity someone tried to turn it into.

When it was over, when the crowd got to their feet and cheered, they weren’t cheering for Danica winning the big race.

“Stand up!”Claudia was weeping as she pulled me to my feet and waved an arm overhead.Lex stepped up to the microphone and found me after shading his eyes with one hand.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the director, Summer Strawbridge!”Lex pointed straight at me, and all at once, the lights swung my way, blinding me while the applause swelled.I didn’t know where to look, what to do, how to feel.It was a dream come true.

“It was all him!”Claudia shouted, wildly applauding.“He made it happen!He made me swear not to tell you!”

I would kill him.I might kiss him to death, but at the end of the day, he would be dead.

This was everything I’d ever dreamed of—being swarmed, mobbed, congratulated after being swept up in the crowd and practically carried out to the lobby.I probably looked like hell after bawling my eyes out, but that didn’t stop the photographers and the journalists from peppering me with questions andshouting their praise.

“Look who it is!”A group of surprise guests cut through the wall of journalists, and suddenly, I was caught up in Mom’s embrace.My sisters and dad were there as well.I had made them swear not to come, expecting to be humiliated, but somebody had gone behind my back.He had gone behind my back on a lot of things.I couldn’t bring myself to be upset when having them with me made everything perfect.

“It was beautiful.I’m so proud of you!”Mom was more of a mess than I was.“We didn’t know anything about this until yesterday after you had already flown out here.He sent a jet and everything!”

I didn’t have to ask who she meant.Not when I found Lex watching us, ignoring the reporters asking him questions.I had seen it in movies dozens of times, the rest of the room going blurry and foggy as the two leads locked eyes.

I didn’t know it happened in real life.

I didn’t know any of this was the sort of thing that happened in real life.

What was there to say?A million questions, of course.A million thanks.A million kicks in his shins for making me think he was dragging me down here to rub my nose in my biggest failure.

“Summer?”

Before I could snap myself out of the hold Lex’s gaze had over me, I found his father standing behind me.He extended a hand, wearing a smile that to the rest of the world might look triumphant, but to me appeared… apologetic?Something close to it?

“I don’t say this very often,” he offered.“But I was wrong.You were right.Can you forgive a stupid old man?”

I knew how much it must’ve taken for him to put that together and in public.Rumor had it he was going through some health issues.I might have avoided the topic of Lex, but that didn’t mean my head was so deep in the sand I didn’t notice anything else going on.

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