Page 61 of Fool's Gold

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

The same damn thing happened to me last time. Is this place cursed? Or…I’m cursed.

Jacob’s expression drops. “Shit, I’m so sorry. I forgot to tell them you’re dairy-free. She specifically said almond milk, and I forgot.”

River told him? “It’s really no trouble! Don’t worry about it.”

He’s already waving to bring the server back to rectify his mistake. With a round of apologies, she grabs my drink, promising to be back soon.

“It’s really no trouble.” My protests are ignored.

Jacob gawks at me. “Trouble? You can’t have dairy. The mistake is mine, and it’s no trouble. I’ll remember next time.”

“Oh, really?” A laugh escapes me automatically. “You think there’s going to be a next time?”

“I’m sure hoping there will be.”

He soothes me with the kind of surface-skimming conversation that flows naturally, and when the server deposits my new almond milk latte, along with another apology, I’m in a much better mood.

The first sip has me swooning, and I shoot him a grateful smile over the rim.

“Better?” Jacob asks.

“So much better, thank you. You didn’t need to make a big deal out of it. I would have been fine.”

I catch myself shuffling, doing the dance I learned to do more often than not. The dance where I tap my way toward being small to avoid confrontation and making other people uncomfortable.

Jacob’s smile is sweet and understanding. The exact opposite of Marcus.

“Nothing is going to get done by being too accommodating. You only end up hurting yourself in the long run.” He leans forward on the table. “It’s something I’ve learned the hard way. There’s a difference between standing up for yourself and letting people run all over you when it’s not warranted.”

“I guess it’s a lesson I haven’t learned yet.” I cradle the cup in my palms.

“One day.” His optimism is overwhelming in the best kind of way. “Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I wanted to take you out.”

“My dazzling personality, of course,” I reply dryly.

His laugh helps put me even further at ease. There are no pretenses with Jacob. I don’t know him well, but he strikes me as the kind of man who lets you see exactly what you’re going to get with him.

“Yes, always. Not to mention your smile.” He offers the compliment easily. “It stuck with me for days.” His eyes go serious for a moment before he continues, “I’m glad you agreed to meet me. I wasn’t sure if you’d come alone or bring your manager.”

My back straightens at the mention. “He doesn’t control my movements.” Liar. “I was happy to spend time with you.”

Jacob instantly relaxes. “Good. I’m pretty sure I told you about a script on the phone, right?”

I bob my head, doing my best to forget about his mention of Marcus and what it does to me. Because now that he’s been introduced to the conversation, he’s slithered underneath my skin. “You did.”

“Well, I thought of you immediately. The second my agent pushed this project, I knew exactly who would be the right fit to play my scene partner.”

Tension tightens my muscles to the point of pain. There’s no reason for me to react this way, but I can’t help but remember when Marcus shoved the script for my current project at me, claiming I’d be the perfect fit. My gut reaction is stress and worry.

I force all of it aside because Jacob isn’t doing any of those things yet

“What kind of project?”

“I know you’re currently working on your only full-length motion picture, but this one…is gonna be good. Let’s call it a fluffy kind of piece, Christmastime romance and the power of true love. A little cutesy, but the writing is killer, and the banter is fire. It’s set in New York City. I have the script with me if you’d like to read more about it, but I didn’t want you to feel like this was forced.”

I’m grateful to stay seated because I lose my footing. Jacob thought about me for a Christmas fluff piece?

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