Chapter 14

I had no idea what was going on, nor did I want to know. I had too many problems of my own at the moment to want to be dragged into anyone else’s, so I decided to leave as quickly as possible. It wasn’t worth the few bucks I’d save on gas to wait for Barnett’s ride.

I took a couple steps toward my car, determined to leave Barnett to handle his own marital problems, when I felt his arm wrap around my waist. He pulled me close to him.

“Julia, this is my new girlfriend, Anna,” Barnett said, sticking his chin out proudly.

My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped. I couldn’t even enjoy being so close to Barnett with the shock I was in.

Tears welled at the edges of Julia’s eyes. Her cheeks turned bright red, and the color crept up the back of her neck to her ears.

“How dare you!” she screamed. “You cannot treat me this way. I planned to give up my modeling career so we could start a family, and you found someone else?”

“Oh, no,” I said. “I—”

“We agreed we were over,” Barnett asserted.

“About that…” Julia let the sentence trail off with a wicked grin.

Suddenly, a gaggle of reporters rushed me and separated me from Barnett.

“Anna Hayes! Anna Hayes!” the reporters cried out, each trying to catch my attention as camera phones flashed in my face.

“Are you dating Barnett Cogsworth?” one asked.

“Why are you trying to break up America’s favorite A-list celebrity couple?” another shouted.

“Is it true that you are just getting revenge on your soon-to-be ex, Bob Hayes, for cheating on you?” said a third.

I didn’t have much experience with paparazzi, but I did know enough to not say anything when I myself didn’t know what was going on. But how could I get out of this mess surrounding me?

Fortunately, one of Barnett’s hands grabbed a firm hold of my arm and ripped me out of the sea of rumor-pedaling sharks. He took me to his Rolls Royce, and Julia followed close behind us. The three of us escaped into the car, Barnett and me in the front and Julia in the back.

“What was that?” Barnett hissed, twisting around to glare at Julia.

“Just some reporters concerned about the state of our relationship—”

“Our relationship? We don’t have a relationship anymore! We filed for divorce three months ago.”

Some of the pieces started to fall into place.

“Well, I didn’t want the divorce.” Julia glanced at me and mumbled, “Especially not after when I saw that you found someone so soon.”

She then said more loudly, “And don’t think that I don’t recognize her. Anna Leonard, your niece’s classmate and hockey playmate. The one from that picture you hide in that book you keep looking through.”

I blushed. “You keep a picture of me?”

“It’s a picture of you, Lily, and me, from when I was your hockey coach,” Barnett explained. He turned to Julia. “And so what if I keep looking at it?”

Julia huffed. “Yes, I bet that you only look at it—”

“That’s enough!” Barnett reached for the door handle. “I need to go take care of the storm you stirred up out there, Julia.”

He looked between the two of us.

“Both of you, stay here.”

With a slam of the door, Barnett left me alone with Julia.

I turned to look at Julia, who glared back at me.

“I…Julia, I didn’t…I…”

“Don’t even start, you fat ugly slut,” Julia said through clenched teeth. “If you think for even one minute that you have a chance with Barnett, you’re kidding yourself.”

I didn’t know how to respond, so I let Julia continue with her barrage of insults.

“I don’t know why he’s so hung up on someone like you, but you can bet on one thing.” Julia leaned forward so that her face was an inch away from mine. “I will get Barnett back.”

When she pulled her head back, her expression completely changed. Tears ran down her face, her pouty lower lip trembled, and her large, soulful eyes glistened. Before me now was a beautiful, vulnerable woman who had lost her husband—something that the paparazzi would eat right up.

She shoved open the door, and the reporters were on her in an instant.

“Julia Cogsworth, Julia Cogsworth! Do you have a moment to speak on the state of your marriage to billionaire Barnett Cogsworth?” the leader of the pack asked.

Julia faced the cameras. I could hear the tears in her voice as she spoke.

“I would love to comment, but I…I’m sorry, it just so sensitive a subject…”

She raised her hand to her eyes, and her shoulders shook in what I assumed were sobs. I had to admit, if she weren’t already making it so big as a model, she would make a fantastic actress.

“This is just all so fresh and raw. I love Barnett so much, and then…this.”

Julia sobbed again. One of the reporters offered her a tissue, which she used to dab at her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Julia continued. “I need to go.”

Julia ran to her car and hopped inside, obviously ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Where the Hell is Barnett? I thought.

• * *

Barnett did not return until Julia and the paparazzi had left. I would have asked him what had taken him so long, but I was in no mood and still trying to make sense of it all.

Barnett and Julia were divorced. Barnett had called me his new girlfriend in front of her. The paparazzi seemed to think that I was in the middle of all their relationship problems, maybe.

So, somehow, I was stuck in a love triangle with two of the biggest celebrities in America…in the world, even.

No, that could not be right. There had to be some other explanation for what had transpired. Barnett wouldn’t drag me into something like that, nor would he be interested in me like that.

Yes, he had gotten awfully close when he was showing me how to use the rowing machine, but that was just to help me with my form. And he had helped me a lot with the apartment and with Bob, but that was just because I was Lily’s best friend. He had proven himself to be a nice guy, and that was all.

He wasn’t interested in me.

Barnett didn’t say anything on the way to the office. A tightened muscle in his neck seemed to indicate that he was clenching his jaw, but I couldn’t tell if he was mad—or if he was mad at me. I hadn’t said anything to incriminate him in front of the paparazzi, so I didn’t think he could be mad at me.

Then we parked in the office parking lot, and I checked the notifications on my phone.

My social media was buzzing as my name popped up in posts about Barnett and Julia’s relationship:

MODEL JULIA COGSWORTH DITCHES V.I.P. RUNWAY SHOW DUE TO PREGNANCY

PREGNANT MODEL JULIA COGSWORTH CHEATED ON BY BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND

BILLIONAIRE BARNETT COGSWORTH CHEATS ON PREGNANT WIFE WITH RICH OUTCAST ANNA HAYES