Page 11 of California Love Songs
But a small voice in the back of her mind whispered, What if you could have that too? What if you just took the risk? Damien had also felt their electricity on that dance floor. She was sure of it.
Thankfully, the spotlight was still on Mila. Tessa leaned forward now, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “So, Mila, with things going so well… do you think a proposal might be on the horizon?”
Mila’s eyes danced with joy. But she only gave a casual shrug. “Oh, I wouldn’t be surprised.” As though the idea of a proposal was nothing, though her widening smile betrayed her excitement. “Hersch and I are on the same wavelength. When the time’s right, we’ll both know it.”
A flutter of admiration stirred in Crystal’s chest. She wished she could channel even a fraction of that certainty when it came to her own feelings for Damien. “You make it sound so simple.” She was completely sincere, but even to her own ears she sounded a little wistful.
“Sometimes, love really is that simple. You just have to trust your heart and go for it.”
Crystal nodded, forcing a smile even as her stomach knotted with anxiety. If only I could be that brave.
Sensing the shift in Crystal’s mood, Mila turned her attention to Erin. “Speaking of romance, how are things with you and Jay? Are you still on cloud nine? I’m still smug about seeing that romance before either one of you did.” She chuckled, clearly delighted with herself.
Erin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes brightening with good humor. “We’re great. Actually, we’ve started a new project together that’s been… really wonderful.”
Crystal leaned forward, intrigued. “Oh? What kind of project?” She couldn’t imagine how earnest journalist Erin would work alongside brash talent agent Jay.
“We’re collaborating on a new screenplay,” Erin said, a soft smile playing on her lips. “It’s about a journalist and an agent who fall in love while uncovering a Hollywood scandal.”
“That’s so romantic.” She sighed, picturing Erin and Jay huddled over a laptop, their heads close together as they crafted their story. “Writing together must be incredibly intimate.”
“It is,” Erin admitted, her cheeks coloring slightly. “The first screenplay was basically our story, and we wrote it almost as a dare. But this one’s more deliberate. It’s teaching us a lot about each other’s thought processes. And it’s nice to see Jay’s creative side emerge. We don’t always agree, but we respect each other’s opinions, and of course, he knows all about how Hollywood works, while I get to write about the kind of journalist who uncovers a huge story. I mean, I love writing about the dog of the week and local stories in my real job, but it’s great imagining what it would be like to be someone completely different.”
As Crystal watched Erin come to life while talking about the screenplay, she looked around her. She was sitting with three amazing women who had all found their one true love. She was beginning to realize how deeply she wanted that for herself. And try as she might, she couldn’t stop the image of Damien from forming in her mind. She longed for that kind of connection with him—to create something meaningful together beyond their friendship.
They chatted a little more about their respective lives and then Erin glanced at her watch and sighed. “I hate to cut this short, but I have an interview in twenty minutes.”
“And I need to start work on a commission piece,” Tessa said.
The sisters and Crystal gathered up their belongings, a flurry of movement accompanied by the scraping of chairs and the clink of coffee cups. Crystal felt a familiar pleasure as she watched the easy camaraderie between the Davenport sisters, their movements a well-choreographed dance of affection and deep, intuitive understanding.
“This was fun,” Mila declared, wrapping an arm around Crystal’s shoulders. “We need to do this more often with you, Crystal. You’re practically family, you know.”
As they made their way to the door, exchanging hugs and promises to meet again soon, Crystal found herself lingering just a moment longer in each embrace, savoring the sense of belonging she’d found with these remarkable women.
On the way out, Mila stopped her and insisted she attend the family breakfast on Saturday. “It’s important,” she said in a way that told Crystal she really wanted her there.
“I’ll be there,” she promised, wondering what was causing that particular twinkle in Mila’s eyes.
That girl always had something up her sleeve.
Chapter Five
Damien’s fingers hovered over his phone. He leaned against the kitchen counter, wanting to call Crystal and hesitating. She had today off—something rare for her, with her whirlwind schedule of wedding and event planning. Rarer still was that he was also free on the same day. Not on the road, not in the recording studio, not giving an interview. How long had it been since the two of them were able to just hang out like the old days? Months, probably. So why was it so hard to just hit the dial button?
He shook his head at himself. Here he was acting like a teenager when he was a full-grown man and Crystal was most certainly a full-grown woman. And then he realized that was exactly the problem. She was a woman now, and he was just noticing, like he’d only just woken up to the real Crystal Lopez. And she took his breath away.
He took a sip of the green vitamin smoothie he drank every morning and then stared at the fresh fruit platter and protein pancakes without feeling like he wanted to take a bite. His appetite was gone. He was still reeling from the intensity of their dance at the party, his breath catching in his chest as he recalled holding her in his arms. He’d wanted to tell her then and there what she was doing to him. But she’d shut down, disappeared back into her work, and he’d been left with a pounding heart and a head full of words his mouth couldn’t form.
So, here he was, his whole body desperate to make the call, but his mind plagued by scenarios of awkward conversations and unspoken confessions. With a frustrated sigh, he set the phone down. He should really spend some time catching up on life admin. A bunch of emails waited for a reply. He could do with a run or a strength workout to clear his mind.
What would Crystal do with her day off?
As if in answer, his phone erupted into a melodic ringtone, vibrating against the countertop. His pulse quickened as he saw the name flashing on the screen. All thoughts of email and exercise flew out of his mind as he grabbed it on the second ring.
“Hey, Crys,” he said, trying to keep his voice casual but warm.
“Hi.” Her voice rang out bright and clear. After a split second’s pause, she said, “Got plans today?”
