Page 131 of A Lucky Shot

Even her and Dawson. Sounded good in theory, but it didn’t quite work.

Be strong. You can do this. Say no.

It’s late. I’m almost in bed

please

I’d really like to see you

She sunk back on her couch and adjusted the ice pack over her knee. The phone screen dimmed to black. She should leave him on read. Ghost him the way he’d ghosted her months ago.

But they had history. It had been fun. Usually. When she got together with Nick, there were no surprises.

okay

CHAPTER THIRTY

JOSH

Stephen munched on the bowl of Cheerios cradled in his hands. His usually wolfish beard was trimmed, his feet on the floor instead of perched on Josh’s pristine coffee table. His bedroom door was thrown open, the bed made and his clothes not littering the floor for once. Even from another province, Libby’s influence was rubbing off on Stephen.

That influence had never rubbed off on Cass, though. Her bedroom was probably still a glorious disaster. The scarf hanging off the bedpost, a shirt draped over her slipper chair. Her bedside table a collection of half-drunk cups of water and four different shades of red lipstick. The faint scent of jasmine on her pillow and cinnamon in the air.

A room he’d never see again. Josh swallowed against the pressure in his throat.

Stephen shuffled to the dishwasher and put his dirty dishes in.“Did you see them?”

Josh didn’t look up from his screen. Post-production on Sirius Darker had wrapped. The publicity tour would start in a matter of weeks. Fewer, if Melanie got her way. If she wanted the film out in time for this year’s Oscar buzz, she’d find a way to make it happen. Once the film was in front of audiences, it was for them to decide.

“See what?” His voice came out gravelly with disuse and fatigue. Maybe if he played stupid, Stephen would shut the hell up and leave him alone.

Another all-nighter writing, and every blink scraped the inside of his eyelids like sandpaper. But the words that had refused to exit his brain for years had flowed through his fingers and onto the word doc like wine, rich and bold and full of complexity.

Tideways was done.

Plus, burying himself in work gave him the excuse not to think about her. Except that she’d been with him the whole time. The portfolio of art he’d borrowed from Cass sat propped up on the corner of his workstation. Each sketch a shot of sunshine straight to his soul.

“If you hadn’t been buried in that screenplay since last week, I’d call out your bullshit.” Stephen leaned back against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms. “The photos.”

Nope, not getting away with ignoring it. Josh ground his molars together and avoided his friend’s pointed stare.

Of course he had seen them. The google alert he’d set for Sirius Darker had pinged him last night.

And we thought D’awwwson was over! Our favourite cutie from Cookeville, TN was seen locking lips with an unknown brunette at the YYC Hot Chocolate Festival last night. They were last seen cozying up to each other on set months ago, but we all thought things had fizzled over Christmas. Looks like they are still going hot (and sweet!) even with production wrapped!

Josh glowered at his screen. “He’s not even from Cookeville,” he muttered. “They just picked that because of the alliteration.”

“That’s what you’re taking from this?”

“Why the fuck do I put up with you again?”

“My good looks and raw sex appeal.”

Awesome. He scrubbed a hand over his own less than meticulously maintained stubble. “Tell me, oh wise one. What exactly am I supposed to take from this?”

Stephen sighed. “Libby talked to her. It was just one date. They’re friends. That’s all.”

That much was obvious. The photos couldn’t have looked more chaste if they were posing for a tutorial on How to Kiss Like a Virgin. Dawson might as well have had his hands in his pockets for all the touching he was doing.

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