Page 74 of Never To Be Mine

“Yeah. Just a quick reaction shot. People love when you two are on camera together. Let’s see what happens.”

“Uh, no thanks.”

Hollis looked at me and grinned. “Come on.”

“Absolutely not,” I said, taking a step back like the camera might reach out and grab me.

“Come on,” Micah said, not even looking up from his monitor. “Everyone online loved the two of you in that makeup video. The comments, the chemistry. People ate it up. Let’s just try a version where you’re standing beside Hollis.”

“No. I didn’t dress for the cameras.”

“You look great,” Hollis said. “Beautiful.”

And oh God, I would’ve walked over broken glass barefoot.

“Just stand there,” Micah said, pointing toward a spot by Hollis.

I shook my head. “You guys are the professionals.”

Hollis was watching me with that infuriating amusement, arms crossed. “Scared of the camera, Young?”

“I’m not scared of anything. I just don’t want to be part of your little commercial.”

“It’s not my commercial, it’s B Well’s commercial, and you’re basically co-launching these shakes with me.”

I hated when he made valid points. It happened more often than I wanted to admit.

“Fine,” I said, holding up a finger. “I’ll stand there. That’s it. I’m not saying a single word.”

Micah looked up, confused. “Why not? We could get a little soundbite, something like⁠—”

“No.” I cut him off before he could even finish the thought. “The last time I opened my mouth on camera, it got turned into a meme with more shares than I care to know. I believe the caption was something about me looking like I wanted to commit a crime. I am not doing that again.”

Hollis laughed like he found my trauma delightful. “Fair enough. She’s got a point, Micah. We don’t need her opening her mouth to cause an international incident.”

“I will end you,” I told him, but there was no heat behind it.

Micah threw his hands up. “Okay, okay. Silent Juno it is. Just get in the shot, look natural, maybe smile a little if that’s not asking too much.”

“No promises on the smile.” I walked over and stood beside Hollis, leaving what I considered a very reasonable amount of professional distance between us. He immediately closed half of it, his arm brushing mine.

“Personal space,” I muttered under my breath.

“We all need to fit in the shot,” he murmured back, not moving an inch. “Sacrifices must be made. We’re putting on a show. Find that chemistry everyone says we have.”

“They’re blind,” I muttered.

The lights adjusted. Someone dabbed powder on my nose without asking permission, but I let it happen because if it made me look better, so be it. Jack gave me an encouraging nod from his spot like we were in this together, which did absolutely nothing to calm the fluttering in my stomach.

I was sharing the stage with Jack Montana. I couldn’t wait to tell Kari.

“Okay, rolling,” Micah called. “Juno, just look at the camera. Hollis, hand her a bottle.”

Hollis turned to me with a bottle in his hand and that same insufferable half-smile from earlier, like we were sharing some private joke that only the two of us understood. I took the bottle because it was easier than fighting about it in front of a full film crew. I looked at the camera like I’d been told. I tried to smile but I had a feeling it looked more like a grimace. I was not a model.

The camera moved in front of us. Jack drank his own smoothie.

“Again,” Micah said. “Hollis, full smile and look at the camera.”