Whose Bed Is It Anyway? by Natalie Anderson Page A

mine were embroidered—some elements magnified. Some just plain made up. I wasn’t as bad as it began to appear.’
    â€˜So what happened?’
    â€˜I got fired, of course. I think, all along, that’s what I’d wanted. I haven’t been on stage or on a TV show since. Six years. That’s for ever in telly time.’ She’d escaped and gone to study. It was only recently that she’d been dragged back under. She wrinkled her nose. ‘Except for repeats. They like to repeat some episodes.’ She grimaced.
    â€˜Where was your father?’
    Right in the centre. ‘He was my manager.’ Her father had let her down. He’d never stepped in to stop her. Never defended her. ‘That’s how it all started. With me. Hannah had always wanted to act—was dying to. But she’d not got any jobs. Instead I got them. It was the cute little blonde girl thing,’ she said cynically. ‘Eventually Hannah did a piece in an indie film. Wasn’t even paid for it. But she got spotted. They finally realised her talent. And she flew from there.’
    â€˜And what did you do?’
    â€˜Stuck on the show for another season. Hated it and got worse in terms of behaviour.’
    â€˜Why didn’t you just quit?’
    â€˜I couldn’t. We needed the money. Hannah hadn’t quite hit the jackpot then, she was a slow build before becoming an overnight sensation—that’s the way these things really work. I brought in regular money that we needed. So you can imagine how mad Dad was when they finally called time on me.’
    She’d lost all worth. All her value. He’d turned to Hannah. Helped Hannah. She supposed he’d had to.
    â€˜But by then Hannah was hitting her stride?’
    Caitlin nodded. ‘She has that quirkiness that the camera loves. There’s no mistaking her for anyone else. She’s passionate about acting. It’s absolutely her thing and she is incredibly good at it. She disappears for weeks when she’s right into a part.’
    â€˜You’re close?’
    Caitlin hesitated. ‘She’s very busy and I’m working on a new phase in my life.’ She read the disapproval in his eyes. ‘We really didn’t spend that much time together as kids. But she’s a darling,’ she rushed to add. ‘She deserves all her success. And she doesn’t need to be dragged down by me. It was because Hannah knows George that I got the loan of this place. She is supportive of me. But I think it’s better to keep some kind of distance.’
    â€˜You’ve shut her out?’
    â€˜No,’ she said defensively. ‘I just don’t think she needs to have my affairs thrust in her face. She doesn’t need to have her publicist deflecting questions about me. She needs to concentrate on her career and not have me as the sideshow.’
    â€˜But that leaves you alone.’ He looked at her. ‘Because I’m guessing you and your dad aren’t close.’
    â€˜He’s very busy too. He’s still Hannah’s manager,’ Caitlin said softly. ‘She has a whole team these days, but he’s still very involved. And that’s fine. I’m a big girl. I don’t need a manager. I’m loving being in New York and being anonymous.’ She glared at him, hating how exposed she felt right this instant in the face of his inscrutability. She didn’t want to go any further—not into the nightmare of the last few months and the real reason she’d had to run. ‘Anyway, you can’t talk. You’ve shut out your family.’
    â€˜I haven’t shut them out.’ His smile went fixed.
    â€˜Really? When you won’t even go and see them in the few days you have back in the country?’
    â€˜You think they’d want to see me when I’m tired and grumpy?’ The smile disappeared altogether.
    â€˜Would it be so bad if they saw you