Page 26 of One Life to Loathe

We don’t even have to know each other.

Just who did she think she was? We were on the same set. We were playing love interests. Worse, they were going to parade us around on various outings when we weren’t shooting to build upinterest in the show. We were literally going to have to know one another.

I woke up grumpy—but at least not hungover—the next morning. I showered, got dressed, and headed downstairs for breakfast. To my annoyance, I found Sam was already down there with Sylvia and Bethany. They had coffee and juice but no plates, which told me they hadn’t eaten yet.

“Leo.” Bethany waved at me and offered up the sort of smile that suggested she wanted to dip her toast in me. “Over here. We just ordered.”

Great. This was the last thing I wanted. Breakfast with the harpies. The fact that Sam refused to meet my gaze had my jaw clenching.

We don’t even have to know each other.

Well, I would just have to poke a few holes in her little theory, wouldn’t I? My smile was firmly in place when I took the empty chair at their table, which just so happened to be next to Sam.

“Good morning, ladies.” I went with my most devastating smile, the one that I knew would keep me in Lifetime and Hallmark holiday movies if I ever got really desperate. “Nice day, huh?”

“It’s beautiful,” Bethany agreed as she sipped her coffee. Her eyes licked over me from above the rim of her cup. “It’s promotional photos day. They want us to get them in before any of the costumes are ruined.”

I’d forgotten all about that. “Right.”

“I’m just glad they’re going with modern clothing,” Sam said. “I don’t think I could deal with a corset given the breakfast I just ordered.”

Bethany snickered. “I like a good corset. Makes my rack look bigger and my waist look smaller. What’s not to like about that?”

“I’m fine with my real body,” Sam replied.

“That’s easy to say when you’re thirty and nothing has begun to sag,” Sylvia replied. “Talk to me again when your boobs are in your breakfast plate.”

Sam made a face that—dammit!—had me smirking. She looked appalled. “I’m all for body positivity,” she insisted. “I like it when people age naturally. There’s a lot of character to be found in a face that’s not frozen in time.”

“When you’re only getting roles pegging you as the creepy neighbor, you’ll change your mind,” Sylvia said. Her eyes moved to me. “What about you?”

The question threw me. “Are you asking if I’ve had work done?” I asked finally.

“Men don’t need the amount of work women do in this business,” Sylvia replied, matter-of-factly. “Heck, men still get cast as high school students when they’re well into in their thirties. You can pretend you’re just joining the military until you’re forty. The double standard is significant.”

Discomfort rolled over me. It was basically the same thing that Sam had said to me the previous day. I hated that I had never really thought about it from their perspective before. I didn’t have the same expiration date on my career that they did. And, they were right. It wasn’t fair.

I decided to change the subject anyway. There was nothing I could do to make things better for them. Not that I wanted to or anything. “Do we know where they’re doing the promotional photos?”

“Salem Common,” Sam replied, speaking to me for the first time. There was a remoteness to her gaze when it locked with mine. And, man, that bothered me too. She’d been friendly and open when first meeting me, and now she was a locked box.

And why did that bother me again? I could not come up with a reason. I was just rankled beyond belief.

“At least that’s convenient,” I replied, choosing my words carefully. “Where are they doing hair and makeup?”

“We all got emails,” Sam pointed out. “Did you bother to read them?”

“I didn’t read them,” Sylvia replied. “I just wait until other people tell me what to do.”

“Isn’t that how they like their women on sets?” Bethany joked. “Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir. You’re so smart, sir.”

“Oh, I don’t think Miles is like that,” Sam argued. “He seems sweet. He actually listened to me for a full hour at the mixer the first night. He’s not one of those alpha jerks who thinks women should be seen and not heard unless they’re delivering a line.”

“He’s sweet, huh?” Bethany teased.

“What?” Sam’s face turned cloudy. “What are you suggesting?”

“Nothing.” Bethany was full of faux innocence. “I just noticed that you guys had your heads bent together for a long time. He wasn’t much interested in anything anybody else had to say.”

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