Page 54 of The Love Rematch
“To Emily!” he cheers.
She rolls her eyes. “To England!”
“To love,” Nina adds with a wink.
Trish grins. “To ratings.”
“To taking one for the team.”
Emily almost spits out her wine as Jake’s voice spills over her shoulder. The sound shoots down her spine and she jolts upright. Wine sloshes over the edge of her glass as she spins. He doesn’t seem to notice her overreaction as he casually plops into the open chair next to Fred and takes a long sip, downing half his wine in one gulp.
How is he so unaffected?
How is he so chill?
Emily’s heart pounds out of her chest. Her hand shakes as she lifts the glass to her lips and takes a careful sip. Images shuffle through her thoughts—him in the window, him in her bedroom, him in her shower, him in…her.
Nothing happened, she tries to remind herself.We made eye contact from three hundred feet away. That’s it. Everything else was all in my head.
But was she really the only one?
Did last night mean nothing to him?
Jake puts his glass down and sighs.
“Long morning?” Nina teases gently.
He offers her a glare. “The men are at the gate. The PAs are holding them hostage. The crew has all their equipment. I’ve done my job.”
Nina snorts.
Trish glances at him wryly. “And your reward is free booze and a lay-flat seat for the next eleven hours. No complaining.”
“Who said I was complaining?”
“Fred?” Nina asks, as if he’s the jury.
The director nods. “Complaining.”
“What?”
“Next round’s on you.”
“It’s free.”
“My old legs are tired.”
Jake rolls his eyes, downs the rest of his drink, and stands. They rattle off orders. Vodka soda. Red wine. Rum and Coke.
“Emily?”
She looks up from her glass.
Jake’s gaze is live fire. It physically burns. She swallows as her throat runs dry and all the air in her lungs suctions out. He’s not unaffected, she realizes. He’s just better at hiding it. With his boss and coworkers so close, he’s playing a part. Friendly. Distant. It’s why he hasn’t looked at her until now. Because he can’t without making the room go up in flames.
“Do you want a drink?” he asks, slightly hoarse.
Right.She shakes her head.Answer him, you dolt.“No thanks. I’m good.”
