Page 12 of Sunset

“Why so you can be in the same position next season?” I bite back.

I stand up and turn to leave. I’m almost to the door, when I hear her growl, and a potted plant hits the wall inches from my head.

That’s the moment Lin rounds the corner. Her eyes are wide, as she stares at the plant.

“She’s all yours.” I snort, shaking my head.

* * *

Brynn

“Chill out, our insurance doesn’t cover PMS,” Lin says with a hint of a smile on her face.

I flip her off and pour another glass of wine, as Lin sits down next to me. Her blonde hair almost glows in the moonlight, and there’s happiness in her eyes that hasn’t been there, since our parents died.

“So, how are things going with Kade?” I ask her.

“Oh, no. You first. You don’t get to throw a potted plant at someone and not talk about it.” She says.

“I had six video interviews lined up. Perfectly good chefs, and he sabotaged every one of them. I think the kitchen staff likes him better than they like me. And he’s lowered our food cost, he’s redoing the menu, and his burgers are better.” I pout.

In my head, I know these are all small things. Well, except for him sabotaging my interviews, but they all add up over the course of a week and really start to get under my skin. It’s why I was out here to begin with, to get away from him and enjoy the calm of the beach at night. Of course, he ruined that, though.

“Do you remember the chef your dad hired, before George?” She says.

I think back. His name was Andrew, and the first change I made was firing him.

“Yeah, he was friendly with everyone, but his food sucked.”

“He was a little too friendly with some of the female staff,” Lin says. “But the point is, your dad liked him as a person, but his cooking left something to be desired. Then, you got George. His cooking was good, but his people skills were lacking. Now, you have the best of both worlds, and you can’t wait to get rid of him.”

“He’s not staying. He’s just on loan. If it was anyone but Jasper, I’d fight for them to stay. But not Jasper, besides, he has his own restaurants to run.” I tell her.

“Do you remember the summer we found my mom’s romance book collection? We read through so many books that summer, and never left my room.” She smiles.

“I noticed my mom had a lot of enemies to lovers’ books, and I just didn’t understand it. So, one day after she caught us reading them, I asked her about them. She said there’s a fine line between love and hate, and many times, the person who is angry at the other is using that anger, as a shield to protect themselves from being hurt.”

“You’re talking about me, aren’t you?”

She just smiles.

“Okay, your turn. How is your fake dating going?” I ask in an attempt to change the subject.

When Kade’s publicist pushed for him to fix his image with a fake relationship, one thing led to another, and with some pushing from me, Lin was the lucky girl. It’s perfect with the bridge still out, and the press can’t hound us.

The problem is I see Lin falling, and I’d be worried, if I didn’t see the way Kade looks at her. It’s the way Jasper used to look at me. The bonus is her ex is back in town, and he’s a big fan of Kade’s movies, and it’s driving him insane that they’re together.

“It’s going good. He’s a lot nicer than I thought he’d be. I took him up to the arch, and we… um… well, we… kissed.” She stutters.

“Well, yeah, kissing is what seals the relationship with the people in town,” I tell her.

“No, there was no one around.” She says, and even with the limited light, I can see the red stain on her cheeks.

Ahhh, so they kissed for themselves, and not for the sake of a fake relationship. So, it is getting a bit more serious.

“Well, enjoy it, but keep your heart out of it,” I tell her, even though I know it’s useless.

“I could tell you the same thing.” She smiles.

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