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“Awkward to watch, right?”
I cross my arms. “You could say that.”
“Dahlia is my queen and all, but Oliver sucks. I can’t believe I once thought he was cool and laid-back.”
Me too.At least he was before he made a move on the girl I liked, knowing full well how I felt about her.
I lean against the corner of Sam’s desk. “What changed?”
“Every time Dahlia has an innovative idea, Oliver finds a way to ruin it with some recently discovered issue. It’s a formula that was entertaining the first couple of times, but now I’m uncomfortable watching Dahlia pretend not to be annoyed at Oliver and him doing everything to push her buttons.”
Are you any better than him?
“Is the show usually like this?” I ask, ignoring the usual self-doubt.
“No. But obviously their relationship issues bled into the show.”
“I saw.”Painfully so.
“According to some gossip accounts I follow, Oliver’s family wanted to pull the plug on the show, and since they’re the executive producers...”
“Dahlia was screwed.”
“Production did Dahlia dirty with the way they cut scenes to paint her in a bad light.” Sam takes a seat before chomping down on his sandwich.
“They can do that?”
He snorts. “Of course. Reality TV isn’t exactly known for its honesty.”
I shake my head. “What’s the point, then?”
“Entertainment.”
No wonder Dahlia is struggling. If there is one thing she values more than her career, it’s her reputation, and Oliver couldn’t even let her keep that.
I’m hit with a bloody desire to fly out to San Francisco and introduce Oliver to my fist. My lawyer might hate me for it, but the satisfaction of his nose crunching beneath my knuckles would be well worth the settlement money.
“How many more episodes until the season is over?”
“Eight? Maybe nine? I’d have to check.”
For fuck’s sake.
He takes a long sip from his paper straw. “But the production company hasn’t canceled next season yet, probably because the ratings are higher than ever. Views nearly doubled last night after an article came out suggesting that Dahlia and Oliver broke up because of another woman—”
Dahlia’s detached voice cuts Sam off midsentence. “You shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
“Dahlia! You’re here!” Sam jumps up from his chair. While he gathers a few files from the cabinet behind his desk, I check Dahlia out.
Obvious anger aside, she looks better than when she first arrived in Lake Wisteria, having put on a bit of weight and taking the time to do her hair and makeup like she used to. The warm fall colors she chose for her eyes bring out the golden flecks of her irises, although her red lipstick steals my attention.
The color reminds me of the one she wore during a college Halloween party. Her red lips were a Trojan horse, and I was too enamored by her beauty to stop her from kissing me.
At first, I was surprised by her making the first move, butit only took me a few seconds to throw my inhibitions away and kiss her back after spending three long years resenting myself for dreaming about it.
Dahlia wasn’t my first kiss, but it sure felt that way with how my mind and body reacted.
The memory wraps around my neck like an anchor, dragging me down until I’m left with only one thought.
