Page 48 of The Love Rematch
Sam’s voice comes back to haunt.
Groveling.
But when Emily stops before Jake and meets his gaze, the emotions circling in his blue eyes are heavy. They weigh him down. It doesn’t feel as though he’s fighting for her. It feels as though he’s letting her go. And she’s not sure which option she fears more.
“Here for your dates?” he asks, tone even.
Emily nods.
“You’re picking Cooper, I assume?”
She nods again, unable to find her voice.
“Okay. Then I’ll add Daniel and Liam. Full disclosure—one of them is actually a nice guy, the other is a dick who ghosted his girlfriend to come on the show. She may or may not be in Los Angeles to confront him. You’ve been forewarned.”
Emily laughs, some of the tension breaking. He smiles at the sound.
“And yes, Nina,” he murmurs into his comm. “Before you ask, I got permission from Trish to fill Emily in this time. Don’t worry.”
He rolls his eyes, then looks down at his clipboard. She knows it’s her time to walk away, but she can’t make her legs work. Instead, her mouth opens.
“Jake.”
At the sound of his name, his smile disappears. The mood turns. Joviality is replaced by seriousness as he lifts his chin and finds Emily’s gaze. She doesn’t look away.
“Thank you.”
The words hold an undercurrent of meaning. She hopes he understands the truth of what she’s saying—thank you for the phone, the time with her sister, the peace offering. She’s grateful, truly. It’s nice to be able to look at him with something more than anger.
He nods subtly, message received, and murmurs a soft, “You’re welcome.”
Right then, it doesn’t feel like groveling or goodbye.
It feels like a truce.
And Emily can live with that.
CHAPTERTWELVE
jake
When they returnto the mansion late that night, Jake is exhausted. From the physical toll of a day on his feet. From the emotional toll of a day in Emily’s presence. From the general heft of spending all day so close to his dream. Paramount Studios doesn’t even film that many movies in the Hollywood lot anymore, mostly television shows, but being there, being so close, god it hurt.
One day, he tells himself.
Though he stopped applying for jobs.
Though he stopped studying film.
Though he stopped networking.
Though he settled for this.
Don’t get him wrong.The Love Matchis one of the most popular shows on television. Reality TV is taking over cable. He gets to meet new people. He gets to travel the world. He gets to produce. It’s a dream.
It’s just nothisdream.
But it pays the bills. It keeps him busy. It gives him an excuse not to go back to Georgia. And that’s been enough.
