24.Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Bonnie

Liam and Derek have been talking non-stop during the drive from downtown LA to Derek’s house in Malibu. That’s normal for Liam, but after my text conversation with Cole, I expected Derek to still be at least a little moody. Instead, he’s smiling and rolling his eyes, no sign of a mask in sight. I’ve known Derek long enough that I can tell when he’s acting, and he isn’t.

Now I’m more confused than anything.

Hank has been quiet, but that seems as normal as Liam being loud. I fully plan to have a long—and private—conversation with him later, but right now I need to rid myself of as many problems as I can so I don’t have as much to deal with. Fran was one of those problems, even if I didn’t realize it until we met with her. Cole is another.

“How is Cole doing with the whole Sage disaster?” I ask during a lull, turning in my seat so I can get a good look at Liam’s and Derek’s faces.

Liam wrinkles his nose in disgust, which isn’t very reassuring. “Sage is a four-letter word.”

Derek sighs. “He’s hanging out with his dad tonight, or I would have made him come with us so he’s not alone. I think he’s taking the news harder than he wants us to think.”

“It’s been five months since she dumped him,” I complain. “Does he still think he has a chance?”

Derek shrugs. “Even if Sage ever wants to get back together with him, he should really consider declining and moving on. He can do what he wants, but Sage was never good for him. He needs someone who…” He frowns and looks at Liam. “Honestly, he needs someone like this dork but with better self-control.”

Liam grins. “Aww, you think I’m a dork? Kasey will be so happy to know you agree with her!”

Derek rolls his eyes, but his smile is wide. “Case in point. Cole needs someone who isn’t afraid to express herself and show him how she feels. Sage was too much like him. Kept things too close to the vest.”

Derek is probably right, and Cole is stubborn. “I’ll try to talk to him,” I mutter, though I have no idea when. “By the way, Cole was worried about you .”

Derek grumbles. “I know. But he had it wrong.”

“You mean you’re not heartbroken about my feelings for Hank?” I take hold of Hank’s hand, just in case he thinks I’m not serious about those feelings. I’m probably going to have to fill him in on the situation with Cole so he doesn’t spend the rest of the weekend feeling clueless, but I kind of love that he’s content to simply listen. I meet his gaze for half a second and feel the warmth of his attention all the way down to my toes .

“Honestly,” Derek says, “I am heartbroken, but not for the reasons you think.” He sits forward, nodding at Hank before fixing his deep blue eyes on me. “I’m sad that I let our relationship hold you back from finding something real. I suspected you were ready, but…”

My heart throbs. Derek always did know me better than I know myself. “But what?”

“ I wasn’t ready. I was so worried you would get hurt again, but seeing you with Hank…” He sighs, sitting back in his seat again. “I realized I was in your way for a long time instead of helping you. I hated that.”

Liam pats his chest. “Not everyone can be perfect all the time.”

“Or ever,” Derek shoots back.

“Speak for yourself.”

Hank leans in close, and though I’m pretty sure he planned to say something, he seems to get distracted for a second and instead brushes a kiss against my lips. He smiles, his eyes closed as he touches his thumb to my bottom lip. “Sometimes I’m convinced you’re perfect,” he murmurs.

I bite my lip where he touched it, tempted to squeal with happiness even though his line was totally cheesy. I don’t know how we got here, but I’m not complaining. “I’m not perfect,” I murmur back. “But I love that you think I am. Only sometimes?”

He shrugs and kisses me again. “I like to think I’m a realist.”

“Says the man who writes murder mysteries.”

“All of those mysteries are based on true events,” he argues.

“Oh,” Liam says, the word pulling us apart. “Okay, can we talk about that?”

“Talk about what?” Derek asks, since I’m too busy glaring at Liam for interrupting.

“Murder.”

Derek groans. “If you’re about to tell us you think another one of your neighbors has murdered his wife, then—”

“No! The new neighborhood scandals have all been about paint colors and landscaping choices, which is so painfully dull that I’m tempted to move to somewhere more interesting. No, I mean that whole part of the last Hot Scoop story.” He points at Hank. “You’re not secretly a serial killer writing about his own murders, are you?”

Hank grimaces. “That’s what you got out of the article?”

Shrugging, Liam leans his arms on the back of our seat again. “They were heavily hinting something , and even my publicist thinks they’re on to something real or they wouldn’t risk the potential discrediting from spreading something too outlandish.”

Hank’s grip tightens around mine, his face turning pale, and he seems to be tongue-tied from Liam’s questioning.

“Hank hasn’t murdered anyone,” I say sharply. Then I look at him. “You haven’t, have you?”

He gives me a look of such confusion and insult that I can’t help but laugh.

