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CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
TIM
I can’t believe I got up the courage to ask Paige out on a real date last night. I was so worried she’d already fallen for Fielden that I almost didn’t. But the night I went over to her house, the chemistry between us was undeniable. Then she called and asked if I wanted to go out last night. I felt like I owed it to the possibility of “us” to give it a shot.
I’ve been watching the clock all day waiting for the cast to arrive for tonight’s mixer. At four on the nose, I head down to hair and makeup. One of the sound guys meets me at the door. “I need to put on your mic,” he says.
“I thought you did that right before we started filming.”
“We normally do, but I’m down a man tonight so I need to hook you up early.” I let him do his job and as soon as he walks away, I click the volume off. Then I walk into the room.
Cami is the first person I see. “Paige and I went out last night.”
Her eyes pop wide open. “And? What happened?”
“I asked her out on a real date.”
She claps her hands enthusiastically. “That’s so exciting!What about Fielden?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. All I know is that I have real feelings for Paige, and I needed to let her know I was interested in more than friendship.”
She gestures at the air between us. “Are we still dating?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” I tell her. “I’m afraid if we break it off right away, Paige might think I’m flighty and not take me seriously. So, maybe we should pretend we’re still interested in each other.”
“I can do that …” Cami says. “But I hate it because I really like Paige and I don’t want her to think we’re in competition.”
“Things go so quickly on reality shows, we can probably lose interest in each other by next week and then we’ll be in the clear.”
She nods her head. “Okay, but what about Eva? Do you still want to make her jealous?”
“Honestly, I couldn't care less what she thinks.” Even though I’d already decided this, hearing the truth spoken out loud still startles me. Revenge has been my sole motive to keep breathing since leaving L.A. But ever since I’ve gotten to know Paige, I’ve nearly stopped thinking about my ex-wife. Even when Cami suggested helping me make Eva jealous, I only agreed because I didn’t think Paige was an option.
“Good for you,” Cami says.
I ask, “How are things going between you and Walker?”
Her eyes lose focus like she’s lost in a fantasy. “He’s amazing. Did you know that he spends every Sunday at a homeless shelter serving meals?”
“He’s a good guy,” I confirm as I watch Paige walk into the room.
She smiles when she sees me, but then she notices who I’m talking to, and her energy falters. I motion her toward us. As soon as she arrives, I say, “I was just telling Cami about what a great dart player you are.”
Her eyes flicker toward Cami’s. “Elk Lake champion for three years running.” She must be joking.
“It sounds like you had a great time,” Cami says brightly.
“Yeah …” Paige seems confused by Cami’s easy acceptance of me going out with another woman.
Cami’s gaze darts between us. “Well, I guess I should go change. See you two later.”
After she leaves, Paige says, “She doesn’t seem upset about our going out last night.”
I remind her, “When you introduced us, you told her we were friends. She probably thinks it was just a friendly game of darts.”
“But itwasmore, right?” She looks up at me hopefully.
“Isn’t that what we decided to investigate?” I ask her.
