Chapter 14: Alex

“Excuse me,” I said. “I couldn’t help but overhear. Are you really that shallow?”

The girl—Heather—laughed nervously and flipped her blonde hair. “What?”

“You heard me,” I said. “You should be ashamed of yourself, treating Alex like that.”

The girl narrowed her eyes. “Who the hell are you? This is none of your business.” She turned to Alex. “Do you know her? Is she that witch from your art class?”

“When you have a public argument, you can expect the public to get involved,” I retorted. Then I had an idea. “Actually, I’m not from his art class. I’m an art collector, and I’ve been corresponding with Alex to buy one of his paintings.”

“He didn’t mention anything about that….” Heather looked from me to Alex in suspicion.

“I can’t imagine why he would tell you anything, based on how you treat him,” I deadpanned.

She scoffed. “I don’t have to take this.”

“You’re right,” I said. “You can leave.”

Heather looked at Alex as if she expected him to object. When he didn’t, she blushed furiously and stalked off. Alex looked like he’d swallowed a lemon as he watched her go. Staring after her, he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

“I will be,” he said, sighing. Then he offered me a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” I said. “I can’t stand women like that. And I’m sorry she did that to you. But I would actually like to buy one of your paintings as a thank you.”

“You don’t need to apologize on her account. There’s never been any excuse for her behavior. You also don’t need to buy any of my paintings. They’re crap, and I’m better with photography anyway.”

“How much would you normally charge for one of your paintings? I insist.” I arched a brow.

“Normally, it’s around three hundred.” Alex shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

“Then I’ll pay five. You can bring it to my office at this address.” Handing him a business card for my main office at Lush Productions, I smiled. “So, do you want to get a drink?”

“Sure.” He grinned back.

“Okay. I’ll meet you at the bar in a moment.” First, I really needed the ladies’ room.

When I finished my business, I strode up to the bar. Alex was already waiting. His expression was warm when I approached. “So, do I get to meet your friend?” he asked. “The one you were on your way to see?”

I looked around for Nadine. There was no sign of her or Derek. “You may be out of luck. I think she ditched me,” I said.

“Her loss, then,” Alex said seriously, and maybe it was the drink, but a thrill stole through me.

“So, photography, huh?” I changed the subject. “What types of subjects do you shoot?”

“I mainly shoot everyday scenes, but I’ve done a few weddings, as well. I love taking photographs of nature especially.” He leaned back in his seat. “You would make a stunning image.”

I blushed. “Doubtful.”

There were already enough photos of me circulating, thanks to the paparazzi. Enough everyday moments and incriminating ones. I didn’t look stunning in any of those, that was for sure.

“You would,” Alex insisted, gazing at me like he was imagining the image now. “But enough about that. Tell me about you.”

I brushed my hair behind my ear. “What would you like to know?”

“Anything. What you’re passionate about. What you do for a living. Your dreams and life goals.” He rested his chin on his hand and leaned in.

“Well, my father owns Lush Productions, and I oversee the company. We produce movies, TV series, music videos, and more. Someday, I hope to run the company in its entirety,” I said.

He looked surprised. “Surely, those aren’t your only goals.”

I frowned. Now that he mentioned it, that did seem rather depressing. What else did I love? What was I good at? Owen had stripped me of so much that I’d forgotten who I was. Finally, I said, “I used to love to read.”

“Used to?” Alex pried. “What changed?”

“It doesn’t matter. But you’ve reminded me I need to read again.” I didn’t want to go into specifics about my failed marriage or how that had changed so many things about me.

“What’s your favorite genre?” he asked.

“I mainly read romance, although I’ve delved into science fiction and fantasy,” I supplied. I used to escape into the world of romance, but maybe I was just trying to escape my own sad relationship. Fictional men were always so perfect. A pity many real men couldn’t measure up.

“I love science fiction!” Alex exclaimed. “Have you read ‘Dune’?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“What about ‘iRobot’?” he asked.

“That one, yes. So unlike the movie.” “iRobot” the movie took only one thing from the book: the laws regarding robots. The book was actually a collection of short stories.

“I agree, although the movie was still good.” Alex took a sip of his drink. “I love science fiction, but a good historical fiction novel will capture my attention, too. I’m interested in history in general, so imagining things that could have happened at the same time as historical events isn’t that far of a reach.”

“Is there a particular moment in history that interests you?” I inquired.

“Yes. My favorites are stories set in the 1700s and 1800s when America was first establishing its independence. Stories of tyrannical kings and people who refuse to be cowed.” He paused. “I’m not sure why that interests me, but it does. Perhaps the fact that so few could stand against so many and win. Everyone loves an underdog.”

“You’re not wrong,” I agreed. “It’s inspiring.”

“Yeah.” He checked his watch. It was a surprisingly nice watch for a broke college student. “I hate to cut this short, but I have a class in the morning.”

“Oh, of course,” I said. “But do make sure you bring a painting to my office. Throw in a photograph, too, and I’ll pay double.”

