Not Wanted in Hollywood Read Online Free PDF Page B

occurred before the marriage happened and Crystal’s
father had been having a few issues with that.
    “So what is Edwin agreeing with your father
about?”
    “ Dad wants
Edwin to sign a postnup,” Crystal said.
    “A postnup?” I queried.
    “ Yes, it’s
like a prenup, but you sign it after the wedding.”
    “ Okay,” I
drawled. “What is the problem with that? He signs a postnup, your
father gets off your back and everyone’s happy.”
    Crystal
looked at me sourly. “No, not everyone’s happy. I’m not happy. The
postnup says that there is a possibility that we might break up. I
cannot have an out clause, at all. If I have an out clause I may
end up like my mother, the woman who has had nine, or maybe ten
husbands. I can’t keep up. I cannot have an out clause.”
    There was the
problem. Crystal was terrified that there was a part of her that
was just like her mother. I could have told her that she was being
an idiot. She is nothing like her mother. She’s warm and caring and
loyal. Nothing like her mother. For some reason Crystal had got it
into her head that when it came to marriage and relationships, her
genetics were going to win over the nurturing that her father had
done.
    “ He’s just
trying to do the right thing by you,” I said. “Do you realize how
lucky you are that you have found someone who cares so much about
you, they are willing to do something like this for you? Even
though it probably upsets him that your father is focusing on the
possibility of you breaking up. You should be grateful that he
loves you so much.”
    Crystal stopped. “What has Detective Dumbass
done?”
    See, this is
why you shouldn’t talk to friends when you are in an emotional
state. They are able to pick up on the subtle clues in your
language and actions. The fact that she was calling Griffin,
Detective Dumbass instead of Detective Hottie which was her usual
form of address, meant that she had worked out exactly why I was
slightly distressed and having trouble seeing her side of the
postnup issue.
    “ The owner of
the strip club died last night,” I said.
    “ And
considering that this is you we are talking about, I am going to
assume that he didn’t have a heart attack while watching one of the
acts,” Crystal said dryly.
    “ No he did
not,” I said tightly. “He was strangled with the dominatrix’s
whip.”
    Crystal giggled and slapped a hand over her
mouth. “I’m sorry, that was totally inappropriate. It was just not
what I was expecting you to say.”
    “ No, go
ahead,” I said airily, waving my hand around. “I’ve been told
several times in the last twelve hours about how nobody is
surprised that the man died and that I found the body.”
    “ So Griffin
is mad that you were working at a strip club and didn’t tell him,”
Crystal said, cutting straight to the heart of the
matter.
    “And because Travis has been at the club for
the last week keeping an eye on me.”
    Crystal grimaced. “Okay I can see what the
problem is.”
    I nodded. “I
can too and I apologized last night, but then he said some things
which were a bit harsh and I kicked him out.”
    Crystal eyed
me speculatively, but I really didn’t want to go into the
accusations Griffin had flung in my direction. It still hurt pretty
badly that he thought I was capable of being that kind of
woman.
    “So what are you going to do about it?” she
asked.
    “ Nothing,” I
said.
    “ Nothing?”
Crystal looked doubtful.
    I understood where she was coming from. I am
one of those people who usually am incapable of leaving a problem
unsolved, but I had no idea how to fix this one.
    “ I need to
get to the club and pick up my car,” I said, ending that particular
part of the conversation. “Any chance you can give me a
ride?”
    “ Sure,” said
Crystal. I could see that she wanted to go deeper into Griffin’s
and my relationship woes, but she also knew better than to push me
when I was in this kind of a mood.
    The strip
club was