All The Pretty Lights (The "A" List #1) (17 page)

DAPHNE

Thank God most of the crowd has entered the inner theater, with the hallway and red carpet having been left nearly empty. Marcus had been more than a little surprised when I’d asked him to bring the limo around, as mom, dad and myself are making an extremely early exit.

We’re quiet, with neither one of us knowing what to say. That is, until dad takes my hand and holds me back from heading to the car when it’s finally brought round.

“Sweetie,” he’s careful with his words, knowing that as tough as I am on the outside, I’m ready to crumble on the inside. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

What is he trying to do?

“Dad—he lied to me. He used me!”

He can’t deny that. He’d heard Colt confess it himself. “I don’t know how you two started out. But I do know one thing, for whatever it’s worth.”

My dad’s not the type to overstep boundaries, to get mixed in other people’s business, so I listen to what he’s got to say.

“You’re mom showed me the video on the computer of when Colt found you in the hotel. I—I saw how he looked when he thought you were hurt, possibly dead. I heard it in his voice. The—there’s only one reason he would’ve broken down that way. No one, not even Colton Webb, is a good enough actor to fake it. He loves you.”

I turn my head away.

“There’s only one thing a father wants for his daughter, Daph, and that’s for her to find that kind of love. The kind that I have with your mother. Did—did I ever tell you how I got your mom to go out on a date with me?”

I thought I was confused before, but now Dad’s confusing me even more.

“I lied to her. I told her that I was looking to rent an apartment. This was back when she was working in real estate. I hired her as my realtor and we spent the next month looking at places together.” He recounts the story I’ve heard before.

“Every single afternoon she’d show me a new apartment, and every single afternoon I’d come up with a reason why I didn’t like it, why we needed to keep looking. Truth is, I had another year’s lease on my own place and wasn’t even looking to move.”

“Dad!” I’m shocked.

He grins. “I’m not saying it’s the same thing as your young man, but I don’t regret what I did. That’s how we fell in love. Taking strolls around the neighborhoods, grabbing coffee on our way to a showing, that’s how we started this whole thing. Thirty years later, and here we are, with you to show for it.”

I can feel the tears beginning to well in my eyes.

“If I thought your mother was going to slip away from me… I’m pretty sure I would look just like Colt did in that video. I’m pretty sure I’d sound just the way he did. I’ve seen the way you look at him, talk about him. That’s not easy to find, and when you do, it’s not something that can ever be replaced, not entirely. Are you sure you want to give it up, even if it didn’t start under the best of circumstances?”

My breath catches.

I thought I knew the answer to that question up until this very second, I thought I did.

Now… I have no idea.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ONE YEAR LATER

New York

The applause is loud, mind-numbing. Closing my eyes, I savor it, knowing it’s all for me. My very first showing at Fashion Week couldn’t have gone any better, with several of the people closest to the runway even standing to their feet while cheering the success of my first collection.

I know some of these people are here because of the salacious history my name may have had in the tabloids in the past year. It doesn’t matter though. They’re still here, supporting my fashion line, celebrating in my accomplishments.

The past year has been a hard one, and the stress leading up to this event has only compounded the toll my new life has taken on me. No matter what, no matter how hard I try, or how successful of a designer I become, I will
always
be known for the girl Colton Webb saved, the girl he loved.

I’ll never be able to escape that past.

There was no use running from it, so I didn’t.

My trip around the world helping him promote TIME COP was very useful in connecting me with several people in the fashion industry that were supportive of my designs. I’d gotten enough notice on the red carpet for a couple of investors to approach me, eager to finance the launch of a new brand.

Twelve very long months later, and here I am, standing behind the curtain of my own runway, ready to walk the finale in my very first fashion show, to accept the applause of the waiting crowd.

My show has generated enough buzz in the industry where the tickets had sold out and we’ve maxed out our capacity to standing room only. Messages of congratulations have been pouring in all day. Ironically enough, Katharine Harding had even sent me a small fruit basket to welcome me into the fold.

Frankly though, she’s one of the people I’d just as much rather leave in the past.

There aren’t many people from the past year that I’ve chosen to keep close. Albert, Colt’s old personal assistant is one of them, sitting in the front row, marking down which of my designs he wants for himself. He’s become a good friend and made me promise to give him the friends and family discount.

Teddy, Colt’s sanctioned photographer, is here as well, working, immortalizing the models wearing my creations for our next ad campaign.

I know it must be awkward for them to be here, to be working with me considering … everything. Almost like a conflict of interest. But they’re here anyway, supporting me, like the good friends they’ve become.

Tracy is also here, styling the models’ hair.

These three have become invaluable and lasting relationships despite the circumstances with how they started. At least my time on the road with them, traveling for the TIME COP press tour resulted in
their
friendships, even though it led to other catastrophic affiliations.

Andrea comes to mind, first and foremost. The egotistical public relations expert that manipulated so many to get what she wanted. Thanks to her unintentional confession in the ladies room of the last movie premiere, the authorities were able to use the recording on my phone as evidence against her.

She’d pled to a deal, reducing her sentence to just under a year in a minimum-security women’s prison. That was just a slap on the wrist for her though. The real punishment came when her investors pulled out of her production company, leaving the romantic comedy she had planned to have Colt star in to fold, never having been made.

All of her other celebrity clients had abandoned her, leaving the PR firm her father had built to be bought out by a larger competitor.

Everything she did, everything she risked was in vain, for nothing. I know Colt’s legal team had sued for unspecified damages, for Andrea having used undue influence on his career choices and acting against the best interests of her client.

