Page 46 of Something New

The door opened, and Wyatt stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He buried his hands in his pockets, studying her soberly. “I’m sorry for what I did. I had no right to rush you like I did, making those calls for you. I didn’t know what it could do to you.”

She stood and walked across the room, taking his hands from his pockets. “Wyatt, I appreciate you wanting to help me. Truly I do. I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat. I was just scared, terrified of the media finding out.” She drew him over to the bed and sat down. “When I first got to Los Angeles, my roommate was a really talented woman named Sarah. She had a small recurring role on a television show and was about to break out. Or so we thought. She had a boyfriend, also an actor, but he wasn’t quite seeing the same success. They had met through my agent, fake dating to help increase visibility for both of their careers, then they fell for each other. Or so Sarah thought. Anyway, her boyfriend got jealous when she got offered a full-time role, and he leaked a sex tape of them.”

She shook her head, remembering the horror on her friend’s behalf. “Sarah, of course, was horrified. Women never come off well in those things. Men always come out better in them, as studs, while women are the sluts. The fact that he had taped it without her consent never mattered, even when she took him to court and won the case. She lost her show and left Los Angeles. We lost touch. I wish I could say that was the only case I know of, but there are so many cases of betrayal that I learned really fast to watch out for everyone. No one was a friend. Everyone wants something, whether or not they’re in film.”

“I hate that you assumed I would betray you. Don’t you know me any better than that?” Wyatt stood and began pacing the room, anger filling his words.

“It’s not you I worry about, Wyatt, but who you told. They could share that information with someone or sell it. Hell, it doesn’t even have to be true for it to be worth a fortune. That’s why I am careful about deciding anything, keeping it quiet until it’s set, so I won’t be betrayed. It saves a lot of grief.”

Wyatt sat on the bed, shoulders slumping. He gathered her in his arms, pulling her close. “I never even considered that. I thought you didn’t trust me.”

She laid a hand on his cheek. “I trust you, Wyatt. Always.”

A slow grin crossed his face. “Does this mean you’ll consider those options? Maybe even move back to Texas at some point?”

She held up her hands. “Hey, slow down, cowboy. I’m not broke. I saved my money and, even without a job, I can hang on to my house for a long time.” His expression fell, but she smiled. “But, as we discussed five years ago, we can definitely make it work. Remember, you were playing for Dallas, and I was going to be in California then, too. We can definitely make this work if we want to. I can look into opportunities here and, if I’m not working for a while, I can go back and forth for a while. Besides, I miss UT football. Is the team any good this year?”

He arched his eyebrow. “Do you really want to talk about the Longhorns’ chances this season or do something else?”

She pretended to think for a moment. “Well, I didn’t get my run in this morning, and probably won’t tomorrow either. And someone told me they knew of a better way to burn calories.”

He stretched her out on the bed, following her down so fast, she shrieked and then moaned when he covered her mouth with his.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Anna woke up late again, judging by the position of the sun in the sky. Damn, no time for a run today. She stretched, feeling the pull deep in her muscles. If Wyatt was right, she didn’t need the run to burn calories and, to be honest, since her career was on the downswing, who cared if she gained a few pounds? She luxuriated in the bed for several minutes longer, enjoying the feel of being able to lie about in bed, not feeling the stress of having to be anywhere, to be anyone. Just for one day, it was glorious. She was determined to forget all about her troubles and focus on the happiness of the wedding for the weekend. She’d deal with the yawning abyss of her life on Monday.

Her bathroom door opened, and Wyatt stepped out, a white bath towel wrapped around his hips in danger of falling off, hair still wet from the shower. She smiled and let her gaze travel over him, stifling the disappointment that he was already up and ready for the day when she was hoping for a little more relaxation before the whirlwind of the wedding kicked into high gear.

She sat up against the pillows and enjoyed the sight of Wyatt dressing in shorts and a white polo shirt, even as she lamented him covering up his very nice body. “So, what’s on your agenda for the day?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know if we have anything. I think Matthew has golf with his father and Ethan. They asked me to join, but I wanted to see what you were up to.”

She smiled. “That’s sweet, but I’m headed to the spa for the day with the girls. Finishing touches on nails, which we ruined with all the storm preparation and clean up.”

He crept up the bed and straddled her on his hands and knees, kissing her gently. “I’ll see you this afternoon? Maybe a walk on the beach before it all goes crazy?”

“It’s a date.”

Wyatt left after one last bone-melting kiss, and Anna sagged against the pillows to savor the moment. Her phone rang, interrupting her moment. She almost ignored it, but she was never the patient type, and she always hated not knowing something. Letting her phone go to voicemail was like watching the presents pile up under the Christmas tree and not knowing what they were. Sheer torture. She snatched the phone from the bedside table.

Yvonne Margolis. They had said everything there was to be said on Wednesday. What else was left?

Anna wrapped the sheet around her and sat up straighter, as if Yvonne could see her in the bedroom. “Yvonne, what’s up?”

“I don’t know what you did out there on that little godforsaken island, but you’re a genius, Anna. A freaking genius.” As usual, when her agent had good news, she cut straight to the point.

Anna frowned. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Seriously, Anna? Haven’t you been on social media at all this week? Go check. I’ll wait.”

Anna grabbed her tablet and began thumbing through the popular sites. Sure enough, she was tagged in several places, in a more positive light than she was used to, and in much more casual venues.

Anna Costado, White Knight? A photo of her giving up her carousel horse to the little girl and sitting on the hippo, then taking a photo with the girl.

Anna Costado, posing for pictures on the ferry with a couple of teenagers and their mom.

Anna Costado, mentoring theater youth at Whitby Island’s production ofBye, Bye Birdie, with an accompanying photo and story.

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