“Liz, you have about five seconds to tell me what the hell is going on before I call TMZ and tell them every single thing I know about you. And include college spring break photos.” I gently shrug off Linda’s grip and take a step closer to Liz, boxing GraysonfuckingWest out of this conversation.
Linda turns to the golden-haired behemoth, gesturing to the front desk. “Let’s get you checked in, Mr. West.” She tucks her hand into the crook of his arm and leads him away. “I have to say, I’m a big fan.”
“Traitor,” I grumble at her retreating back.
Liz takes my arm and pulls me into the sitting room, kicking the swinging door closed and pushing me down into one of the armchairs closest to the roaring fire. She remains standing, pacing back and forth in front of the worn stone of the hearth. Her mouth opens and closes about ten times, but nothing comes out.
“Jesus Christ, just say it.” I cross my arms over my chest and glare at her.
“Jonathan had to drop out. I only got the call late yesterday. He broke his leg snowboarding and is going to be in a full cast for the next two months.” The words pour out of her mouth in one quick jumble. “I pushed for someone else—anyone else—but Emmy, I swear he was the only one who could get here on time and not put us seriously behind schedule. And Kurt made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that we arenotto delay the schedule.” She plops into the chair next to mine. “I’m so sorry. I know you hate him. I get it, I do, but we had no choice.”
I purse my lips to keep from screaming. “You know what it took for me to agree to do this, Lizzie.”
“I know.” The guilt is evident in the puppy-dog eyes she flashes me.
But her guilt doesn’t mitigate the dread. “I can’t do this with him, Liz. I just can’t.” Panic starts to rise in my chest as my brain begins to fully compute what is happening. And what this all means. And who this is happening with.
She reaches over and grabs my hand. “You can. I know you can. He’s just one dumb actor.”
“One dumb actor who ruined my damn career,” I bite out. “You know what he said about me. You know how incapable he was of being professional on set.” I push out of my chair, taking my own turn pacing. “And do you know what’s even worse than what he did when we were teenagers?”
“His horribly inflated ego?”
“No!” I pause in my pacing, my hands on my hips. “I mean, yes. But also no.” I pinch the bridge of my nose,attempting to force a calming breath through my lungs. “He doesn’t even remember me.” I collapse back into the squishy chair. “The man is responsible for the downfall of my career, and he doesn’t even remember me.” That knowledge might sting even more than the events of our complicated past.
“And now you have to pretend to fall in love with him.” Liz sums it all up in one succinct sentence.
I blink away a sheen of tears, low-key mortified I’d even let Grayson fucking West bring on the waterworks. “And now I have to pretend to fall in love with him.”
Liz takes in a deep breath, blowing it out loudly and forcefully. “Well, shit.”
Linda enters the room from a swinging door in the corner, two wineglasses in her hands. “I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but it looked like you might need—”
“Yes,” Liz and I say in unison, each gratefully accepting a glass of red wine.
I take down half of mine in one gulp, folding myself into the soft cushions of the chair. Liz’s eyes bore into the side of my face, but I ignore them, instead focusing on laying out my options.
Option one: I don’t even bother to take my bags out of my car. I drive back to LA and return to a life behind the scenes. It’s not a bad life. I have plenty of money, and I like writing, and the hours are nice. And I never have to fake make out with assholes.
Option two: I don’t let Grayson West get the best of me this time. Sure, it’s been a while since I was in front of the camera. But I’m a professional. I can do this. I’ll just close my eyes and pretend he’s Chris Hemsworth.
Fuck. Why couldn’t we have gotten Chris Hemsworth?
Liz snorts. “He’d be perfect, but you know he’d never do a movie like this.”
Guess I said that last part out loud. “Good point. On that note, why the hell is Grayson West doing a movie like this? One that involves feelings and emotions and doesn’t have any explosions in it?”
“To be totally honest, I have no idea why he agreed. Rom-coms are definitely not in his wheelhouse, but I got instant confirmation from his manager that he was interested. Even if we could’ve found someone else, I don’t think it would’ve been wise to turn him down. He’s got the kind of name that can bring in a big audience. And that’s good for all of us.”
I swig the last of my wine as if it can wash away the truth I’ve known since we first sat down. “There really wasn’t anyone else?”
“There really wasn’t anyone else.” She hands me the rest of her wine like the good best friend she is, swapping her half-full glass for my empty one.
Staring into the depths of the crimson, I swirl the wine around before taking another swallow. “I’m going to need you to have my back.”
“Always.” She holds out the empty glass, raising it toward me. “I know this process isn’t starting out how you wanted it to, but I promise, I’m going to take care of you and we’re going to rock the shit out of this.”
I clink my glass against hers. “I need to update the rider clause in my contract. I’m going to require a case of wine.”