Alex’s eyes lit up. “I will. Thank you again, Fay.”

“You’re welcome. And thank you for changing my tire.”

“Anytime.” Alex made for the door, leaving me alone at the bar.

I checked my phone, seeing a text from Nadine. “You’ve been gone a while, so I’m assuming you left. Derek and I are going back to my place. Rain check?”

“Sure,” I texted back before pocketing my cell phone.

I took a moment to finish my drink, then I considered whether I was able to drive. I hadn’t intended to drink very much, but I’d been having so much fun with Alex that I must have forgotten that. Cursing myself for not eating enough earlier and not paying attention to how much I drank, I decided to call a cab.

While I waited for it to arrive, the bartender made his way over to me. “Can I get you anything else?” he asked, wiping down the counter.

“Thanks, but I think I’m all set.”

He nodded. “You’re Fay Lush, right? Is it true you’re dating Luca Greco?”

I groaned, fighting the urge to scowl at him. “You can’t believe everything you read.”

“But you were seen with him at least twice, both times touching.” The nosy bartender obviously didn’t believe me. And why would he? The paparazzi had outdone themselves in getting incriminating photos.

“Yes, and?” I folded my arms over my chest, not very into the conversation. It angered me that everyone believed these lies about me.

“Sorry,” the bartender muttered, dropping the subject.

But my mood was ruined. Rumors were like poison, corrupting everything they touched. They tainted reputations and spoiled people’s views of you.

I could understand if I had actually done anything wrong. If what the papers reported was even remotely true, I might not be as upset. But being falsely accused hit differently, and I didn’t like strangers confronting me about lies and slander. Short of suing the tabloids, there was nothing I could do, and I had too much going on already to bother with that.

I checked my phone; it was close to time for the cab to arrive, so I went outside. The air was balmy, and I lifted my face to the night sky. I couldn’t see much of the stars due to the city’s light pollution, but I liked to imagine I could.

Once, when Owen and I first got married, he’d taken us on a camping trip to the mountains. It was my first time seeing so many stars—other than in photographs. We’d lain on the ground and stared at the constellations. I couldn’t name more than Orion’s Belt, which was pitiful. It showed me how limited my experience with nature was.

I had been born and raised as a city girl, but at that moment, I could respect the simplicity of the countryside. I’d imagined what it would be like to run away from responsibility and just be.

Now, at this time in my life, I wondered again what it would be like not to be Fay Lush, heiress to the Lush fortune and company. To not have to answer to a father who neither understood my situation nor cared about it.

I felt a little guilty for even thinking this way, but it made sense. Learning to cope with reality had never been my strong suit. That’s why I escaped to peaceful places whenever I could, why I swam in the ocean under the moonlight.

Was it a healthy habit? Maybe not. Should I learn better ways to cope? Probably. But it worked for me, at least for now.

Speaking of my father, a text came in. “Call me,” it read.

Dread pooled in my stomach. What could he want? Especially so soon after his visit. Whatever it was, I doubted I would like it.

The cab wasn’t here yet, so I decided to handle it now, like ripping off a Band-Aid. The phone rang twice before Dad picked up. “Fay. Great. I’m glad you called me so quickly.”

“Of course, Dad. What’s going on?” I tried to make my voice chipper instead of showing how stressed I was.

“We’re having a family dinner tomorrow night, and you need to be there.”

Uh-oh. Family dinner? We only had family dinners when someone needed an intervention or when there was an announcement. Unless they suddenly decided to make Max the CEO of Lush Productions, my guess was on the former. And the only person they might think needed an intervention would be me.

I struggled to find an excuse to get out of it. “Sorry, Dad. Tomorrow isn’t a good day for me. I’m sick.”

“You seemed fine when I saw you earlier today,” he said.

Crap. “Uh, yeah, but I’m cramping really bad. You know how my periods are. I’ll be out of commission for days,” I lied.

“Fay, you’ll be fine. Just come to the house at six.” Dad’s voice sounded tired.

I could see there was no getting out of it, so I reluctantly agreed before hanging up the call.

Dang it. Where was that cab? I started to go back inside, but the cab appeared right as I turned to go.

The drive home was tense. I was deep in thought as I reflected on all the things that could go wrong at a family dinner. By the time I got to the beach house, I was in a fouler mood than I thought possible. The only thing that made it somewhat better was the text that came in from Luca.

“Here’s a riddle,” it read. “What’s beautiful and loves to say no to me?”

I laughed when I read it. “I’m not going to answer that.”

“You’re no fun, but I’ll tell you the answer,” came his quick reply. “Someone I saw in the tabloid today. She was standing with me outside Pierre’s.”

Ugh. Did he have to remind me? “You don’t give up,” I replied, not for the first time. I’d started to question whether I wanted him to, though.

“Now, where would the fun be in that?” he sent with a winky face.

I chuckled and put my phone down. Then I changed and got into bed. For the first time in a long time, I picked up a book and began to read.