“You good, Em?”
There’s rustling, and a surreptitious peek in the rearview reveals they’re hugging. My teeth clench at their easy camaraderie, and despite knowing she’s surely done more than hug her previous boyfriends, it doesn’t make witnessing it any easier.
“See you on Thursday, Law.”
And then, blissfully, he’s gone, leaving me to drive on to Emmy’s temporary residence at Ataraxia. Heavy silence shrouds the car the entire way until, less than five minutes from our destination, her cell rings. She answers it swiftly.
“Hey, Beck…yeah, I meant to tell you—” She drops off as who I’m assuming is her agent, Beckham Reynolds, says his piece before she continues in reply. “There’s a new system or something. It’s Sentinel, the security company the producers engaged for me. They’ve devised a way to minimize paparazzi…”
Sitting at a red light, I take an opportunity to check her through the mirror. Her brows are drawn, her mouth set in a straight line at whatever Beckham is saying before she catches sight of me.
Our gazes hold for a long beat, and the sight of her blue eyes blinking back at me as though no time has passed between us sends a pang of longing through my chest. The spell breaks when the car behind me honks, and she rips her gaze from mine before I put the car in drive again.
“I’ll do my best. Goodnight, Beck.”
She hangs up the call, fidgeting in her lap for the final thirty seconds until I pull up outside Ataraxia and kill the engine. That uneasy silence from before surrounds us, and though I know it’s not much, and I can’t even give her full disclosure, I stillneedto say the words.
“I owe you an apology, Tink.”
Pain-filled eyes beneath furrowed brows shoot to mine in the rearview, and I curse my stupid tongue as the sheer agony Iwitness within those depths shreds my guts to pieces. She blinks solemnly, the pain disappearing to be replaced by something else.
Cool indifference. Disdain. Impassivity. The same look she’d greeted me with at Branson Memorial earlier.
Then she lifts her chin like the fucking queen I’ve always known her to be.
“You don’t owe meanything, Mr. Holloway, least of all an apology.” Her jaw ticks, her only outward sign of emotion. “And even if youdid, the time for apologies is long gone.”
She arches an eyebrow, clearly awaiting my acknowledgment, which I give with a sharp nod.
“And just so we’re on the same page here, please refrain from mentioning our shared history. After all, it’shistoryfor a reason.”
And with that, she jerks the handle and climbs out of the car without giving me a backward glance.
By the time I have canvassed Emerson’s residence and dropped my minimal belongings into the room assigned to Damon, which will be mine for now, I make my way back to the open-plan living space. As I reach the edge of the archway, I stop when I hear Emmy conversing in low tones with her stepsister, Hayley.
Hesitant to interrupt, I decide to wait until there’s a break in their exchange.
“…And then Beck called to let you know that Bruno got all the shots he needed for the Zest piece, so at least you and Lawson won’t be called back to do a reshoot.”
Emerson mumbles an indecipherable response around a mouthful of food that makes Hayley chuckle. “You mindrepeating yourself when your mouth isn’t chock-full of French fries?”
I can’t help but grin, hearing Emmy choke on a laugh before managing to swallow the fries.
“Excuse you, Hayles, but I’ll have you know that I’ve not eaten all damn day.” I hear her chugging a drink, probably a strawberry shake, which she’ll have ordered to dip her fries into. “That’s what I get for being nice and giving Damon my sandwich at the shoot?—”
My feet propel me forward when my blood runs cold as a terrifying thought takes root. “Damon ate food intended foryou?”
Emmy is sitting at the kitchen island with a burger, fries, and, as anticipated, a strawberry shake on the counter. Hayley is opposite her, and she freezes in the middle of looping her crossbody bag over her shoulder. My terse tone sees Emmy bristling as she deadpans.
“Ever heard of announcing your presence, Mr. Holloway?”
I incline my head.
“My most sincere apologies.”
It takes a moment before she accepts it with a jerk of her chin, then she glances at Hayley with a smile.
“Thanks for today, Hayles. I’d be lost without you.”
