Forcing Gravity (43 page)

I paused, not sure what to say. “I don’t know,” I finally said.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Either you have a boyfriend or you don’t.”

“Shut up, Skylar,” I said, resorting to probably the most childish comeback I could find.

She just laughed.

“Anyway,” I said, shaking my head to clear it, as I opened the door to my dorm and started to hike up the stairs. My voice was echoing in the vast space. “Mom called. She’s back on Saturday and wants to have dinner.”

“I know,” Skylar said, sounding bored.

“How do you know?”

Hadn’t my mom just asked me to tell her?

“She called Dad last night to invite him over. I think she’s trying to get back together with him again.”

Oh crap.

My mom had tried that
before. It was another cyclical thing for her to realize she missed
Luiz
and try to win him back. When Skylar was little, she’d get so excited, because her dad was coming around again, but it only ever lasted a few weeks before they would start fighting and
Luiz
would start yelling things in
Portuguese and storm out. Then my mom would be depressed
for exactly two days, Skylar would be devastated and c
all me in tears because she’d been
let down by her parents yet again, and then everything would return to normal.

Thankfully as Skylar had gotte
n older, she knew to only get marginally
excited about her dad coming around again since it was probably fleeting. She knew it was fruitless to think it might work
each
time, so she relish
ed
the time she had with her parents under one roof and let it go when it ended.

“Is he coming to dinner?”

“
No, she’s coming here
,” Skylar
said. “
She called
,
and he got all excited. I know he
’s still in love with her, and
each time she does this,
he gets his hopes up that she’s
a
different
person
, but
I know
he’ll realize
soon enough that
she’s not.
Whatever.
So is you
r sort
of boyfriend coming to dinner too?”

“Huh?”

“You should invite your boyfriend to dinner
.”

“No, Sky, that’s not what I was asking about. What do you mean she’s going to your dad’s house?”

“Well, she invited him to dinner, but he was already having some people over, so he invited her, and she said yes.”

Uh, was she going to tell me dinner was at
Luiz’s
house and not hers?
Geez, she was such a flake.

“So dinner isn’t at home?”

“No! Logan, aren’
t you listening?
Dinner is
here at eight.
Bring your boyfriend, and drive your own car since you know mom is going to spend the night.
”

Gross. I didn’t need to know that, and neither did she.

“He is not necessarily my boyfriend.”

“Well, if you figure it out before Saturday, bring him. Ooh,
gotta
go. Finn’s calling,” she squealed before she promptly hung up on me.

Oh good Lord, my family was screwed up.

-
20
-

“You’re late,” Skylar hissed when she
greeted me at the front door of
Luiz’s
mansion in
Bel
Air
on Saturday night. “But you look hot!”

I’d gone shopping with Henley that afternoon to try to find somethin
g to wear to
Luiz’s
that night
and had ended up with a navy blue
sweater dress that actually gave me some curves. I’d wanted to pair it with flats, but Henley insisted I buy taupe suede ankle boots with a wedge heel, so I’d complied
.
She’d lent me some funky jewelry to wear
to top off the look
.

I knew there’s be a ton of industry people there
,
since whenever he h
osted dinner parties,
Luiz
invited his producer friends and actors he was trying to woo. I wanted to look nice, but more than that, I was s
ort of hoping Jase would call and ask me to do something later.

We’
d talked
only
once
while
he’d been in
London
, but
he’d made a passing comment about hanging out when he was back in town
and mentioned that he’d be
back on Saturday, so I wasn’t sure if that meant he might call me
that night
to do something. I knew most girls would tell you not to accept a last minute date, but I just didn’t care. If Jase called, I was going to see him.

“You will never guess who’s here,” Skylar hissed.

“Who?”
I asked, finding i
t funny that she still got star-
struck.

She’d grown up around industry people and movie stars all her life. Why did she find them fascinating? Okay, fine, from the girl who religiously poured over
Celebrity Weekly
as soon as it arrived, I realize that was a little hypocritical, but I never acted star-struck. I kept it all in my head, and even though I’d met my share of movie stars, it was still pretty freaking cool to spend time with a true
Hollywood
A-Lister.

“
Your boyfriend,
Jason Brady,” Sky said
mockingly
, her eyes gleaming, and I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach before a warm sensation pooled in my belly.

I couldn’t help the goofy grin that appeared on my face, as I realized I’d get to see Jase after all. How did he know I’d even be there? Did he know
Luiz
?

“He is not my boyfriend,” I told my grinning little sister.
“And his name is Jase.”

She’d seen the picture of us online, and had confronted me about it, but at the time Jase and I were over, so I’d told her we were just friends. I didn’t feel the need to elaborate. I think she’d truly hoped Jase and I
were
a couple, and I’d just been lying to her. The look on her face sure indicated that.

