Page 28 of Hearts of Fairlake

That was why I liked Gina. She knew how to keep an interview light while probing for deeper, more insightful comments. She never threw a surprise hook and was exceptional at adapting her personality and the conversation to the person she was interviewing. She was a breath of fresh air in a world full of hard-hitting interviewers, gossip rags, and rumor mills.

"I wouldn't say that," I said, leaning back and trying not to look into the lights that would blind me. "But yes, as of now,this was the last role I'll ever take. Perhaps that might change in the future, perhaps not. What matters is that it's time for me to take the next real step in my life."

"Oh?" she asked, her face the perfect example of polite interest. "And what is next in the life of Sylas Goner?"

"That is the million-dollar question," I admitted with a smirk. I parted my hands and shrugged lightly. “The truth is, I don't have anything specific lined up. Not in terms of my career. Ever since my sister and I made it into the spotlight, it’s felt like all my life has been is lights, smoke, and a whole lot of glamor."

"Well, not completely," she said, looking mischievous as she leaned forward. "There was, of course, your unusually secret wedding last year."

I grinned. “True, true. Parts of my life have been quiet, peaceful, and without all the glitz and glam that most of my life has been filled with. My relationship, wedding, and now marriage to my husband are among those things. If anything, having that part of my life be so...normal is what led to this decision."

Acting had been great for a time, but it had never really been my passion; it was just something I enjoyed and made absurd amounts of money. Back then, I'd been so overwhelmed by the attention I had just...given in to it. I wouldn't pretend I disliked it. I'd always been a little attention-seeking, though considering the kind of attention I'd routinely received from my mother, that wasn't surprising. It was better to leave the humility to my twin sister, and I had easily fallen into the role of the charming, slightly roguish brother.

Eventually, though, that life had grown hollow. My mother was always pushing me to take on bigger roles even though it was obvious that when it came to acting, my sister had the lion's share of talent. My mother wished I’d taken themore PR-friendly approach, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Plus, acting like myself was far more fun, with a little extra difficulty thrown on top to drive my mother crazy.

And just when I thought my life would be an endless procession of glamor and glitz, with all its increasingly hollow and transient pleasures...something strange and unexpected happened. Without knowing what I was setting myself up for, I dragged my best friend and personal assistant with me to some sleepy little town in the middle of Colorado. It was under the pretense of seeing about a custom cake for my sister's upcoming wedding, but in reality, it was a way for me to slip my mother's net and try to find somewhere, anywhere, to breathe.

That first meeting between Grant and I never gave the slightest clue that we'd end up where we were. Grant had never been that good with...well, peopling, and had immediately disliked me. It took weeks before the two of us began to peel away our defenses: my layers of false faces, tricky evasions, and his thick, stony walls and prickly protections. When those melted away, I found a wonderful sense of normality, a peace in my head and heart that I’d never known could exist.

"And was this decision brought about by said husband?" she asked, shaking me out of my reverie.

I laughed. “Are you asking if my husband somehow bullied or cajoled me into this?"

"No, absolutely not. I just wonder, and I'm sure others will too, how much he’s influenced this decision."

"Grant is an exceptionally private person, and he's uncomfortable with the attention I'm used to getting. That said, he had a good idea of what he was getting into by dating and then marrying me. He had definitely figured it out by thetime of the nuptials," I smirked. "But, he’s never once asked me to do anything of this sort. All he's ever asked of me is that I try not to bring too much home with me."

"Home," Gina said with a smile. "Is that how you think of Fairlake, then?"

"One hundred percent," I answered immediately, smiling back at her. "Being here, in LA, has never been the long-term goal. I was here for the filming, the showing, and all the interviews, this being my last one."

"Though a few rumors were floating around that you caused issues with filming because you were returning to Fairlake."

"That...yeah, there were a few times I caused some problems there," I admitted with an easygoing shrug. "It's hard being away from him for long periods, and then it's even harder to leave him to come back. I don't have to worry anymore. In less than twelve hours, I'll be back in Fairlake, where I belong."

"You've spoken very little of your time in Fairlake," Gina noted, tilting her head slightly. "In fact, many have noted that in your interviews over the past few years. And you've spoken only slightly more about the man you're married to. Why is that?"

"Selfishness," I admitted with another grin. "I don't savor sharing that part of my life because it feels more mine than anything I've ever had."

Gina chuckled. “It also probably doesn't hurt that many people, especially journalists, have reported that it’s unusually difficult to speak to you while you're in the town."

"Have they?" I asked, doing my best to sound as innocent as possible. "Interesting. I'd always wondered why I had so many quiet, peaceful days even when people knew where I was."

Gina arched a brow. “Something tells me you know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I wouldn't lie to you, Gina," I lied.

"Of course," she said with a laugh. "I suppose if you haven't spoken about it before, then you won't now. You can't blame a girl for trying to solve the mystery as you're on your way out the proverbial door."

It wasn't a mystery. At least it wasn't mysterious, just unknown to most people. The people of Fairlake were...different, and they were fond of taking care of their own. When it became obvious that the famous Sylas Goner was with the local town's favorite beloved baker for real, they quickly began to include me in their circle of trust. They paid me in that trust by being as absurdly unhelpful as possible whenever someone came looking for me. After all, those allowed easy access to me knew how to do that without being obvious.

I didn't know the full extent of what the townspeople did, but I knew when people showed up looking for me, they were often given vaguely worded answers and directions, outright lied to, and sometimes stonewalled. One of my favorite examples was when a paparazzi had car troubles and tried to ask about my whereabouts.

The problem for that poor man was Chase was working that day. I didn't know him as well as others in the town, but considering his boyfriend, Devin, had worked for Grant for years, I’d learned plenty about Chase through osmosis and the occasional interaction. You wouldn't know it from his gruff behavior, but he was like the other people in Fairlake. The difference between him and the rest, though, was that he had no problem telling the paparazzi to shove his questions along with his phone right up his ass, far enough that he would choke on it. He then promptly told the guy a ridiculously high price for the repairs, and he could get a tow truckfrom somewhere else to come get his car and fix it elsewhere if that was a problem.

So, maybe I knew a thing or two about why people struggled to reach me.

"And is it your hope that with this retirement, you'll finally find true peace at home?" Gina asked.

---