Free Rumor Has It (Limelight) by Elisabeth Grace Page A

much?”
    “It’s really embarrassing.”
    I scrunched up my face in confusion.
    “Okay, here goes,” she said more to herself than me and took in a big breath. “A little while ago I was seeing this guy. We’d been on five dates together and I was really into him. He seemed nice, treated me well, said all the right things. I thought we were a good match and it could turn into something serious.”
    I fixed my gaze on her. It was irrational to feel as irritated as I did listening to her describe how much she liked another guy, but there it was. Rational or not.
    “Anyway, one night we were back at his house, you know, making out and things were getting a little hot and heavy. That’s when I told him about my ten-date rule. He seemed okay with it at the time and I figured we were good.
    “The night of our sixth date he took me out to a restaurant. He’d seemed a little off all night but halfway through dinner he let me know what had been bothering him. In a big way—he unleashed on me. He began telling me what a cock tease I was and how if he’d known how long it would take him to get in my pants he wouldn’t have taken me to all the nice places he did. He called me a gold digger, said I was only dating him to get him to foot the bill for all the places I wanted to go.”
    “I don’t know who this guy is but I want to strangle him. Still I don’t see what that has to do with me. You already know I’m okay with it.”
    “He wasn’t quiet, and someone overheard then decided to take out their phone and record the whole thing. I was so pissed I picked up my dessert plate and shoved it into his face. Followed quickly by a drink in his lap. The video ended up on YouTube and went viral, it got connected back to me through Facebook, and I’ve had to deal with it since.”
    Of all the things I expected her to say that was not it. “What’s the problem? That asshole deserved what he got.”
    “I thought so, too, but I shouldn’t have let my temper get the best of me. If the food hadn’t started flying it probably wouldn’t have gotten so much attention. The comments people have sent me have been less than kind.”
    “How so?” I asked.
    “They agreed with him—called me a cock-teasing gold digger who got caught and that was the only reason I was so pissed at him.”
    “Is that what you’re worried about? That I’d find out about the video and think all that stuff was true?” I pulled her in for a hug and rubbed her back. She fit perfectly and rested her head in the crook of my neck.
    “I’m worried because I want nothing more than to fly under the radar. I don’t want to be in the limelight. I want it all to go away. If we keep seeing each other the chances of that happening are slim.”
    What could I say to that? It was true. If the paparazzi ever saw us together they’d make it into something it wasn’t and wait around until they could manufacture a scandal. It only took one phone call from some enterprising individual.
    “Ellie, I—”
    “You don’t understand how much those comments affected me. I lost out on a job today because of it. People I don’t even know are having debates about what a horrible person I am. I can’t put myself in a position like that again. I’m sorry.”
    “There’s no—”
    She pulled away from me and held up a hand. “No, Mason. I’ve made my decision. I can’t see you anymore.”
    “Ellie—”
    “I think it would be best if you just took me home.” Her voice was devoid of emotion. She’d erected a wall I wasn’t going to be able to penetrate. At least not tonight.
    I said nothing as I started the car and backed down the driveway. Inside I seethed with a mix of anger and regret. Anger that some asshole had treated her so horribly, and now I was the one paying the price.
    The regret was the strange part. It was the first time since I’d gone from being piss poor to skyrocketing to fame that I’d actually felt some measure of regret. Where I felt