Kissed Blind (A Hot Pursuit Novel Book 2) (27 page)

Camille thrust her shoulders back and held her head high as she waltzed out of the room.

Thirty

After being released from the hospital with no lasting effects from the solanine poisoning, Oliver returned to Cincinnati to wrap shooting on the film. Camille stayed in Hollywood. She wasn’t responding to any media inquiries and had gone into seclusion. It took no time for rumors to resurface about their marriage being on the rocks.

A media frenzy followed Oliver onto the set. Everyone wondered what had really happened in California and demanded more explanation, knowing “exhaustion” was usually a broadly used term for a bigger problem. Tabloids circulated theories ranging from pain pill addiction to heroin abuse, but he discredited all of them like a professional. Even I believed him when he said he’d been working himself too hard. He also didn’t respond to any of the speculation about his marriage. Somehow, despite almost being murdered by his wife, Oliver managed to take the high road, and it got me thinking.

I came home from one of the final days of shooting and had picked up food. I’d slipped into an oversized pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt after I’d washed off the day’s grime. I was setting out a buffet when Becca knocked on my door.

“I was just laying everything out. You may enter,” I said in my best Lurch voice and waved her in.

Becca filled her lungs with the intoxicating air as she stepped inside. “God, I wish I didn’t like Chinese food so much, you evil temptress.” She rubbed her palms together and looked at the buffet. “Rangoons, egg drop soup, and fried rice, oh my!”

I chuckled. “You’re a wreck. Glad you’re not going to obsess about your weight tonight.”

“My willpower wanes when my boss becomes an asshat. It restores balance in the universe.”

“Amen, sister.”

We bumped fists, loaded our plates, and sat next to each other on the couch.

“So, now tell me how things went today.” Becca shoved a huge bite of rice in her mouth.

Becca and I had spent many nights together since I’d returned from Hollywood, and I’d brought her up to speed on the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding Vance.

“It was the same.” I twirled a bite of greasy lo mein onto my fork.

“Did you take my advice and kill him with kindness?”

“Vance totally hates me. I was awful.”

“How could he stay mad at you? You’ll just need to give him time to get over it.”

“I don’t know if you know this, but patience isn’t one of my best attributes.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.’” She cracked a rangoon in half, and a puff of steam escaped the pocket of gooey cream cheese. “Is he warming up to you a little at least? It takes effort to stay mad at someone. He’s bound to break down a little.”

I thought about our day. We’d listened to the radio in the car on the way to get Oliver and didn’t say more than three words to each other, just the same as it had been, but one moment stuck out in my mind. “I made a little joke about one of the actors on set today and Vance did laugh a little.”

“He did?” Her eyes lit up. “Like how much? A big laugh or a little one?”

“I’m talking he cracked a smile and barely chuckled.”

“Eh, it’s a start. See, you’re chipping away. Keep it up. How many more days do you have left until Oliver is finished here?”

“Till the end of the week.”

“And that Cici chick will go with him, right?”

“Yep. Gone, baby, gone.”

“Excellent. Once she leaves, you’ll have Vance’s full attention again, but you need to do something big, so he’ll have no other choice than to fall head over heels in love with you.”

We continued to eat, and I thought through a few ideas I’d had. I’d already planned on giving Vance the money I’d gotten from Camille to help his mom and dad with medical bills, but I’d held off. It would have looked sleazy like I was trying to buy back his friendship.

My pride had gotten bruised on Vance’s parent’s’ driveway, and I saw that now. The only way to dig myself out of my mess was to lay it all on the line. I couldn’t blame Vance for his reaction; it had been a natural response. I’d treated some of my enemies nicer than I’d treated him.

But this other idea had been rolling around in the back of my mind for a while, and it could do the trick. It was a long shot and would require some research, but if I found it, I’d win him over.

Becca and I finished our dinners, watched a couple episodes of our show, and then she went home. I scoured the internet for the one thing that would make Vance forgive me. I searched for hours, going through various websites until finally, there it was. The only thing left to do was to pick my moment to give it to him.

Thirty-One

The final day of shooting had arrived, and my package was due to land on my doorstep any minute. I had a lot of mixed emotions. I was going to miss all the people I’d come to know over the past few weeks, especially Oliver. We’d all been through a war of sorts together, and it was difficult to not grow any attachments, but it was drawing to its inevitable close.

Without Camille being present, things had run more smoothly. Oliver had a new breeziness to his personality like a thousand pounds had been lifted off his shoulders, and his stomach issues from the past several months had vanished.

Vance had picked me up, and we stepped into the elevator for our final ride up. I’d run the scene through my head several times since we’d gotten back from California. I would apologize profusely, and Vance would accept it. Sometimes the scene ended with him kissing me again, and sometimes it ended with a warm embrace. Up until now, I’d never gathered the courage to say anything.

“So,” I began, staring up at the red numbers. “It’s almost over.”

“Yep,” he answered, glaring at the numbers too.

