Chapter 64
I clutched the phone tighter as my heart raced. It took me a minute to answer, but I finally got up the courage. “Hi Celeste, this is Anna Leonard.”
“Oh, hi Ms. Leonard. We’ve been trying to reach you for a follow-up appointment.”
The gremlins clawed at my stomach, and I moved closer to the bathroom. I managed to keep the vomit down on the ride home, but I wasn’t sure I could continue to do so.
“Mrs. Leonard?”
I leaned against the wall. I’d been a coward, but I couldn’t keep avoiding this. “I’m here. I’m just calling to make that follow-up appointment.”
“Great, we’ll get you booked in right away.” I could hear typing on the other end of the phone. “Okay, how is a week from today?”
“That works.”
“Does a morning appointment work for you?”
I told her it did, and she booked me in for an early slot. As much as I wanted answers, I still had responsibilities. I’d have to pick myself up and get back to work, regardless of what I found out. Arthur and all the rest of my clients would be expecting me.
I thanked Celeste and hung up the phone.
With that finally done, I considered trying to get a hold of Barnett. I could understand him being mad at me but having dinner with Julia was another thing entirely. Why would he do something like that after everything he said about her?
I wanted to confront him, even if he was right at the restaurant. The last thing I needed was people getting videos of us arguing. I’d had enough scandals for one lifetime, but that didn’t mean I was done with our argument.
My stomach churned, and I sat down on the couch. The minute I was feeling better, I’d find a way to confront Barnett. He couldn’t just ice me out. We were supposed to be friends. Close friends if what he said on that stupid talk show was even true.
At least the gremlins had subsided a bit. I was a little out of breath still and I didn’t feel the best, but I wasn’t throwing up anymore. Poor Arthur. I still couldn’t believe I threw up all over him like that.
I also didn’t know what I was going to do about what he said. I loved Arthur, but not like that. He was an amazing friend, and I didn’t want to lose his friendship, but I knew I had to find a way to tell him the truth. I couldn’t string him along.
Everything was such a mess.
I spent most of the day resting, but I felt a lot better by the evening. Physically, at least. My emotions and thoughts were still all over the place, and I could only think of one thing that would make me feel better.
I wasn’t feeling up to going to Stand Up and dealing with all the paparazzi and fans, so I decided to do a little light workout in my home gym.
I changed into my workout clothes and set up my phone to film.
“Hi everyone,” I said. “Today’s going to be a lighter workout. Sometimes I have days when I know a tough workout would do more harm than good. As much as I want to push myself hard every time, it’s okay to have an easier workout occasionally. I’m still learning to listen to my body.”
I smiled into the camera. “Anyway, I’m going to do some light cardio on the treadmill, then some stretching.”
I walked over to the treadmill and started walking at a sedate pace. I still felt a bit weak from throwing up and I didn’t feel confident trying to run. The last thing I needed was to make myself sick again. Plus, I wanted to send a good message to my fans. Sometimes we needed a bit of a rest and that was okay. A workout was still a workout.
I walked for 30 minutes, then did some stretching on a yoga mat. By the time I was done, I was sweating more than I thought I would be. I waved goodbye to my camera and uploaded the vlog. Notifications started rolling in right away, but I turned off my phone. A lot of them were about Julia and Barnett, and I didn’t want to think about that right now.
They couldn’t be back together. I still didn’t believe that article, and even though I saw them together at dinner, I knew there had to be another explanation.
The next day, Arthur was waiting for me outside my house. I saw the security notifications telling me he had arrived, and I stopped to take a few deep breaths before I went outside.
He was leaning against his car, a smile on his face.
“Hey,” he said when I walked up to him. “I just wanted to come see how you were. I was worried after last night.”
I forced a smile in return, thinking of everything that happened between us yesterday. Not only being sick and the fact that he knew I was dealing with more severe health problems than I’d been letting on, but also his confession. I knew he was going to expect a response soon and I couldn’t put it off forever. I just hoped I could at least put it off for the morning.
I had my outfit selections for the day and my makeup palettes in my arms, and he came forward to take them from me. “Here, let me help you,” he said. I handed them off, and he immediately started putting them in his car.
I glanced over at the gold Aston Martin. “I can drive myself,” I said.
He turned to look at the car, his gaze darkening. “I know you can, but I figured I could give you a ride. Since I’m already here.”
I chewed at my lip. Being in a car alone together didn’t exactly help me avoid his confession, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings by turning him down.
“Okay, sure,” I said. I walked over to the passenger’s side, and he followed, darting forward to open the door for me.
I flashed him a quick smile before getting in. He closed the door, then walked around to the driver’s side. The interior of his car was all rich brown leather and the smell of pine.
“How did it go last night?” I asked once we were on the road.
He grinned. “It went great.”
“That’s amazing Arthur, I’m really happy for you. Aren’t you glad you didn’t miss it?”
“I guess, but I would’ve been happy to stay with you if you needed me.”
I gave a soft smile when I noticed him looking at me, then turned to stare out of the window.
When we got to the office, the rest of Arthur’s staff were already there waiting for us. Whispers started the minute we walked in. Arthur was helping me carry my things, and I mentally cursed myself. I forget everyone overheard Arthur’s confession. Now, with us showing up together, it was going to look like we were in a relationship or something.
“No wonder she gets special treatment,” I heard one of them whisper. I tried to ignore them as I got started on Arthur’s makeup, but it was hard. I knew how it looked.
Just as I was finishing Arthur’s makeup, I got a notification on my phone. I opened the email only to regret it. It was a reminder of my appointment next week. My stomach churned, and I broke out into a faint sweat. Luckily, Arthur was too busy talking to his new dog walker for him to notice.
As brave as I forced myself to be yesterday, I suddenly felt a lot less courageous. What if the news was terrible? I thought I had come to terms with my illness, but I couldn’t get over the feeling that I was running out of time.
What if I was even worse off than I thought?
