The dressing room behind the press junket stage smelled of hairspray. Cara stared at herself in the mirror. The red dress was scandalous. It had a plunging neckline and a slit up the thigh. It was a weapon.
Brady walked in. He was wearing a suit that fit him perfectly. He stopped and whistled.
"Wow," he said. "That is not the Cara I know."
Cara turned to him. "The Cara you knew was boring."
They went over the signals. Touch her arm means laugh. Eye contact means deep emotional connection.
Zack was pacing. "Remember, pivot everything to 'chemistry.'"
Cara felt a twinge of guilt. These fans... they believed them. But then she remembered the checkbook. She remembered the frozen credit card.
"Let's do this," she said.
They walked out. The flashbulbs were blinding. It was a wall of white light.
They sat down. The first question came from a reporter in the front row.
"Cara, that coffee photo... are you and Brady an item?"
Cara looked at Brady. She softened her eyes. She let a small, shy smile play on her lips.
Brady leaned into his mic. "We are just... enjoying each other's company." He turned to her and smiled. "Right?"
Cara looked down, feigning embarrassment. "Brady is an amazing... partner."
She let the word partner hang there.
Throughout the interview, they touched. He brushed a stray hair from her face. She slapped his knee when he made a joke. It was a dance.
And she realized something. She was good at this. She was enjoying it. With Brittain, she had to shrink. With Brady, she had to shine.
They wrapped up. Backstage, they high-fived.
"Did you see them?" Brady laughed. "They ate it up."
Zack ran in. "You guys are trending 1. Higher than the President."
Cara looked at her phone. There were photos of them everywhere. She looked happy. She looked radiant.
"Celebration drinks?" Brady asked.
"Sure," she said. "Where?"
"The Vault," Brady suggested.
Cara froze. The Vault was Brittain's spot. He had a permanent table there.
She hesitated. But then the anger flared up again. Why should she hide?
"No," she said, a new glint in her eye. "Let's go to the premiere's official after-party at the St. Regis. More cameras there."
