Page 39 of Off Script

“Hmm. I can see why. After the way you treated Daniel, and nearly turnedFallen Creaturesinto a bad soap opera.”

Ignoring the daytime drama slander—General Hospitalwas still iconic in her mind—Jada filled Avery in on meeting Logan and her upcoming audition. The agent’s mood lifted from judgmental to her regular level of condescension.

“Thank God. You dating Tristan will bring us some good leads.

I’ll get in contact with Mr. Wentworth’s team and we’ll arrange something.” Avery lifted a warning finger, wagging it in Jada’s direction.

“However, I need you to keep me informed if anything else pops up. I want only positive outcomes from you being with the great Tristan Maxwell. Understood?”

“Understood. Anything else?” Jada asked, dying to make her escape.

Avery merely grunted a curt “No” and waved Jada away offhandedly. She took the opportunity to rush out of the office like her ass was on fire. That hadn’t been nearly as bad as she’d anticipated, but Jada still held her breath as she waited for the elevator. She had to make it out of the building without any run-ins with Daniel either. Once she stepped out of the building’s front doors unscathed, Jada inhaled a breath of fresh air to celebrate her freedom. It was as if she’d been released from a dragon’s lair or a villainous queen’s dungeon. Her joy came to a halt when Tristan waved at her from his spot on the plaza’s fountain.

“What are you doing here?”

“Is that any way to greet your adoring boyfriend? I came to pick up my best gal,” Tristan said.

“Gal? What are we, in the fifties?” Jada said, although secretly she felt a girlish rush that Tristan had thought of her. He’d come all the way down here to see how she was doing. She supposed she should show a little gratitude.

“Thank you for coming, but luckily, I was able to escape most of Avery’s wrath,” Jada said as she briefed him on her exchange with Avery.

“She sounds just as bad as Doug said,” Tristan said, then gave a light shrug. “Do you have time for lunch?”

“What did you have in mind? Another ritzy restaurant? You must be craving two bites of fine cuisine like you had last night.”

“Honestly, I’m getting hungry for something else,” Tristan said, lifting his eyebrows suggestively. Wary, Jada backed two steps away from him.

“What do you mean?”

“Hot dogs. Let’s go to Pink’s and then we can swim a bit.”

Her stomach grumbled instantly at the mention of the famous hot dog joint. While the place was always packed, the food made it worth it. Pink’s marketed itself as a Hollywood landmark, and they weren’t wrong. They had specials named after celebrities, and regular sightings of stars eating there. It was a perfect place to be spotted for their new relationship, but . . .

“I would, given our deal and all, but I don’t have a swimsuit for on-the-go occasions.”

“Me neither. We can go buy some.”

Jada hesitated, weighing the pros and cons until Tristan turned the odds in his favor.

“Come on. You’re telling me you don’t want to potentially run into Queen Latifah or Betty White chilling with some chili cheese dogs?”

Highly unlikely, but a girl could dream.

“Okay, fine. If a Guadalajara Dog is involved, I’m in.”

13

“Jada! Come on. It’s been thirty minutes,” Tristan whined as Jada sifted through the boutique’s array of swimsuits. After his skillful persuasion, Jada had left her car safely in the agency’s parking lot and come with him to a suitable shop several blocks away from the downtown business district. That was the beauty of California’s sunny weather. You could easily find beachwear within a very small radius.

“Picking the perfect suit takes time, Tristan.” Jada studied a sparkly white one-piece, serene and unhurried. Either retail therapy was her favorite way to relax, or Jada had been sincere when she said the meeting had gone fine. Tristan didn’t want to upset her, but it was on the tip of his tongue to ask about her friction with Mama Bear and Junior Kane. To distract himself from the nagging question, hetskedover the bland suit she’d been about to add to her selections.

“No way. This one’s boring. It doesn’t highlight your, uh, ‘assets.’ No cleavage, no . . . nothin’.” Tristan regarded the garment with disgust.

“I like it. It’s simple, elegant.”

“It’s not nearly as bold as the dress you wore last night.”

“There’s nothing wrong with these,” Jada said, holding her choices close to her chest. Her resistance was futile as Tristan yanked them out of her arms and started putting them back.

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