Page 9 of Resisting Fate
The crew went quiet at Blake’s arrival for some reason. Everyone stared at him, Missy included.
Blake turned to Hailey. “I remember you,” he said in a deep charming voice. “You stole the corporate party scene. I was sure you’d acted before.” Some of her friends had been extras in the first movie.
Hailey smoothed her hair. “I do have a lot of pageant experience.”
Blake flashed a wolfish smile. “I’d love to hear about it.”
Claire shot a warning look at Hailey that she blithely ignored.
“Can I get you a drink?” Blake asked, gesturing to the bar at the far side of the room.
“I’d love one!” Hailey left with him.
Claire frowned and Missy shifted next to her to ask in a quiet voice, “Is he bad news?”
Claire nodded and whispered back, “He’s just looking for a quick lay.”
Missy lifted a shoulder. “Maybe she wants that.”
“No way!” Claire exclaimed. “Hailey? She’s a romantic. Her entire wedding planning business is based on her passion for romance.”
Missy inclined her head. “She’s been out of sorts. Let her enjoy the attention. I’ll check on her in a bit.”
Claire blinked rapidly. “Thanks, Missy. I know I can be a bit of a mother hen, but you ladies…” Her voice choked.
“I know,” Missy said, her own throat tightening from the emotion she heard in Claire. Their group was tight, and Missy knew Claire especially appreciated that closeness because she found it hard to make real friends as a celebrity. Most people wanted something from her.
“I love you guys,” Claire said, wiping a tear from under her eye.
Missy squeezed her arm. “We love you too.”
Sabrina smiled and nodded. Lexi raised a fist in solidarity.
Claire let out a small laugh. “Sorry. I get a little emotional after a movie wraps. And this was a huge one. Three years, three movies, same cast, most of the same crew. They become like family. It’s always hard to say goodbye.”
Sabrina leaned in. “You’ll always have us.”
Claire lost it, breaking down in tears. Sabrina swooped in, putting an arm around Claire and guiding her away, talking quietly the whole time. As soon as Claire left, the group of admirers moved on.
“You want a drink?” Missy asked Lexi.
“I should probably eat first,” Lexi said. “Let’s find one of those tuxedoed waiters.”
They did a tour of the downstairs, sampling the gourmet appetizers offered by the waiters. The best was stuffed mushrooms with crab and lobster. Finally, they returned to the conservatory, where Hailey and Blake were flirting up a storm in a quiet corner of the room.
She and Lexi stopped at the bar before settling close enough to keep an eye on Hailey without being obvious.
Mad, the youngest and only girl in the Campbell family, joined them in her black pants suit. The woman never wore a dress. “What the hell is she doing?” She inclined her head in Hailey’s direction, her dyed fire-engine red hair flopping into her face. She shoved her hair away. “She knows he’s an asshole that uses women.”
“Maybe she’s lonely,” Lexi said.
“Maybe she wants him,” Missy said. Hell, any woman with a pulse would want him.
Mad looked around and then confided with a small smile, “Maybe she wants to make Josh jealous.”
They followed her gaze across the room, where Josh stood in a white button-down shirt with dark gray dress pants, an unusually dressy look for him, with a clear view of Hailey. Josh was tall with an athletic build, like all of the Campbell men, his dark brown hair on the longish side, giving him a sexy rumpled look. His casual laid-back charm was coupled with an edge that Missy thought moved him up the scale from good looking to seriously hot. He was a trained warrior, a former paratrooper in the army who’d dropped from a plane into enemy territory, where he’d prevailed in hand-to-hand combat. Missy and her friends had never pursued him because they all thought he was meant for Hailey, whether the two of them liked it or not. For now, Josh was with the bohemian Clarissa, standing in front of him in a deep blue sheath dress with white embroidered flowers, her long thin brown braids loosely pinned into a bun, her light brown skin glowing with good health. Clarissa’s back was to Hailey, but she had to notice Josh looking over her shoulder, his attention fixated on someone else. And every time Josh looked over at Hailey, Hailey flirted even more.
“It’s working,” Missy said.
