“No. It just didn’t work out. That’s all.” Felix hated to have to mention it, but he knew getting back on Preston’s client list wouldn’t be an easy sell. This might help his cause. “For the record, I have a girl now, so there’ll be no more fucking random chicks for me. And since I’ll be training nonstop from now until the fight, you’ll be happy to know there also won’t be any more late nights or boozing or even smoking for that matter.”
Preston’s brows jumped instantly in an annoying overly surprised expression. He smiled even bigger then laughed. “I see what’s going on now. You got a girl now who either caught you banging Lazardi or found out you’ve been banging her all along, and now the little girlfriend’s given you an ultimatum.”
Felix sat up as every muscle in his body instantly went taut. “My girlfriend’s got nothing to do with this,” he said through his teeth. “So let’s just keep her out of it, okay?” He stood up, unable to sit anymore. He was already losing the patience he’d sworn he would make a bigger effort to hold onto when it came to having this conversation with Preston’s pretentious ass. “I need a publicist, Styles. Are you in or not? I don’t have time to waste.”
“Sit down,” Preston said suddenly very seriously.
Felix sat and waited, but he already knew it wouldn’t take much for him to stand up and walk out if Preston pushed the wrong button. Maybe today wasn’t a good day to do this. He was just hoping it could be one of the first things he informed Ella of when he saw her today—that Adelina was gone.
“First of all, I want you to know that when we parted ways I swore I’d never work with you again. I thought you were an arrogant asshole headed right down the same path as so many young celebrities who end up screwing their lives up or dead. But I spoke with Rene a few days after the last time you and I spoke.” He paused for a moment as if to think about what he was going to say next. “He told me about your son.” Felix stared at him, swallowing hard. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
Felix nodded but said nothing. Instinct had him wanting to get up and leave. This was the last thing he thought they’d be discussing today. He’d sooner talk about all the bullshit stipulations he knew Preston was going to give him before agreeing to work with him again.
The only thing that kept him there was Ella. He’d spoken to her about Preston in length. She knew all about how things went down with Preston. So she’d know that coming here today and doing this wasn’t an easy thing, and still he’d done so for her.
“I hope you’re not going to be upset with Rene for telling me. He was only defending you when I’d bad-mouthed you saying you were like all the other immature celebrities out there. But he explained how hard that had been for you and that losing your son was what really started the spiraling out of control.” Felix was about to stand and bolt out of there until Preston spoke again. “I lost a child too. It was a long time ago, but to this day it still hurts. Mine was around a little longer than yours though. Still I was in love with my daughter before she was even born, so I know regardless of how long she’d been here on earth it would’ve been just as painful. Hazel was five and the light of my life. She was hit by a car when she ran into the street, chasing after a ball at a park. My wife at the time was there with her. They were on a play date with a couple of the other stay-at-home moms in the area, and I was very angry. Very angry.”
Felix’s hard-assed former publicist stared out at nothing for a long awkward moment without saying anything. Then finally took a long slow breath in. “Anyway long story short, I know what it’s like to fall so deep into depression you lose all care for anything else around you. It cost me my marriage because I was so angry at the world for being so unfair and at my wife for not having watched Hazel closer. So when Rene told me about what happened to you, I immediately got it. I’m glad it seems things are turning around for you. It took me a very long time to get over it.”
Preston leaned back into his chair for a moment, a little pensive. Felix wanted to tell him he was sorry about his daughter—that he understood the despair of being so angry at the world—but obviously Preston already knew Felix knew this or he wouldn’t have shared this with him. Preston also just confirmed what Felix had always suspected—that he’d never get over the loss. Time and love, like the one he’d found in Ella, would lessen the pain, but it would always be there.
Sitting up and straightening out suddenly, Preston cleared his throat. “Okay, back to business. I will take you up on the offer, but there will be some very stiff stipulations.”
And so it began. Felix sat through Preston’s speech about not being in the business of babysitting and while part of his job was to do damage control there was only so much he’d put up with.
The call he had to make when he left Preston’s was not one he was looking forward to, but it was necessary. Felix was determined to get this all taken care of before Ella got back, so he hit speed dial and waited. Adelina answered after the first ring.
“Felix, I have a call to take in ten. Will this take longer? I can call you back if you want.”
“No, it won’t actually,” he said, getting straight to the point. “Cortez will be in touch with you to handle the legalities, but I’m gonna have to go with another publicist.” Before she could ask why, he continued quickly. “The other night I had to explain to my girlfriend about you spending the night at the cabin. For a minute, I thought this arrangement might actually fly,” he said, feeling even stupider about that now. “Then last night she asked if I’d ever slept with you.”