“I’m saying the word. Let’s tell Tony to go for it. I’m not much for revenge, but Boyd broke the law and that’s not OK. Yes, I was a consenting adult, but I never consented to being videotaped, so I have to think about what kind of message it sends if I don’t defend myself.”
Her dad nodded, contemplating her words, his hands wrapped around his mug of coffee. “That’s true. I guess you do.”
“You know, I spent the last few weeks being terribly embarrassed about this, and honestly, I still am, but the worst thing I could do was to hide. I don’t want people thinking I’m a coward, but even more than that, I don’t want people thinking I had any part of this. I have to speak out and remind everyone that Boyd is the one who did something wrong.”
Her dad stroked his chin with his thumb and index finger as if he was letting this soak in. “That’s pretty courageous of you, Lane, and you know the family is behind you one hundred percent.”
“I know you are. I appreciate that. I’m sorry I ran away and freaked everybody out.”
“Well, you did what you had to do, I guess.”
“I could have handled it much better, though, and there’s something else you should know.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ll keep doing the Pop Rocks show because I want to honor my contract, but we have to tell the producers no more footage of me looking ditzy. That’s not who I am, and it’s not the persona I want people to see. I do nice things, and I do worthwhile things, so I want viewers to know that and not just think I spend all my time getting my nails done and gossiping about other celebrities.”
He leaned back in his chair, tilting it on two legs. “Delaney Louise Masterson, you’re like a whole different person this morning.”
Delaney smiled because that felt like a compliment. “I’ve tried being a different person, and it turns out I liked it, only it wasn’t so much about being different as it was about being authentic. I think I got so caught up in creating a show about my life, I forgot about actually living a life. Remember how you and I used to volunteer at that music studio? I want to do that again. We had fun, but better than that, it was a really valuable thing that we did for those kids. We made a difference in their lives just by sharing time with them and teaching them a little music. I want to do more stuff like that, things with some substance, stuff that actually adds value to humanity. Honestly, I don’t think the world really needs another celebrity stylist, plus I’m not really cut out for it.”
Her dad’s eyes widened as she spoke, the coffee cup hovering forgotten near his lips.
“What the hell happened to you out there in the real world?”
“I’m not sure.”
He brought the chair down to four legs again. “Well, whatever it is, I like it. I’m proud of you.”
“Proud of me for running away?”
“Proud of you for taking the time you needed and then coming home stronger. It takes a lot of guts to face this music but it sure sounds like you’re taking charge of things now.”
“Maybe. A friend recently told me it’s better to be the sheepdog than the sheep.”
Chapter 26
GRANT CONNELLY STOOD IN LINE at Gibson’s grocery store the day after returning to Bell Harbor and realized something he’d never even considered before. It’s entirely surreal to see your face on the cover of a magazine. But there he was, right on the front of some glossy celebrity gossip sheet.
It was a picture of him and Lane, all snuggled up on the piano bench in the Jungle Room Lounge. How the hell had a picture like that found its way into the news? He pulled the magazine from the rack, left his cart off to the side, and wandered dazedly over to the little coffee shop inside the grocery store. Sitting down at a table, he opened the pages to find half a dozen pictures of the two of them, all lousy quality photographs, obviously taken by an amateur opportunist with a cell phone, but just as obviously them.
The headline of the corresponding article read MISSING IN ACTION?
While we’re very glad to report that Pop Rocks star Delaney Masterson is no longer missing, it’s clear she’s still getting some action. Hiding out at the Heartbreak Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, recently with cinematographer boyfriend Grant Connelly, the 27-year-old celebrity stylist looks anything but heartbroken. Sources close to the pair say the canoodling was impossible to miss.
“They were kissing and laughing and totally into each other,” reported the confidential source.
Connelly, 31, a coproducer and director of photography for the popular action-adventure show One Man, One Planet was recently fired, but lucky for him, if he’s looking for a “job,” he’s found the right girl. Although sources report she seems to be splitting her time between Connelly and Paradise Brothers front man Reggie Bryce, 29. It was Bryce who escorted Masterson to the Memphis airport days later, leaving us to wonder who she might be flying mile-high with next.