Page 40 of Just Can't Fall for the Enemy

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Like you didn’t do the same thing. You were obsessed with your channel, so laser-focused on your own success that you couldn’t see anyone else.” She saw my flinch and her voice softened. “Look, I didn’t come here to argue. Just one little five-minute clip and I’ll be gone.”

My hackles raised over her accusations. If there was one thing I had plenty of practice with, it was arguing with Olivia. In a moment, I saw exactly how the conversation would go—and it would end up right back here, with me telling her no and her pushing until she got what she wanted.

“It’s over,” I told her firmly. “You made your choice. Now, leave me in peace to pursue mine.” I turned and began to jog away. If I hurried, maybe I could catch Sophie before she reached her house.

Olivia’s voice rose just before I turned the corner. “You leave only pain behind wherever you go, Tanner Carmichael. Be glad I helped her see that before she fell too hard.”

The old Tanner would have been destroyed by those words. He would have run away, moped for a day or two, and then called her to say he changed his mind and would help her after all. But the old Tanner no longer existed, and something told me I would never see my ex again.

So I halted in my tracks and turned back to face the woman I’d once loved. “I hope you find what you’re looking for, Olivia. I truly wish you the best.” Strangely, I meant the words.

Then I left her there, gaping in shock.

Sophie wouldn’t answer the door. Neither would Carmen. I could hear them whispering through an open window, although I couldn’t make out the words. I didn’t need to. The message was clear enough.

I drove to my hotel room, locked the door, and slid the bolt in case Olivia decided to make another appearance. Then I fell onto my bed and heaved a sigh.

My phone rang. Jill. She was the last person I wanted to talk to right now, but maybe it would take my mind off things. I jammed my finger on the button and shouted into the phone. “What?”

“Whoa there. What’s going on with you?”

Olivia was right. I was a grade-A, bona fide jerk. “Sorry. It’s been a day, but that’s no excuse. What’s up?”

“Bet you can guess. I just got a call from Guy’s publicist, who told me we have competition. Lacey Style is also schmoozing him. Word on the street is they went to lunch today.”

Not good. Not good at all.

I groaned and resisted the temptation to send my phone through the glass doors and onto the street below. “We need to get this thing posted right now.”

“Like, yesterday. You close?”

“I have footage, raw material, and an incomplete outline.”And a girlfriend who didn’t last twenty-four hours.

“And the big story?”

“Nothing. Just a few little ones.”

Her voice held an edge of panic. “Guy won’t get five seconds in without a good hook, Tanner. He was very specific about what he wants.”

“Well, turns out I can’t find one. A few smaller ones all braided together will have to do. Maybe he’ll really like the dinosaur. They have one they move around and dress up—it’s pretty funny.”

Jill didn’t seem amused. “You should be finishing up editing by now, not scraping the barrel for silly clips of plastic reptiles. What have you been doing all this time? What could possibly be more important than this deal?”

I fell silent.

“A woman,” she guessed. When I didn’t deny it, she sighed. “We’re screwed.”

When it came to the collaboration, I had to agree with her. If only Sophie had agreed to share her story. It was exactly what Guy wanted—a heartwarming tale of growth and courage with a beautiful subject who connected deeply with people. My subscribers would fall for her as quickly as I had.

Olivia was wrong. Maybe I had been obsessed with my channel before, but somehow, Sophie had managed to fill that hunger in my heart. All I could think about was fixing what lay broken between us. An eight-minute episode could never matter as much as that.

“You know what?” I said slowly. “This is your moment. I’ll send you everything I have, so see what you can do with it. I’m sure you can put together something dramatic and emotional.”

“You trust me to put it all together, start to finish? The episode that could make or break our careers?”

“Sure. You have a better sense for entertainment than most in this industry.”

“True, but—”

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