“I don’t live here,” he muttered on his journey just as I reached the door and opened it.
A man in a suit and two cameramen stood on the other side. “Hi, come in,” I said, waving them forward. “Aiden will be down in a second. Would you like something to drink?”
All three of them glanced around carefully as I showed them into the living room where a producer and Trevor had already agreed would be the best place to film. I caught the camera guy looking at the walls when Aiden jogged down the steps. I’d never lived through an earthquake, but I was sure him on the steps might register on the Richter scale.
He filled the entrance to the living room—his shoulders and arms looking spectacular in the white polo shirt he’d somehow squeezed into, and the khaki pants he had to get specially made for his oversized thighs. I edged my way out of the corner of the living room, not necessarily wanting to but knowing I needed to. Just because I was pissed off at him didn’t mean I stopped doing my job.
“Need anything before you start?”
His eyes were everywhere, except on me. “Get them some water.”
Oh, ye of little expectations.
I blew out a breath, ground down on my molars, and nodded. “I was already going to do that. I was just waiting for you to come downstairs.”
When the doorbell rang, I frowned and walked around Aiden, wondering if one of the crew had been outside taking a smoke break. Peeking through the hole, I saw a face I’d seen enough of recently through video chat.
Trevor.
Of all the people in the world…
Undoing the lock, I slowly let it swing open but put my body between him and the crack in the door.
“Vanessa,” the forty-ish man greeted me.
My eyelids lowered. “Trevor.”
Dressed in a steel-gray suit with his hair combed back, he looked every bit of the high-powered sports manager he was… and a douche. “Can I come in?” He didn’t make it sound like a question.
Could he? Yes. Did I want him to? No. But considering his two clients lived here, I didn’t really have a say. “I didn’t know you were in town,” I commented as he stepped passed me inside.
“Only for the day,” he said, casually strolling in and heading into the living room.
Had he been in town talking to the team about Aiden? Was that who Aiden had been on the phone with?
To give Aiden and Trevor credit, they both acted like they hadn’t just been arguing recently. What a bunch of fake-asses. I held back my eye roll, and headed into the kitchen to grab enough bottles of water for the entire crew, Aiden, and The White Devil. I set the bottles on the coffee table and headed toward the half bath to take a quick pee.
“Van!” Zac whisper-hissed when I was in the hallway.
I tipped my head back to find him peeking over the railing and couldn’t help but grin. “What are you doing?” I whispered, eyeing the living room to make sure no one was paying attention.
“I’m beggin’ you. I’ll love you forever, darlin’…” he started.
That had me groaning. I knew I was going to say yes to whatever he was about to ask of me just because he was being so cute.
“I don’t wanna go down there, but I’m starvin’. I have two sandwiches in the fridge, can you toss ‘em up to me?”
I blinked. Did he not know who he was talking to? Me tossing stuff? “Give me a second.”
He pumped his hands in front of his chest before retreating behind the bannister. What a goofball.
As I passed by the doorway of the living room to go into the kitchen, I could see the crew arranging white umbrellas and bright lights by the couches as the man in the suit talked to Aiden and Trevor. I snagged the two foot-long sandwiches still in their wax-paper wrapper from the fridge, and hustled up the stairs with them and a bag of sweet potato chips. I knew him. He’d get hungry in half an hour on just a sandwich.
Sure enough, Zac was waiting at the top of the stairs, his back against the guest bedroom’s closed door, just far enough away from the staircase so that anyone standing at the bottom couldn’t see him.
He beamed when he spotted my offering. It didn’t escape me that he still hadn’t gotten dressed for the day. I couldn’t wait until I didn’t have to either. “I love you, Vanny. Do you know I love you?”
I handed him his things. “So you’ve said.”
“I do. Anything you ever need, I’m your loyal servant,” he said, busy peering down the stairs as he whispered.
“How about a million bucks?”
Zac glanced at me over his shoulder. “Well, anything but that. I don’t even have a million bucks for me. I’m the poor guy in the house.”
Considering he probably made eight times what I did—at least—I wouldn’t call him poor. But comparing him to Money Bags of Winnipeg in the living room, I could see his point.
“Have you seen Vanessa?” Aiden’s voice carried up the stairs from below.
Just as I opened my mouth to let him know where I was, Trevor answered. “Since when do I keep track of your dinner roll?” he replied in a voice that definitely wasn’t a whisper.
Did that asshole just call me fat?
Zac’s eyes met mine as if he was thinking the same thing. I frowned and put my index finger up to my mouth so I could focus on listening. Apparently, I was a masochist who liked to do things that caused myself pain and anger.
“She was here a second ago.”
“I know this isn’t the time, but I will find you somebody else,” that was the asshole talking. “She did tell you she was quitting, didn’t she?”
Aiden’s “Uh-huh” made it up the stairs.
“Good. I’ll find you a replacement soon. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not,” the traitor replied, which only slightly insulted me.
“I was worried you weren’t going to handle it well,” Trevor admitted, but I was so focused on what was being said, I didn’t pick up on the hints he was leaving with his word choice.
“She can do whatever she wants,” The Wall of Winnipeg replied in that cool voice that held zero emotion, a confirmation of its own that he meant what he said.
What a damn dick. Did anyone appreciate me?
“I never liked her much anyway,” the devil’s advocate continued.
I hadn’t liked Trevor much either, but sheesh. Weren’t there more important things in the world to talk about than me behind my back?
Aiden on the other hand grunted, and the insults just kept on coming…
“Maybe I can find you someone a little easier on the eyes. What do you think?” Trevor’s tone lightened at his joke.
I waited. Then I waited a little longer for Aiden to tell him to shut up and do his job.
But I waited in vain. He didn’t say a word.
After everything I had done for Aiden…
Everything…
He was going to let Trevor talk shit about me? I mean, I just figured a decent person wouldn’t do that. I would never let anyone talk badly about Aiden, unless it was Zac and I doing the shit-talking, but I figured we both had get-out-of-jail passes with it since he was his roommate and I was his lackey.
But the entire conversation—this moment—felt like a betrayal at the highest level.
It was one thing to be his employee, but for him not to care even a little bit that I was leaving? On top of that, for him to let this asshole talk about me? About my freaking looks of all things? I’d never shown up to work a sloppy mess. My straight, auburn hair was usually fine because I didn’t do much with it other than let it loose around my shoulders. I put makeup on and put some effort into my clothes. I wasn’t gorgeous, but I wasn’t ugly—at least I didn’t think so. And sure, I wasn’t a size zero or a three or a five, but was Trevor fucking kidding me? Me? A goddamn dinner roll?