Sweet Little Lies Read online

  “No, it’s got, like, this built-in bra. But I can tape it onto the dress.”

  “Great. You know the drill.”

  As Jane worked on the mike (it created a little humpback under her dress, which she covered with her hair), she saw the receptionist out of the corner of her eye giving her a little wave. Naomi was petite, blond, stylish, and whispered most of the time, not because she was naturally soft-spoken but because she was terrified of Fiona and took her boss’s philosophy of keeping a calm, tranquil atmosphere very literally. Which was pretty hilarious, given the chaos Jane and the PopTV crew brought to the office. Jane waved back. It was nice to see a friendly face.

  “Okay, Fiona’s ready for you now,” Matt called out to Jane. “Let’s get a quick shot of you coming out of the elevators and saying hi to Natalie.”

  “Naomi,” Naomi whispered.

  “What?” Matt frowned.

  “Her name’s Naomi,” Jane said helpfully.

  “Naomi. And then Naomi will tell you that Fiona wants to see you, and you’ll head on back,” Matt went on.

  After shooting the exciting scene for twenty minutes—they had to let several crowded elevators go by, and then a FedEx delivery guy wandered into the frame, requiring a retake—Jane was ready to go face Fiona. Well, readyish.

  Fiona sat behind her desk, busily typing on her computer. Two camera guys were in opposite corners of the room, filming. Forty-something and striking, Fiona was wearing one of her trademark all-black ensembles. Her freshly done hair and makeup looked lovely, especially with the help of the muted lighting, which Jane knew had taken the crew about two hours to achieve. They always had to go through this when filming in Fiona’s office. The fact that she insisted they leave her office exactly the way they found it meant they couldn’t leave the enormous lights in there and had to bring them in and out every time they filmed.

  “Good morning, Fiona,” Jane said with a nervous smile.

  Fiona stopped typing and glanced up. “Good morning, Jane,” she said simply, nodding toward the chair on the opposite side of her desk.

  Jane sat down on one of Fiona’s prized Eames chairs, set her bag on the floor, and waited. She mentally braced herself for the worst: Your behavior has disgraced this entire company! You’ve made one mistake too many! You’re fired! You’re—

  “I have a new assignment for you,” Fiona announced. “Crazy Girl has hired us to do a Valentine’s Day party to launch their new drink flavor. I’m putting you in charge of it, and Hannah will be helping out. Ruby Slipper will be doing the PR, so you and Hannah will be coordinating with Gaby Garcia.”

  Jane was stunned. No chastisement from Fiona for leaving without notice? It was as though nothing had happened. It was business as usual. And a new assignment? With a major client like Crazy Girl?

  Also, how was it that she was going to be working on the assignment with Gaby, who happened to be on L.A. Candy, too? Had Trevor intervened somehow?

  “The budget will be…Why aren’t you writing this all down?” Fiona demanded sharply.

  “What? Oh, I’m sorry!” Flustered, Jane reached into her bag and pulled out a small notebook and pen.

  Despite the unanswered questions in her mind, Jane couldn’t help but feel kind of excited. Crazy Girl was a new brand of energy drink designed to appeal to a female market that might be put off by seemingly macho energy drinks like Katapult and Dragon Fuel. Even though it was new, the Crazy Girl name seemed to be all over the place. Now it would be all over a Valentine’s Day party organized by her, Jane Roberts. It was pretty amazing.

  Fiona proceeded to give Jane more instructions about the assignment, while Jane took notes in her nearly illegible shorthand. When Fiona was finished, Jane said, “Great. I’m on it. I’m really excited about working on this project.”

  “Crazy Girl is a very important new client for us, Jane. I need your full attention here.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to discuss this with Hannah, so please fill her in.”

  “No problem.”

  As Jane put her notebook away, she remembered something. “Isn’t…didn’t we have another party scheduled for Valentine’s Day? Anna Payne’s wedding or recommitment ceremony or something?”

  “Recommitment ceremony. And no, that’s been canceled. She and her husband split up.”

  “Really? What happened?”

  “Apparently she cheated on him with his best friend while he was in rehab.”

