Anyone But the Superstar (Anyone But You #3)

Chapter 26

26

LIZ

‘I really appreciate everything you’ve done.’

Em, standing next to me in the glassed-in viewing platform, turns away from our birds-eye view of my family walking through the International Space Station mock-up in building nine. A mock-up clearly set behind the red tape still marking the off-limit areas.

She arranged for my family to get VIP access on their NASA tour today, something that made me a hero in my niece’s eyes. But still, I opted to stay back in and watch her skip from one module to another, more comfortable in the non-VIP tour area.

‘It’s no problem really.’ Em shrugs. ‘Truth be told, the mock-up isn’t really that off-limits to visitors. I just didn’t trust the crew not to wander.’ The look she gives me clearly telling me she remembers when she caught me wandering.

Embarrassed, I chuckle sheepishly and return to watching Mary skipping beside Park In-Su. ‘Well, yes, thanks for arranging the tour.’ I smirk at my brothers’ obvious jealous expressions as they look at Bell and Alice, who are watching the handsome astronaut pick Mary up so she can reach the buttons on the next module. ‘But also, for keeping my secret this whole time.’

Em was the opposite of surprised when I called her, telling her who I was and then having the audacity to ask her for favors.

Her ‘did you really think NASA gave out security badges without doing background checks?’ made me question how I was smart enough to graduate college.

I nudge her shoulder with mine. ‘ And for letting me look over the Neutral Buoyancy Lab footage.’

The second of the favors I asked of her.

Thankfully, I was right in thinking that if the NBL kept underwater cameras running, it probably had above water cameras running as well.

‘No problem.’ Em leans against the railing. ‘It made for an entertaining lunch break.’

I smirk, the footage of Sylvie, aka Coral Halter Top, attaching her sparkling hair clip to Ron’s back belt loop and the resulting aftermath was vindicating, if unsurprising.

‘So.’ Em’s eyes meet mine with unspoken support. ‘Are you gonna tell him?’

I don’t have to ask to know she isn’t talking about Coral Halter Top. Having sat next to me when the NBL security footage played, Emily bore witness to both the proof I expected along with something I hadn’t.

‘Maybe.’ I look through the glass once more, something moving fast through the leftover film crew catching my eye. ‘I guess, first I have to decide what to do about—’ Recognition hits as I narrow in on the quick-moving person below. ‘Is that Ron?’ Anxious sweat blooms on my forehead as I scan the rest of the large building, both worried and hoping to see dark, wavy hair, my hand fluttering near my jean pocket where my phone with its three missed calls from Felix rests. He didn’t leave a message or send any texts, so I don’t know if he was calling to rip me a new one or apologize but him reaching out made me oddly feel better.

However, I only asked Emily for the VIP tour after confirming with David that the principal cast had finished and left for California.

Running into Felix is not part of my plan. Not only am I not ready to talk to him, but I’m also worried that with my family here, someone might realize the woman Felix Jones kissed on set was none other than Elizabeth Anne Moore, a socialite to rival his supposed fiancée. And while I’m no longer hiding who I am, I don’t want to chance giving Camilla a reason to spread more lies or make good on her threats about Felix’s mom.

Em watches the deceptively quick director cut through crew breaking down equipment, a look of expectation in her eyes. ‘Ron stayed to make sure they had what they needed to recreate sets as accurately as possible back in the studio.’ She cuts her eyes to me. ‘But all the actors left.’

Dropping my damp forehead on the glass in front of me in relief, I watch Ron come to a stop in front of the very person I was planning to speak to later.

With gestures as violent as they’d been when Mike was attacking his rear end, Ron confronts Sylvie. Even from my position twenty-plus feet overhead, and without the benefit of sound, I can tell Ron is not happy. And that Sylvie is totally fired.

‘Did you do this?’

Em’s eyes remain laser focused on the drama below. ‘You ever heard of the saying, don’t mess with Texas?’

I push off the glass, the expression on Em’s face right now, one of an evil mastermind watching their villainous plan unfolding, is a bit frightening. ‘Uh, yeah.’

Her smile grows, causing me to return my attention to the government security agents escorting a crying Sylvie out of the building.

Apparently satisfied, Em dismisses the scene below with a flutter of her lashes. ‘Well, you don’t mess with NASA. Not while I’m around.’ She nudges my shoulder. ‘And you don’t mess with my friends, either.’

I gaze in admiration at the petite public relations manager. ‘You’re pretty awesome, you know that?’