Skylar laughed. “
But you wish he was your boyfriend!
You have crush on Jason Brady,” she hissed, pointing and laughing at me.

“No
,
I don’t,” I said, but I could barely contain my smile.

She rolled her eyes. “You totally do. But sorry, he’s here with a date.”

And the bottom dropped out yet again.

“Exc
use me?” I asked, my eyebrows r
ising involuntarily.

“He’s here with Ellie Carlisle,” she shared, and I tasted vomit in my mouth.

Ellie Carlisle was a pop star who’d broken out of the Disney mold and was slowly making a name for herself. She’d recently been in the tabloids after debuting her new
look
at the Grammys
, just in time for the release of her
first independent
album
. There’d been a huge amount of media buzz when the cute,
bubbly
teenager had shown
up in a sleek dress with cutouts along the bodice and
soph
isticated, sexy hair and make-up
. She’d become a sex symbol overnight, and she was the kind of girl you really wanted to hate – especially when the guy you liked was dating her. Bitch.

Oops, where did that come from?

“
Whatever
,” I said, trying to keep my voice level.
“I’m not interested in him.”

I didn’t sound the least bit convincing.
When had he started seeing her? Had they been together last weekend when I’d stayed with him and slept
next to him
in his bed? Had she’d known I was there?
What did he tell her, that we were just friends?

Skylar giggled. “You like Jase. You like Jase
,” she taunted, dancing around the foyer.

“Shut up, Sky,” I hissed, shoving her as I walked by.

There was only one way I was going to get through the night in one piece, and that was to hold my shoulders back, keep my head high and pretend my stomach wasn’t eating itself from the inside out
– well, that and to drink copious amounts of alcohol.

I entered the great room, my eyes darting around as discreetly as possible, trying to locate Jase, so I could ignore him.
Then I needed to locate the bar.

“Logan,”
Luiz
called out, spotting me
from
across the room, his accent curling around my name. I noticed my mother was attached to his arm, and when he crossed the room to greet me, she came with him.

“Hi
Luiz
,” I said, giving him a big hug.
“Hey Mom.”

“Logan,” she said, looking pleased, “you look very pretty tonight.”

Geez, that
was a high compliment coming from her. But of course she was pleased, I was dressed in something she would have picked out for me,
and
she
was loving
it
.

Just as she was air-kissing me, careful not to smudge her perfect make-up, I glanced over by
the fireplace and spotted Jase with
his arm around Ellie Carlisle. As soon as his eyes met mine, they went wide, and his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. He was not expecting to see me there
. T
hat was for darn sure. I glanced coldly at him for a few seconds before diverting my attention back to my family.

Ignore, ignore, ignore.
That was the game I was playing.

I scanned the room to see who else was present and recognized som
e people I’d met over the years, some industry people
I knew,
and some actors
Luiz
was friends with.

“This is quite a group you’ve assembled here,
Luiz
,” I commented
, trying to appear aloof in case any dark-haired actors happened to be watching me
.

“Yes, well, I wanted to be sure everyone enjoyed themselves.”

Well then you shouldn’t have invited Jason Brady.
I thought coldly.

“Um, so how do you
know Jason Brady?” I asked
as casually as I could.

“Ah, Jason is staring in my next movie – the one about the Vietnam War –
a
very powerful subject, and he’s going to bring just the right touch to the part.”

Shit.
I remembered Jase telling me he was filming a war movie, but I never dreamed it would be one of
Luiz’s
.
Dammit.

“He’s a good actor,” I said, because had I not known Jase intimately, it’s what I would have said
, and I didn’t need
Luiz
or my mom knowing I was freaking out on the inside
.

“He’s gorgeous,” my mother
chimed in, glancing over at Jase
, so he probably knew we were talking about him.
Awesome.

“He has a girlfriend,” I said, nodding my head toward one of the most naturally beautiful females I’d ever seen in person. Ellie Carlisle didn’t seem to have a flaw about her
. She was all dark hair and ivory skin
, and she and Jase looked pretty perfect together
. E
ven I had to admit that.

It was probably better anyway. Mortals like me shouldn’t mix with the gods. But then again, he hadn’t acted like a god around me.
But he
was
a god, and maybe I just needed to move on.

“
Luiz
,” a good looking guy said
,
as he clapped
Luiz
on the back and smiled at me.

I
recognized him as
Bryan Heller, a twenty-something actor who’d started in
Luiz’s
last movie
and a few more he’d done over the years.
Luiz
had discovered Bryan
when he was fifteen and cast him in a movie about a drug cartel in Columbia
.
Bryan’s name didn’t give it away, but he’d been born in Costa Rica
and
adopted by American parents.