Page 251 of Just for the Cameras
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say.
“Hank, please, you’re going to make it worse.”
“Worse?” His brows shoot up. “How could I make this worse? Youwere almost attacked out there by some idiotic fan. The press snuck in and hounded you. I care about you, Maple, that’s why I’m going to say something, and it’s why I’ll keep saying something, because no one is seeing what I’m seeing. He’s so blinded by what’s best for him—”
“All I care about is her,” I shoot back.
“If that were the case, then you wouldn’t be putting her through this, and all for what? A bunch of broken promises?”
“I haven’t broken a promise.”
“We really need to take this somewhere else,” Gretchen says, but Hank ignores her.
“You haven’t? Then what about the donation? The one that was promised her in exchange for helping you out? Phil just told me that money is being put toward merchandise rather than the flamingos, especially now with the painted wall that’s gathering attention.”
“Wait…what?” Maple asks. “He said that?”
“Yes, so everything you’ve done…pointless. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Maple, but you’ve been so…caught up with everything that you haven’t been listening. He’s hurting you.” Hank turns toward me. “You’re hurting her, and you’re not even realizing it.”
“I…I didn’t have any idea,” I say, his words sinking in.
“Because you’re too concerned about yourself. You say you care about her, but do you really? If you cared about her, you would realize that being with you isn’t doing her any good. It’s only hurting her.”
“That’s not true.” Maple shakes her head and comes up to me, her hand on my chest. “Graydon, that’s not true.”
I glance down at her, my mind swimming with Hank’s words, my own doubts creeping in as well.
“Were you sick this morning?” She looks me in the eyes, and I can tell she’s about to lie, so I say, “Tell me the truth.”
She wets her lips. “It was just…it was not what I expected this morning. I didn’t know that the relationship was going to be thrown out into the wild like that. I thought it was secure information.”
“It was,” I say, my jaw clenching. “Until my dad thought it was necessary to let it leak.”
“It was your dad?” she asks, her eyes still watery.
“Yeah.” I take a step back from her and smooth my hand over my jaw. “Fuck…he’s right.”
“Who’s right?”
I gesture toward Hank. “I’m just…I’m a burden for you.”
“Don’t.” Maple steps up, but I take another step away. “Graydon, don’t do this.”
My eyes find hers, and I can feel myself back away some more, my head shaking, the thought of the pain I’ve caused her pumping through me.
I’ve hurt her, in many ways, and this is just another instance. It’s not going to get easier than this. It’s only going to get harder with every day that goes by. Do I want to keep hurting her?
I don’t.
Which means…
“We should go, Gretchen.”
CHAPTER 45
MAPLE
“No,” I say, walking rightup to Graydon and pulling on his hand. “Do not leave. Do not do this.”
