Page 90 of Forbidden Romeo
McCay’s eyes lifted, meeting my father’s briefly.
“Holden,” Dad hissed. “You are one semester away from graduation.”
“Yes. A graduation that doesn’t matter if I have a good job lined up at the PaperMill Playhouse.”
“One fucking gig isn’t a career,” Dad snarled, stepping forward and getting in my face. “You’re talking about throwing away your life, law school, for a girl you hardly know. For one mediocre paying show!”
McCay stepped between my dad and I. “It won’t just be one show,” McCay said. “Holden is a star. With my help and connections, and your clout, he can do this.” Then turning to look at me, she added. “And your contract doesn’t have a morality clause. You won’t lose your place in the new show if you make sure to sign the contract tonight. Now.
I nodded. This is good. This could work. “Once that’s secured, I can take the blame for what happened on the Kennedy Center stage and you can expel me?”
McCay nodded. “And your father can bury it so it doesn’t leak any more than it already has to the press… can’t you, Eric?”
Stone-faced, he glanced at me. Lips pressed hard together, he gave a single nod.
“And Katherine stays in the program?” I clarified.
“Yes. I can’t guarantee she’ll graduate. She has to earn that on merit. But she won’t get cut this year.”
“Deal—” I put my hand out for McCay to take.
“Wait a minute,” Dad said, placing his palm over my hand. “Just wait a fucking minute. For this to truly be buried, you need to distance yourself from Kate.”
My jaw twitched. “No fucking way,” I snapped.
McCay and my dad exchanged glances before McCay said, “No deal, then.”
These pieces of shit. Were they in on this together? I turned my seething glare onto McCay. “What do you care if Katherine and I are happy together?”
Her brow lifted. “I care because your dad cares. He wants better for you and frankly I can see why. Kate has potential, but talented women on the stage are a dime a dozen.”
“You would know, wouldn’t you? You were one of those hundreds of dimes once upon a time. Unmemorable. Replaceable?—”
I barely got the word out before her palm cracked against my cheek, ripping a chuckle from the back of my throat. There it was. McCay’s kryptonite. The thought of being ordinary killed her.
I turned for the door, my dad’s voice stopping me as I put my hand on the doorknob.
“This is for the best, son. And I think you know it. It’s easier to bury rumors like this if the two of you stay apart.”
I nearly cracked a molar, my jaw was so tight and my hand tightened on the doorknob. “Just like with Megan, right? That was the best for me, too?”
“Except this time, it’s best for both of you. I know I fucked up with Megan. But this? Kate gets to stay in the program. And you get a burgeoning acting career in exchange for taking the blame for what happened. And I can sweep it under the rug. Trust me, I’m not thrilled with you not graduating.”
“If he becomes a big enough star, they will likely give him a diploma, anyway,” McCay chimed in. “I’ve seen it before, several times.”
I nodded, emotion thick in my throat. This time, I had to admit, my dad might be right. I didn’t want to say goodbye to Katherine, but maybe we had no choice. “Okay,” I said, my voice a quiet rasp.
“You’re going to have to make sure she doesn’t want to speak to you again,” Dad said.
“I know.”
“You think you can do that?” Dad asked.
“Of course I can.” I yanked open the hospital room with one final look over my shoulder at where Duncan rested. “I’m nothing if not a talented actor, isn’t that right?”
CHAPTER 35
“This is a bad idea,” Mallory says, following me around my apartment as I toss my keys and metro card into my purse. “It’s five-thirty in the morning. Can you even get a cab this early?”