Page 26 of The Publicist

Not that I blame her in the slightest. I offended her in the worst way possible.

Elena:Caleb, you ARE a fucking idiot. If you like her as much as you have told me, you’d better fix this. Where are you? What can I do to help?

Me:I’m at Surrender. If I give you her address, can you go check on her for me? Make sure she is okay? I’m sure she is going to block my calls and not respond to my texts.

Elena:I’ll go talk to her. Give me her address, but you need to go home. She’ll be more pissed if you do anything stupid.

I know she’s right. I look at my untouched drink and leave a tip on the table before heading outside and getting into my car to go home.

Chapter 23

Caleb has beensmart and hasn’t texted or called me since the night he was in my office. Not that he had a choice. I blocked him as soon as his perfect ass walked out of the building. When I left work that evening, I noticed a bouquet of flowers on my car windshield. While they were beautiful, it just pissed me off more. It’s not the flowers’ fault though, so I placed them in water when I got home. Imagine my surprise when Elena showed up that night with a bottle of white wine wanting to talk. She really is a good friend to Caleb, and she was doing her best to talk him up.

“Elena, I appreciate what you’re trying to do for Caleb. The whole,” I make air quotes, “dating thing with us is fabricated. It’s not real. I pissed him off, and he said some things. It is what it is.”

She shrugs. “Quinn, I don’t know you that well, but anyone who can keep Caleb on his toes is a friend of mine. I’ve known him longer, and let me tell you, I’ve never seen him look at anyone like he looks at you. He lights up when he sees you. You might think it’s fake, but his feelings for you aren’t.”

“He’s known me for a weekend, and I slept with him.” I watch her eyes light up, and she bounces in her seat. I hold my hand up to stop the impending questions. “I normally don’t do that, and Inevermix business and pleasure. It was a mistake in the heat of the moment.” I pick up my glass and take a sip, letting her know I’m done.

She smiles wide. “It all makes sense now. Quinn, let me tell you something about Caleb. When he sleeps with a girl, and yes there have been tons, he never calls or makes any kind of contact after. He avoids them like the plague.” She points to me. “With you, he’s trying so hard to not mess everything up, and because of that, he keeps messing it up. He really is a good guy, and he likes you. You’re a firecracker. You’ll keep him on his toes. All I’m saying is, don’t judge him too harshly.” I slowly nod my head, contemplating what she told me.

* * *

I’m at the airport,waiting for my flight to Vancouver. Filming started a month ago. I convinced the studio to let me arrive later by promising them he would behave. Luckily for me, he has been a good boy and has stayed out of the media the best he can. There have been a few snapshots of him walking around the city, but in each one, he was smiling and not drunk.I consider that a victory.

The announcement to begin boarding sounds over the speakers, and I pick up my carry on to get in line with everyone else. The three-hour flight is smooth, and we land with no problems. This is my first time visiting Vancouver, and I’m hoping I get the chance to explore the city a bit. I turn my phone on and see there are a few messages. One from Elena and two from Tait. I open the one from Elena first.

Elena:Hey! Can’t wait to see you. Let me know if you need a buffer with Caleb. His eyes lit up when I told him you were arriving today, and he’s been asking about you non-stop. It’s really annoying. Please come put this man out of his misery.

I chuckle reading the text, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss him, too.

Me:I should be at the hotel within an hour. See ya then.

I open the two messages from Tait next. Over the past few weeks, the two of us have been talking a lot, and while he is still a womanizer, I have come to appreciate his sense of humor.

Tait:Loverboy is over here pouting. You still haven’t told me what you did to him.

Tait:Hurry up and get your arse here. I have a problem, and I need a hand in fixing it.

I look at the last text and want to smack him. Just like Tait to send something dirty. I type the response with a smug look on my face.

Me:There is a reason you have a right hand. Get yourself off. I’m not helping you with that.

I can picture him laughing when he opens the message, but I’m not surprised when a response comes in right after.

Tait:Perv! Not that. Although, if you were to offer… I wouldn’t turn you down. ;) Just get here already, and I’m serious about Caleb. He’s been pissy since filming started. The director keeps telling him he’s doing great by not breaking character, but I think it’s because he has too much pent up energy.

I think about responding but pocket my phone instead, in favor of getting to the hotel so I can get my stuff put away. I locate the driver, and he grabs my luggage from the carousel. He walks me out to the car, and there are a few people there that snap my picture.Great, guess they didn’t forget about me. I roll my eyes and get into the back, ignoring all the questions they are shooting my way.

The hotel is not far from the studio, and the driver, Seth, helps me get my luggage into the hotel before taking off. I check in and make my way to my room, ready to relax and maybe have a drink. My nerves are a little fried from thinking about seeing Caleb again.Get it together, Quinn.I have been given permission to be on set starting tomorrow, so today is all about me.

Stepping off the elevator, I walk to my room, number five-one-five-zero. It looks just like any other hotel room, and I push back the curtains to look outside. There is a small balcony, so I make use of it, opening the door to allow fresh air into the stagnant room. I unpack, put my clothes away, and pull out my laptop to answer some emails. I smile when the SMS alert I added for Caleb opens with a new article.

The picture is of him from the set ofKeep her Hidden,and the article is about how he is in Vancouver filming. I flip through a couple of pictures of him and stop on one that makes my heart break. He is sitting alone at a bar, looking sad. The article goes on to talk about how the star will be in town for the next month, and if fans are lucky, they can catch a glimpse.Quinn, time to grow some balls and talk to him.I know he didn’t mean what he said, but the sting of his words didn’t hurt any less.

I pick up my phone and find his name in my blocked callers. I unblock him and send him a quick text. I don’t think I can handle hearing his deep voice right now, so I feel a lot safer with a text.

Me:Hey, I’m in town. I thought maybe we could catch a bite to eat or something. I’m in room 5150 when you’re done filming for the day.