  Jane felt heat rising to her cheeks. “Okay, well, um…is there anything else?”

  “No, that will be all,” Fiona said without looking up from her computer screen.

  As the camera guys started to move their equipment to film in her and Hannah’s office, Jane gathered her stuff and stood up. And sat back down again. She had a few minutes between scenes, and she had something she wanted to say to Fiona off-camera. She waited as the room slowly emptied.

  “Um, Fiona?”

  “Yes?” Fiona picked up her cell and began punching in a number.

  “I’m…well, I wanted to apologize. For everything that happened, and for disappearing last week. It was really unprofessional of me, and I’m really, really sorry.”

  Fiona stared at Jane, then clicked her phone shut. Her dark eyes softened. “Apology accepted,” she said gently. “You’ve been through a lot. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for you. But you’re a strong, smart girl, and you’ll survive this. I have faith in you.”

  Jane blinked. Had Fiona, the world’s scariest boss (in Jane’s opinion, anyway), just decided to be human?

  “Thank you,” Jane gushed. “Thank you so much, it’s really nice of you to—”

  “Yes. Well, sorry, but I’ve got to take this,” Fiona cut in as she brought her phone to her ear. Her voice was hard again.

  Jane scrambled to her feet. She’d better get out of there before Fiona decided not to be so understanding, after all. No point in pushing her luck!

  “I’m so glad you’re back. Things haven’t been the same without you,” Hannah said. She hooked a long strand of honey-blond hair over her ear. “Did you have a good Christmas?”

  “Yeah, it was nice to see my parents and my sisters,” Jane said. She glanced briefly at the two camera guys filming in the corners, then at the top of her desk, which was cluttered as always with files, fabric swatches, and magazine clippings. There was a vase of frilly peach tulips next to her Mac. “Where’d these come from?”

  “Oh, I picked them up on my way in. I thought they’d cheer you up.”

  “Wow. That was really sweet. Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome!”

  Jane smiled at Hannah. Hannah had started working at Fiona Chen Events shortly after Jane had. She was one of the nicest people Jane had met in L.A., and she was a good listener, too. In fact, Jane used to confide in her a lot about Jesse—not just because of her listening skills but because she was one of Jane’s only friends who actually liked Jesse. Madison, Gaby, Scar (especially Scar), and even Braden had all advised her to stay far away from him because he was trouble. Hannah was the only person who had encouraged Jane to follow her heart. And back then, before everything blew up, Jane’s heart had told her that she was falling for Jesse. That they belonged together.

  “So we’re gonna be working on the Crazy Girl party together,” Jane said. “It’s gonna be amazing.”

  “Definitely,” Hannah agreed.

  “We need to go over some details, then set up a meeting with Ruby Slipper.”

  “Yes! Anytime is fine with me. My schedule’s pretty clear.” Hannah peered at her computer monitor. That girl was always on IM at work.

  Jane felt her phone vibrating and fished it out of her bag. It was a text from Dana.

  CAN YOU SAY GABYS NAME WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT RUBY SLIPPER? Dana had written.

  Jane ignored the text and shoved the phone back into her bag. Guess that’s confirmed, she thought. Trevor had obviously intervened, convincing Fiona t
o pair Jane and Gaby up for the Crazy Girl party. The PopTV cameras would be all over their entire event-planning process from beginning to end.

  “Soooo. Have you, um, talked to Jesse lately?” Hannah asked, breaking the silence of the room.

  Jane shook her head. “No. I’ve been meaning to call him, but…” Her voice trailed off.

  “You really should call him,” Hannah told her. “I’m sure he wants to talk to you.”

  “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t,” Jane said. “I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me.”

  “You made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes.”

  “Yeah, well, this wasn’t just a mistake. I really screwed up, Hannah.”

  Then, before Jane knew what was happening, her eyes welled up. She wiped a tear off her cheek. “I really screwed up,” she repeated, whispering.

  Hannah got up from her desk and hurried over to Jane. She wrapped her arms around Jane’s shoulders and gave her a big hug. “We all screw up once in a while,” she said. “Call Jesse. Apologize to him. You’re gonna feel so much better if you do.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Jane said, wiping away another tear.

