Page 71 of Three Little Wishes

“You haven’t been online, have you?”

“No. What’s going on?” She held her breath, praying that photos of her in Sunshine Bay hadn’t surfaced.

“About two hours ago, TMZ broke the news that Hugh’sPA Emily and your ex’s girlfriend, Giselle, aren’t BFFs like you suspected. They’re lovers. There’s a video online of them making out last night at the Polo Bar in NYC. It’s already gone viral.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding. The news wasn’t as bad as she’d feared, but it wasn’t good either. “As much as I want to say, ‘Karma is a bitch’ and laugh my ass off that Jeff got exactly what he deserves, I can’t help worrying that somehow this will blow back on me. You know as well as I do that an unhappy Jeff doesn’t bode well for me.”

“I do, and knowing Jeff as well as you do—”

“You probably know him better than me. You saw through him from the beginning.”

“I’ll refrain from saying I told you so.”

“Oh please, you’ve been saying it for the past year.”

“I have, haven’t I?” Gail laughed. “Well, let’s hope I’m wrong this time because you don’t need something else to deal with, but my guess is you’ll be hearing from him within the next seventy-two hours.”

“I’ve already heard from him, remember? He wanted to crow about Giselle getting the part of Rachel West. Honestly, I don’t know what Hugh was thinking.”

“He won’t be crowing the next time you hear from him. He’ll be declaring his undying love for you, putting the entire blame for your breakup on Giselle. He’s going to crucify her in the press.”

“You’re probably right. He’s such a snake. I feel sorry for Giselle, and Pinky, as surprising as that may be.”

“It isn’t surprising, not to me. You’re one of the most compassionate and forgiving women I know.”

“I’m sure I can find a hundred people who would disagreewith you,” she said, cocking her head at the sound of voices wending their way upstairs. “Sounds like the gang is all home. I’d better go. I’ve spent the past three hours in my bedroom. They’re going to start wondering what I’m doing up here.” She’d planned on going down when the demon dog woke her up with his incessant barking, but then she’d heard Sage swearing and hadn’t wanted to face her niece without backup. She wasn’t up for another round of twenty questions.

“Do me a favor and call Hugh. He texted again this morning, checking up on you,” Gail said.

She knew he was worried about her. He’d sent her a couple of texts. The first one had been to let her know Giselle had gotten the part. He’d been sweet and apologetic and told her to give him a call.

“He still has no idea about the accident? Nothing has leaked in the press?” Camilla asked.

“He has no idea. No one does. But I have received several requests for a comment from you about Giselle and Pinky, so you’ll need to be careful. And if Jeff frames this the way I think he will, the paparazzi will be hunting you down.”

“He’s the gift that keeps on giving, isn’t he?”

After they’d said their goodbyes and disconnected, a thought came to Camilla. She grinned and texted Gail. “What do you think of me hiring Pinky as my new PA?” she typed, adding several laughing emoji.

“Brilliant!!! And I’m being serious. But we both know Hugh. He’ll stand by Pinky and Giselle. Call him!!”

“Texting him now, Mom.”

She responded to his last text. “Sorry it’s taken so long for me to respond! A few things came up that I had to deal with. I’m sure you’re snowed under with the breakingGiselle-and-Pinky news. I hope it doesn’t prove too much of a distraction. Thanks for checking up on me. You can take me out for a drink when you get your Oscar nom.”

As she got off the bed, her phone rang. She frowned at the screen. It was Hugh. She connected the call, and his deep voice came over the line. “Pinky?”

She laughed. “Emily of the pink hair.”

“Ah, it’s purple now.” She heard the smile in his voice. “So are you going to tell me what’s really been going on? And don’t give me the ‘things came up’ line, Cami. You’re the ultimate professional, and you missed the read-through with Clive.”

For some reason, it hit her just then that the only people in her world who didn’t call her Camilla were Hugh and Gail. And if the other people who mattered most to her called her Cami, maybe it was time that she did too. Maybe it would reconnect her to the girl she used to be. The girl who’d had big dreams and who’d lived life to the fullest, enjoying every moment as if it were a precious gift. She wanted to be that Cami again.

She crawled back onto her bed and leaned against the pillows. Maybe it was that warm, sexy voice of his and the fact that she’d considered him a friend for more than fifteen years, or maybe it was because her life was such a mess and she was feeling a little lost, but whatever the reason, she decided to confide in Hugh. She trusted him, and the people she trusted were few and far between.

“How much time do you have?” she asked.

“For you, all the time in the world.”

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