Page 71 of In Love with Lewis Prescott
“God, Lewis. That’s awful.”
“It’s nothing compared to what the crew endured from him.”
I force myself to loosen my death grip on the steering wheel. Just thinking about what Darren did—what he’s been able to get away with—has me wanting to rage.
I force myself to take a breath. “That’s why the show’s been on hiatus since I was fired. I’m guessing they’re trying to figure out a way to write off or replace my character and pick up the storyline. I’ve been texting a bit with Katie, and she said Darren’s still on the show, which means he’ll be back as soon as they cast my replacement and start filming again.”
I look over to see Harper’s mouth half-open. It’s like she’s too shocked and disgusted to say anything.
“If I were actually incredible, I would have been able to do something about that sack of shit,” I mutter. “But I’m not. And I don’t know how to help now that I’ve been fired and blacklisted. I thought...” I pull at my hair. “This is gonna sound obnoxious, but I thought that since I was the lead actor on the show, I had some clout, you know? I had some power to shut down this wrong and horrible thing that was happening. But I couldn’t.”
Harper shakes her head. “No, I get it. I honestly would have thought the same thing, that you would have had the power to put a stop to it. But god, how messed up is it that even you couldn’t do anything?”
“That’s why I got drunk at Chateau Marmont after it happened. I couldn’t handle the fact that this guy was gonna get away with being a criminal, that he was gonna be able to victimize even more people, and nothing would happen to him.” I clench my jaw. “Well, that and the fact that my ex used me getting fired as a reason to break up with me.”
Even from the corner of my eye I can see Harper’s eye bulge in shock. “What?”
I rub my fist at the back of my neck to ease the knot of pain that sprang up the moment I started talking about all this.
“I’d promised to get her a guest spot on the show. She’s a model and wanted to transition into acting. When I told her the reason I got fired, I thought she’d support me. Instead she got upset that I blew her chance to be a star.”
Harper stammers while shaking her head. “I don’t even know what to say to that. Other than she sounds like a jerk. And a callous opportunist. Good god.”
“She kind of was, now that I look back on it. I’m surprised Natalia and I lasted six months.”
When Harper rests her hand on my forearm, the knot at the back of my neck loosens.
“It just goes to show how many gross and horrible things go on behind the scenes in the entertainment industry—and some people don’t care as long as they’re benefiting,” I say. “And the public has no idea.”
“Maybe if you went public with the real reason you got fired?” she poses, her tone hesitant.
I swallow back the shame crawling up my throat like bile. “I want to. My agent told me not to, though, that it would jeopardize things for me when I try to make a comeback. Darren is a well-connected guy in the TV industry. I know he’s made calls to other showrunners to plant the seed that I’m not worth hiring. To go public could be a death sentence for my career.”
“Oh. Damn.”
“And I don’t know if Katie and the others are comfortable with me doing that. As much as they hate Darren and want him to face consequences for what he’s done, their jobs are on the line. If he fired me, the star of the show, who knows how he could ruin them. I know how awful that sounds, like we’re prioritizing jobs over human safety.”
“Hey.” She tugs at my hand. “I don’t think that at all. I understand that this a complicated situation. There’s no easy solution.”
I swallow and nod. “Thanks for saying that, for understanding. I want to nail Darren’s ass to the wall. We all do. We just haven’t figured out how to do that yet without destroying everyone’s careers.”
She rests her hand on my leg, and I place my hand over hers. It’s such a small physical act, but it means the world. It’s the greatest comfort I could have in this moment when I’m admitting my biggest secret and my biggest worry to her.
“Thank you for telling me about this,” she says after a quiet minute. “I know that couldn’t have been easy.”
I pull into the driveway of her house, and we walk inside. As soon as I kick my shoes off, she catches my wrist, turning me to her.
“I know it didn’t work out the way you wanted, but I just want you to know that you did the right thing, Lewis. You stood up for your coworkers who were being harassed. So many people wouldn’t dare to do anything. At least you tried.”
There’s an intensity and sadness in her eyes that jolts me. I pull her into a hug.
When we crawl into bed together, she cuddles into my bare chest, just like she’s done every night since we first slept together. But something about tonight feels different when I wrap my arms around her. I told Harper something I’m ashamed of, and she didn’t judge me or lash out. She empathized with me. She made me feel safe and cared for.
Eyes closed, I try to commit this feeling to my memory forever. An image of Harper cuddled in my bed at my house in LA flashes behind my eyelids. She’s sound asleep, tucked against my chest. And then I see her padding around the house wearing one of my shirts. I see her lounging on my couch. I see her smiling up at me as she pulls a container of leftovers from the fridge.
My heart thuds. Yeah, she’s made it clear that the Bay Area is her home, but I’m falling hard for this girl—harder than I’ve ever fallen for anyone before—and I want to see where things go between us. Maybe after I finish up the renovations, we can talk about a serious relationship. Maybe we do long-distance before deciding who moves where...
Details may be up in the air, but one thing is clear: I want Harper in my life from this moment on.
