Chapter 36

Issy raced down the corridor to the Presidential Suite.

‘Great news,’ she said breathlessly, her cheeks flushed with exertion. ‘I’ve just heard – Gina’s awake.’

‘Iz, that’s awesome,’ Brad exclaimed. He threw back his head and exhaled in relief. Issy knew he would have been feeling guilty, blaming himself, reflecting that the accident would never have happened if it weren’t for the movie.

She stood uncertainly for a moment, her fingers sliding over the small white envelope in her hands. ‘Could I come in for a moment?’

‘Sure,’ Brad said, standing aside to let her past. She followed him into the lounge, sensing that something was different but unable to put her finger on what. Then she realized: there were no high-heeled shoes lined up by the door, or dresses casually strewn over the armchair; no designer handbags discarded on the sofa or make-up littering the dining table.

‘Is Lexi here?’ she asked carefully.

‘No, she … she’s gone back to LA.’

Issy absorbed the news, a mixture of emotions running through her: relief that Lexi had gone; fury that she’d abandoned Brad when he was dealing with the fallout from the accident; fear that she might have revealed Issy’s secrets. Issy studied Brad’s face carefully, looking for signs of anger or disappointment, but all she saw was his usual handsome face with its bright blue eyes and soft, full lips. She was really going to miss him.

‘Is everything OK, Iz?’ he asked, noticing how she was staring at him.

‘No, not really.’ Issy held the envelope out to him.

‘What’s this?’

‘It’s my resignation.’

Brad’s face twisted in confusion and he shook his head. ‘No, you can’t … What’s going on?’

Issy bit her lip, willing herself not to cry, but determined to say what she intended to.

‘Come on, let’s sit down and talk about this.’ Brad touched her arm lightly and led her to one of the oversized cream sofas. His kindness almost made it worse, and Issy couldn’t help but recall how they’d sat here just a few nights ago, eating junk food and watching old movies. Now everything had changed.

‘I can’t work for you any more. I’ve done things I shouldn’t have done, and you deserve better.’

Her lip trembled, and her voice shook, she knew that after her confessions he would never want to see her again.

‘Tell me, Iz. You know you can talk to me. Whatever’s making you unhappy, I can help you sort it out.’

‘You can’t,’ Issy said, her voice ragged with emotion. Then she gathered herself; she needed to be dignified, not an emotional mess. She owed Brad that much. She took a deep breath. ‘I’ve been changing your diary,’ she admitted, not daring to look at him. ‘Rearranging your schedule. I did it to try and keep you away from Lexi.’

‘Why?’ Brad sounded shocked.

‘You seemed so upset every time you saw her. Whenever she left, you weren’t yourself for the next few days. I know how important this movie is to you, and I didn’t want you to be upset before the big stunt. You needed to have your head in the right place, with no distractions, so I changed some things around. I know I shouldn’t have done it, it’s unforgivable. But I’d heard …’ Issy stopped herself. She couldn’t be the one to deliver the final blow. ‘I’d heard some rumours, and I was worried they were true.’

Brad rested his fist on his chin, tapping it thoughtfully. Finally he looked up at her, those piercing blue eyes boring right into her own.

‘I have something to tell you too. I know that Lexi’s been having an affair with Jacob Scott and I’ve known for some time now.’

‘What?’ Issy gasped.

‘I wanted to see her so we could talk about it. So we could end it, properly. And now we have. We’ve both instructed our lawyers, and there’ll be a statement going out to the press later today.’

Issy shook her head. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘You’re not the only one who hears the rumour mill,’ Brad smiled ruefully. ‘I know the crew always think it stays amongst them but … there’s always someone indiscreet who lets it slip. I’ve had my suspicions for a while. It’s not the first time she’s had an affair – and I can’t blame her for that. It’s so hard, being apart all the time, and we haven’t had the easiest road. We’ve worked on our marriage before, been to therapy, but when I heard about Jacob … well, let’s just say that this time I knew it was serious, and honestly Iz, I’d had enough.’

‘Oh, Brad,’ Issy said softly, her heart breaking for him.

‘Hey, I’m a big boy,’ he shrugged, though Issy detected a note of sadness beneath his bravado. ‘It’s all been amicable so far. Let’s hope it stays that way. So you see,’ he finished, picking up the envelope with a wry smile, ‘you don’t have to quit.’

