In Over His Head

Chapter 43

Cameras were clicking so fast, it sounded like the crickets in summer. She was holding Kevin's arm as they threaded their way from the drop off point towards where they were to enter the stadium. She looked at Kevin, who had shored her up the moment they arrived.

"You have nothing to worry about," he whispered in her ear as they pulled up. "You are with me."

She remembered Beaujeu, and how panicked she'd felt, worried about what people would say. She was arm in arm with him the same way, but with much less anxiety, given the declarations they'd shouted on a hilltop in remote Newfoundland.

A chorus of "look over here!" and "This way!" echoed back to her, and she ignored it. She was here for Gretchen, not to feed the ever-ridiculous tabloid headlines. Kevin was smiling and waving, as he always did, polished poise long learned. Sharla tried to let it just roll past her, pasting a friendly smile on her face, walking in step with him as best she could in her heels.

Just like in Beaujeu, a pap thrust a phone out, the screen recording, and asked in a distinct British cockney "Rathwell, is this your girlfriend? Does this mean Cressida Graham is out?"

Kevin stopped, and looked at Sharla. She nodded tightly. They'd talked about what he'd say if he was asked, and here it was. He'd even practised it a bit in the mirror when he thought she couldn't hear. It had melted her heart.

"Cressida and I were never together. This is my girlfriend Sharla O'Brien."

"So the rumours of you with your staffer were true?" he shot out.

"What do you think?" Kevin clipped right back, a thin smile, his teeth set. "She's also my business partner, so take that back to your editors."

Business partner? Sharla hadn't heard him rehearse that. She'd have to ask what that meant later, but right now was not the time. She smiled tightly and remembered to keep her shoulders back for good posture. Her back was already aching from holding herself rigid.

At that moment, Cressida pranced up to them, in a beautiful gossamer pink sheath dress, and greeted them with wide arms, bracelets jangling, her blonde hair in a fancy up do. She air kissed Sharla on the cheek, and gave Kevin a good smacking kiss on his, which made him laugh.

"You're here! Oh how lovely! My god, Shar, you look incredible, green really is your colour. Your ear baubles are delicious!"

"Cressy darling, come to walk us in?" Kevin asked. Sharla noticed a few people furiously writing in little notebooks, or recording the entire thing on their phones. The same reporter waved his phone, climbing along through the contingent of cameras to keep up with them.

"Wait! Cressida, can you comment on the rumours of your being dumped for the Earl's—"

Before Kevin could open his mouth, Cressida whirled, her dress floating out around her. "Darling, this man is so in love with this fabulous goddess right here, I never stood a chance! There was no dumping, because there was no dating! Get your stories straight lads, Sharla O'Brien has his heart. Right from the start."

With a laugh, she took Kevin's other arm, and winked at both of them. "I absolutely love making their jaws drop, don't you?"

Sharla was struck mute in the whirlwind that was Cressida, and as they walked three abreast down the ramp, they left the reporters to hassle the next well-known people to arrive. She let out a breath as they passed underneath into the ground floor alleyway.

"That was better than expected. I hate that they hound people like that. I am here for Gretchen. Not this."

"It isn't awful once you're used to it, honestly, they have to make a living somehow, and lord knows famous people behave badly often enough to make it easy for them," Cressida said, her tone light. "It is part of the lifestyle. It gets easier. I just ignore them, or say something ridiculous. It never lasts long, they move on to the next juicy story eventually. Likely, we'll see us on the front of TMZ with some sort of salacious title indicating we're a threesome. Hah!"