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Everly braced herself. “What?”
“Your mic. I didn’t even think. We’ve never turned off your mic.”
Her shoulders slumped. He was right. She’d become so used to thedamn thing that it felt like a vital organ. More than once, she’d strapped it on out of habit, only to get to work and realize it wasn’t a filming day.
He slid around the bed so they were facing each other. “I’m sorry,” he said, reaching for her hands.
Everly’s heart was still slamming against her chest, but she let him take them. She let her fingers slip between his.
“I’ll be more careful.”
“We both will,” she echoed firmly.
Logan guided her forward, then down onto the bed beside him, so they were sitting hip to hip. His thumbs drew lines up and down her knuckles. “I know this looks bad, but Sady’s not trying to misrepresent you. She just wants to make sure people pay attention. That’s her whole ‘good TV’ schtick. She’d never do anything to hurt you or the show. Not on purpose.”
“But she did.” Everly nodded at the TV. “I wanted my episodes to be about me growing as a person, as an artist. Obviously, that wasn’t enough for her. Or I’m not enough for her.” Everly tugged her hands back and pressed them to her knees. “I know this thing with us is really new, but I hate that you’re taking her side.”
The furrow in Logan’s brow was deeper than Everly had ever seen it. Even though they disagreed, even as mad as she was at Sady, at all of this, her fingers ached to trace the paths between them. To smooth them against his forehead. “I’m not.” He gently took her chin in his hand and turned her face until their eyes met. So close, she could see shards of silver among the blue in his irises. “I know her better than you do. That’s all. But I’ll talk to her. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Everly’s muscles eased a little. Logan had never lied to her before. He’d always been honest and straightforward. There was no reason to think any of that had changed, no matter how much she didn’t trust Sady.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He leaned in closer, as if to seal the deal with a kiss.
Everly pressed a finger to his lips.
“One more thing.”
His frown dipped lower.
“Could you accidentally back your truck over that expensive purse of hers?”
Everly Winters: Dash Cam
Week 5, Day 2
7:51A.M.
Footage opens with Everly in her car, staring at the camera.
EVERLY: I’ve been sitting here so long trying to figure out what to say that now I’m going to be late for work.
Sighing, she shoves her sunglasses up on her head.
EVERLY: There’s two weeks left of filming, and for a long time, I thought I’d be relieved to get here. To have some privacy back, to have a say again in how I publicly present myself, what I let people see of my life. But now that we’re almost done, I’m not relieved at all.
Her voice hitches, and she stops to wipe at her face with the side of her hand. She’s chewing on her bottom lip.
EVERLY: I’m not good with change. I like things to feel stable and secure. I like what’s familiar. There’s a reason I went to college barely an hour from home, why I moved back to this town after graduation, why I live above my brother’s garage. Doing this show was so scary because I knew it would introduce all these new things to my life.
She blows out a breath.
EVERLY: I’ve finally learned to embrace that newness. I’m so excited to try this whole tattoo thing. I think I want to go for it the next time a designer position opens up at work. I’m letting new people in. Having new experiences.
Pink tinges her cheeks.
