Page 10 of Rushing Into Love

“You can’t stay with him only for the sake of your career,” Brooks said, picking up her wineglass. “I know I don’t need to tellyouthis, but it’s a really bad sign if someone cheats on you while you’re still dating.” She took a dainty sip of her wine after pointing out the obvious.

“Iknowthat intellectually, Brooks, of course I do, but how am I going to spin this so I don’t look like the world’s biggest idiot?” I asked, fighting back tears. I wasn’t sure if I was madder about the breaking-up-part or the cheating-and-making-me-look-stupid-part. Damn that Paxton Jones! I fervently wished I’d never met the jerk.

Sure, initially he’d been so sweet, so charming, so flattering. I hadn’t even known he was a famous actor when we literally bumped into each other at the Mini Mart down the block from my condo. He’d just seemed like a cute guy buying kale at 10 PM. Trust me, they were a dime a dozen in LA. It wasn’t until our first date nine months ago, when he took me to a party at the Chateau Marmont and we were on ‘the list,’ right under J Lo and A-Rod, that I realized he was kind of a big deal. That’s when he told me his entire stage name, Paxton Jones, and I Googled him and figured out I was dating an It guy. I hadn’t been looking for a high-profile relationship, but there I was.

Then two weeks ago I started hearing rumors and they weren’t good—Pax with his young co-star on the Strip, Pax with his makeup artist. But that tweet had been my final breaking point.

Reeling, I’d thrown some things into a suitcase and booked the first flight out of LA, heading to the safest place I knew, my sister’s house. Brooklyn had always been my rock, plus I’d have the chance to hang out with my adorable niece. It was a bonus that Peachtree Grove was practically on the other side of the world from LA. Surely no one would be able to find me in Smalltown, USA. I just needed to stay off Page Six until the Pax situation blew over.

Meeting Ryder only complicated my predicament further. The man was drop-dead gorgeous, sexy as hell, and genuine all at the same time. Like, the Perfect Man. And here I was, confused and conflicted. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

“From where I’m sitting, Bree, it seems pretty obvious you’re doing the right thing. He deserves to be dumped! He’s a jerk, and he’s really not even that good-looking. He’s way too skinny and metro, if you ask me,” Brooks said, crossing her arms.

“Well I didn’t, thanks,” I said grumpily. My knee hurt and I could tell Brooks didn’t grasp the complexity of the situation at all. My entire reputation was on the line here. How could I expect people to take my relationship advice when I clearly didn’t know the first thing about making my own relationship work?

“This isn’t like Dad, you know,” Brooks said softly. Her tone was gentle, her eyes sincere.

“I know,” I said, staring up at the ceiling. “I never said it was.” Although deep down, it kind of felt like that, all over again. A tear spilled onto my cheek, betraying me. Damn.

“Just because our dad was a cheating ass doesn’t mean every man will be. So you picked a bad apple. We all make mistakes. I’m sure you tell your clients that every single day.”

I swiped at my face, wiping away tears. “Yeah, I do tell them that. But I’m anexpert,Brooks, it’s why people pay me and listen to my talks. I can’t afford to make mistakes; people will question my credibility. I’ll be ruined!”

“Bree, he’s an actor. He takes on different personasfor a living. That’s what he does, who he is. Maybe LA just isn’t for you.” She dangled that last bit out there for the thousandth time, another not-so-subtle hint that she wanted me to move closer to her and Alex.

“My life’s there, Brooks. My clients, my friends, my connections.” I ticked each positive off on my fingers. The list was sadly kind of short.

“You can have all of that here.”

“I don’t know…” I murmured. Just thinking about making such a big move filled me with anxiety. I breathed deeply, exhaled slowly.

“Think about it, that’s all,” Brooks said, locking eyes with me. “We’d love it if you stayed. Especially Alex. She loves her Aunt Bee.”

I nodded. It would be pretty great to be here for holidays and birthdays—and football games. I blushed, thinking of Ryder.

“Peachtree Grove is a great place to live!” Brooks plugged shamelessly, like she worked for the Board of Tourism. “And we even have two or three eligible bachelors!” she winked.

I groaned. “I’m not sure I’m technically even single yet. How ‘bout you let me figure that out before you go setting me up?”

“Details,” Brooks chuckled. “Teeny-tiny details.”

* * *

The next daydawned bright and shiny. The weather was so nice I couldalmostforget about the Pax situation. I’d been in Peachtree Grove for almost forty-eight hours and he’d only texted me once:

You got my dry cleaning right?

I hadn’t even bothered to respond and I guess he’d forgotten all about his clothing, since he hadn’t written back to confirm receipt. He was probably too busy with Keely or whomever else to worry about his dress shirts, let alone his ex-girlfriend.

Brooks, Craig, and Alex were already gone for the morning, off to work and school, so I had a quiet house all to myself for a few hours. I lounged in bed for a bit, made myself a cup of coffee, skimmed through my email. There was nothing critical, a few flash sales, a bill or two. Oh shit. An email from my landlord:

Dear Bree,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to drop you a line informing you that as of December 1, rent for 13345 Hibiscus Avenue will be increasing by $500/month. Please let us know ASAP if you would like to continue your lease or if you will be terminating.

Best,

Rhonda, Rodeo Realty

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