‘I know.’ Not a hint of conceit in her voice. Just pure confidence. ‘And you’re pretty awesome yourself.’

‘Yeah.’ I nod, for once accepting the compliment. ‘I am.’

Felix

‘We need to talk.’

Head down over my phone on the way to my car, I startle at Jack’s greeting. And then at the person standing in front of his Tesla parked in my drive. ‘Amanda?’

‘Hi, Felix.’ She looks gaunt, nothing like the sparkling girl-next-door romcom queen I’m used to.

‘Hey.’ Squinting against the bright, but not sweltering, California sun, my eyes ping-pong between Jack, his arms resting on the roof of his Tesla, and Amanda, her hands clasped in front of her, her fingers twisting together.

About to call Elizabeth again, I click my phone off and slide it into my pocket. Elizabeth isn’t answering her phone. Or more than likely, doesn’t want to answer her phone. I’ve been trying to call her ever since I landed in California the day after talking to my mother.

‘What’s going on?’ I might be running a few minutes late to my 8a.m. set call time, thanks to another restless night of me replaying and regretting all the things I said to Elizabeth and then berating myself for regretting them, but Jack’s never worried about my timetable before. And he’s never brought someone to my place without asking.

‘Get in.’ Pushing off the roof, Jack opens the driver side door and slides behind the wheel.

Wondering what the hell is going on, I don’t immediately move.

It isn’t until Amanda slides into the back seat that I open the passenger side door.

‘Tell him.’ Jack clicks the gate remote clipped to his sun visor and guns the Tesla.

I brace my hand on the door, the electric car’s pick-up always surprising. ‘Tell me what?’

Jack’s eyes flick to his rearview mirror.

Shifting in my seat, I turn to Amanda, who is looking anywhere but at me.

Her hands, clasped in her lap, turn white. ‘I’m the one who took the picture of you and Anne kissing and sent it to Camilla.’

The car jerks to a hard stop, Jack checking the road for traffic before pulling out.

I barely notice the whiplash. ‘What?’

‘Camilla…’ She meets my eyes for a moment before dropping them again.

My gut churns. ‘Don’t tell me she’s blackmailing you too?’

Amanda nods. ‘My girlfriend is an old sorority sister of hers from college.’

I cut my eyes to Jack, but from his non-surprise, I take it he already knew that Hollywood’s romcom queen is dating a woman.

‘She showed up at my girlfriend’s house one day and we…’ Am anda sighs. ‘She seemed totally nonplussed at first. But then when I started Countdown , Camilla contacted me and said if I didn’t keep tabs on you while you were in Houston, she’d go to the press.’

‘So what?’ My voice rough. ‘You didn’t want anyone to find out that you’re gay, so you took a picture of me and—’ I stop myself from continuing, unsure who I’m really angry at.

Amanda? Camilla? Myself?

I’m the one who blamed Elizabeth for the picture. Even when her taking or spreading the photo didn’t make sense. She lied about her name, and without listening to her reasons, I believed the worst.

‘I’m so sorry.’ Amanda drops her head in her hands. ‘I’ve actually been wanting to come out, even before Camilla found out. I’m tired of the hiding and the secrets.’ She lets out a small, hysterical laugh. ‘I even went so far as to guilt trip my girlfriend, bullying her into coming out with me. Telling her that if she really loved me, she’d do it.’ She raises her head, a haunting look on her face. ‘But then, when Camilla blackmailed me, I realized how selfish I’d been. That if you love someone, you don’t force them to do things they aren’t ready for.’

My chest aches thinking of how I did the same thing to Elizabeth. All because she wouldn’t open up to me in the way I wanted her to, and because of that, I questioned her feelings and ignored my own.

Ron’s directorial guidance on set at the Neutral Buoyance Lab was spot on. But for me, rather than my character. I chose fear, not love.

Reaching back between the two front seats, I take hold of Amanda’s hand and squeeze. I don’t say it will be all right, or that I forgive her. But I do understand all too well what she’s feeling.

She returns my squeeze, using her other hand to brush tears from her eyes. ‘I promise I was going to tell you even without Elizabeth sending me the security footage.’

I drop her hand. ‘Wait, what?’

‘It came this morning,’ Jack says, weaving in and out of traffic.

‘Elizabeth caught me out.’ Amanda shakes her head, a weak smile on her lips. ‘And instead of taking the security footage of me with a camera on set to the studio or telling the papers, she sent it to Jack and asked him to talk to me about it. Said that she believed I was a good person and that I must’ve had my reasons.’

