Page 53 of A Summer of Stars

“It’s one night, Dad. It’ll be good. I should be able to meet reps from new brands who are looking to sponsor athletes too.” I attempted to appease his business side.

Didn’t work.

“What does the actor think about this?” he asked.

I thought Kieran was going to crack one of his molars when I told him about my change of plans later that night. But he said nothing, only remained silent and distant, his hand nowhere near my dress. It was a sharp turn from our closeness in last night’s photos.

Only a few of the photographs caught a glimpse of my side profile as he stood in front of me on the red carpet. His large shoulders shielded my face as he whispered in my ear. I hadn’t even known his hand was engulfing my waist until I saw the photo of it. I was so focused on how his warm breath consumed my—

“He’s not exactly happy about the new plan,” I responded.

“I was referring to the excuse of a man being there.”

“Well, about that, I don’t think he knows about Jeremiah. I’m not sure he knows about the divorce at all…”

“Oh, Luna,” he sighed. “What are you getting yourself into?”

“I just want to play tennis and have everyone leave me alone.”

He sighed. “I know, sweetheart. If that’s what you want, then you can always go back home. Forget about the rankings and the tournaments and play at the Newport court. But if you want to be the best of the best, then we have to deal with optics. How is the last sponsor holding up?”

I looked to Deidra for that answer.

She leaned in. “Charles Elizabeth is really happy with how the relationship looks and the attention it’s getting their jewelry. The photo thatRumors Unlockedpublished last night has three million impressions.”

Cecilia added, “People are so consumed by Kieran’s interactions with you and Eliza Whitfield that they’re writing blogs on the Return of the Love Triangle.”

“‘Return of the Love Triangle’? The love triangle never went away,” Dad muttered, obviously offended for the romance genre. “But I’m happy the sponsor is staying on, then. It’s your first season back, of course there are going to be bumps, but do your best to avoid the drama.”

“The drama is following me!”

“If you had let me talk to your airhead of an ex-husband, he wouldn’t be following you in the first place!”

“As much as I appreciate that, I’m a grown adult capable of handling things.”

“Says the twenty-six-year-old who called to ask why her headlights weren’t working when it was because they weren’t switched to automatic.”

“Cars aren’t my topic of interest, and I’ve never said otherwise. I think that makes me self-aware.”

I could hear his head shake. “I mean it, Luna, don’t get involved.”

“I won’t, especially not so close to Wimbledon. This trip should help by cementing this fake relationship anyway. You don’t need to worry.”

“I do, though, you’re my fixer. Any time your mother or I was upset when you were a kid, you’d bake us sugar cookies or write us a letter in pink ink outlining your love or drag us down to the beach with a blanket in your little hand. You wanted to help somehow. Soften things. I need you to understand that this relationship with Jeremiah, it’s not something you fix. None of it is repairable.”

The air in the car was heavy and dense. My thumb left a dent in my stack of cards and my head pounded with Jeremiah’s name, Jeremiah’s face, Jeremiah’s laugh as we cleaned the kitchen after cooking a terrible dinner together, Jeremiah’s comforting arm that rested against mine in the car, Jeremiah’s voice as he told me I was too sensitive.

Dad was right.

And yet… I was here.

“I know. I have to go, we just pulled up. I love you,” I told him.

“I love you,” and he hung up.

We pulled up behind a strip of cars that lined the front of the Mansfield Mansion. Drivers opened doors one by one.

The home hadn’t changed since I had last entered it. The same sandstone bricks held the structure up, punctured by windows every few feet. The sides of the estate were flanked by dense, green trees that hid the full width of the home. It was all so grand, especially with the way the green hill framed the bottom of the house. A trophy held up by its stand.