Page 76 of The Road Trip Romance

I turn my attention to Sophia’s best friend. “Uh, yeah. You think she’s OK?” I ask.

“M’s fine. She’s just rattled by the paps,” Penn says mid-chew.

“Well, I think it’s a lot for her to take in. I mean…you guys are like hella famous. And Sophia’s life is like…hella normal. So…” Anissa trails off, giving me a knowing look as if the answer should be obvious.

She sighs. “Just give her time. This is a lot. She’s not used to being in the media like this. Think about it. It’s overwhelming. One minute she’s just a small-time author, still working a day job and being a mom, and the next she’s galivanting across the country with you all and having her photo blasted across…what did Wanda call it? Oh yeah, the interwebs.”

“I mean, we are kind of a lot, but she was cool. I just view her as a friend now,” Penn says, finishing his last arepa. “That was delicious, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Anissa says as she turns back to me.

“Give her some space today. Let her settle back in,” she adds.

I nod as Sophia walks back into the house. “I’m going to run over to the kids’ hockey camp. They both have a game this afternoon,” Sophia says. “Are you guys good here for a little while?”

“I mean, movie star why choose sexcapades wasn’t on my list for today, but I suppose,” Anissa says as she looks between Penn and me.

Penn laughs. “That’s a real thing?”

“Dear God. Anyhoo, I’ll be back later,” Sophia says as she grabs her purse and keys off the side table where she set them and walks out the front door.

“I should go call my agent and hear the plan she and my publicist have no doubt devised to handle this chaos,” I state as I pick up my bag and head upstairs.

* * *

Five hours later, I feel like my team and I have this media frenzy under control. I hear Sophia come in and I walk downstairs.

“Hey,” I say as I see her checking her phone.

“Hey,” she replies but doesn’t look up at me. Yeah, something is most definitely going on. I can hear distant laughter from the deck. Sophia looks toward the back of her house.

“Anissa and Penn have been out there all afternoon,” I explain.

Sophia rolls her eyes. “I’m pretty sure Anissa wants Penn as a notch on her belt.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure Penn feels the same way,” I state. I motion to the kitchen. “There’s leftovers if you are hungry.”

She shakes her head. “I had some food at the kids’ games.”

“How were they?” I ask, wishing I had gone with her instead of handling this stupid media stuff.

“Good. Their teams won, so that’s good,” she says.

“Soph, what's going on?” I ask.

“Nothing, just back to normal, you know?” she answers as she brushes past me and starts to clean up the kitchen which is spotless aside from the neatly packed arepas and empanadas that are still in containers on the counter.

“Seriously. I get that it’s hard dealing with the media, but I’ve been on the phone with my team all afternoon and we have a plan. It’ll be fine. I promise,” I say as I search her eyes.

She lets out a long, shaky breath. I suddenly feel sick. It’s as if my body senses her words before she even speaks them. “I…this”—she motions between us—“it’s not going to work out. I don’t want to drag it on and make it worse when it does come to an end. I’ve already done that once and I don’t want to do it again. Let’s just…part ways as friends who had some fun on a trip and now are just friends, only friends.”

“Sophia, please,” I start but she puts up her hand.

“I’ve thought about this all day and it’s the right thing to do. Our lives are just…too different. It wouldn’t work. I’d hold you back and you’d be dragging me ahead where I’m not comfortable being. The media would just tear us apart. It’s better this way,” she says but the tears in her eyes tell me she’s lying. She doesn’t want this. I’m about to protest but then, for some reason I can’t explain, Anissa’s words come back to me.Give her time.Then I think of her fear of being in another relationship that fails. And I know Anissa’s right.

“OK,” I say slowly. “I’ll just sleep on the couch tonight. I can probably catch a flight back with Penn tomorrow and I’ll be in touch about the film.”

She walks over to me and wraps her arms around my waist. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

---