Page 29 of Never To Be Mine

Ichecked my reflection in the car window one more time before heading into the Young at Heart building. Blue button-down, sleeves rolled to my forearms. Dark jeans. Casual but put together. I’d gotten a haircut yesterday, too. Just a trim to clean things up.

Dress for success. Dress like a serious businessman.

Toby bounded up beside me, camera already in hand. “Dude, are you nervous?”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Why would I be nervous?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m nervous.”

“You’ll be fine.” I pushed through the glass doors into the lobby. “Just remember, get some behind-the-scenes stuff but don’t be intrusive. We’re trying to mend fences here, not annoy them.”

“Got it, got it.”

This was just a simple interview. Talk about the partnership, smile for the camera, show everyone that Juno and I could be professional adults together. Easy.

The elevator doors opened, and I followed the signs to the conference room. Through the glass walls, I could see Juno already inside, talking to someone I didn’t recognize. Probably the PR person her father had mentioned.

I took a breath and opened the door. Juno’s head turned. She had been smiling until she laid eyes on me. She shot me an annoyed look I was becoming very familiar with.

“You’re early,” she said flatly.

“That’s a bad thing?” I stepped into the room, Toby trailing behind me with his camera.

“No.” Her eyes went to Toby. I noticed he didn’t get the same dirty look.

“I brought my social media guy. Just want to get some content for our platforms. People love getting a glimpse behind the scenes.”

The PR person was a woman in her forties with sharp eyes and an immaculate pantsuit. She stepped forward with her hand extended. “Of course that’s fine. I’m Patricia. I’ll be guiding the interview today.”

I shook her hand, then turned my attention back to Juno. She was wearing blue. Because I mentioned it? I had been teasing, but shit, I was glad she had taken me seriously. Her eyes looked like sapphires.

The blouse had a V-neck that showed just enough to make my brain short-circuit, and the way it wrapped around her waist emphasized every delicious curve. Her black pants hugged her hips perfectly and her hair was down again, falling in soft waves.

I realized I was staring and quickly looked away, focusing on Patricia instead.

“So how does this work?” I asked, trying to get this show on the road.

“It’s simple,” Patricia said, gesturing to two chairs set up facing each other with a small table between them. “You’ll sit here, have a conversation. I’ll ask some questions to guide things along, but mostly I want it to feel natural. Like two colleagues chatting about an exciting new partnership.”

Toby was already circling the room, getting different angles. Juno’s eyes tracked him nervously.

“Is he going to be filming the whole time?” she asked.

“Just getting some B-roll,” Toby said cheerfully. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay out of the way. And nothing private will get out. Hollis would kill me.”

I laughed. “Don’t be some dramatic. I would just end your career.”

That didn’t seem to comfort Toby.

Patricia smiled, though. “It’s fine. Actually, it’s good. Shows authenticity.” She picked up a bottle of my green smoothie from the table. “Juno, I thought it would be great if you could drink this on camera. Sell the whole healthy vibe.”

Juno’s brow furrowed. “I have to drink it?”

“Just a sip. For the camera.”

I watched her jaw tighten. Her eyes darted to the bottle like it might bite her.

Miss Dietitian doesn’t like to drink what she promotes? And I’m the grifter?