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Amelia laughed. “Oh my God, I cannot believe I told you that once.”
“It lives rent-free in my head,” I said with a laugh. “And yes, come out with us tonight. Maddox and I are taking the cast to Dub’s on River Street.”
Amelia’s eyebrows shot up. “Maddox Nelson?”
“The one and only.”
“What is he doing with the cast?”
“He’s actually running the visual effects.”
Amelia shot me a suspicious look. “On your movie?”
“Trust me, I was as surprised as you are.”
Amelia knew precisely what had gone down with me and Maddox over the years. “Well, the party sounds fun.”
“Agreed. So, lunch?”
“Yes.”
We headed toward the front of the store when the door swung inward. I stalled at the appearance of James Asheford Talmadge IV in a navy suit, crisp button-up, and dark tie. His hair was slicked back, and those blue eyes were bright and intent on Amelia’s face.
The last time I’d seen Ash, he’d been a fucking mess. After Lila, he’d dissolved into an alcoholic, fucking anything with legs and being an entitled asshole. But he didn’t look like that at all. Two years could really change a man.
“Hey,” he said with a genuine smile. “Clary’s?”
Amelia’s smile dropped as she glanced at me. “Crap. I forgot to mention that I was doing lunch with Josie. You could come with us.”
Ash slowly turned to see me standing there. I straightened my spine and smiled at him, shooting him a little wave.
“James,” I crooned.
He ground his teeth together. “Josephine.”
Ash and I had never really gotten along. Not after what he’d done to Lila at prom. I held grudges, and no matter how we’d tried to put the past behind us for her sake, it had never quite worked. And well, after what had happened at the church two years ago, I was maybe only second in line for the last person he wanted to see again.
“Y’all,” Amelia said softly. “Come on.”
Ash’s smile returned when he looked at Amelia. “I’ll pass on lunch. Another time.”
Then, he was gone as quickly as he’d come.
I swiveled in shock. “Are you dating Ash Talmadge?”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “No!”
“Defensive much?”
She huffed and jerked me toward the door. “We’re not dating. He’s just, as you can imagine, had a rough two years. I’ve been a friend. We have a standing lunch. Since my brother moved to Atlanta with Marley, he hasn’t really had anyone to help him through everything. I’ve been the stand-in.”
“Romantic,” I joked.
She smacked my arm. “It is not romantic. There is nothing remotely romantic about me and Ash.”
“Except that you’ve always liked him.”
“And he always belonged to someone else,” Amelia snapped back. Though she certainly didn’t deny the allegation. Finally, she sighed and let the tension roll off her shoulders. “If I thought that he liked me just for me and not as a substitute for what he lost, then sure … I’d date him. But I’m not going to do anything with him until that point.”
“That’s fair.” I tugged her into a hug. “I’m proud of you. That has to be hard.”
“You have no idea.”
“Well, you can bring him to the cast party tonight if he promises to behave.”
Amelia snorted. “Have you met Ash?”
“At least it’s guaranteed to be interesting.”
“With you and Maddox in the same room as your ex-husband? I think it was already guaranteed.”
I cringed. “Yeah. Wish me luck.”
“You’re going to need it.”
And she wasn’t wrong.
7
SAVANNAH
PRESENT
Savannah nights were my favorite in the whole world. I’d traveled all over for Academy, but nothing compared to my hometown. People thought it was strange that I claimed Savannah when I’d grown up primarily in Atlanta, but as much as I loved the city, Savannah was special. I could feel it in the sea-salt air and the sticky heat. There were no words for it, except home.
After circling for street parking for twenty minutes, I gave up and pulled into a lot. The steps down to River Street were as steep as ever in my Louboutins. I stepped onto the cobblestones and headed toward Dub’s. It wasn’t the nicest place on River Street by a long shot, but I hadn’t wanted to do anything fancy. Maddox would never have shown up.
I was nearly there when a shiny blue sports car zipped right up to the entrance of Dub’s. Everyone was staring at the expensive car, and out of it stepped Martin Harper in a three-piece suit. Phones were out, snapping pictures of the television star and my ex-husband. If they noticed me, then things were going to get very uncomfortable.
I stepped backward to avoid the crush of excitement. I almost made it to the door when I heard, “Josephine, darling!”
I took a deep breath and turned to find Martin striding through the crowd, right toward me. That was when the breath went out of the crowd. It was one thing to see Martin in a shiny sports car. It was another thing entirely to see him with me.
