Page 72 of Dirty Like Seth
“This is an important part of the process, Elle. I understand that you’re on vacation, but Brody and I discussed it, and we both felt you’d be the best person to comment on Seth’s position with theband—”
“Seth doesn’t have a position with the band,” I said. All the while, my head was fucking reeling.Brody and I? What the fuck was Brody doing, sending her here to accostme?
“And if that’s the case,” she said, “all I need is for you to say so, on camera, and we’ll be on ourway.”
I doubted that. As soon as she got me in front of that camera, she’d be digging for more. I couldn’t really fault Liv; she was just trying to make a killer TV series. Doing herjob.
But right now, I didn’t care aboutthat.
I really didn’t need her showing up here, right when I was feeling so fucking vulnerable—having Seth here, having Seth leave… and having no idea what to do about all these feelings he’d stirred up in me. The very last thing I needed was a camera crew in myface.
But I would play thegame.
I wasn’t going to have Flynn throw her out. I was going to make her turn around and leave.Voluntarily.
“Listen to me, Liv. This has nothing to do with Dirty or finding our newguitarist.”
“Then let’s talk aboutthat.”
“We are talking. But not oncamera.”
Liv considered that. Then she said, “Seth already talked to me. Oncamera.”
What?
“When?”
“We caught him at the airport, when we landed. Totalfluke.”
I stared at Liv for a long, long moment. She didn’tflinch.
I believed her, maybe, about the fluke of running into Seth. Either way, though, interviewing him was nofluke.
“Alright,” I said, because she’d caught me off-guard. I didn’t love it, but I definitely didn’t like Seth talking to her, and me without a chance torespond.
I wasn’t planning to ask Liv what he’d said. I didn’t like what asking might imply—that I was worried about what he’d said aboutme.
So I simply said, “I’ll give you the interview. When I’mready.”
* * *
Two hours later,I was ready enough. Joanie had called in a hair and makeup team from among the many contacts she kept on the island. I’d gotten dressed, had my hair and makeup done, and rejoined Liv and her crew on the patio. They’d set up in the shade, the ocean view in the background, and were ready forme.
I sat down and we started rolling. I knew it wasn’t gonna be easy. I knew Liv was gonna dig. And dig she did… After some bullshit small talk about the audition process overall, she went straight forit.
“Tell me aboutSeth.”
But this was far from my first rodeo. I wasn’t gonna give up anything I didn’t want togive.
“What do you want to know?” I askedher.
“What do you think of him?” Liv sat across from me, next to the camera, feeding me questions. It was her job to get content out of me; content she could use. I knew whatever she said wouldn’t be included in the show, but anything I said mightbe.
“I think he’s our ex-guitarist.”
Liv sighed a little. “Come on, Elle. This is a documentary. I’m not grilling you for some junk entertainment gossip show. This is the real you,right?”
“It’s the real me,” Isaid.
