Page 44 of Second Down Darling

Resigned to having an audience for this, I hold out my arm. “Comein.”

At least Charlie looks happy to see Roxy. The girls hug and huddle on the couch, whispering back andforth.

“This okay?” Cam asks as he shoves a slice of pizza in his mouth. “Us stopping by? Billy said you’d wantcompany.”

I don’t know why Billy has turned into my shadow, but I guess it’s cool to have some friends here tonight. Not that I would’ve described Billy and Cam as more than teammates beforethis.

Billy plops down on the couch and rubs his hands down his jeans. “So what are we in for? With a name likeThe Hot House, will there be some girl-on-girlkissing?”

Roxy smacks him in the chest. “Why do you always have to be such apig?”

“What? I’m only responding to the marketing. I’m an innocent bystanderhere.”

As a teaser for the show plays, I sit on the other side of Charlie. The celebrities flash on the screen in skimpy bikinis, and when Dakota’s hauntingly beautiful face stares back at me, I remind myself of the times she bitched me out. The times she swore at me. The times she dumped me with responsibilities while she ran off to party. All while posting what appeared to be a picture-perfect life online. The disconnect gave mewhiplash.

No, I never loved Dakota. I was in love with theideaof Dakota, but not the woman herself. By the time I realized she was just a shallow shell, it was too late. I was in too deep, and there was no easy way to get out of that relationship without hurtingAsher.

I suppose Dakota did me a favor because cheating is a hard line for me, and she gave me anout.

Something wraps around my pinky, and I look down to see Charlie’s hand nestled against mine. I squeeze her finger and pray Dakota has the decency to keep us out of whatever drama she’s planning to dredge up on thisshow.

At least it’s late, so Asher is asleep. I’d hate for him to catch sight of his mother. He has her photo and still asks about her from time to time. I wasn’t sure if I should just pretend she never existed since she never bothers to see him. He’s still young, and she left so long ago. But that seemed wrong. It’s not like Dakota died. She just took off and never looked back, and I’m pissed as hell about it for Asher. Now that I think about it, she rarely spent any time with Ash willingly unless it was to take pics for her socialmedia.

“Dude, these chicks are hot,” Billy says as he downs another slice. “I’d totally fuck thatblonde.”

This time, it’s my turn to reach over and smack him on the back of his head. “That’s my kid’s mother, douchebag. Watch yourmouth.”

“No shit?” Billy looks at Charlotte. “That’s your sister? Dakota Darling? Oh, damn, y’all were on that show, right?LittleDarlings?”

Charlie rolls her eyes. She hates when people bring that up. “Took you long enough to figure itout.”

I chuckle at her sass and stretch my arm behind her back. “It’ll be okay,” I whisper in her ear. “Whatever happenstonight.”

Charlie rests her head against my shoulder, and my mind wanders to that look she gave me when I was working on her car last night. I flirted with her, which I’ve never really consciously done before, and she seemedembarrassed.

Nice job,asshole.

Probably shouldn’t joke around with her like that. It’s obvious she doesn’t harbor feelings for me anymore, and I made thingsweird.

She groans. “I don’t know if I can watch this. What if she’s horrible? Or what if she pretends she’s perfect? I’m not sure which version isworse.”

I know exactly what she means. Dakota has a way of playing innocent when she’s anythingbut.

When the narration for the show starts, my stomach knotspainfully.

“On this season ofThe Hot House, we’ve brought in fifteen drop-dead-gorgeous celebrities who are working to make a comeback. Some have been sidelined by personal tragedies, others have had children, and some are dealing with substanceabuse.

“We’ll see behind the scenes as they hit the pavement and audition for upcoming shows or modelingopportunities.

“We’ll also get a front-row seat to their therapysessions.

“Because while these beautiful people have talent, they’re also dealing with personaldemons.

“Join us on this season ofThe Hot House, where viewers will help us pick the next bigstars.”

The intro ends with the tagline. “The Hot House:Hot star or hot mess? Youdecide.”

“Fuck.” I turn to Charlotte, and her expression must reflect mine. “I can’t imagine any scenario where I get out of thisunscathed.”

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