“How do you think the meeting with Cavanaugh is going to go?”

“Hard to say.” He shrugged.

“You think we’ll get suspended, or do you think we did a good job of smoothing things over?”

“Not sure.”

I leaned my back against the wall of the elevator and rested my backside on my hands. “Vance?”

He grunted.

“Could you look at me for two seconds?”

He turned his head and looked at me for exactly two seconds before returning his gaze back to the red numbers.

I slouched and looked down at my boots. “Thanks.” The elevator dinged, and the opportunity had vanished.

Various people shuffled about Oliver’s apartment. Cici had hired a moving company to box up Oliver’s things; she’d had Camille’s sent home first thing when they’d arrived back in town.

Oliver came out of the kitchen and set an empty coffee mug down on the island. “Hey, there you guys are. It’s the final day and you’ll finally be rid of me.”

I smiled despite the sadness I felt. “Are you excited to be going back home soon? You have to be tired of living on location for so long.”

“Normally I would be. I’m not too sure what I’ll be going back to, so it could be interesting.”

I cringed. “I guess so.”

“We should get moving.” He clapped his hands together. “Cici, you’ll be along when this is through?”

“Yep, they only need to finish packing up your bedroom and loading the truck. Shouldn’t be more than an hour.” She looked over at Vance and her eyes said she wanted to go with us, but we would be taking the final drive on set without her this morning.

We arrived on scene to as much fanfare as we always did and perhaps more knowing it was the last day. After we were through the gates, Oliver took us to his trailer.

“I wanted to take a second to speak to you two privately, away from Cici. Come in.” Oliver shut the door to his trailer and locked it. “I appreciate you both not saying anything to her about what happened. She’s aware that Camille and I have drifted apart, and all she knows is we’re separating, so thank you for that.”

“We assumed a certain discretion,” Vance offered.

“I appreciate that. It’s a mess already, and the fewer people who know what happened, the better. I’d rather she not be dragged into this.”

“I can understand that, sir.” Vance nodded.

“What I told you regarding Lindy Hollon.” He looked from Vance and then to me.

“Don’t mention it. It’s not our story to tell,” I said.

Oliver bobbed his head. “It could be highly destructive information, but should anything happen to me, you know the truth.”

“Why not tell someone?” I asked. “Then you won’t have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life.”

“It was so many years ago and a lot of great things have come from Lindy’s death. Her family has moved on and has created her foundation. They’ve healed as much as they can from the tragedy. To tell this now could rip open an old wound. It would be selfish of me. And Camille was right about one thing. There’s no proof anymore.”

“What? Why?” I asked.

“Lindy was cremated. All of the evidence that could have been there has been destroyed. If it came out, it would be for the sole purpose of hurting Camille. It’s just not how I am.”

“But she tried to kill you.” I grimaced.

“She’s a desperate woman and feels her fame slipping away. But as desperate as she is, two wrongs don’t make a right.”

“Oliver! They need you in wardrobe now!” Cadence pounded on his trailer door.

“Be there in a minute,” Oliver answered.

“No, now Oliver.” She pounded again.

Oliver sighed. “I guess it’s time to get into wardrobe before she bites my head off.”

He left, and the day wore on like all the rest. I savored the experience and said goodbye to the people I’d come to know. By the time the sun lowered in the sky, filming in Cincinnati had wrapped.

As our final duty, we were to drive Oliver and Cici directly to the airport. Cici had snuggled up to Vance as much as she could during the day, but the tearful goodbye was coming.

We pulled up to the drop off area outside the airport and exited the Rover. Vance gathered what luggage they were taking with them from the trunk and set it at the curb. A couple baggage handlers loaded it onto a cart.

Vance walked to Cici and hugged her. As happy as I was to see her go, I still hated to see someone cry. Cici fought the tears as hard as she could, but they streamed down her cheeks anyway. Vance wiped one away and whispered something to her that made her smile. She picked up her carry-on and walked through the automatic doors.

Oliver stood in front of me and extended his hand. “Diana, it’s been a real pleasure.”

I shook his hand and then hugged him. “I’m sad to see you go. It was nice working with you. If you’re ever filming here again, look us up.”

“I wouldn’t hesitate for one second.” He extended his hand to Vance. “Until next time.”

Vance smiled. “Take it easy when you get home.”

Oliver picked up his satchel and slung it over his shoulder. He walked toward the automatic doors, and Vance and I approached our car.

“Oh, Diana?”

I stopped from opening my door, and Vance glanced over the roof toward Oliver. “Yes?”

“I’m sorry again. Truly.”

I nodded. “Be careful getting home.”

In a flash, he was gone. Vance and I loaded into the Rover and headed to the office for our meeting with Cavanaugh.

Vance turned the knob on the radio up, hesitated for a second, and then turned it off. “What did he mean, he was sorry?”

I wanted to bask in the glory that Vance had spoken an entire sentence to me, but I didn’t want to answer his question. “It was nothing.”

