Page 39 of The House on Firefly Beach
“Did you bring her here because of that Seth person you mentioned on the phone?” she asked, pushing herself back into the conversation.
“Yeah. His name is Seth Fortini. He’s the CEO of the modeling agency where Juliana works, and he’s her ex-boyfriend, if you want to call it that.” Nate closed his notebook and set it on the bench beside him. “He hurt her…”
Sydney’s eyes grew round. “Physically?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, my goodness.” She put her hand over her mouth to stifle the complete shock of this revelation. Juliana’s images in magazines and on social media feeds were alight with glamor and good times. The press had reported that Nate and Juliana were a couple, only having the odd on-again-off-again moments. They were pictured together: grainy street shots of Nate with his arm around her while she nestled into his chest, with dark sunglasses, a cup of coffee.
“Was it during one your break-ups?” Sydney closed her laptop, placing it in the little spot of shade on the bench beside her.
“We only had a two-week relationship,” he said. “We realized pretty early on that we were better as friends and we’ve been strictly platonic for years… It was a little like kissing my sister.” He smirked. “Every time she took a trip or had a date, the press played into the rumors that we’d had some sort of huge fight. And when she started seeing Seth, Juliana didn’t want the press to know she was dating him because it wouldn’t reflect well on her, since he was her boss. Seth suggested that they keep it quiet, so we didn’t let on that we weren’t a couple.”
“It seemed so believable that you two were an item…”
“We’re great friends. After her break-ups, sometimes we’d go out for coffee together. I’m like her big brother, so I was the one she’d call, and I’d run right out to console her.”
Sydney knew all too well about Nate’s big-brother instinct; she’d felt protected by him her entire life.
“One shot of us walking together and the press can make up whatever they want, to sell magazines. I’m worried that’s what’s going on right now. Juliana hasn’t told Seth where she is, so we don’t want anyone taking photos, although I think it’s probably too late for that.”
“What will happen if Seth finds her?”
“I think he’s pretty angry that she disappeared without warning. He left his marriage for her, falling in love with her while they were working. Although Juliana had nothing to do with the marriage breaking up. By the time she knew he was interested, the divorce was only weeks from being finalized.”
“Wouldn’t he just get the picture, given that she’s gone?”
“He doesn’t like to lose. When he gets angry, he snaps on her. She’s terrified.”
“Can Juliana report him?”
“I tried to encourage her to file charges. She doesn’t want to. If anyone got wind of their affair, her reputation would be ruined; she’s worried she’d never work a day at a reputable agency. She says she doesn’t want to model anymore, but she also believes that she has to keep her options open and maintain her clean-cut appeal. At the end of the day, that’s how she makes her money, and she may have to go back to that if she needs to.”
“She doesn’t want to model because of Seth?”
“He was hard on her. He pushed perfection in every shoot, and if she didn’t fit that image, he told her to lose weight or to work out. He’d often assign trainers to focus on a specific part of her body, when I could never see what the heck he was even talking about. He told her that by pointing out her flaws, he was only trying to better her career, but no one should have to deal with what she endured. He pushed her through insane workouts that would have her so sore she’d have to take painkillers to move the next day. He only allowed her to eat food prepared by his personal chef, but I counted the calories and, given the workouts she was doing, she was way under. She felt lightheaded all the time, passing out at the end of a long day’s shooting. Seth told her she was just frail, and it was a hurdle she’d have to manage if she wanted to survive at the top. For a while, she believed him. She trusted him. He was the person who’d gotten her where she was today. But once things became romantic, she started to notice the cracks. When she began to question him, he’d lash out at her, telling her she was nothing without him.”
“My God.” Sydney shook her head, trying to process it all. “I wish I could do something to help her.” Her shoulders were tense, just thinking about it. “I asked her to model for my magazine. I hope it didn’t upset her too badly.”
“It’s what she does. She wouldn’t think a thing of it. But Seth ruined the allure for her. He stole the joy she used to find in it—that’s why she doesn’t want to do it anymore. It just brings back all those feelings of insecurity and pain.”
She looked Nate in the eye and reached for his hand. “You’re so good. I’ll bet she’s incredibly thankful for you.”
Sydney couldn’t help but draw upon her memories of how Nate had protected her in her younger days. It made her feelings for him surface, and she worried about her resolve with just the two of them out on that boat. But she had to remind herself that he hadn’t come back to Firefly Beach for any length of time for her, but that he’d dropped everything and moved his entire life there for someone else.
“I’m hungry,” Nate said, causing Sydney to look up from her computer.
She’d written her next two weeks’ worth of email responses for the column, the inspiration coming easily to her out on the water, next to Nate. After their heavy exchange regarding Juliana, they’d settled into their work, both of them quietly creating, absorbed by their own energy, but inspired by the depth of conversation and being next to one another. Sydney hadn’t felt that in so long; it was like finally getting her breath after being under water.
“Want me to get our lunches?” he asked.
She closed the various screens full of research she’d pulled up using Nate’s hotspot, and saved her document, only realizing then that her stomach was growling.
“I wonder what Mama packed us,” she said.
“Sandwiches,” Nate said with a grin, walking over to the cooler. “I know because I caught a peek when I threw a bottle of wine and two cups into the cooler before loading it onto the boat.”
She wondered why he’d gone to so much trouble to pack wine when it was just the two of them on the boat. She wasn’t ready for this to get anywhere near romantic…
