“Yes, well, thank you.” He gave her a forced smile, his lips pressed together.
“We’re just dying to know. Where is Gina? Shouldn’t she be on your arm?”
The Us Weekly interview was rearing its ugly head. After so many interviewers had skipped this prying personal question, he was dismayed to hear it asked at all.
He did his best to dodge the implication they were, in fact, a couple. “She’ll be arriving soon, I’m sure.”
“Ah, walking the red carpet separately. Sure, we see that all the time. So tell me . . . you have such great chemistry on the show, is that what led to your relationship offscreen?”
Luke cleared his throat and pondered the question. He could cooperate, go along with it, boost his career and Gina’s and give hot gossip to the E! network’s viewers. Or he could do the right thing, and publicly prove to Elle that he was hers and hers alone. He chose Elle.
“Thank you. Chemistry is a difficult thing, you know. And usually, when you have great on-screen chemistry, it doesn’t translate off the screen. That’s certainly the case with us. Gina and I are good friends and nothing more.”
The interviewer froze, her mouth agape. Quickly, she recovered and asked a follow-up question. Luke’s foot twitched. He was eager to escape this uncomfortable interrogation.
“So wait . . . you two aren’t a couple? Weeks ago, she gave an interview for Us Weekly saying she found love again, are you saying she made that up?”
Luke nodded, looked directly into the camera, and smiled with confidence. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
The rep from the network glared at him from several feet away. She quickly dragged two fingers across her neck, insisting he wrap it up. He’d never been more grateful for a gesture in all of his life. Without batting an eye, he shook the interviewer’s hand, saying, “You have a good evening.”
When he walked to the network rep, he had no idea what to say. He knew he was in trouble.
“I don’t know what the hell you were doing back there, but let’s hope it works in our favor.”
That response confused him. “What do you mean?”
“Love stories are good, but scandals are even better. Let’s hope for some headlines.”
Luke shook his head, holding his hand out abruptly. “Wait. That’s not why I did it.”
The rep raised an eyebrow and looked over her glasses at Luke. “I know that. But my job is to find the silver lining whenever any of you screw things up—so that’s exactly what I plan to do. You can go inside now, you’re done behind the microphone for tonight.”
Taking a rather large sigh of relief, Luke followed a crowd of other actors, producers, and directors into the lobby of the large theater. When he reached one of the many entrances to the auditorium, he was greeted by a man wearing a tuxedo and holding a clipboard.
“Hello, I’m with Follow the Sun, I—” Luke began.
“Mr. Kingston, of course,” the man said with a smile of recognition and deference. “You’re at table nineteen, which is at the back of the first level, right next to the half wall. Some of your fellow cast mates have already arrived.”
Luke still wasn’t used to people recognizing his face or name. It amazed him every time and he was grateful for that. “Thank you.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”
Luke smiled and extended his hand. The man placed his clipboard between his arm and side and shook Luke’s hand with vigor before gesturing for Luke to enter the theater.
As he crossed the threshold, Luke took in the opulence of the theater. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and elegant velvet fabric lined the walls. He could hear the chatter of television and film stars meeting one another for the first time. His eyes caught a glimpse of the most famous couple in the world, sitting together at an empty table, enjoying a quiet moment. The actor brushed the brunette’s hair from her eyes and she kissed the top of his hand. As starstruck as he was, taking in that private moment between two A-list movie stars, his focus was finding Elle. He could only hope she was sitting alone, or with Whitney, at their table. He could ask her to join him in the hallway, to have a conversation and start over.
Three simple steps led to the main floor of the theater. Before he could even make out the small card with the number 19 on the table, he saw them.
Elle looked just as stunning as he’d imagined. She was dressed in a black strapless gown that hugged her body and accentuated her gorgeous breasts. Her lips were ruby red, her hair was pulled up tight in a bun. She nearly took his breath away. But the man sitting next to her was the one who succeeded in knocking the wind right out of Luke’s lungs. Her ex. The man who, Luke knew, didn’t deserve another shot with the woman he loved. Ten years? Who goes ten years without speaking to another person and then expects another chance? He could barely let ten days go by without speaking to Elle. The idea of ten years astounded him.
Unwilling to let Elle see the disappointment and sadness written all over his face, Luke took a second to transform into character. Tonight he would be the aloof ex-boyfriend who couldn’t be rattled. If he succeeded, it would be the performance of a lifetime.
If only he could have a moment alone with her.
“There he is.” Gina rose to her feet, a cocktail in hand and a slur to her speech. “I was waiting for you. Here, have a seat.”
The only empty seat at the table was squeezed between the obnoxious and clearly tipsy Gina and Whitney, the friendly casting director whom he always suspected was rooting for Elle and him to get together. Whitney placed her hand on Luke’s shoulder and leaned in. “She’s already bombed. Started drinking in the limo.”
Luke shook his head. “Lucky me.”
Whitney’s expression changed, making Luke curious. Her eyes darted toward Elle and her date before locking with Troy’s.
“Don’t give up,” she whispered so quietly her voice was imperceptible to anyone outside of their tiny bubble of conversation. Luke knew exactly what Whitney was telling him.
He smiled and placed a kiss on the top of her hand, like men used to do in the movies. He was touched she was clearly rooting for him. “I don’t plan to.”
Whitney’s eyes smiled in a secret response as she nodded and took her seat. Luke glanced around the table, giving everyone a curt hello before sitting next to Gina. Once he did, his eyes fixed on Elle. She was fidgeting with her purse, avoiding eye contact with him. He smirked, feeling the gaze of Elle’s ex upon him. Briefly, he made eye contact with Troy Saladino. Troy’s eyes were dark, concerned, and insecure. For a brief second, they shared a glance before Troy leaned in to whisper something into Elle’s ear. Whatever it was, Elle giggled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. Anger built within Luke, but he suppressed it, turning his attention back to the friendly woman to his left. Whitney smiled warmly.
“Quite the clusterfuck, huh?” She leaned in closer so only Luke could hear her comments. “I mean, this table is one tangled web of drama. Can I get you a cocktail or something? I’m headed to the bar. I’m too impatient to wait for the server.”
“I’ll join you.” Luke stood, offering Whitney his arm. If Elle could bring her ex to the Globes, knowing they’d be seated together, he could certainly turn on the charm with her best friend. All’s fair in love and war.
He glanced back just once before walking to the bar with Whitney. Elle was watching him, her chest rising and falling quickly and her cheeks turning a deep red. It was working.
Just you wait, he thought, knowing this was far from over.
After mingling with other stars from the network and polishing off his first cocktail, Luke escorted Whitney back to the table. Just as she reached her chair, she declared in a surprisingly less-than-subtle tone, “I’m not hanging up that t-shirt just yet.”