Page 36 of After Midnight

“It counts, but, at the same time, it doesn’t.” Dominic shook his head, clearly still trying to reconcile everything that had happened. “Did Ashton tell you before tonight he’s the brother of my housekeeper, former nanny, and sort of mom?” I ignored that his question sounded like an accusation.

“No. Truth is, he’s never brought Miss Rita up, not to me.”

Dominic’s eyes widened. “Hey, that makes me wonder. Would you ask your dads what they know about Miss Rita? Since she was your nanny when you were little, they probably remember hiring her. Since I’m finding out things it feels like she should’ve told me, I’d like to know what else I don’t know.”

I shrugged. “I guess, although I think you might be jumping the gun. I mean, she didn’t tell you Ashton is her brother, but that’s also her own private business, and his. It’s not a huge crime, and considering what I’ve heard about your stepmother, Miss Rita’s explanation for keeping it from you is plausible, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” he agreed begrudgingly. “I think it’s more than plausible. But right now, the people in my life seem to know more about me than I do about them and I don’t especially like that, especially when I’m in the middle of a contentious lawsuit.”

I nodded in understanding, and just like that, we were pulling up next to Dominic’s Subaru. “Hey, I forgot to tell you last night how much I like your new car.”

He chuckled. “The prince doth recognize the peasant’s vehicle, how kind of you to notice.”

I scowled at him. “That’s not fair. My dads have worked extremely hard for everything they’ve earned, and I’m proud of them. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken you over to their house, but you don’t have to make fun of me.” Great, now I was on the defensive.

Dominic looked serious, but he spoke softly. “I’m not making fun of you, not really. I’m probably just jealous you still have your fathers. I’d give anything to have mine back.”

“They’re great people,” I said as I placed my hand back on his knee and squeezed lightly. “I know you’ve had tough times, and I can’t begin to imagine what you’ve been through, but trust me, you don’t have to be jealous. I’m sure they’d love to adopt youinto our little tribe, but I’m equally confident they’d drive you absolutely insane just like they do me.”

He glanced at me thoughtfully but didn’t dig any deeper. “Thanks for tonight, even if it turned out to be a mess. You’re good at distracting me, but I’m not sure this is the kind of distraction I needed.”

I gave him a small smile. “I promise to do better next time.”

He smiled back, but the sadness in his eyes made me think there might not be a next time. One thing seemed to be consistent with Dominic and that was his ability to avoid me.

My stomach knotted at the thought, but I didn’t say anything, knowing Dominic was under a lot of stress. I was determined not to be thrown to the curb, even if it meant we could only be friends.

***

I walked into the club on Monday, ready for my virtual improv classes, and was immediately confronted by a bunch of suits. I looked past them and found Jolie, and when we made eye contact, she rushed toward me. “I need to speak with you, Dillon. Come this way.”

I followed her into her office, refusing to panic but failing. When she sat down, she opened up her computer and waited. A woman’s face popped up, and Jolie immediately asked if Mr. Foreman was still available.

“Yes, he’s been waiting for your call.”

In the next moment, the famous John Foreman’s face appeared on the screen and Jolie turned the monitor toward me.

“Mr. Pearson, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to remain calm. Although I’m not in the least bit sure what I said, I’m pretty sure it was something along the lines of it being an honor.

“I have six performers out sick with this confounded flu, and, of course, it’s when I have several movie producers coming to visit. I’m reaching out to my most promising up-and-coming stars to give them the opportunity to impress the pants off these guys. Are you willing to join us?” he asked.

Stunned, I finally remembered I was supposed to speak. “Um, of course, yes. Do you want me to fly out now?”

He chuckled. “No, it’s not that big of a hurry, but I do want you here by Wednesday, so you’ll have enough time to meet with your teachers and get used to being on this stage. Will that work for you?”

I nodded, dumbfounded that I was going to perform on the famous Third County Comedy Club stage in Chicago. My body didn’t know how to react. Was I supposed to relax with relief I wasn’t getting canned or tense up with nerves and excitement? I think I did a combination of the two, so I probably looked like a twitching idiot.

Thankfully, Mr. Foreman didn’t seem to notice anything wrong. “Good, Jolie will arrange your tickets and ensure you have a place to stay. I’ll see you in person on Wednesday.”

I nodded and managed to say thanks before the screen went dark.

“Um, is this really happening?” I asked, my eyes wide with disbelief. My body finally decided to go for relaxed rather than tense, resulting in my doing an impersonation of a wet noodle right there in Jolie’s office.

Jolie smiled knowingly. “Yep, and you agreed to it. Get ready, you’re about to hit the big time.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready. I figured I’d be beating the streets for at least five more years before I got anyone to notice me.”

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