We came to a stop sign, and he turned to me. “Did he put the moves on you?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s over and he’s going home.” The car that had pulled up behind us honked. “You better get moving before they bump us.”

Vance advanced down the road and pulled onto the highway. “So he did?”

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter.”

“These Hollywood guys, I swear they’re all sleaze balls.” The blinker clicked as we merged into traffic.

“He’s not sleazy, he was confused. He kissed me, but I stopped him and that was the end of it.”

“He kissed you?” He shifted in his seat like his shirt was too tight.

I never responded and turned the radio up. We drove the rest of the way to B&B’s office listening to whatever played on the radio. When we pulled into our parking spot, it was time to face the music.

“Stay strong in there,” Vance offered.

“I will.”

“We did what we had to do and explained ourselves well, but should things start going south, I’ll take the rap for it.”

“I did it just the same as you.”

“If it hadn’t been for me and my family’s situation, you wouldn’t have.”

“Okay, fine.” He had me there. I wouldn’t have done it if it hadn’t been for him, but I was just as accountable for what had happened as he was. It wasn’t worth arguing over.

We walked in to face our firing squad. We knocked on Cavanaugh’s door, and he barked for us to come in.

Cavanaugh crossed his hands on his desk. “Well, I think we all know why we’re here.” Vance and I nodded and took our seats. “You both worked outside the parameters set up by this company. Before I tell you how I’m going to proceed, I’d like to ask if either of you has anything else to say.

Vance shook his head.

“No, sir. I think everything has already been discussed,” I added.

“Right.” He leaned back in his chair and rested his crossed hands on his round belly. “As of right now you’re both on probation.”

My cheeks grew unexpectedly warm. Probation was at least better than getting fired.

“But, sir.” Vance grabbed his arm rests and leaned forward.

Cavanaugh held up his hand and stopped him from continuing. “No. The guidelines and code of conduct are straightforward. You’re both lucky you’re not being terminated. Were it not for the glowing praise that came in from Mr. Pierce, I might not have been swayed so easily. You are, however, the best we’ve got and it would be a shame to lose you. Next time you won’t be so lucky.”

“Yes, sir,” we answered.

“How long?” Vance asked.

“Two months. Then we’ll reevaluate.”

It was a fair punishment and an outcome I could handle. All in all, I was relieved.

“All right, get out of here. Enjoy your weekends. Be in bright and early on Monday for your next assignment.”

We left the office and walked out to the car a little lighter in our boots.

I clicked my seatbelt across my lap. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“Could have been much worse. I was surprised he didn’t say more, but I can live with this.” He pulled out of the lot and started toward my place.

“So, you and Cici got pretty close.”

“Don’t start.”

“I’m not, I swear.” I held up my hands. “I was just wondering how you guys left it.” I was being nosy, but I needed to know where his heart was. Plus, he was actually talking to me.

“She said how tired she was working for Oliver and that she wanted to live her life for her, so she was upset to be leaving. But I think once she gets back home, she’ll be okay. We knew it was going to end.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

He squinted. “Yeah, I guess. I’m going to miss her. I liked her. A lot.”

Hearing he really liked someone stabbed a needle into my heart, but it was probably how he’d felt, in some remote way at least, when I was with Gabe. But now, Gabe and Cici were both out of the picture.

We drove along and eventually arrived at my curb. I pulled on the handle but stopped before getting out. “Hey, it’s been a while, and I know you still kind of hate me, but you wanna come in and play a few hands of something? Your choice?”

He huffed. “I don’t hate you. You just really pissed me off.”

“I know.” I tucked the corner of my mouth into my cheek and looked up at him through my lashes. “But do you?”

“Can’t. Pop has been home for a couple of days and I haven’t seen him yet. I’m gonna stop in and check on him.”

Had we been talking, I would have known his dad had gotten out of the rehab facility. “That’s so great! I’m glad he’s home now. Is everything okay with the medical bills?”

He shrugged. “Not really, but we’ll figure out a way to make everything work. There are payment plans and stuff. I won’t let them go under and neither will my sisters.”

“I know you won’t.”

A few moments of uncomfortable silence followed.

“Yeah, well, I should get going.” He nudged his head toward my door.

I stepped out into the grass and leaned back in. “Tell your parents I said hi.”

“You bet.”

I walked inside my apartment, and as soon as the door shut, someone knocked.

Becca called to me from the other side. “Open up! I took a box off your mat when I got home. It’s here!” In the hallway, Becca held a large brown shipping box in her arms.

I waved her in.

“Do you think it’s the right one?” She walked past me and laid the box on my kitchen table.

I sliced open the clear tape sealing the box. “It can only be this one...I hope. Vance is going to die when he sees this.” I pulled the package out and smiled from ear to ear. “It’s perfect.”

“Are you sure about this being the right gift? Seems kind of odd.”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“When are you going to give it to him?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll go to his house tomorrow.”

Becca squealed. “I can’t wait. This is going to be great. Epic. I can feel it.”