‘You had sex with Garrett,’ Dee said, holding her gaze. Jesus, was she really going to make her repeat it?
Kendra nodded. ‘It just happened. We … We weren’t ourselves, I guess.’
Ellis was trying hard not to snigger, and she really appreciated that too. She’d certainly have been sniggering if it had happened to someone else.
‘So what are you going to do?’ he asked. ‘The two of you.’
She shifted under the heavy weight of the cat, scratching his thick ruff and eliciting a half-hearted purr. ‘Well, I think we’ll to have to make a statement. I mean, if Garrett wants Tess to keep out of the limelight, I think we’re going to have to give the press at least something. Then after that, I think Garrett’s going to have to be super-protective of his girlfriend.’ She lifted the cat off her lap and stood to pace in front of the sofa. ‘Maybe him being surly like he was this morning and dragging Tess away like he did last night is just the ticket.’ She stroked her chin. ‘Maybe that’s our way out.’ She was talking more to herself now than to Dee and Ellis, who sat with coffee cups in hand and watched her pace. ‘I mean, who wouldn’t believe that he’s protective of his lover’s privacy, if his lover’s the ultra-reclusive Tess Delaney, especially. He just has to keep up the cover until the initial excitement dies down a bit and people get bored with the story. You know how quickly people get bored. It wouldn’t take more than a day or two, especially if we give them an interview to placate them. Then, I’d guess by the middle of the week at the latest, we could leak something to the press, I don’t know, something about the two of us breaking up. We could just say that Tess has gone away someplace private to write and mend her broken heart.’ She ran a hand through her still-damp hair. ‘It means I’d have to stay at Garrett’s for a little while. I don’t see how we can avoid that now, since Tess literally has no place to go, and we can’t risk the press finding her at my place. Plus they already know we were – together last night. We’re now an item, whether we like it or not, and at the moment, I think we need to at least convince the press that we like it.’ She waved a hand as though she was fending off a swarm of mosquitoes. ‘I mean, it can be stormy, of course it can. Most relationships involving celebrities are, and I can’t imagine one with Garrett being anything but stormy.’ She stopped mid-soliloquy and turned her attention to Ellis. ‘Sorry, Ellis, I know he’s your brother and all.’
Ellis only smiled and shrugged as though she wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.
‘Do you think you two can manage that without killing each other?’ Dee asked.
‘We’ll have to, won’t we? If we want to keep Tess’s identity safe. OK, last night was a mistake, I’ll admit it. Last night was unprofessional and I – K. Ryde – owes Garrett an apology for my unprofessionalism. Nothing like that has ever happened before and there’s no excuse for it. None. I’ll see that Garrett, that Tess, doesn’t have to pay for K. Ryde’s mistake, and I’ll make it right. That’s all, I’ll make it right.’
Just then Ellis’s BlackBerry rang. He picked it up from the coffee table. ‘Garrett? What’s up? What do you … Yes, she’s here.’ He shot Kendra a quick glance. ‘Do you want to talk …?’
Both women stared at Ellis, but the remainder of the conversation consisted of, ‘Yes … All right, I can do that … Now …? OK, I’ll be right there.’
He hung up and blew out a sharp breath. ‘Garrett wants me to come over. He says it’s urgent.’
Kendra refrained from saying that he probably just needed some hand-holding. ‘Please, Ellis, don’t let him go outside, even if you have to tie him to a chair. I don’t want him in the public eye until we have a working plan in place. Can you do that for me?’
Ellis offered a smile that made her stomach do a little somersault as she realized just how much it reminded her of Garrett’s quirky grin. ‘It’ll be a pleasure to keep the twit in line,’ he said.
He glanced down at his watch, then motioned Dee to walk him to the door, Kendra figured for a little private cuddle, and hell, the two had earned it, hadn’t they? She felt another stab of anger at Garrett for what he and Stacie had nearly destroyed.
Ellis offered Kendra a reassuring smile. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.’
While Dee was saying her goodbyes to Ellis, Kendra checked her email. Just as she’d expected, there was a message from Don for K. Ryde. After his glowing praise for Kay Lake’s portrayal of Tess, the email was a basic repeat of what he had said to Garrett this morning, urging K. Ryde to try and convince Garrett to let Tess do some interviews and some endorsements.