Page 159 of Positively Pricked
Chapter 53
As we walked along the city sidewalk, I asked, "So why didn't you tell me?"
Just like a regular couple, we were holding hands while we took in the sights. Obviously, the sights weren't terribly new to Zane, but theywerenew to me, and I was enjoying it like any other generic tourist – even if I didn't feel totally anonymous.
Why? Because around us, people occasionally stopped to stare.
Zane ignored them, and I did my best to ignore them, too. And yet, I couldn't deny how surreal it was to be out with him, pretending that he was just a regular guy.
Oh sure, in his jeans and university T-shirt, he wasdressedlike a regular guy, but he wasn't fooling anyone, me included.
No. Zane was anything but ordinary. He exuded confidence and power, the kind that you couldn’t fakeorhide, even along a crowded sidewalk in a city full of movers and shakers. On top that, he was practically a household name.
As the person who monitored his news coverage, I'd definitely know.
But at this particular moment, my job was the last thing on my mind. I'd just told him what I'd heard from Charlotte, and I was dying to hear what he'd say in response.
So far, he'd said nothing.
When the silence became nearly unbearable, I said, "So when I came to your house, why didn't you deny it?"
"That I got you fired?" he said. "I'm not gonna deny what's true."
I didn't quite understand. "But it wasn't you who complained."
"Maybe. But itwasme who got the ball rolling."
In a roundabout way, I saw what he meant. The night of his party had been crazy in more ways than one. His fight with Teddy led to the catering station getting knocked over. And shortly thereafter, his argument with Bob had surely been a factor in Bob stiffing the catering company, even though we had nothing to do with it.
Still, I said, "But when I showed up, you didn't have to takeallthe blame."
"That's whatyouthink," he said. "You scared the piss out of me."
At this, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was too ridiculous to take seriously. "Oh, stop it. You weren't scared. You were annoyed."
But Zane was shaking his head. "You want the truth?"
More curious than ever, I felt myself nod.
"Ask me later," he said, "and maybe I'll tell you."
My jaw dropped. "Maybe?"
His lips curved into the hint of a smile. "Maybe," he repeated.
And no matter how hard I tried to talk him into it, he never would elaborate. And yet, itdidseem to break the ice. Soon, we were just two tourists, enjoying a day in the city.
He was a different person, and so was I. Already, I'd thrown caution to the wind and was determined to simply enjoy the day for whatever it was. As for Zane, he was more civil than I'd ever seen him.
From what I could tell, he was treating this as an actual date. He told me a little about his family – meaning his parents, not anyone associated with the hotels.
The way he talked, his dad had become disgusted with the whole lot of them and decided that he'd rather deal with real snakes than human ones. As for Zane's mom, she'd been an aspiring actress until she'd chucked it all to run off with Zane's dad and live in a remote cabin of all places.
This might've made for a nice storybook ending, if only the mom hadn't gotten stir-crazy when Zane was still a baby, and returned to Hollywood, where she died in a car crash only a few months later.
Apparently, Zane's dad had been a total recluse ever since.
The more I learned, the more I saw Zane differently – and not only because of his tragic past. It was because here, in the present, he was showing me a side of him that I hadn't known existed.
