He grimaced as he glanced at the screen. “Oh!” he said in surprise.
“What?” Wendy asked, looking up at him.
“Victor Moore has seen on the news that I might be having a little trouble. He says he’s explained the situation to his family, and their problems can wait until I’m available.”
“That is ridiculous,” Lorelei said, laughing, at the same time Colton said, “This Victor Moore, whoever he is, has no idea how to be a star. I could teach him a thing or two.” He glanced at his watch. “I think we’re about to close this place down. But Lorelei and I agreed that we have a couple of confessions to make to you first.”
Wendy’s eyes flew wide open.
“Soooo . . . ” Lorelei started slowly.
Daniel glared at her. If it was bad news, frankly, he didn’t want to know. He definitely didn’t want Wendy to know. Not tonight.
“When you guys made Colton and me sit on your couch and talk to each other?” Lorelei continued. “And then you said we should take things slow from there? We didn’t. We slept together.”
One of Daniel’s hands was still wound up in Wendy’s hair. Under the table, he balled his other hand into a fist. He was going to kill Colton yet.
“But the next night,” Lorelei rushed on, “at my birthday party, we had a huge argument.” She was talking only to Wendy now. “Colton said you and Daniel were only getting married so people would get confused about the ceremony and think we were getting married. Daniel was so cold, sorry”—Lorelei waved toward Daniel by way of apology—“that I wanted to stop you from marrying him if that was true.
“Colton said to let you go ahead, because it would save our careers. He said it was all for work. I said nothing is all for work. The PR folks, the photographers, they’re people and they matter, too. That whole fight was why, when I headed home to L.A. last night, Colton got out of the limo and backtracked to Vegas. Though, considering what happened next, I’m glad he did.”
“So are we,” Daniel said, pulling Wendy closer.
“Anyway,” Lorelei said, “I’m happy you’ve stayed together. You’ve given Colton and me hope. Sometimes even when a relationship is hard, it’s real.”
Unimpressed, Wendy tapped her fingernail on the table. “What’s the other confession?”
Lorelei bit her lip. “I didn’t follow some of your other instructions, either.”
“Really,” Wendy said flatly.
“Yes! I used my phone and took a picture at your wedding when you weren’t looking.” She peered down at her phone and thumbed through the images. “I guess it’s the only wedding photo there is. Colton thought it was safe to tell you about it now that the awards show is over and everything has worked out. We’re going to get it blown up for you as big as this room. Here it is.” She handed the phone to Daniel.
He and Wendy put their heads together and peered down at the picture. They both gasped when they saw it.
“That is the coolest thing ever.” Daniel elbowed Wendy. “You look completely freaked out.”
She laughed. “You look stoic.”
“That’s my expression of ecstasy. You know that by now.” He looked up at Lorelei. “Thank you.”
“You’re so welcome, you guys! Hugs!”
Everyone stood. Daniel gave Lorelei the hug she deserved for her part in saving Wendy, and his handshake with Colton turned into a bear hug, too, surprising nobody more than himself. With repeated promises to head straight for their hotel rooms and leave for L.A. again tomorrow, Colton sauntered and Lorelei bounced out of the room.
Daniel and Wendy sank back down onto their seat again. He told her, “Lorelei’s ditzy, but she knew we belonged together way before we did.”
“She’s an idiot savant of love.” Wendy interlaced her fingers with his. “Gosh, this whole marriage thing has blindsided me, because we’ve done it all backward. We have so much to talk about. Whose apartment are we going to live in?”
“We can use mine,” Daniel said, “but it’s too dark for you.”
“Mine’s too messy for you,” Wendy said. “I want desperately to be neat, but I get in a hurry and start flinging things.”
“I’ll help you,” Daniel said. “Life will be a lot less stressful for both of us now that we have each other’s backs.”
She beamed at him and brought their clasped hands up to kiss his bruised knuckle.
He had a sudden, terrible thought. “Are you allergic to cats?”
“No, I like cats. Are you allergic to turtles?”
He laughed. “You have a turtle?”
“He came with the apartment.” Her face fell. “Uh-oh. I wonder if turtles and cats get along.”
“I predict that they’ll try very hard and will be utterly unable to hurt each other.” He unwound his finger from one lock of her hair and wound it around another. “What do you say we put that off for a few more days and have a honeymoon? Are you sick of Vegas?”
“No, even after the week we’ve had, I’m not sick of Vegas, so obviously that’s not possible. We could re-experience it, sort of write over the bad memories. Can you take off from work?”
“Yeah, now that Victor’s let me off the hook for a while. Can you?”
“Absolutely. Earlier today, I thought I’d better get back to New York ASAP. But the publicity for Lorelei—and for me—is working out better than I’d dreamed. All of Hollywood will be asking for the well-armed PR expert in her skivvies.”
“I certainly would,” Daniel said. Her photo was already appearing on the tabloid blogs, looking like a pulp fiction cover. And her tense call to her boss had turned out fine. After all, Stargazer prided itself on innovative PR.
“Before I left,” Wendy said, “Stargazer gave all my clients to other people. I can wait a few more days to ask for them back.” She examined Daniel’s hand in hers. “The first thing I want to do on our honeymoon is buy you a new wedding band.”
“Nope,” he said. “This one is perfect.”
She eyed him skeptically. “It doesn’t go with your Rolex.”
“I don’t care.”
“Senator Rowling’s constituents are going to think you married a carny.”
“Senator Rowling values difference.”
“You’re good at PR.” Edging closer until her lips brushed his, she whispered seductively, “What do you want to do on our honeymoon?”