  Jane remembered then that the cameras were still rolling. She had just confessed to Hannah on-camera how bad she felt about cheating on Jesse. This was what Trevor had told her to do when they spoke on the phone last night, wasn’t it? Did that mean he’d put those words into her mouth? No, they were her words. So why did she feel a strange sense of…what? Being directed somehow? And had Trevor directed Hannah, too? No, that’s crazy, she told herself. Trevor’s suggestions were no different from Dana’s text-messaged requests. They were simply meant to help shape the girls’ conversations while they were on-camera. To make things more interesting for TV. After all, they couldn’t just sit there and talk about nothing, right?

  Right?

  10

  WHAT I NEED IS THE TRUTH

  Scarlett touched the mike taped to the inside of her bra, making sure it was secure, before walking into STK. It was Monday night, and she had about a million things she’d rather be doing than attending some lame launch party for Cüt (pronounced “cute”), a new clothing line by the Japanese-American pop star Mika. When did pop stars start designing clothes? She blamed J.Lo. And Gwen Stefani. The party was a last-minute add to the shooting schedule, and Scarlett had tried to get out of it, telling Dana that she already had plans (i.e., an evening at home with some take-out Thai food and Wuthering Heights, which she’d been meaning to reread since Liam had brought it up).

  “Scarlett, let’s get a quick picture!”

  A photographer was standing by the small white backdrop with the Cüt logo all over it. Scarlett had learned these backdrops were called step-and-repeats. Since being on the show and being forced to attend so many launches, openings, and premieres, Scarlett had learned a lot of new things, like that they were all basically the same event. They were at the same locations, with the same guests, and with the same photographers and reporters asking the same questions. The only things that changed were the logos on the step-and-repeat and gift bags for the guests to take home afterward. Scarlett hated posing for photos, but she was here at the party—might as well follow the party rules, which included smiling pretty for photographers and acting like she was really, really glad to be there in support of some here-today, gone-tomorrow teen idol’s idea of fashion. Besides, the night was young. There was still plenty of time for rule breaking.

  Inside, STK was crazy crowded. Several of the tables normally used for dining served as stages for models wearing what Scarlett assumed were clothes from the line. She saw that they had set up a DJ booth near the front door, filling the room with techno music. Waiters maneuvered their way through the thick crowd while balancing trays of tiny beef sliders and skewers of chicken satay.

  Scarlett glanced around, searching for Jane. After their awkward conversation yesterday about Madison, Jane had puttered around the apartment unpacking and doing laundry, talking to her goldfish, Penny, and in general basically ignoring Scarlett. And this morning she had left for work early. Scarlett had texted her at lunch-time, asking her if she planned to be at the Cüt launch, and Jane had written back, YES. Not, YES, U 2? Or YES, U WANNA GO 2GETHER? Just YES.

  Scarlett noticed Madison at the bar, talking to some guy and looking for all the world like a high-priced hooker in her animal-print minidress and coordinating metallic platform stilettos. Scarlett felt her face go hot. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Madison since before Cabo, but she had some things she wanted to say to her now. She didn’t care that the cameras were there. Nothing she said to Madison would make the cut, anyway. Trevor had called last night and filled her in on his little plan for presenting the whole Jane-Braden-Jesse-Gossip fiasco. The sentiments Scarlett had in mind for Madison most definitely didn’t fit Trevor’s plan.

  Scarlett crossed the room in a dozen quick strides, aware that the L.A. Candy cameras were following her every move. (No Liam today, though. Sigh.)

  “Madison,” Scarlett said, tapping her shoulder.

  Madison turned around and looked a little surprised to see Scarlett there.

  “Hey, Scarlett.” Madison gave her a fake smile. “Jane didn’t tell me you were coming. You want a drink?”

  “I don’t need a drink, you pathetic, two-faced, lying bitch. What I need is the truth.”

  Madison’s fake smile never left her face. “About what?”

  “About the fact that you gave those pictures to Gossip. I want to know where you got them. And why you did it.”

  Madison looked away, chuckling. “Guess I was wrong about you needing a drink. You’re already drunk—or crazy—or both.”

