The tone of that sorry says she is not sorry at all. Anne-Marie hears it too, but she doesn’t appreciate it the way I do. Her voice gets tight, her hands slip to her hips, and she gets a defiant glint in her eye. “But his dad is doing this, right? I heard from Emmett that Avery Westwood was in this. My ex-father-in-law. He knows. He knows all about it. The cheating… the three ways he wanted to have with me. And the men.”
“What?” The word hurls itself out of my mouth.
She nods, thinking she’s hooked us. I’m not a fish taking her bait. I’m a girlfriend getting her feelings bulldozed. What the hell is even happening here? Anne-Marie leans in. “So I can’t say this on camera, but we’re not rolling so, yeah. We had an open marriage and it all went south when our three ways became M-F-M. Crew is gay."
“He is not,” I say with all the firm belief I have in my heart.
Anne-Marie stares at me. “How would you know?”
"Thank you for your time. Sorry, you aren't a fit. Have a great day," Tenley announces as she swings open the front door to our apartment.
Anne-Marie stares at her completely confused and visibly annoyed. But then she snatches her bag from the table next to the fern and walks out without another word. Tenley shuts the door behind her with a firm thud and then turns to her crew. "Sorry, all. I promise I'll pay you for the full three hours I booked but you're all free to go. And please, I beg you all to remember you signed confidentiality agreements. Absolutely nothing heard at these interviews can be shared with anyone."
The group is quiet as they gather their things as quickly as possible and disappear out the door. It’s only once we’re alone that Tenley looks me in the eye. “I don’t believe her,” Tenley tells me and leans against our closed front door, pushing the heels of her hands into her eyes. “I know that intimate relationships are a new area for you, Livvy but trust me when I say that it’s rare one person is entirely at fault for a failed relationship. She came here with an agenda. She wanted to slander her ex. She’s bitter and petty and we both know Crew isn’t gay.”
"No, he isn't," I agree and then bite my lip. "I know he's not. I do. But I need to know if anything she said was true. Does that make me a bad person? A jealous girlfriend?"
Tenley smiles and shakes her head. "No, it makes you a caring one. One that is worried she's setting herself up for a fall. It's okay to be cautious and anxious. Talk to him. I'm sure you'll work this all out."
I nod and try to flash her a confident smile but I’m sure my lip is quivering. I am the opposite of confident. After we clean the apartment and set it back to normal, Tenley offers to stay with me while I call Crew, but I tell her I want privacy so she locks herself in her room to find a new person to add to the documentary.
I walk into my room, close the door, take a deep breath, and FaceTime Crew. He picks up right away. "Hey, Fireball. I was just dreaming of you."
His head is on his pillow. His dirty blond hair tousled. There’s a pillow crease on his cheek. The bruising is already fading to a yellowish color on his face. He looks so handsome and he’s all mine. I hope this conversation doesn’t change that.
“Are you stressing out about the trial tomorrow?”
“I’ve been anxious,” I start and he rubs the sleep from his eyes and focuses on me intently as he sits up.
“I wish I could be there.”
“It’s okay I told you I can handle this alone,” I remind him and take a deep breath. I just have to tell him. “But I decided to help Tenley with some extra interviews for the documentary pitch to keep my mind off of it and… Mallory’s brother’s new girlfriend was our subject.”
“Which brother? Doesn’t she have a couple?”
“Emmett. The only one who plays hockey.”
Crew nods and rolls his eyes. “Right. The douche who sold out Tate to TMZ.”
"He didn't. They thought it was him but it was the other brother," I explain and then shake my head. Stay focused. Clearly, he doesn't know his ex is dating Emmett. "Anyway his new girlfriend… we had no idea but… it's your ex."
He blinks. Furrows his brow. Sits up straighter. “Anne… Anne-Marie is dating Emmett Echolls?”
I nod. Crew says nothing, staring off into space, probably absorbing that information. When he finally looks at me I don’t see any jealousy or anger. He looks a little pained, I think, but I get that. A marriage ended. I’ve looked pained after ending relationships half that committed. “She’s gonna ruin his life if he’s not careful. Lord knows she tried to ruin mine.”
“She may still be trying,” I say and his head snaps to attention, his eyes widening.
“What?”
Oh god, I don't know how to have this conversation? I close my eyes. "She said all this stuff about your marriage and you."
“On camera? In front of how many people?”
He’s gotten off the bed now, the luxury hotel room is a blur behind him he’s moving so quickly. It hits me hard that he hasn’t asked what she said. “Yeah. I mean no. Not on film. Not all of it. Tenley called cut as soon as your name came up.”
“But she kept talking? Who was in the room? You and Tenley? Was there anyone else?” Crew wants to know. I’m looking at the ceiling of the room now because he must have put down the phone.
“Yeah a couple crew members but Tenley said they all signed NDAs which means?—”