She had essentially sabotaged TIME COP TWO by creating the atmosphere where the leading lady and leading man were dropped and pulled out respectively, from the multi-million dollar project. Because of that, the studio behind the film had sued Andrea, although by that point she had nothing left to take.

I had even heard rumors that Audrey Camden had filed a lawsuit against Andrea for slander and defamation of character, for trying to frame her. I’m sure she did it to try and salvage her reputation, but the press wasn’t so eager to forgive Audrey. She may not have been guilty of hurting me the way we had all thought, but once the tide had started to change against her, many others started to come forward to sell their own gossip-worthy stories of the actress.

She has no loss of enemies, let’s put it that way.

When she was at the top of her game, all of those that were wronged by her were intimidated enough not to come forward. On her downward spiral though, they were the first to step up and comment.

Business managers that she’d ripped off, agents that she’d screwed over, co-stars that she’d feuded with, other actresses that she’d competed for roles against, that she’d sabotaged, the former wives and girlfriends of the directors and producers that she’d slept with to get roles even came forward.

The lowest of the low though, was the discovery that the charity she’d created to help under privileged and at-risk children discover the theater arts was basically a sham. She’d never had anything to do with the foundation that people were donating millions of dollars to. Instead, the chair of the unmonitored charity was embezzling the cash and leaving the children to the very streets that the charity was supposed to keep them from.

I can’t think of all the terrible things that came out of everything. Instead I need to think about the positive things. If I had never met Colt, been a part of all that craziness back then, it’s pretty safe to say that I wouldn’t be standing here, on this stage, today.

This is what I’ve got to concentrate on now. My business has really taken off, and tonight I’m going to take it to the next level. I’ve got a really exciting new project to announce, one that I hope will have people as excited as I am about it.

The music queues the intro to my taking the stage.

This is it. Everything I’ve worked toward for the past ten years. I peek around the curtain to spot the people in the front row. I can see Mom and Dad standing in the center, beaming at the empty stage, waiting for me.

They’ve been so supportive, so wonderful. This success is as much for them as it is for me. I know I’ve given them a scare or two over the years, wondering if I’d actually be able to make a career out of all this. I’m sure it’s a relief for them to know I’m okay, that no matter what happens, I’ll always have a way to support myself.

I don’t want to keep these people waiting any longer. Taking a deep breath, I step out onto the shiny black floor of the newly built runway.

The lights begin to flash, coupled with the intense spotlights casting on me from the production lighting. Carefully, I walk forth into the storm of blazing artificial sunshine.

I count the ten steps I know are safe, walking blindly to the end of the stage.

“Thank you all, so, so much! I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’ve all come out to the very first ever Daphne Baker fashion show! Your support means so much. Ever since I was a little girl making drawings of pretty dresses and then sewing clothes that made people feel good when they wore them, every single step along the way has given me so much reward. Tonight I’m happy to share it all with you.

“Daphne Baker’s Spring Collection, which you’ve all just seen, is available in your favorite boutiques and department stores. I’m also very, very excited to announce the next big thing to come from Daphne Baker’s Designs.”

This is it.

I search for him, finding him through the flashing lights.

“Coming this fall we’ll be expanding our line to include Daphne Baker Maternity, a brand new collection for those like myself who are looking for clothes to make them feel beautiful at a time when, let’s face it,” I joke, “-you don’t always
feel
it.”

I pat my belly at the announcement that none of these reporters were expecting. I’ve been able to hide it well these past couple of months, carefully selecting outfits that camouflaged and strategically hid the growing bump.

We knew that once the press was tipped off to the baby it would be insane, relentless. With the stress of the fashion show, I didn’t need that added weight on my shoulders.

“So thank you so much, once again, and we look forward to our next show next spring, for the Daphne Baker Signature Collection and Daphne Baker Maternity. Lastly, I want to thank three very special people. My mom for always supporting me, even when I’m a little bit crazy, my dad for helping me see things from a different perspective and teaching me to never give up on my dreams and to never give up on love.”

I know the audience won’t understand the deep meaning behind my thanks to my dad, but I know my father does. Thanks to him, I stopped myself before acting out of anger and walking away from Colt all those months ago. It was my dads words that made me think about what it was that I’d be walking away from. He made me see what was really important, what really mattered.

I won’t say it was easy to get past the way our relationship had started off, but what was more important to me, then
and
now, is where we were headed.

I finish my thanks, “to my husband, Colt. He’s put his life on hold these last few months to put my career first, to help me make my dreams come true. I’ll forever be grateful. And, let’s just say he had a little something to do with the inspiration to create Daphne Baker Maternity.”

The audience laughs.

“Baby, come on up here with me. We’re a team, and this is as you’re your accomplishment as mine.”

The snapping and shuttering of camera lenses mixes with the flashing of lights, bombarding and twinkling all around us as Colt takes his rightful place next to me. I feel his arm around my waist, the support his body offers mine. He doesn’t rush me, though, letting me enjoy the moment.

Most of the time the praise is for him, for his accomplishments. But, not now, not today.

Tonight all the lights- all the pretty, pretty lights… they’re for me.

AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER

THE END.

But- what about everybody else? Do
they
get their Happily Ever After?

What happens when Hollywood’s biggest actress, America’s sweetheart, loses it all?

Will she be able to get it back?

Will she be able to salvage something, anything, from the life she’s cheated, manipulated, and deceived her way into getting?

You know what they say…

The higher they rise

THE HARDER THEY FALL

Book Two

THE “A” LIST

Coming April 2016