Page 109 of Cast to be Mine

“I can stay,” she said. “I don’t have any clients until this afternoon. We can order breakfast, watch trashy TV, not talk about anything important. Whatever you need.”

I shook my head. “I want to be alone.”

“Grace, is that a good idea?”

I forced a smile that probably looked as fake as it felt. “I just need to sleep. Real sleep. In my own bed. I’ll call you later, okay?”

She was clearly weighing whether to argue. Finally, she sighed and nodded.

“Call me if you need anything. And I mean anything. Three in the morning, I don’t care. I’ll be there.”

“I know.” I leaned over and hugged her. “Thank you for picking me up.”

“That’s what best friends are for.”

I grabbed my suitcase from the trunk and waved as she pulled away. Then I turned and walked into my building, dragging my luggage behind me like it weighed a thousand pounds. I unlocked my door and stepped inside.

The apartment was exactly as I’d left it. Evidence of a life that felt like it belonged to someone else now. I was a different woman. I closed the door behind me and stood there in the silence. It was so quiet.

I’d wanted to be alone. I’d told Becky I needed space.

But standing there in my empty apartment, surrounded by the ghost of who I’d been before Hawaii and Micah, I realized I’d made a mistake.

The silence was suffocating.

I should have asked Becky to stay. Instead, I was alone with nothing but my thoughts and a phone that would not stop lighting up with notifications. If I unfollowed Jack or the page the studio set up for the film, that would make yet another headline.

I silenced the notifications, but when I got tagged by friends, it alerted me.

I left my suitcase by the door and walked to the couch, collapsing onto the cushions without bothering to change out of my travel clothes. I pulled the throw blanket over myself and curled into a ball. I thought about texting Becky. But the effort seemed insurmountable.

36

MICAH

Iscanned the cabin for the third time as people settled into their seats, my eyes tracking every face, every head of hair. Cast and crew spread out across the rows, some already pulling out laptops or settling in for sleep. The energy was different from the flight out—tired but satisfied. Most were also suffering hangovers. People were laughing, rehashing their favorite moments from the shoot and the party last night. The usual end-of-shoot stuff with people exchanging phone numbers and making promises to stay in touch that some would keep and most wouldn’t.

But no Grace.

I checked my watch. We were fifteen minutes from departure. Maybe she was running late. I had assumed she was on one of the other transport vans, but maybe she’d gotten held up at the hotel, or stuck in traffic. What if she was scrambling to get a taxi to the airport?

I scanned the faces again and spotted Patty.

“Have you seen Grace?” I realized I sounded just a little frantic. “Did she get on a van or should I send a car for her?”

Patty’s expression shifted to something that might have been sympathy. “She’s not coming.”

“What do you mean she’s not coming?”

“She texted me last night. Said she’d booked another flight back. Left before the party ended, I think.”

My stomach dropped. “Did she say why?”

Patty shook her head slowly. “No. Just that she needed to get home. I figured…” She trailed off, glancing around at the other passengers. “I figured you’d know more than I would.”

I didn’t know anything. That was the problem.

“Thanks, Patty.”