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“Excellent. I have so many plans for us.”
I start the shower, getting us both wet. “Is that so? Like what?”
She shrugs a shoulder, soaping me up. “Have a little faith in my abilities to surprise you.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Summer
“Mmm, stop it,” I mutter, trying to block out the voices. Blinking open one eye, I notice the room is bathed in light. With a sigh, I stretch on the king-sized bed, focusing on the voices filtering in from the living room. The connecting door is shut, but I recognize the speakers: Alex, Preston, and Amy.
I search my memory, trying to recall Alex’s schedule, but I’m fairly certain he didn’t have a meeting planned Thursday morning. With an uneasy jolt in my stomach, I push myself out of bed and hurry to the bathroom to brush my teeth and comb my hair. Crap, I don’t have anything to wear. My suitcase is in my room, which is further down the corridor. Yesterday’s clothes are piled up next to the bed, and the shirt is too wrinkled to be wearable. I have no choice but to throw on a robe. Not exactly the attire I want to wear the first time I meet Amy, but I soldier on, heading to the living room.
“Hey, babe, I’m sorry, did we wake you up?” Alex asks. He’s sitting in one of the armchairs, a tight smile on his face.
“I had to get up at some point,” I say, sweeping my gaze to the others. Preston sits in the armchair opposite Alex, fingers laced on top of his head. Amy waves at me from the couch.
“Hey, Summer. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I relax when I take in her appearance. She’s wearing jeans and a hoodie, and her hair is piled up in a messy bun. I walk up to her to shake her hand, which is when I notice her eyes are red and a little puffy. Has she been crying?
“What’s going on?” I ask, returning to Alex.
“Box office predictions for Bree Shannon Finds Love #2 went live last night,” Preston explains. “They’re down 20 percent even from the studio’s worst-case scenario.”
“But these are just predictions, right?” I ask, stepping just behind Alex’s armchair, resting my hand on his shoulder.
Preston shakes his head. “They’re very accurate.”
“Everyone in the industry takes them at face value,” Amy continues. “And word travels fast. I’d been considering three scripts. This morning my manager got calls regarding two of them. Apparently, they already decided to go with another actress. Translation: no one wants to cast someone with a box office bomb as their leading lady.”
I squeeze Alex’s shoulder.
“I’ve heard from the studio this morning,” Preston says, looking from Amy to Alex. “They want you two to fake a reunion and keep up the charade for one month until after the premiere. Anything to get fans to shell out money at the box office. You need to be seen in public. The more displays of affection, the better. Alex, you could even fake moving in with Amy. You two know the drill.”
Amy rearranges her messy bun. “Sam won’t like it, but I was afraid it might come to this.”
I go very still, even though my heart’s hammering like it’s about to leap out of my chest. Did I hear them right? Just like that, they’re supposed to stage a reunion and keep up the charade for six weeks? The thought of them kissing slices at me. Preston is right, they know the drill... last time they had to pretend, the fake romance led to a real romance. They were engaged for God’s sake.
What if they get carried away with all the fake kisses and fall back in love? A lump settles in my throat, blocking my words of protest.
“No,” Alex says quietly. “Out of the question.”
I haven’t even realized he’s laid his hand over mine over his shoulder, squeezing it gently.
“Alex, be reasonable.” Preston focuses on our interlinked hands, then snaps his gaze up to me. “Summer, this is business. Surely you understand?”
Clearing my throat, I say, “No, actually. I don’t. I think honesty is the only way to go. From where I stand, it looks like the problems started because the studio relied on the fake relationship in the first place.”
Amy throws her hands up, her eyes becoming glassy. “Who cares? It’s up to us to fix it. We agreed to it in the first place, so it’s not like we’re innocent. And if this will fix things, I’m all for it. Do you know how hard it is to get roles once you’ve got a box office failure of this magnitude hanging around your neck? I don’t want to do B-movies for the rest of my life.”
Alex interlaces his fingers with mine, brushing the side of my palm with his thumb.
“Look, I’m willing to do anything to bring in more sales. Anything honest. The studio knows I don’t shy away from hard work. Hard and honest work. I want this movie to succeed as much as anyone else. But I will not lie to the fans. And my relationship with Summer is too important,” he says. His words wash over me, melting my worries and insecurities away. He holds my hand tightly, as if he knows. As if he understands. “If you care about Sam at all—”
“Don’t pretend you know how I feel,” Amy snaps. “Sam understands how this industry works.”
“This isn’t the time to choose the high road,” Preston says calmly. “You don’t want to have the reputation of an actor difficult to work with. On top of a possible box office bomb.”