For a split second, Issy felt a wave of relief and happiness, believing that everything might be all right. And then she remembered, a heavy, cold feeling in the pit of her stomach as though she’d just swallowed a ball of ice. She could have simply nodded and taken the resignation back, but deep down, she knew that wasn’t fair. She needed to confess everything.

‘There’s something else too …’

‘This is quite the day for revelations,’ Brad laughed softly, but Issy didn’t smile.

‘I’ve stolen money from you. A lot …’ she said, hanging her head as she tried to find the words. ‘All those transactions to Darlene Winters, the ones you asked me about. I lied. It was me who made the payments.’

She hardly dared to look up – she couldn’t bear to see the trust and respect drain from Brad’s face, to be permanently replaced by suspicion and dislike.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she continued, not giving him a chance to speak. ‘I know nothing excuses it, but I needed it urgently. I’ll pay it back, though, I promise. Every cent.’

I just need to find a new job, Issy thought, realizing that she hadn’t made the most sensible decision. Brad probably wouldn’t even give her a good reference after this.

She glanced up at him, but to her surprise, he was looking at her with concern, not mistrust.

‘Issy, please, tell me what’s going on. I know you, and I know you wouldn’t have done it without a damn good reason. Trust me,’ he said. ‘I’ll help you.’ He reached across to take her hands in his, his thumbs softly stroking her skin.

Issy felt overwhelmed. Today was too much, her emotions on a rollercoaster. This wasn’t how she’d expected this conversation to go – she’d thought Brad would yell and scream and throw her out of his room, telling her he never wanted to see her again.

But maybe he did know her – her heart and her character. Maybe he would understand why she’d done what she had. She could only try, and hope.

‘She’s my mother,’ she began, her voice barely more than a whisper. ‘Darlene Winters is my mom. My father left years ago – we’re not in touch any more – and my mom …’ Issy swallowed – this was the hardest part to say out loud. ‘My mom’s an addict.’

‘Oh, Iz.’ Brad’s voice was so full of compassion, his eyes so tender, that Issy almost burst into tears. ‘I wish you’d told me about it earlier. I wish you’d felt able to trust me, I could have helped. What is it? Alcohol? Drugs?’

‘Painkillers,’ Issy said, anger surging inside her at the thought. She hated what the drugs had done to her mother, what they’d turned her into. ‘A couple of years ago, she was in a bad car accident and the doctor prescribed fentanyl. She was in a lot of pain during her recovery, and it was the only thing that helped. When the first batch ran out, she told the doctor it wasn’t better, she needed more. A few weeks later, she was hooked. After a while, her doctor stopped prescribing them, so she had to get them from … other sources. I was so worried about her, she was taking risks, getting it wherever she could. Sometimes it would be mixed with coke or speed, but Mom didn’t realize and then …’ Issy blinked back the tears, remembering her mother’s swift downward spiral. ‘She would take whatever she could get her hands on to deal with the withdrawal symptoms. She was addicted. She started hanging out with a bad crowd and I wasn’t there, I couldn’t help …’ Issy began to cry softly.

‘Oh, honey, it wasn’t your fault,’ Brad insisted. He squeezed her hands reassuringly and that gave her the strength to continue.

‘She’d been asking for money for a while now. I was trying to help out where I could – a hundred dollars here, a couple of hundred there. Whatever I could afford. Even though I knew what she was spending it on. Then, at the same time, I was helping my little sister, Kirsten, through college. I told you about her. But Mom started to ask for more. I thought it’d just be one time, to get some bad people off her back. That’s when I took it from you,’ Issy admitted, her voice low. ‘Of course, it was never just the one time. Whenever I spoke to her, she wanted more money; there was always some horrific story about what was going to happen if she didn’t pay up. She always insisted it would be the last time, promised she’d try and get clean.’

‘But she never did?’

Issy shrugged. ‘I don’t know if she tried or if it was just more lies. I barely ever saw her—’

‘Because you were always travelling with me,’ Brad chimed in.

‘Thank God, I was so grateful for that. You gave me an incredible opportunity. I’ve seen the most amazing places because of you, had the most unforgettable experiences. And this is how I’ve repaid you,’ Issy finished sadly. ‘Last week, Mom told me that she was behind on her rent, that she was going to get kicked out by her landlord. She would have been homeless, living on the street. I panicked, I didn’t know what to do …’