“Oh, geez.” I tried not to be hypnotized by the Fireworks.Gawd, that smile.“Shut up. Yes on the milkshake.”
“Good. Vanilla OK?”
“Vanilla is mandatory.”
Landon chuckled, waved our waiter over and ordered them. “Now tell me what the guy said to you.”
“Really?” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want to go into the grisly details, but he told me how talented I was. How he had projects going in Hollywood that I’d be perfect for after we had a couple of years of the kiddie show in the can. He had money and means. He could’ve made it happen. I killed myself going to school and working for that show at the same time, thinking it was all building to the next step. But right after I got my degree last December, his crappy show got canceled and I got canceled, too. He went back to California, burning down my hopes as he went, telling everyone I was the reason the show tanked.”
“But you had a relationship.”
“Not like I thought. I think he resented that I had better instincts than he did. He rejected my ideas that would’ve saved the show. He had an ego as fragile as a moth’s wing. As ratings went downhill, I was a constant reminder of his failure. And it turns out the relationship was just him wanting to fuck the latest young fool in his orbit, so there’s that.”
Landon looked angry and uncomfortable at the same time. “I’m not sure what to say to that. He was a dick. I guess he couldn’t resist taking advantage of someone as pretty as you.”
“That’s hardly flattering.” I glowered at him. “He used me. And then all he cared about was saving his reputation at the expense of mine. He was calculating and selfish. Not unlike the Sperm Donor, I figure. The absentee father who had one last way to make sure I didn’t get a share of his fortune, and that was to make sure he gave me the worst piece of it.”
“Milkweed Mansion?” Landon gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s the jewel in the crown. Worth taking a risk on.”
“Optimist.”
“Guilty,” he said, polishing off his last fry. He looked at me curiously. “Would you want his fortune?”
“No. Not from someone who never wanted me. Though any of old Max Kantera’s money would have gone a long way toward helping me get back on my feet. My salary on the TV show was pretty good, but I spent most of it trying to pay down my student loans.”
“I’m grateful I don’t have those. I took a few courses in architecture and design, but I never got my degree.”
“Architecture? Design?” I cocked my head at him. “Why aren’t you doing that now?”
“I’d really like to run my own firm specializing in restoring old houses, but I have family obligations.”
“Aren’t your ideas worth taking a risk on?” I echoed his words.
“Touché. I’ll be doing more of my own thing in the future if I get my way. Ah, here we go!” The snowy vanilla shakes had arrived in tall, curvy glasses, the sides gleaming with condensation, the tops fluffy with whipped cream and kissed by a bright red cherry.
I ate the cherry and used the long spoon to scrape off the whipped cream, relocating it to my plate in spoonfuls. I liked whipped cream, but mostly I saw it as a barrier between me and the frozen goodness of the shake.
“What the hell are you doing?” Landon asked. “Give me that!”
“What?” I froze, the last spoonful of whipped cream suspended in midair.
“That!” He nodded at the spoon.
I shook my head and smiled. I stuck out my tongue and leisurely licked all the fluffy cream off the spoon, just to fuck with him. Just to see if I could. His mouth dropped open. Still looking into his eyes, I sucked hard on the straw, and the shake level went down precipitously.
“Shit,” Landon muttered, his stare as glazed as a couple of doughnuts.
“Ow. Brain freeze.” I closed my eyes and caressed my temples, then looked back up at him. He was ogling my mouth again. “Landon! Yo. What did you mean back there about being my secret weapon in the resurrection of Milkweed Mansion? Why would you even help?”
He blinked and looked up, then took a studious sip of his shake while he regained his composure. “It’ll be fun.”
“Not a good enough reason.”
“Fun is always a good enough reason.”
“Hmmm.” When had I ever really done anything for fun? It was always about the career. “What’s fun about all that work?”
“I like the work. Plus you get to see the transformation. Plus it will be yours.”
