Page 28 of Her Supermodel Stalker
“I do,” I say. “But one day, he’ll leave us.”
“Like my daddy?”
I stiffen. “Who told you about daddy? Grandma?”
He shakes his head. “I figured it out. You said he wasn’t dead. And I haven’t seen him even once.”
“You’re one smart cookie,” I say, tweaking his little nose. “Now, let’s eat lunch.”
Shortly after lunchtime, my mom comes to pick up Jimmy. I’m walking back to the office building when I hear heels clicking behind me. I turn and see Amanda.
“Lexi, may I have a word?”
My stomach drops, sensing something bad coming, but I force a smile. “Sure.”
I wait for her to speak, but she leads me to a shaded bench away in the garden, away from the office building.
“I would like to thank you for being part of the team,” she says as soon as we sit down.
I’m taken aback. I was expecting venom from this woman, not appreciations. “Pardon me?”
“Devin told me the nature of your relationship earlier during lunch, and I approve it.”
I frown. I dislike the tone of her voice, sounding as if she owns him. “What are you talking about? What nature?”
“Oh, there’s no need to hide from me. I’m his publicist. Your secret is safe with me.”
As I blink, she goes on. “It’s not the first time Devin fakes a romantic relationship. Actually, eight out of ten times in the past were fake. Laureen Carson, Reese Lewis, Emily Garcia, you name it. That’s what celebrities do to boost their fame. But faking it with normal people is rare. In fact, unheard of. Honestly, I don’t think it’ll do him any good, but then, you’ll never know. Fans just like it because it gives them hope, it makes them think they, too, have a chance with him, that he is accessible, not an unreachable god.”
It takes me a moment to register her words. When I speak, my voice trembles, “Are you saying that…he…err…is using me?”
Her smile freezes and her mouth falls, looking surprised. “Wait a minute, don’t you know…I’m so sorry. I thought he had made it clear to you. I have spoken too much!”
A voice tells me not to trust this woman. Nonetheless, I can’t help letting her words take effect on me. The world tumbles down around me, and my legs wobble. “I can’t believe he’s pretending. He doesn’t look…”
She comes closer and hugs me. I ought to push her away, but I’m too weak to do so. “I’m so sorry, honey. But don’t take it too seriously, okay? You see, he’s just being Devin Gamble. He can be inconsiderate sometimes. He probably really cares about you and doesn’t want to tell you yet. But I would advise you not to get your hopes up.”
I pull away and hold back my tears, still refusing to believe her. I don’t believe Devin is acting. The way he looks at me, the way he speaks to me, and the way he makes love to me… It feels real. “He comes all the way to our small town, purchases the vineyard, just to create a rumor?”
Amanda looks at me sympathetically and sighs. “I’m afraid so, sweetheart. Remember his extravagant proposal to the singer Brianna King? He actually spent two weeks to learn how to pilot a plane just to drop that marry-me banner!”
I do. It caused quite a sensation five years ago. The video of the banner floating in the sky went viral on social media within hours. “Are you saying that it was just for show?” I ask although the answer is clear. Brianna accepted the proposal, but their engagement was canceled in just three months.
“I know it’s hard to believe it. But it’s what celebrities do. Everything they do is for show. For Devin, a male model, his job is to make his fans, mostly women, like him. I taught him everything about women and what women wanted in a man. It’s why he learned how to cook, how to sky-dive, to rock-climb.”
No! No! No! A voice screams in my head. But what she says makes total sense, and Devin’s own story of finding me accidentally on FB doesn’t.
“He chooses you because you’re a small-town girl and a single mom. It makes him more like a lovable hero. You can help him redeem his debauched reputation,” Amanda goes on.
“Stop it,” I say. “I’ve heard enough.”
Amanda’s taxi arrives. She gives me another pat on my shoulder before leaving me. “Again, don’t take it personally. It’s just an affair. Neither of you has anything to lose. He gets to live his vineyard dream for a while, and I’m sure he’ll compensate you handsomely. He always does.”
I have to hold on to the pillar next to me to prevent myself from falling.
I don’t know how I pass the rest of the afternoon. All I know is I force myself not to think about Amanda and the hurtful story she reveals. I don’t want to believe a word of what she said, but I’m too confused to decide how much truth is in it. I hide inside the winery to check the wines. In the dark cellar, my tears occasionally escape my eyes, but no one sees them.
I leave the office before Devin gets a chance to stop me, but he calls to me when I’m opening my car door. “Wait, Lexi!”
