Page 64 of April

“Sure,” Bryce replied, nodding. “So, we’re going somewhere I’ve never been, right?”

“Yes. It’s a greasy spoon that locals know, and we hide it from tourists, so I need to know that you can keep a secret,” Linden teased.

Asher Hahn: I’m about to go to a working lunch, but I’ll message you later.

She hit send on the message and locked her phone, deciding to put it on silent because she’d be too tempted to be glued to it over lunch. Not only did she not want to be rude to her friends, but she also didn’t want to reply to Stephania’s messages instantly like a person who was desperate to meet a supermodel.

“I’m ready,” Asher said then. “And I’m getting a salad, Linden. Be supportive or say nothing.”

Linden laughed and asked, “Will that salad have a fatty dressing on it, at least?”

“No,” Asher stated as she stood.

Linden laughed again and replied, “I eat enough greasy shit for the both of us, I guess.”

“Did I miss something?” Bryce asked.

“Nah. Just Ash being a health nut because she hasn’t worked out this week, so she’s worried that she won’t look perfect like she always does.”

Asher looked at Linden and gave her a smile. She hadn’t been expecting a compliment like that. Sophie just looked between the two of them and smiled at Asher.

“Is Jill coming?” Linden asked Bryce.

“No, she’s doing back-to-back tours today. I’ll see her later, though.”

“Jill was invited?” Asher asked.

“Jill’s the reason Soph and I found each other again, so I owe her about a hundred free lunches.”

“That’s all I’m worth to you? Only a hundred lunches?” Sophie joked.

“Hey, Jill can really eat. That’s already a lot,” Bryce replied, kissing the top of Sophie’s head.

“Come on. Let’s go.” Sophie laughed.

???

“It’s been crazy. I was supposed to be home, and Soph was going to visit and work from there for a while. I have some things I’m doing for my aunt, so I can’t just move here, but I want to figure that all out with Soph because I really do like it here. Then, I’m getting this call from a producer who wants to make our story into a movie. That would be crazy enough, but they thought I could write, so they asked me to take the first run at the script. When I did, they said it was what they were looking for, so they asked me to finish it, too. I get paid to write my own love story,” Bryce shared as she took the last sip of her iced tea.

“And you won’t let me read it,” Sophie noted.

“I will, babe. But I’ve still got a lot more to write on it before it will be at a place where I’d want you to see it.”

“Couldn’t Sophie help?” Asher suggested with a smile as she set her fork down on her empty salad plate. “She was sort of involved.”

“I want her to help me with her dialogue, yeah, but I’m getting the story structure part down first. The studio told me they liked my pacing and what I’ve got so far, so I’m going tokeep at it and then let Soph tell me how wrong I am about what I remember.”

“That’s really cool,” Linden said as she slung an arm over the back of the booth. “When is it going to film?”

“Apparently, later this year.” Bryce took a deep breath. “So, no pressure. They just want it made as soon as possible, if they can, while we’re still getting some press. It’s died down a bit, but people were really interested in our story and my blog.”

“It’s a good story,” Asher pointed out before she looked down at her purse, where she’d left her phone.

She thought about picking it up and checking to see if Stephania had replied, but she returned her attention to her friends instead.

“I think so,” Sophie said.

“Linden, didn’t you say you wanted to run and do that thing?” Bryce asked.

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