‘And I did.’ Jack’s eyes meet mine for a brief moment before returning to the road. ‘I drove her straight here afterwards.’

Amanda’s small laugh is rife with bemused disbelief. ‘I’m not sure how she could be so forgiving, but I’m just so thankful that she is. Especially knowing who her family is. It’s a miracle she grew up like Camilla and still turned out so wonderful.’

We sit in silence while Jack puts his Tesla to the test against LA traffic.

Mother was right. As usual. I’m a dumbass.

‘These also came by courier this morning.’ Jack pulls a hefty file from his door side pocket, handing them to me before veering onto the interstate.

I flip through the folder of documents, stopping on a signed page. One of many signed pages if the number of yellow tabs is anything to go by.

Elizabeth Anne Moore . Even her signature is a scrawl of artistic lines.

‘Elizabeth signed an NDA?’

‘Everything’s been timestamped and notarized, all dates from this past week.’

My mind whirls as he optimistically sets his cruise control, as if LA traffic isn’t going to force him to repeatedly stop-and-go for the one hour it takes to go fifteen miles. ‘How?— ’

‘I had our lawyers look it over,’ Jack continues. ‘We all agreed that no self-respecting lawyer would draw up, let alone allow their client to sign a document like this unless they were specifically asked to.’ His eyes cut to me. ‘Not only has Elizabeth agreed never to initiate contact, either in person or by phone or mail, she’s agreed to a substantial penalty if she ever breaches said agreement.’

More silence as I stare at the pages in my hands.

‘I don’t know if this means anything to you,’ Amanda says from the back, looking a little less haggard now that she’s unburdened herself. ‘But my girlfriend also knows Elizabeth.’ She holds up her hands. ‘Not well, but well enough that when I confessed to what I did and why, she wasn’t surprised by Elizabeth’s actions. Saying that out of all the people she met during her society upbringing, Elizabeth Moore always seemed the most genuine.’

Jack crosses two lanes of traffic before unclicking cruise control and squeezing in front of a beat-up taxi. ‘Something else came this morning.’

‘Jesus.’ I close the folder and squeeze my eyes shut, not sure I can handle something else. ‘What now?’

He points to the glove compartment.

Opening it, I find a letter with Felix Jones only, please scrawled on the envelope in the same handwriting as Elizabeth’s signature.

‘She said this would be her final communication with you now that she’s signed the non-disclosure agreement.’ For someone who was so against me having any sort of contact with any women, Jack doesn’t look pleased at that piece of news.

With hands less steady that I’d like, I unfold the letter.

Felix ,

I wasn’t able to tell you this at the time because I was protecting someone. At least, that’s what I told myself. And while partially true, I can see now that I was mainly protecting myself.

As you insinuated the last time we spoke, the man who raised me is not my father. I was only made aware of this last year along with the public when Stanley Winston Moore was arrested. My biological father is a scientist named Dr Gerald Howard Lee, who has a daughter, a few years older than me—NASA astronaut Dr Jackie Darling Lee.

As of the time of this letter, I have not yet worked up the courage to meet them. Until that time, or perhaps even after, I would please ask that you not mention this to anyone, as I’m unsure if they would want our connection public.

That’s why I wanted to go to the astronaut dinner. Because I was too nervous and unsure to introduce myself properly. I guess it was karma that she happened not to be there that night.

I am so very sorry my insecurities jeopardized your career and your mother’s wellbeing. Please know that I’m working to fix that.

Your Anne.

I stare at the last line, wondering how two words can make such an impact.

Underneath the letter, a small sketch slips out. It’s Mike, lazing in the sun on his favorite spot in the condo.

Clearing my throat, I refold the letter, slipping it back into the envelope.

‘I haven’t read it.’ Jack answers before I can ask. ‘It’s the only thing she asked for in return for—’ he gestures at the paperwork in my lap ‘—all that.’ He heaves a long, heavy sigh. ‘So even though the manager in me really, really wanted to read it, I didn’t.’

I smile at my friend. ‘You’re a good guy, Jack.’

‘I know.’ He merges onto an exit ramp. ‘Which is why you’re going to give me a raise and let me hire an assistant.’

‘Whatever you want…’ I trail off, noticing our surroundings. ‘This isn’t the way to the studio.’

With a smile much less grim than before, he maneuvers through the slower airport traffic.

‘Here.’ Amanda leans forward, handing me a first-class ticket to New York. ‘Tell her I’m sorry, will you?’

‘Yeah.’ My head whips back as Jack pulls to a stop at passenger drop-off. ‘But not before I do.’