“I don’t know what you find so funny, Rich Boy. I’ve done plenty of favors for you over the years and I’ve never asked for a goddamn thing.” Gray sobers slightly as I add in an almost pleading tone, “I can’t watch another afternoon of soft-core porn at Vesper. Come on, man. Help a guy out here!”
My friend—or soon-to-be ex-friend, depending on how the remainder of this conversation plays out—leans closer, resting his elbows on the desk between us as he looks up at me.
“I’m flattered that you think I hold that kind of power, Tex; alas, I do not. Youmightgain some traction with Alex, though it’s unlikely. He’s dead set on Vesper becoming the crown jewel of DeMarco US.” Then he shrugs. “You’re welcome to try…”
As my gaze flicks down the hall in the direction of Alex’s office, I weigh the pros and cons of telling another person about my past with Emerson, about rehashing everything to do with Jasper Holloway and the trial that united Americans in their hatred for the man responsible for such reprehensible crimes before I settle heavily into the seat opposite Grayson’s.
He sends me a look of empathy as resignation swirls in my stomach, along with the nausea that’s been my constant companion since yesterday.
“They were so fucking into it, man. The chemistry was…” I heave a sigh as I lean forward, covering my face with both palms to scrub them up and down in sheer frustration, wishing I could remove the visual that’s imprinted in bold technicolor on the back of my eyelids.
“I’ve seen some of her movies. She’s one hell of an actor, I will say that.”
“Didn’t look like acting from where I was standing.”
Another one of Emerson’s moans echoes in my mind, and I’m both horny and nauseated in equal measure. “I can’t watch him put his hands all over her.
I drop my hands from my face with a weary sigh. “I don’t even know why I’m getting so fucked up over this, Gray. I mean, I’ve beenhiredto do a job. She’s clearly doingherjob. So why are my insides twisted up more than a motherfucking pretzel? I have no claim to her?—”
“You’re still in love with her.”
Gray’s softly spoken words, paired with the understanding within his dim green eyes—eyes I’ve only ever seen light up for his kids—plow into me like a runaway freight train.
My forehead creases. “Of course I love her, Gray?—”
“No.” He shakes his head firmly. “You’rein lovewith her. It’s entirely different.”
At my blatantly confused face, he continues patiently. “Listen, Ilovemy kids. Iloveweekend trips to Vermont. Ilovesunny days at the beach. And oh man, do Ilovea medium-rare steak with crispy fries and a side of mushroom sauce.”
He blinks slowly before shifting his gaze away from mine, staring at the early morning Manhattan skyline.
“But I’m stillin lovewith my wife. And that’s the kind of love that doesn’t fade over time. It’s the kind of love that grabs you when you least expect it. That takes hold of you when you aren’t looking for it. That you’re not altogether sure you wanted, but somehow, it’s everything you needed, and when you realize you’ve found a love like that, youknowthat you’d move mountains to keep it.”
Silence surrounds us for several long minutes before Gray turns his attention back to me. The pain in his eyes is palpable, and he furrows his brow heavily.
“You’re tied up because you never fell out of love with her, and the time apart has only amplified that, Tex. Don’t make the mistake of letting her go again.”
His voice drops as he murmurs so quietly that I need to strain to hear his next words. “Because some of us don’t get second chances.”
“Someone called in a bomb threat?”
I inject as much incredulity into my voice as I can muster as Emmy holds my gaze in the rearview mirror. She nods her head, her eyes blown wide.
“The set was evacuated so fast, I didn’t even get a chance to change back into my own clothes.” She glances down at the cap-sleeved, fitted red dress that reaches her mid-thigh. “Though Ican’t find it in me to complain. This is my favorite item from the entire shoot.”
Hayley chuckles when I revert my eyes back to rush-hour traffic as I drive the girls to meet Hayley’s mom, Reese, at Fern for their usual Friday get-together. They decided to adjust their plans to lunch instead of dinner on the heels of the bomb scare at Vesper that saw production shutting down.
As I cross lanes, I can’t help but smirk, recalling Vaughn’s face when I asked for his help after leaving DeMarco Holdings earlier. In true Vaughn Burton style, he was already well aware of my past with Emerson and was morally grey enough to resort to nefarious methods to cease production.
I didn’t stick around to find out how exactly he pulled it off, wanting to plead at leastpartialignorance, but his stealthy text before we’d left the studio had been all the confirmation I needed.
VAUGHN
Don’t say I never gave you anything.
With a dark chuckle, I pull into the parking bay outside Fern, noting more paparazzi than usual due to the change in our schedule.
Dammit!