“Can I tell them about Shelby? You can say no.” When he nods, I turn back to the boys in the backseat. “Hank’s wife was murdered, and the case went cold. They never figured out who did it.”

Liam whistles low. “Ouch. Sorry.”

Derek, on the other hand, looks thoughtful. Liam likes to joke that Derek is secretly a world-class spy because he always seems to have the right connections to fix problems or find answers, and I’m pretty sure his mind is spinning, searching for a way he can help. I’m not sure how he could do anything about a four-year-old cold case, but I’m not about to stop him from trying.

“ Hot Scoop probably found one of the old news stories,” I continue. “I just hope they don’t try to turn it against Hank somehow.”

Liam, now resting his chin on his arms, shrugs and glances between us. “You might need to be more worried about yourself, Bon. The internet loves Hank. ”

Hank and I both wince, though I have no idea if we’re thinking the same thing. “I don’t like the idea of my past doing damage to your future,” he says quietly, and then he turns to Liam. “Is there anything we can do? Fight fire with fire, so to speak?”

Apparently we were thinking the same thing. It seems our lives are intertwined whether we want them to be or not, so I’m glad this is something we’ve both chosen.

“Jensen,” Derek says suddenly, calling up to his driver. “We need to go back to Santa Monica.”

“Why?” Liam and I ask at the same time.

“Where to, sir?” Jensen asks, ever the professional. He’s already turning around despite having no more idea of our destination than I do. I swear, Derek’s staff treat him like royalty more than Freya’s do sometimes.

Derek lifts his phone to his ear. “Félicie.”

“Oo, we’re going fancy tonight?” Liam grins. “Kasey is going to regret ditching me to hang with her friend.”

Hank looks at me, brow furrowed, and I chuckle. I forget that he isn’t familiar with our world.

As Derek tells his assistant to get us a table at the high-end restaurant, I smile at Hank. “Félicie is one of the most expensive restaurants in the country.”

Hank’s eyes go wide. “And why are we going there?”

“Because Derek seems to think we need to be out in public tonight.”

“And a burger place isn’t public?”

“Different kind of public,” Liam offers brightly. “Apparently we need to be seen by the right people. Derek, better make the reservation for five. Kasey will kill me if she misses this.” He grabs his own phone, probably to call his girlfriend and inform her of the impromptu plan for the night.

“Scratch that. Five. Thanks, Margo.” Derek ends his call and looks at Hank, his expression warm and open. “The two of you need to be seen by the right people. Preferably before Hot Scoop releases your wife’s story. They dropped another hint post just before we got to Fran’s office, so they’re going to stretch anticipation as long as they can, which should hopefully buy us just enough time to get ahead of it.”

“And how is eating at an obscenely expensive restaurant supposed to get ahead of a story about my wife?” Hank asks.

His hand is trembling again, and I worry he won’t trust Derek enough to agree to the plan, whatever it ends up being. He’s nervous in front of regular people, and I doubt he’ll be any better in front of the high-end crowd. The last time I ate at Félicie, it was mostly full of celebrities and politicians.

Derek still looks distant, like his plan isn’t fully in place yet. “So far, you’ve only been seen in photos captured on the fly and in secret. Nothing intentional.”

I think I know where he’s going with this. “You want us to show the world that my life is carrying on as normal,” I guess. “And that we planned this dinner ages ago. Félicie is impossible to get into on a whim.”

“Unless you’re Derek Riley,” Liam says with a chuckle, though he’s still on the phone, which quickly pulls his attention back. “No, you can’t show up in sweatpants, Kase.”

“He makes a good point,” I say and frown at my comfortable travel clothes. I don’t look like a slob, but neither am I dressed for the likes of Félicie. “We’ll have to stop at my apartment so I can change, but that won’t help Hank.”

Derek shakes his head, a mischievous grin on his face. “Or you could go shopping.”

I practically hear Hank gulp. I know he’s probably going to hate it, but it will be a great way to act like a true couple who aren’t worried about whatever nonsense Hollywood Hot Scoop is teasing. Besides, I love shopping.

“You are a genius, Derek Riley,” I say and reach back to pat his cheek .

Though he rolls his eyes, I can tell he’s glad he found a way to help. Tonight’s adventure may not do much to curb the interest in the gossip, but I hope it will at least solidify my connection to Hank. If we can get our peers to believe the relationship is real, it will be that much easier to convince the rest of the world. And maybe then they’ll finally leave me alone.

It worked for Liam when his good guy image was in danger, and I hope it will work now. Those of us who carry the burden of fame have to look out for each other, after all.

“Don’t worry,” I tell Hank, squeezing his hand. “I won’t leave your side. I promise.”