Page 40 of The Invitation
That doesn’t even really make sense, but that’s what I get for thinking on the fly.
“What happens if I fall madly in love with someone mid-shoot?” she asks.
My teeth grind against each other. I know she’s just fucking with me—her lips pressed together in a faux pout give her away. Still, I can’t give in.
“We’ll address it if it happens,” I say. “I want to keep my options open in case I meet the future Mrs. Brewer, too. But even though we’re fake-dating and this is just a job, I think having a real-life significant other could cause problems, and we’re both dedicated to helping our friends succeed.”
“Fine. Deal.” She flashes me a fake-ass smile. “I also have a demand of my own.”
“What is it?”
“I know this is supposed to look as real as possible when we’re filming, but I don’t want anyone to think we’re actually dating in real life.”
“You think I want people to think I’m dating you? Funny.”
Her features sober, and all levity has left the building. She picks up a small amethyst stone hanging from a chain around her neck and toys with it between her fingers.
I can’t help but notice how vulnerable she is at this moment. Her caramel-colored eyes shine with a soft defenselessness that changes everything about her. I’ve only seen her like this once before, which was so long ago that I forgot about it until now.
“I mean it, Ripley. It’s important that no one thinks this is really happening, okay? And if for some reason you’re picking me up and I tell you not to come to my house, you can’t. All right?”
Huh?“Fine, but why?”
My mind races, coming up with a multitude of reasons she wouldn’t want me to come to her house unannounced. Not that I would’ve anyway, but her determination about this single point makes me curious.
She takes a long drink and then licks her pink lips. Her glass touches the table with a soft thud.
“I don’t know why I feel awkward talking to you about this, because it’s not like I did anything wrong, and you might know already, anyway,” she says.
“I might already know what?”
She sits tall in her seat. “After my parents divorced, my mother dated your father.”
What?
“And, if you do the math, which is what you’re probably doing right now, your father was married to your mother at that time,” she says.
“That motherfucker,” I say in disbelief. “Are you serious? How do you know this?” I shake my head.Why am I shocked that the sonofabitch could surprise me from inside a prison?
“I know because my mom told me. She didn’t know your dad was married. I’m sure there are two sides to the story, but she claims she saw him on television with your mom under his real name and realized she was being played. She ended things immediately.”
“Did my mom know?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I have no idea. I only know because …” She looks down at her lap. “I found out when I started at Waltham Prep, and she realized you guys went there, too. I think if she’d known that before, she wouldn’t have made me switch schools. She avoided every PTA meeting and school event like the plague for fear of running into your mother.”
“It’s a good thing Dad is in prison because, if he weren’t, I’d beat the fuck out of him right now.”
She smiles sadly. “I’m sorry for telling you that. And, again, there are two sides to every story.”
“Not this story. I believe your mom.”
“Well, believe me when I say that she still carries absolute disdain for your father to this day.”
“She can join the club. But what does this have to do with me?”
She laughs nervously. “I might have taken a blood oath that I’ll never date a Brewer. And although she didn’t specify, I’m pretty sure the vow I repeated covered fictional situations.”
“Are you kidding me?”
