Page 31 of Happy Trails & Honey Pots

“That’s so…”

“Romantic,” Ashley sighed.

“I don’t think…it’s not romantic. He just…it’s not…” I felt myself stumbling over my words. “I think he’s a good guy, and he just…has morals.”

“That’s rare in the industry,” Daphne commented as she sipped her coffee.

She’d worked as a producer for an entertainment TV show for eight years, so she would know.

“That’s rare anywhere,” Nadia chimed in.

“So, what did you say?” Ashley questioned. “Did you give him an answer?”

“I thought about it, and I decided it shouldn’t be up to just me. I thought that Walter and AJ should have a say in it. AJ was all for it, and I tried to get Walter to vote, but he wouldn’t, so in the end both AJ and I voted yes. Walter wanted the movie made, but he didn’t want to do it if it was going to upset me. Anyway, that’s why I went to see Miles. I had to tell him my decision.”

Nadia’s forehead creased as her brows furrowed. “If you said yes, why do you look like you’re about to puke?”

“Because right before I came in here, AJ called and said that Kendall is auditioning to play the younger version of me, and he wants to audition to play the younger version of his dad.”

The table erupted in talk of how sweet and amazing he was going to be.

“Wait,” Nadia was the first to see that I wasn’t happy about it. “You didn’t realize that you were going to be in the movie, did you?”

“No. I know that’s stupid, but I didn’t.”

“Okay, well. This is not the end of the world. And we’ve got you. The truth is, they can’t really have a movie about Austin and not have you in it. You are a part of him. The biggest part of him. So…” Nadia leaned across the table and held out her hand. I put my hand in hers as Ashley put her arm around me, and Daphne put her hands over mine and Nadia’s. “We’ll get through this together. You’re not alone.”

I nodded and knew that no matter what feelings came up, they would be like waves. They’d come and go, and I wouldn’t have to ride them alone. I had my sisters. They may not be blood, but they were family. My family.

And then there was Miles. Even though I was sitting with my greatest support system, I wanted to be with him. All week, I’d had to stop myself from picking up the phone and calling him. From texting him. For some reason, I trusted him and believed he’d be there for me. I’d never felt so connected to another person or trusted someone like I trusted him. He was an actor. This could all be fake. What I was feeling was just a crush. It had to be. But it felt real. More real than anything I’d felt in a long time.

14

MILES

My thighs burnedas I made my way up the steep path that wound through a thick grove of trees as I followed the pin that Zoe had dropped to me with her location. From the road below, there was no way I would have known that there was anything up here if she hadn’t sent me the geo coordinates.

When I got the text earlier today asking to meet her, I’d been both excited and scared—excited because I missed her and scared because I worried that she’d changed her mind about the movie. After spending two weeks in Firefly, I was more invested in telling Austin’s story than ever. This town was the perfect backdrop for an origin story. Zoe and Austin’s relationship was the heart of the film that was going to anchor the movie and offer a glimpse into the gravity of the sacrifice he made.

We’d locked all the locations in New Mexico, and I was going to be leaving to film there in five days. I didn’t want to leave Firefly. There was a peace that I felt here I’d never experienced before. The first week I’d arrived, nearly everywhere I went, I took selfies with people, but now, no one asked for my photo except tourists. All the locals treated me like everyone else.

I’d been hanging out with Harlan and Dawson at the only bar in town, Southern Comfort, shooting pool and playing darts. I’d gotten to know the Comfort brothers, who owned the bar, and their significant others, Reagan, Skylar, and Isabella. Their little sister Cheyenne and her husband Cash, who was a bartender, were there. Ray, who worked at and lived above the bar and had for over forty years, taught me how to make jambalaya. He was originally from New Orleans before settling in Firefly. In the short time I’d been in town, they’d accepted me and made me feel like one of their own, not like an outsider.

I was going to miss the community here when I left. I’d never felt like I fit in anywhere. When I was a kid, I’d grown up on sets with adults. At school, I missed a lot of classes because I was working. Once I graduated, I was always pitted against other actors my age. My peers were seen as my competition, not my friends.

I’d really enjoyed just hanging out with people who had no ulterior motives. But I did have to admit, the entire time, I’d missed Zoe. I kept hoping that she would show up. Maybe Daphne would have invited her out since she was there with Harlan, but she hadn’t.

From what I heard, Zoe was a homebody who worked and took care of her son. She rarely had a night out. I admired that about her. That certainly wasn’t my experience with a single mom.

Just as the path through the thicket of trees grew so narrow it was the width of my shoulders, there was a clearing that looked out over the ocean, and I saw Zoe seated on a boulder. She must have heard me behind her because she glanced over her shoulder. I stood motionless, speechless at the sight before me.

The sun was setting on the horizon. Vivid reds, oranges, yellows, and purples filled the sky, giving the backdrop an ethereal glow. Her brunette hair appeared almost auburn, andher green eyes were iridescent against her inky lashes. She licked her full, raspberry lips, and my eyes followed the path of her tongue.

“Thanks for coming all the way up here.” Her smile was almost apologetic.

“Of course.” I grinned as I walked over to her and lowered down beside her. My heart raced as my palms grew damp with sweat the way they did whenever I was near Zoe. She had that effect on me.

“Sorry for all the cloak and dagger stuff and the secret location. I just didn’t want to meet in town because, you know, people talk.Everyoneknew that I stopped by to see you last week. I’ve been asked about it at least twenty times.”

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