The sound of laughter and voices from the beach, only ten feet or so from her fence, engulfed her. So did the cool, moist air of autumn and the briny scent of the ocean. She closed her eyes as she considered backing out of the deal with Simon. But the practical side of her wouldn’t allow it. What did she think—that she and Matt would bump into each other and he’d suddenly regret not pursuing the relationship? Why would that happen now when he’d gone back to Wisconsin and basically forgotten about her after they’d all but had sex?
It wouldn’t. For the sake of her future and her employees, she needed to live up to the commitment she’d made to Simon. “There’s just one problem,” she heard herself say.
“What’s that?”
She felt she sounded wooden, mechanical, but soldiered on. “I can’t come home next month.”
“Why not?”
“I’m…sort of involved with someone else, someone who lives here.” She figured she’d be better off not mentioning the “M” word. She could always justify her marriage by saying it was an impulsive act, something they’d done while visiting Vegas. Otherwise, she’d send the whole town of Whiskey Creek into an uproar.
There was a slight pause. “Since when?”
“It’s been a few months.”
“You’ve never mentioned anyone.”
Gail slipped past two trellises to gaze over the fence at the inline skaters rocketing down the walkway, the athletes playing sand volleyball beyond that and the waders at the water’s edge. “I didn’t think it would go anywhere.”
“If you’re willing to miss seeing Matt, it must be serious.”
The scent of damp wood and seaweed filled her nostrils. It didn’t matter that L.A. and Whiskey Creek were in the same state. They were as different as two places could be. No wonder she hadn’t thought of all the complications she’d bring to her personal relationships when she’d decided to save Simon’s image—and her business—with a temporary marriage. “More serious than it was before.”
“Are you in love, G.?”
“I…might be.” She was waffling, but her response shocked her friend enough that Callie didn’t seem to notice.
“Oh, my gosh! Who’s the lucky guy?”
Wincing at the reaction she’d receive when she uttered the name, Gail made her way back toward the bedroom. “Simon O’Neal.”
Callie’s pause extended into awkward silence. No doubt she’d expected Gail to add, “Not the Simon you’re thinking of.” When she didn’t, Callie said it for her.
“You’re not talking about the Simon O’Neal, are you? The actor? I know he was your client before you fired him. But you said he was an ass**le.”
Gail was going to get this a lot. She’d complained far too much to her friends. “I was frustrated when I said that.”
“So it is Simon.”
The wind chimes on her porch tinkled softly. “Yes.”
“You’re dating him even though you told him you wouldn’t work for him anymore?”
Her bedroom seemed far cooler and darker than before her excursion into the afternoon sunshine. But she went inside and closed the door. “The stress of trying to have a professional relationship while seeing each other caused everything to blow up. You can imagine how difficult it would be to date someone so famous. We were sneaking around, and he was…acting out because of…you know, the divorce, and I was wondering how I could continue to represent him if I was emotionally involved with him. I swore I’d never date one of my clients. You’ve heard me say that. It’s just not wise.” She was talking too fast and too much and throwing in too many justifications. She needed to be careful but couldn’t seem to catch herself until Callie interrupted.
“Speaking of the divorce, it’s only been a few months since he and his wife split.”
Gail kicked off her flip-flops and smoothed her bare feet against the plush rug near her bed. “Actually, she took Ty and moved out over a year ago. The divorce has been final for six months.”
“Okay. About a year, then. He could still be on the rebound, Gail. If he ever loved Bella to begin with. You can’t tell me his behavior doesn’t spook you. It would have to. What about all the things he’s done?”
He spooked her, all right. But she’d never be able to do business in L.A. again if she didn’t come through. “The divorce was an acrimonious one. I’ll be the first to admit that. But you have to understand it’s been really, really hard on him.”
“I don’t think it’s been any easier on his ex-wife. Last I heard, he showed up at her house drunk and got into a fight with her brother. You shouldn’t be dating someone who…who’s spinning out of control, G.”
Gail laughed uncomfortably. “Come on, Callie. He’ll get turned around. It’s not easy living under a microscope.”
“I understand. But…you’re the most stable, levelheaded girl I know. Why would you get involved with someone who needs so much therapy? He cheated on his wife with six different women.”
At last count. Gail was pretty sure he’d been shooting for Tiger’s record. “He screwed up, ah, literally.” She managed a weak chuckle at her bad pun. “But it’s killing him to be kept from his little boy.”
“I’d like to believe you, but most people who feel bad about losing their kids resist jumping from one bed to the next because they know it won’t help their case.”
Gail squeezed her forehead. “He was depressed, fatalistic, going through a rough time. That’s not who he really is.”
“The pictures in the tabloids, showing him with one woman after another, sure don’t make him look depressed and fatalistic. He’s living the high life.”
Gail suspected that appearing so happy in public was a purposeful cover, a way to save face, but she couldn’t use that in her argument. And if this was how it was going with Callie, she cringed to think of the conversation she’d have with her father.
Suddenly Gail was glad Simon had refused to go to Whiskey Creek. She needed to keep him away at all costs. “The tabloids make up a lot of that stuff.”
“You once told me there’s a kernel of truth behind most of those stories.”
She’d been so transparent about everything that she had no wiggle room left. “It’s more complicated than it seems. He had a horrible childhood.”