Jethro: I got hold of your publicity person and have a phone appointment on Monday.
Sienna: I already miss you. I wish you were with me.
I sent the text, irrational anger rising in my chest, making it hard to swallow. I hated that he wasn’t with me. I hated we were keeping our relationship a secret, our engagement a secret. I hated we hadn’t officially told his family, but I understood why we hadn’t. But I still hated it. I hated that my mother and father had decided to go on a cruise and weren’t answering their phone.
But most of all, I hated that I hated everything.
Jethro: I’ll come next time, when we’re sorted.
Sienna: I should have hidden you in my suitcase.
Jethro: It’s not big enough.
Sienna: That’s what she said.
Jethro: You are the funniest.
“Mr. Low. Didn’t expect to see you.” Dave’s surprised statement pulled my attention away from my messages to the interior of the aircraft.
Sure enough, Tom was lounging on one of the benches, holding a glass of water with lime.
“What are you doing here?” I didn’t make any attempt to hide my dismay.
“I offered him a spot.”
I turned my head, saw Marta standing by the cockpit, an unconcerned expression on her features.
Her smile growing warm as she glanced at Tom, she continued, “I thought it would be nice. I’m sure the filming schedule has been crazy, and with all your writing, you haven’t had any downtime.”
I gaped at my sister, certain my horrified expression said it all. Now she acknowledges I need downtime? Now?
She blinked at me, looking bewildered. “Is there anything wrong?”
I leaned close and whispered, “Yes. I’d rather fly in a dog crate, in the luggage compartment, than spend ten hours trapped in a plane with that insufferable asshat.”
Her mouth flattened. “Sienna.”
“Get him off the plane, or I’m not going.”
She gritted her teeth. “You’re being rude.”
“No. You’re being rude and presumptuous.”
She huffed. “You can be such a diva sometimes.”
Lifting my voice, I said, “No. I’m not. I’m never a diva. I’m paying for this plane, so that makes it my plane.” Turning to Tom, I motioned to the door. “Marta shouldn’t have offered you a seat. I want you to leave.”
Tom’s surprised gaze moved from me to my sister. When his eyes moved back to mine, they were hard and his expression made me take a step back.
“Is this because of what happened with your bearded friend? The one you’ve been fucking on the set?”
Marta gasped.
I didn’t gasp. I heaved a sigh because I was bored. “Oh, for the sake of Rodan’s ceiling fan, would you just leave without making a big scene? Is that possible? There are no Academy members here to see your drama. You can’t use this for your reel. Just leave.”
His brow darkened and he stood, smoothed a hand down his shirt front, and then grabbed the Louis Vuitton overnight bag at his feet. “You’re washed-up. This guy is going to make a laughing stock of you.”
“Well, I hope so. In case you didn’t get the memo, I’m a comedian.”
He paused as he moved past me, then turned, his blue eyes prideful and beseeching. “I could have helped you, Sienna. I still can. That’s why I’m here. To help you and your sister clean up this mess.”
My anger fizzled, leaving me tired. “It’s not a mess, Tom. Jethro is not a mess. He’s what I want. I’m in love with him.”
“Even if that means throwing everything away?” He sounded truly perplexed.
I shook my head and sighed. “If you don’t fight for what you love, then you have nothing worth losing.”
We were over the Atlantic when Marta finally spoke to me.
“I can’t believe you made him leave.” She shook her head for the hundredth time. Though she’d been giving me the silent treatment, she’d shaken her head every three minutes since takeoff.
“I can’t believe you asked him to come.”
She gave me a disbelieving look. “Sienna, we’re all going to the same place. It’s ridiculous he should fly separately.”
“No. It’s not. We dated, Marta. I dated Tom. We only dated for one or two weeks, but I broke up with him for very valid reasons, all having to do with how irritating he is.”
“I’ve never seen him be anything but nice to you.”
I snorted. “Really? Well, a few weeks ago he suggested I try a low-carb diet if I wanted to win back the Smash-Girl role.”
She stared at me, biting the inside of her lip, then shook her head. “Okay, yeah. That’s an asshole thing to say.”