“What are you talking about?”
Dru’s eyes narrowed as she came into the kitchen. “Turn around.”
“Why, what is it?” Amanda spun around. “Is there something on my back?”
“Beyond a little extra padding? No.” Amanda rolled her eyes at her horrible fat joke. “That’s not what I was looking at.”
“What is it?”
“Oh, nothing. Just you. Hanging out with Sam Pleasant.”
Amanda’s whole body went cold. “What?”
Dru strolled over and shoved her phone in Amanda’s face. “You little fucking liar,” she said with a smirk. Amanda looked at the screen. Dru was on some gossip site and sure enough there was a picture of her and Sam on the dance floor at Claim Jumpers. Her back was to the camera, but Sam’s face and that unmistakable cowboy hat were in clear view. You could see Zach and his own tan Stetson just off to their left. There was a small circular picture inset of the larger photo that showed a magnified image, making it clear those were Sam’s pearly whites flashing in the middle of that dive bar. Apparently that woman had managed to hide one photo from the bouncer’s view. Or maybe someone else had taken it.
Either way it was definitely on CelebGossipCentral. com. Amanda scrolled to the bottom of the article, skimming for certain details. It named the bar, went into detail about what Sam was wearing, it even mentioned that Evie Buchanan and her beau, Zach Pleasant, were also two-stepping the night away. Amanda was cited as an unnamed friend. Unnamed friend. She could handle that. But the speck of anonymity still couldn’t stop her from nearly shaking. This was not good.
She swallowed and handed Dru back her phone. “Sam Pleasant went to a bar with friends. What does that have to do with me?”
“How stupid do you think I am? Your hair is up the exact same way and you are wearing that same cheap sweater.” She plucked at the fabric covering Amanda’s shoulder. “They haven’t figured out who you are. They don’t give a fuck who random hangers-on are, but I need to know. How the hell do you know Sam Pleasant? Why the hell were you keeping this from me, and when the fuck are you going to introduce me to him so we can start our A-list baby-making empire?”
“Excuse me? What?”
“How do you know him?”
“I don’t. That’s not me!” Amanda sensed she was caught, but she didn’t care. Everything was all so new. She wasn’t ready to let Dru have a single piece of it, especially when Sam was halfway across the planet with his phone on Do Not Disturb.
“Mandy. Please. I look at that big dome and those discount braids every day. I know what you look like from that angle. I know it’s you. I know you lied about taking care of your friend’s baby this weekend ’cause you were somehow hanging out with Sam in his hometown. You have an in and I want that in too.”
The odd smile on Dru’s face let Amanda know that Dru wasn’t angry for being kept in the dark. The opposite. She was very pleased. Pleased with herself for figuring it out and pleased with herself for having trapped Amanda in a corner.
“I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about. Also, you’re the famous one between the two of us. If you want to meet Sam Pleasant, ask some other famous person to introduce you.”
The expression on Dru’s face dropped, like maybe she’d tried that already and it hadn’t worked. She shook the moment off and kept pressing.
“Are you saying this isn’t you?” Dru swiped her finger across her phone screen again and brought up one of Helene and Ignacio’s wedding photos. In the foreground the bride and groom were in each other’s arms. In the background were Amanda and Sam. Amanda had seen all the photos that had been published inPeoplemagazine and this wasn’t one of them. She’d been very careful to keep an eye on their professional photographer, careful to practically run from the man anytime she saw him coming. Someone else had taken this photo and apparently posted it.
“How—”
“You seriously think I’m stupid. This is easy Internet Stalking 101. Some dingus violated what one would think was an ironclad pre-wedding NDA and posted it on their Instagram. When I saw the pictures at the bar I knew that updo looked familiar to me. I did a little digging and I remembered I’d seen something in the background of one of Helene Sawyer’s wedding photos. And there you are. Slow dancing with Sam. Color me impressed. I didn’t think you’d be able to even speak to a guy like that. Let alone dance with him.”
In this photo, even though the resolution wasn’t great, even Amanda could tell it was definitely her. The shape of her face, her round cheeks and full lips, even her smile. It was undeniable. She was caught.
“Anyway, I’m gonna go.” Amanda tried to step around Dru, but Dru stuck out her arm, blocking her way. She wondered if Dru could really fight, ’cause she considered knocking her on her ass right then and there.
“Let’s try this again. You work for me and since you’ve been lying to me about hanging out with him you’re gonna make it up to me. You’re gonna introduce me to Sam Pleasant. You’re gonna introduce me to his brothers and his amazing grandmother. Then you’re gonna convince him that he and I would be perfect together. You’re gonna get him to ask me out.”
The thought of Dru and Sam anywhere near each other drove bile to the top of her throat. The thought of Sam being with her, touching her, calling Dru his girlfriend. That was too much.
“The Pleasants are exactly what I need to shoot my career to the next level. Sam can get me real roles. Not this TV shit. Not to mention what rubbing elbows with Leona Lovell will do. Seriously, Mandy. Why didn’t you think of this sooner? You had the golden goose all along.”
Something in Amanda’s brain snapped, a hot rage flashing over her skin, warming her face and scoring the tips of her ears. She felt the words rushing to the tip of her tongue. She knew she was making a mistake but she couldn’t stop herself.
“No.”
“No what?” Dru took a step back.
“No. I won’t introduce you to Sam or any other member of the Pleasant family. You are the last thing he’s looking for in a partner and I would never let you near him just so you could use him.”