Dinner was a feast, and Rina had a feeling that it had everything to do with her. George and Isaiah seemed to have grown even closer in all the months that Rina’s career had taken a huge tank, and she loved to see them exude such sweet love. It was exactly what she’d hoped for when she was much younger, to be in love so much so that it was hard to hide it. And when she met Finn, Rina had thought that was it, that she had gotten her forever.
But even forever could be misidentified.
“Isaiah made the meals,” George said when they were down to desert, a large bucket of cold chocolate ice cream and scones.
“Of course,” Rina chuckled. “It couldn’t have been you. You would set the whole kitchen ablaze.”
George opened his mouth in mock horror and Rina waved it away. “At least, you are good at being a manager,” she muttered. That bit was true. Throughout the period she worked as an actress and even after she retired, George always had her schedules prepared beforehand. There was never a thing out of place.
“And he’s great in bed,” Isaiah added with the easiest casualness like he hadn’t divulged something that would get a room to roar in surprise and laughter.
“Erm….” Rina clipped her mouth shut, then rolled her eyes. “I really didn’t have to know that bit.”
“I’m just saying.” Isaiah shrugged. “Anyway, what do you think of the ice cream?”
“Don’t tell me you made that too?” Rina’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I won’t tell you.”
“This is really great!” She drove her spoon in and brought a huge helping into her mouth to prove her point. “Like mind-blowing great. I wouldn’t mind having this every single day.”
“All the more reason you should spend more than a night with us,” George chipped in at the perfect moment. “At least, until you get your cottage back in order, with an assurance that there wouldn’t be a repeat of what happened the last time. Nothing must happen to our Rina Powers.”
Rina felt a wave of nostalgia hit her. The last time she heard that title was at the last conference she attended before Kayla came up with her plans before she’d lost her baby. Anger coursed through her, noticed by everyone seated on the table. George cleared his throat noisily and nudged his head in Isaiah’s direction. Understanding the cue, Isaiah got up and grabbed his bowl.
“I…erm… I’m going to finish up a painting.” He disappeared without waiting for a response, closing the door leading into the hallway firmly behind him. With Isaiah gone, George angled his head and gave her a minute for the anger to pass before speaking.
“We need a plan to hit back harder than before,” George got up and went around the table, plopping himself on the seat beside Rina. “The country has been sold a narrative and even if you have a press conference, they still wouldn’t believe you. At least, most of them won’t. So, we need something harder and more convincing.”
“Getting Kayla to admit to what she did is like asking the President to resign,” Rina muttered. “Damn impossible.”
“So we move on to the next plan. How’s your job with O. S. N? Did the aftermath of the fashion show affect your employment there?”
“No,” Rina shook her head. “Everyone there knows the truth about how I started working at the fashion house. Or at least, everyone I had some sort of contact with. The guys working at the media unit, the models, and Joel. I don’t know whether the designers bought the true story at the end of the day, but I’m certain Joel will sort that out. I just need to show him that I’m worth the investment and risk because I know I am. And not because of some feelings he might…”
“Ms. Powers,” George suddenly interrupted, holding up a hand. He called her by her second name each time he was about being serious, or when he noticed there was something she was trying to get around to without actually telling him the details. “Can we slow down a bit? Mr. Osteen has feelings for you. I got that, right?”
Rina sighed. “I’m not entirely sure yet, but with all the date invites, the extra care, and the implying words, I think I’m headed in the right direction. But I don’t want the country to think that I’m there because of what he feels for me, or what I think he feels.”
“Anyone who thinks that isn’t being objective,” George muttered. “We all saw the wave your images caused on Instagram, Twitter, and every other social media platform. The internet pushed it far, magazines had them on their front pages, and everyone wanted to meet you. Interview sessions were scheduled on your behalf, and people prayed that you would reveal your identity. Now, they knew nothing about you, yet they wanted to meet you. If they forget that, then the problem becomes them and not you.”
“Do you know what gets me angry the most?” Rina asked rhetorically. “It’s the fact that the industry has seen every bit of it, yet they are insistent on keeping me blacklisted. It’s like they are willing to turn a blind eye to every form of rationality as long as they keep me out of the business. Scottsdale Entertainment is forgetting just how much I brought to them in all the years I was working under their name.”
“So, we need to remind them.”
“I don’t want to go back to the same people who tossed me out onto the streets,” Rina asserted, shaking her head. “I’m not sure how it’s going to happen just yet, but I’m quite positive that Scottsdale Entertainment isn’t going to see me grace their doorsteps anymore. I’m done asking them to reconsider their decision.”
George nodded. He understood what Rina meant by her decision. He would have done the same thing if he’d been in her shoes. “So, what next?”
“We scout for other agencies.”