Free Damage Control (The Hollywood Series Book 2) by Jae Page A

worried.
    The driver looked at her in the rearview mirror. “She was on my list, but then they told me at the last minute not to drive by her house. Apparently, she won’t be able to make it.”
    How weird. Jill was as focused on her career as the rest of them. She wouldn’t just skip this event, knowing the studio expected her to be there and show her support for her cast mate.
    “Looks like you’ll have to make do with us,” Russ said, grinning at her and at Nick, who lounged next to Grace on the leather backseat.
    The driver pulled the limo to a halt alongside the curb in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre. Paparazzi and fans instantly crowded the limo, trying to see through the dark-tinted windows to find out who had arrived. The security team struggled to keep them back but barely stood a chance against the excited crowd.
    “Ready to face the hordes?” Russ asked.
    Grace snapped open her compact and checked her hair and makeup.
    “Don’t worry,” Nick whispered in her ear. “You look beautiful.”
    No longer sure if it was a sincere compliment or just what he thought she wanted to hear, Grace simply said, “Thanks,” and nodded at Russ.
    The driver got out and opened the door for them.
    Nick climbed out first and reached back to offer Grace his hand.
    Grace took one last deep breath and put on her screen-goddess persona everyone expected to see before she took his hand and stepped out of the limo.
    Cameras clicked and flashes erupted around them, blinding Grace for a moment as the paparazzi snapped picture after picture. Dozens of voices called out her name.
    “Grace! Grace, turn this way!”
    “Give us a smile, Grace!”
    “Look this way!”
    “Over here, Grace!”
    Grace turned this way and that, posing for the cameras the way they wanted, and kept smiling through it all, even though her face was starting to hurt and her strappy stilettos were already making her feet ache.
    “How does it feel to have to watch Russ being immortalized this way instead of leaving your own set of handprints on Hollywood Boulevard?” one of the reporters shouted.
    “It feels wonderful, thanks for asking,” she answered with the biggest smile she could manage. “I’m very proud of Russ.”
    “We all are,” Nick added.
    She held on to Nick’s arm with one hand and wrapped her other arm around Russ. Together, the three of them made their way toward the roped-off area in the theater’s forecourt, where hundreds of famous actors and actresses had already left their handprints and footprints in cement.
    “Remind me again why we put up with this,” Nick whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
    “Because we’re crazy,” Grace whispered back.
    “Yeah, we established that this morning.”
    They grinned at each other, and for a moment, Grace wondered why they were going through with the divorce. He was her best friend and, with the exception of Jill and her mother, the only person she trusted in this crazy town. Because that’s not enough. He deserves more—and so do you.
    Russ went ahead to where the block of wet cement was waiting for him.
    “Wait up, Russ!” Nick called and followed him. “I’d better join you in case you get stuck and need me to pull you out.”
    Grace stayed back, glad that she wasn’t the center of attention for once. She waved at the fans behind the barricades, who were holding up their camera phones, busily snapping away. For a moment, she didn’t pay attention to where she was stepping. Her high heel caught on something, making her stumble.
    A strong hand closed around her forearm, catching her and holding on until she’d regained her balance.
    Grace thought it was one of the security guards, but when she looked up, she gazed into Lauren’s eyes, which glittered like gold in the sunlight.
    “Careful,” Lauren said. “I don’t want to deal with headlines like ‘Grace Durand breaks her foot on red carpet’ tomorrow morning.”
    A grin formed on Grace’s lips. She marveled at how