  “No, you’re the one who’s crazy,” Scar spat out. “How could you do that to Jane?”

  “I didn’t do anything to Jane. I love her like a sister. I already told you”—Madison glanced at the camera—“Jesse’s the one who gave those pictures to Gossip.”

  “I talked to him about it, and he said it was you.”

  “Oh, so you’re gonna believe what Jesse says? Of course he’s gonna lie about that. He’s covering up for what he did.”

  “The only one who’s covering up is you, you scheming—”

  “Hey! What’s going on?”

  Scarlett jerked around at the sound of Jane’s angry voice. Jane and Hannah, that girl from her office, were standing there. Scarlett wasn’t sure what to think of Hannah. Was she friend or foe? She had met her only once, at Jesse’s twenty-first birthday party at Goa. But she had seen Hannah on several L.A. Candy episodes, giving Jane encouraging advice about Jesse. Which was bizarre. Didn’t Hannah know about Jesse’s messed-up past? Had she ever even talked to him? Or was she too mesmerized by his (even Scarlett had to admit) gorgeous face to care?

  At the moment, Hannah looked anxious as her brown eyes shifted between Scarlett and Madison. Jane looked…well, pissed off. But she would get over it once Scarlett forced Madison to come clean.

  “Janie, I’m so glad you’re here! Madison and I were just talking about why she likes to ruin the lives of her ‘friends,’” Scarlett said, jabbing a finger in Madison’s direction.

  “You’re insane,” Madison shot back. “Jane, she’s insane.”

  Jane frowned at Scarlett. “Scar, cut it out. Please just drop it.”

  “I am not gonna drop it! Madison’s lying to you! She’s trying to hurt you, and I’m not gonna—”

  “Hey, what’d I miss?” Gaby pranced up to the group, patting her smooth light brown updo. “You all seem kinda stressed. Did they run outta gift bags or something?”

  “Hi, Gaby, I’m Hannah.” Hannah spoke up quickly, clearly trying to defuse the situation by acting as if nothing were wrong. “I don’t know if you remember me, but we met at Goa.”

  Gaby nodded. “Oh, yeah. At Jesse’s birthday party. Aren’t you that girl he was flirting with?”

  Hannah blushed. “Um, no. I’m Jane’s friend from work. In fact, we’re all gonn
a be working on the Crazy Girl party together.”

  “Cool,” Gaby said, her gaze wandering to a passing waiter who was carrying a tray of Cosmos. “Ohhhh!” She reached over and took two.

  “I really like Mika’s designs,” Jane said, her own attempt at changing the subject. “Especially her dresses. I love that one with the beaded neckline.”

  “You would look soooo pretty in that,” Hannah said eagerly. She’s just trying to help Jane steer the topic away from Madison, Scarlett thought, annoyed. Which at this point puts her in the “foe” category.

  “So would you!” Jane exclaimed to Hannah. “And what about the shirt with the yellow—”

  Jane stopped abruptly. The color drained from her face as she stared over Hannah’s shoulder at something—or someone—across the room.

  Scarlett followed Jane’s gaze to see what had thrown her, and saw Jesse Edwards posing at the step-and-repeat with some brunette hanging all over him. Behind the official photographer were several other photographers, jockeying for position to get a clear shot of Jesse and his date.

  Hannah and Madison took note of Jesse’s arrival, too. Hannah looked worried and whispered something in Jane’s ear as she reached down and squeezed her hand. Madison looked…What was that expression on her face? Panic? Scarlett allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction. She knew she was right about Madison. The girl was terrified that Jesse was going to tell everyone the truth about what had happened. In front of Jane. On camera (not that Trevor would let it make it onto the air…).

  Finally, Scarlett thought.

  As for Gaby, she was oblivious to what was going on around her. “Ohmigod, look at that pretty dress!” she said, pointing to the piece of sea green dental floss wrapped around Jesse’s date. “Do you guys think I could pull off that color?”

  “Excuse me,” Jane mumbled. She started pushing through a crowd of people, toward the ladies’ room. She was obviously upset. Scarlett started to follow her, except that Madison actually blocked her way and then shouted, “Wait, Janie! I’m coming with you!”