Page 17 of Spotlight on Poppy

"Poppy... if we are being completely honest here. I know there is something going on with you two. I just worry that he is using you.”

"Using me?" Her eyebrows drew together, and she gave Josh a defensive look.

Fuck. This is exactly why he didn't want to talk about this.

"Maybe it’s not my place, but I just don't want to see you hurt when he goes back to New York."

She looked at him and let that sink in. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"Can I ask you something?” he asked tentatively. “And please don't answer if I’m out of line, but what is going on between you two? This is the second time you've been at the inn, and I saw that kiss on the patio. I'm just concerned about you, Poppy." His hand did finally go up and sweep that strand of hair behind her ear. She looked up at him, he saw the exact moment her wall went up and she shone her light like a security light.

"I appreciate it, Josh, I really do, but no need. We are just two adults having adult fun."

"Just as long as he’s treating you well." He was kicking himself for even bringing it up, but it needed to be said.

"We’re good, no worries. I’ll see you tomorrow night... Well, not tomorrow it's the weekend, no rehearsal, but Monday night. See you then." She flashed her kilowatt smile and got out of his car.

He stayed there and watched to make sure she got in and her car started up, then he drove off, making his way home. Once home he saw his sister's car in the drive. He collected his thoughts because he was not prepared for twenty questions with his sister. He looked at the time, it was already almost eleven. Hopefully she would be asleep because she was not prepared to talk about anything right now, especially anything involving Damien St. Cloud. So, he turned up his music and took some time to collect himself.

After a couple deep cleansing breaths, his chest was less tight, and the panicky feeling was not gone but at least it was manageable and some days that was the best he could do. Turning off the car, he headed inside.

When he got in, he found his sister in the kitchen heating up a frozen dinner. "Why are you eating that garbage? I could have cooked you something," Josh said.

"This is fine," she said as she cut a slit into the plastic film and put it in the microwave. She turned around and looked at him. It was the discerning look like he was a puzzle she needed to piece together. He knew that look all too well.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

"Nothing's wrong, I just got home from an Uber call," he said quickly, turning to go back into the living room.

"’Nothing's wrong’, says the man who was just blaring Radiohead Creep from his car. Like I don't know that is your wallowing song."

"I don't have a wallowing song," he called back from the living room, not looking back at her.

"Everyone has a wallowing song, and yours is Creep by Radiohead. It has been since you were fifteen."

She was right and he knew it, but he didn't want to talk about it. That moment with Poppy before Damien had arrived had stirred up old feelings. Yes, he had pined after her all through high school, but he had moved past it. Yet here he was again in her magnetic field being pulled in by that killer smile she had. He didn’t want to get into all that with his sister.

"Can we please just drop it?"

She stood there in the archway that separated the kitchen and the living room looking at him. Their relationship had been forged a long time ago, she took care of him. The roles were set. He was a grown man, but to her he was still her baby brother.

"Okay, as long as you're okay," she finally said.

"I'm fine," he said, flopping down on the couch snagging the remote, ready for the night to be over. He had the weekend to try and recover from this terrible night. Monday would come soon enough then he would have to face Poppy and Damien again. He should have just kept his mouth shut, but he just wanted her to be happy. If only Ms. Maple hadn’t left, he had a feeling everything would have played out differently. But here they were, he would just have to try his hardest to enjoy the show.

CHAPTER10

Poppy

The last week of rehearsal flew by, and they were getting closer to opening night. It was the final dress rehearsal and Poppy was feeling nerves. It was beyond the normal nerves she felt with every other dress rehearsal. Things being up in the air with Damien was unsettling. She was still trying to find her footing with him. She knew he just thought this was a fling, but she needed to talk to him. She knew this was more. She just didn't understand how their story would weave together yet. It was going to. It had to. The spell had worked for Hannah. Poppy was just going to trust the process and do her part.

She was packing up the cookies she had made to take to the cast and crew. During this show, she had started to really rekindle her love of baking. She brought something new almost every night, but tonight she was bringing her famous chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies were one of the things Poppy remembered making with her mom, so they were the epitome of comfort food to her.

The kitchen door swung open, and Sam walked in. Sam and Poppy were really close. Poppy had felt his absence since he moved out, given moved out was kind of a stretch, since he moved to another house on the property. He and Jackson had moved in after they got married and fixed it up, but for the past two weeks they had been staying at the Glenn's farm. They were caring for the animals there while Hannah and Graham were gone. Graham had started raising some goats and sheep for a petting zoo for the farm and they needed around the clock care.

"Hey sis, long time no see," he said as he walked over to her and ruffled her hair.

She glared at him because he knew she hated that. But then she smiled, because she really had missed him being around.

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