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“Everyone is talking to everyone, Harley, you’re being weird.” Dre starts to get up again, but I grab his arm.
“Dre, please, I’m so nervous and I just need you to…to…” I trail off as Grant’s date turns around. I nearly laugh when I realize who it is. “Oh, that’s Victoria Neville.”
Dre alerts again like he’s a bloodhound on the search. “The supermodel?”
“Yes, the supermodel. His sister!” I say through a laugh, clutching my heart. I shouldn’t be so relieved, but I am.
Just becauseIcan’t have him doesn’t mean I want anyone else to.
“I’ll introduce you,” I say to Dre. “Later. For now. Just…calm me down.”
Dre smiles and rolls his eyes. “Fine.”
Little does he know that he’ll be calming me down from much more than presenting an award. He’s going to be talking me down from the ledge that wants to throw myself right at Grant Neville and fuck his brains out.
12
GRANT
“Okay, listen to me, Flick–” I grab onto the actor’s shoulders and look into his hazel eyes. “I need you to read from the cue cards exactly as they’re written.”
Flick nods. “I got it, boss.”
“No, no. You don’t got it,” I reply. I’ve corralled Flick into the corner of the talent holding room backstage. This is Flick’s first event since his scandal broke. A low-level awards show. It may not be televised, but the media is still here. And I know all eyes are going to be on Flick. “You can’t deviate from the script. No editorializing, no embellishing, no–”
“Relax, Neville,” Flick says in his California surfer way, running a hand through his blonde curly hair that for some reason looks wet and crusty at the same time. “This isn’t a big deal, I promise.”
I force a smile. I promised Resa I would do my due diligence and not let him do anything stupid. Unfortunately, with Flick, it’s hard to ever anticipate what this guy is going to do. “It’s a very big deal, Flick. This is your first public appearance since…you know, everything. And I’m counting on you not to make Infinium look–”
“Stupid. I know.” Flick grins. “I promise, Grant, I won’t–”
Suddenly, we’re interrupted by the announcer: “Presenting the award for best-unscripted radio program, up-and-coming radio personality and host, Harley Solace.”
My focus on Flick shatters. Harley Solace? That’s a one-of-a-kind name. There aren’t any others in LA, let alone any who are up-and-coming radio hosts.
Against my better judgment, I abandon Flick in the green room and go backstage. It’s entirely quiet back here. The only thing I can hear is Harley.
“It’s my honor to present the award for best-unscripted radio program. The nominees are…”
As she lists the nominees, I peer through the wings and onto the stage. Holy shit. She looks dynamite. I don’t know how I didn’t notice she was here already given that she looks like a fucking Grecian goddess. Her short blonde hair has been styled in tight curls and her skin glows golden. And that dress…goddamn, my imagination doesn’t do her body justice.
“Neville?” I hear Flick whisper at my shoulder.
“Huh–what?” I don’t even pay him a look. I’m captivated by Harley.
“We good?”
“Yeah, just…read the cards,” I say without another thought. Flick is going to do what Flick is going to do. Nothing I can say or do will stop that. At least that’s the justification I’m going to use so I can just stare at Harley Solace.
Flick watches Harley beside me. “Damn, she’s a babe. You know her?”
I glare at him. I want to say, “Don’t even think about it,” but that might be showing my hand. “Daughter of a friend.”
“You think you could introduce me?”
“Aren’t you going through a divorce?” I shoot back bitterly.
Flick glowers. “You don’t have to rub it in.”
