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"Nice dress," I say when Brooke joinsthere at thethe buffet with its ice sculptures and chocolate fondue setup, or rubbing elboith other Hollywood elite "Matches your eyes"
I laugh when she narrows those eyes at lances around to make sure no one’s near "You knohere the rooht? Graham’s is in that alcove area on the other side of the elevators, and Emma’s and mine are in between yours and his"
I nod I’d checked out the locations she’d givento do here our roos, and I wonder if she didn’tas a CIA operative
"You left your phone in her rooed between sofa cushions"
"We’ll leave when they do As soon as you get to your roo your phone to your roo up with her, call me I’ll be in the hallway between your roo up, come out of your room and find her Keep her faced towards you--that’s really i about her superior way of giving instructions justmy phone Then call you Then come into the hallway Real complicated"
Her jaw sets "Reid, I swear to God, if you screw this up--"
"Reid Alexander!" A woirl of twelve or thirteen, who’s staring at me with a dumbfounded expression
"Uh, yes?"
"I’m Johanna and this is Christina Noel and e fans of yours!" She sticks out a cla, "Christina Noel, shake his hand!" The girl co "We won tickets to the pre and traveled 1421 e whisper, "This hotel costs a fortune!" Straightening, she adds, "Worth every penny--but it’s a lot of pennies!" She hoots with laughter while the girl turns bright red "Anyhoo, we are just speechless with delight to be here!"
Speechless is not the word I would have chosen for her, though it appears fitting for her unfortunate kid
"Oh, and look!" Staring at Brooke, she elbows the girl "It’s Caroline" I feel Brooke stiffen besidetone "You were in that little cable series--as it called--Life’s a Beach? We don’t let Christina Noel watch trashy stuff--no offense--so we haven’t seen it But I’m sure it’s just peachy, for what it is"
Oh shit Cleanup at Table One in three, two…
"Do you have a camera?" I ask "How about a photo of irl to stand next to ht if I re Hertissues, celebrity maps, and bottles of lotion and hand sanitizer on the table, oblivious to the fact that Brooke is giving her a marked-for-death stare
"Ah-ha!" She produces a cheap ca up the shot, she thrusts it into Brooke’s hands "Be a dear and take our picture, will you?" She squeezes herself on the opposite side ofBrooke off of her chair
Brooke snaps one photo before givingto do with the insulting speech "Callthe camera back into Johanna’s hands, she spins and strides towards MiShaun and Tadd, disaster soot into her bonnet?" Johanna mutters
Chapter 31
Brooke
My phone buzzes When I answer, Reid says, "You’re on"
Emma is in the corridor, about to turn the corner My heart is thu so hard I can barely hear her footsteps I face the , like it’s nor on the phone, no big deal Here we go
"Graham’s supposed to call me soon, but I wanted to let you know the soon-to-be-news," I say, listening for Emma’s footfalls She hears Graham’s name and stops at the corner, just as I knew she would
"So aet the dirty details?" Reid says, determined to make this artificial conversation miserable, just because he can
I concentrate on saying what I want her to hear "You kno impatient I aether openly All we have are stolen moments when she’s not around"
"Your cruelty knows no bounds, does it?" Reid says I want to tell him to shut the hell up He’s only on the line to knohen to exit his room, the jackass
"He doesn’t want to hurt her, but we’re meant to be" I try to sound casual, but Reid’s coht we spent--I hs softly in ly hot Better than anyone, ever"
"If only it were true…" Reid says I’iven in to this thing between us years ago instead of putting sofriends only"
"So he’s never, in four years, hs "Man, what that o"
Son of a--ignore, ignore, ignore