Page 149 of The Nanny and the Hothead
He blew out a slow breath. “As my publicist, you can let her know that I’m not in breach of contract. We’ve got a week left to pull it together,” he answered, stealing a glance at Charlotte. She twisted the hem of her skirt and didn’t meet his gaze. Could that be what was on her mind—the looming deadline?
“That’s what I thought you’d say,” Ines replied.
“Anything else?”
“Yes, two items,” Ines continued. “There’s good news on your numbers front. The old episodes from the Say Cheese, Louise reality show from back when you started out began streaming in the UK last week. And the ratings are through the roof. They love the three of you across the pond.”
The three of them.
He cleared his throat. “I feel like you’re buttering me up for something, Ines. Just say it.”
She huffed. “Am I that predictable?”
“You’re that reliable,” he added, softening his tone. “What’s the issue?”
“Seth.”
Dammit!
The sound of his name was like listening to nails raking down a chalkboard. He tried to ignore the prickling in his veins. “What about him?” he bit back.
“The publishing company’s legal department wants us to have him sign a contract affirming that the events described in your book are as you’ve portrayed them.”
Every muscle in his body clenched. “I own the rights to Say Cheese, Louise. It’s mine to do with as I please. I paid him a small fortune, so I’d never have to deal with him again.”
“I know, I know, Mitch! I’m looking at the contract now. But the publisher wants an extra layer of confirmation that no royalties are due to him since you’re writing about Say Cheese, Louise.”
He rubbed the knots that snarled at the base of his neck. “Have you spoken to him?”
Silence.
He knew Ines well enough to know she was choosing her words carefully.
“I have.”
“And?” he hissed.
Silence again, and the gulf of dead air swallowed the car.
“And he’d like to talk to you,” Ines stated, keeping her tone neutral.
Talk?
The bottom dropped out of his stomach as the prickling in his veins shifted to a sharp slash of pain, searing him from the inside out. “No! No way!” he growled.
“Mitch,” Ines began, “he says that he—”
“No, Ines! He betrayed me. He broke my trust. You know this. You know everything.” He was yelling, his body vibrating. Every cell in his body pulsed as a rush of rage—a sensation he hadn’t known in weeks—surged through him.
Charlotte gasped, and he flicked his gaze from the phone to her. The color had drained from her cheeks. The sweet, sex-fueled rosy glow had vanished. She, better than most, knew he could be a damned hothead. But when it came to Seth, he was a viper, seething with venom and ready to strike. He reached out and squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her that this outburst had nothing to do with her. “Ines, Charlotte and I need to go. Tell Gwen she’ll get her final chapter on time. And you know what to do about Seth. He’s dead to me.”
“Oh, Mitch,” the woman lamented with a sigh. “All right, I’ll be in touch,” she added before the line went dead.
Neither he nor Charlotte said a word. He released her hand, started the car, and drove down the gravel drive to the cabin next to the creek. He needed a second to think—to order his thoughts. He hadn’t tapped into that blind rage in ages. But it was still there. It festered like a wound that wouldn’t heal. He cut the engine and stared at the cozy wooden structure. Surrounded by a sea of green and the San Juan Mountains, it was truly a peaceful sight. But it did nothing to quell the fury that burned beneath his skin.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I’m sorry, Charlotte. I know I can get intense when it comes to Seth.”
“It’s okay. I understand,” she replied, her voice barely a whisper.
