Chapter 18

I heard Rebecca talking with one of Arthur’s dog walkers.

“I can’t believe she actually finished putting that makeup on him,” the dog walker, John, said so loudly that I was obviously meant to hear it.

“What was she going to do? She was running out of time.” Rebecca’s mocking tone cut me to my core.

“It’s just so hideous. She shouldn’t have even kept it in rotation.”

“We all make mistakes. None usually so big, mind you…”

The two share a laugh. My first clenches as I resist the urge to punch them both.

“I doubt that even Arthur’s favorite will get away with this one,” Rebecca continued.

I should have known that they hated me for how gentle Arthur was with me, especially when the rest of them had been working for him for so much longer. It wasn’t my fault that I had made friends with my boss. Still, even I doubted that this seeming favoritism would get me out of trouble this time.

“That’s enough.”

I turned to see Arthur step out from behind the folding room divider. I died a little inside at the sight of him.

The outfit was an orange three-piece suit, black dress shoes, and an orange fedora. At least a blue striped tie and white collared shirt brought a much-needed break to the orange barrage. It made him look as flushed and sickly as I had imagined.

I wanted to hide my face behind my hands, but I stopped myself. It would only make me appear weak if I ran from my mistakes. No, I needed to own up to this.

“Arthur, I—”

Arthur held his hand up to me.

“Now, who looks like a sickly tangerine?” he said, a slight teasing tone to his voice. He spun on his heel and fanned out his suit jacket. “I think I look fabulous, once again.”

Everyone in the room came to a halt. No one spoke, no one moved. This was not the response to my blunder that anyone had been expecting—myself least of all.

“Anne, will you please join me at my desk?” He motioned me towards the back of the room before looking at everyone else. “The rest of you, get back to work!”

Immediately, the entire room sprung back into action. Rebecca glared at me one last time before she scurried off with John.

As Arthur and I went to his desk, everyone cleared the area. It was as though we had a whole room to ourselves.

I swallowed against my suddenly dry throat. This could not be good. Arthur must have asked me back here so that he could scold me in a private—well, more private—setting.

I knew that outfit was no good. Why else would he be taking time out so close to recording a new video to talk to me?

Arthur sat in his plush wheeled chair and motioned for me to take the seat across from him. I anxiously obeyed.

“Anna, what are your feelings towards Barnett?” he asked.

My head lurched back in surprise, but I otherwise tried not to react. Why would Arthur be asking me about Barnett? Did he believe the rumors, too?

I couldn’t tell him the truth, not about the dream I had or my revelation that I might be falling in love with Barnett. It was crazy. There was no way that I would ever have anything to do with the billionaire, especially in the little time I had left.

So, I lied.

“Barnett?” I said, my tone flat. “He’s my best friend’s uncle. That’s all.”

Arthur grins broadly. I couldn’t quite understand why his smile was big. Maybe he just didn’t want a homewrecker on his payroll, I decided.

“That’s good, my little fan girl.”

Again with that “little fan girl” nickname. I doubted that I would ever understand that.

“Well—” he clapped his hands together— “let’s get this video done and then get me changed into outfit three for tonight’s big show, shall we?”

I blushed at his mention of outfit three, but I took his teasing comment as a chance at redemption.

“Of course. The quicker, the better.”

• * *

We finished late that night, around midnight. Arthur had to film The Late Show with Tim Shoemaker, and he insisted that I stick around in case he had a “styling emergency.” I think he just needed a friend nearby in case he got the jitters, but I would never let him know that I knew that.

As we walked off the set, something seemed very wrong with Arthur. He kept grasping at his stomach, and I could hear his stomach growling, along with his groans of pain, as we walked back to his silver 2023 Audi R8. I couldn’t actually remember the last time I seen him eat something more substantial than baby carrots.

“Are you all right?” I asked as we reached his car.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

Even as he said this, he lost his footing and fell to the ground.

“Arthur!” I rushed to his side. “Arthur, are you okay?”

Arthur put his hand to his forehead.

“Yeah, I’m…I’m fine. I’m just a bit…lightheaded.”

His stomach growled again. I watched as he wrapped his arm around his waist.

“And my stomach hurts.”

“I don’t think you should be driving. Give me your keys. I’ll take you home.”

I held out my hand to him and did not budge until he gave me the key fob.

“Come on, let’s get you in the car.”

I helped Arthur to his feet and put him in the passenger side of the car. Then I sat in the driver’s seat.

“First, we’re going to get you something to eat,” I said as I buckled my seatbelt and started the car.

Arthur’s eyes widened. He buckled his own seatbelt. “Why?”

“Because I can tell that you haven’t eaten anything substantial in a while. I also know from experience that you won’t feel any better until you do. Burgers okay?”

He nodded. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed for an all-night diner down the road.

“So, you mind telling me why you haven’t been eating?”

Arthur sighed and leaned his head against the window. “I just went on a crazy diet to appear on Tim Shoemaker’s show, that’s all. I noticed that I had gained some weight, and I didn’t want to disappoint my fans.”

My lips quivered in a frown. I had never thought that Arthur would have problems with his self-image. He always seemed so confident.

I pulled into the diner parking lot and turned off the car. Before either of us could get out of the car, I turned to face Arthur, looking him straight in the eyes.

“Arthur, you need to take care of yourself. You can’t just pay attention to your weight. You need to pay attention to your health.”

His eyes lowered, as though he were being chastised. I didn’t want him to feel that way, so I took his hand and squeezed it gently.

“I just want you to be the best you can be, for your own sake.”

He smiled, and there was a look in his eye that I couldn’t quite identify.

“I know.”

“Come on, let’s get you some food.”

• * *

Inside the diner, we were seated and placed our orders quickly. I insisted that Arthur get a burger and some fries, while I just got some fries and a glass of water. We remained pretty quiet, even after our order came out and we started to eat.

As Arthur ate, I couldn’t help but watch him. Again, those features that reminded me of Charlie compelled me to stare at him. I was amazed and saddened at how much he resembled my long-dead brother.

Arthur caught me staring and seemed to stop chewing mid-bite. I tore my eyes away from him, blushing fiercely. I could only imagine what he thought of me now.

When I dared to look again, he was still staring at me. He had resumed eating, but the way he watched me suggested that the gears in his mind were turning. What could he possibly be thinking?

Our eyes met. This time, Arthur blushed as well.

I cleared my throat, desperate for any sound between us.

“I…I just wanted to thank you for reposting my vlogs on your social media accounts,” I said, searching for something to break the silence.

Arthur swallowed and grinned. God, he managed to keep that perfect smile even while eating.

“Anything for my little fan.” His hand settled next to mine, close enough to hold it but barely avoiding touching it. “Is there anything else I can do to help you?”

“I can’t really think of anything.”

“What about pretending to be your boyfriend?”