Page 47

Sebastian and Bernadette had already parked their machines and were walking toward the cabin, heads bent together as they discussed angles and lighting and all the technical details that went into planning a shoot. I watched them go, grateful for a moment to collect myself.

“You okay?” Jeremy asked, moving closer. “You look a little flushed.”

“I’m fine. Just… the cold. And the ride. It was a lot.”

“But good, right?” His eyes searched my face. “You had fun?”

Fun. That was one word for it. “It was definitely an experience.”

He smiled and pushed up his own goggles. I did the same, blinking when the cold air hit. He looked so happy. So genuinely pleased that I’d come along. He liked that I’d stepped outside my comfort zone and tried something new. When had making me happy become something that mattered to him?

“Come on,” he said, nodding toward the cabin. “Let’s check out the location.”

We walked together through the snow, our boots crunching with each step. The cabin was even more charming up close, in a crumbling, forgotten sort of way. Icicles hung from the eaves. Snow had drifted against one wall, almost reaching the window. It looked like something from a fairy tale. The kind of place where a princess might be held captive by a beast.

“It’s perfect,” Jeremy said, circling the cabin. “I can already picture the shots. Eveningwear against all this rustic decay. The contrast is going to be incredible.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice. He was in work mode now. This was the Jeremy I knew. The professional. The model who understood his craft.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about the Jeremy I’d been pressed against for the last hour. That ridiculous hard body. And had his back always been that broad?

I ignored the thought and snapped a few pictures of the landscape to send to my grandmother. She would love this while she sat poolside in Florida.

“Lucy?”

I blinked. He was looking at me with concern.

“Sorry. What?”

“I asked if you wanted to see inside. Sebastian said the door’s unlocked.”

“Oh. Sure.”

The cabin interior was dusty and dark. A three-legged chair was tipped over on the floor. A small table was pushed up against the wall. Light filtered through grimy windows.

I watched him move through the space, already visualizing, already working. This was what he did. He saw the potential in things. The beauty waiting to be captured.

What did he see when he looked at me?

I pushed away the thought. It didn’t matter. We were friends. Colleagues. Whatever I was feeling right now was just a biological response to physical proximity and engine vibrations. It would pass.

Wouldn’t it?

“Hey.” Jeremy had circled back to me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders like he had done a hundred times before. Except it felt different. “Thanks for coming today. I know you didn’t want to.”

“It wasn’t as terrible as I expected.”

He laughed softly. “High praise.”

“I mean it.” I forced myself to meet his eyes. “The scenery was beautiful. And you’re actually a decent driver.”

“Decent. Wow. Stop, you’ll make me blush.”

I smiled despite myself. This was us. The easy banter, the gentle teasing. This was what I needed to focus on. The friendship that worked, not the feelings that would only complicate everything.

Because that’s what they would do. Complicate everything.

Jeremy wasn’t the settling-down type. He’d made that clear through years of casual hookups and short-term flings. How many women had I lied to for him? Too many. He enjoyed women. He liked variety, novelty, and more importantly, the thrill of the chase. The idea of him wanting something serious with anyone, let alone with me, was laughable.