Murray pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘It wasn’t just once, was it.’
It was a statement, not a question. ‘No,’ Dylan said anyway.
‘Fuck me,’ Murray groaned.
Then he turned on Lily. ‘Did you know about this?’
She batted her eyelashes.
A muscle in his jaw started to twitch. ‘You knew these two were undermining the whole show and you didn’t say a word to me?’
‘I’m not your servant, Murray,’ Lily said. ‘You know that very well.’
‘They didn’t undermine the show,’ Amanda said quietly.
‘What?’ Murray snapped, wheeling on her.
‘They didn’t undermine the show,’ Amanda repeated. ‘It’s supposed to be about falling in love, isn’t it? They fell in love.’
She reached her fingertips out towards me. I reached mine back. ‘I’m happy for you,’ she said. ‘Truly, Cece. You too, Dylan.’
‘Thank you,’ I said.
Her eyes were red and bloodshot from crying. What had it taken for her to say that to me?
‘Yes,’ Dylan echoed. ‘Thank you, Amanda.’
‘That’s not actually correct,’ Murray said. ‘This show isn’t about people falling in love. It’s about telling a love story the audience can believe.’
‘And who would believe he could fall in love with me, right?’ I said.
‘Shut up, Cece,’ Murray said. ‘I don’t have time for you to get in your feelings about this.’
‘That’s what you’re saying, though, isn’t it?’ I said. ‘That I’ve ruined your perfect love story because no one would believe someone like Dylan would fall in love with someone like me?’
‘That’s not what I’m saying at all!’
Murray slapped his hand against the mantel. The sound made all of us jump. ‘I can tell a Cinderella story!’ he said. ‘That’s the easiest story in the world to tell. People fucking love an underdog! But I don’t have the right pieces!’
He started ticking things off on his fingers. ‘You know what I have? I have you falling apart on the first night and him cuttingyou. Then I have both of you telling me about how you’re such great friends! Best friends for life! Nothing sexy here! Then I have you dumping him so he can focus on other women!’
He slapped his hand against the mantel again. ‘That, I can cut together so it looks like a love story,’ he said. ‘That’s a piece of piss. But apart from some shady-looking footage of you sneaking out? I don’t have shit. The network is demanding a fairy-tale romance so they can get their comfort-watch pandemic ratings, and I can’t tell it with what you’ve given me.’
‘I’m not committing to Dyl,’ Dylan said. ‘She’s great, don’t get me wrong, but you can’t make me shoot that scene, Murray. I won’t do it.’
‘You are not in a position to tell me what you will and won’t do right now,’ Murray snarled. ‘You’ve broken your contract. You’re going to be paying back a shit-ton of money.’
‘Don’t yell at him!’ I exclaimed. ‘You think he made this decision lightly?’
‘And you!’ Murray said, turning on me. ‘Don’t get me started on you.’ He put on a high voice. ‘?“Oh yes, Murray, I’ll be your next Juliet, whatever you say, Murray!”’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, ‘but—’
‘Sorry doesn’t help me, Cece!’ he said, slapping the mantel again. ‘Your love might be pure and true and eternal or whatever the fuck you’ve been whispering to each other behind my back, but it doesn’t give me a love story you can tell on TV!’
‘So film one, dipshit.’
Murray looked over at Lily, his lip curling in a snarl.
