I nudged her shoulder.
“Thank you. And thank you again for making sure no one recognizes us tonight.”
“Just remember—the glamour charm only lasts four hours.”
“I feel like Cinderella, racing the clock before midnight.”
Cassie’s scowl softened into something more serious.
“Except in your case, it won’t just be your carriage turning into a pumpkin. You risk exposing yourself—to the world and the press.”
I swallowed hard.
“We’ll be back before thathappens.”
She stood, looking ready to go to war with Jonas—purple leather miniskirt, dog collar necklace, and a glare piercing enough to wither any man’s ego.
I had to hide my grin. If sparks flew between her and my ex-boyfriend tonight, I wouldn’t complain. They both deserved happiness. They’d both done more for me than they’d ever know.
“Have fun tonight. I’ll burn some incense and pray Roman finally opens his eyes.”
“I’m not too hopeful,” I admitted. “In his note inviting me, he said we shouldn’t have any physical contact.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “I give that rule fifteen minutes.”
“I don’t want to throw myself at him.”
“Why not? He’d enjoy it.”
“Yeah, but he feels guilty. And I’m starting to think he believes I’m just toying with him. Like I’m some kind of tart.”
Cassie barked out a laugh.
“A tart? Please. The man is smitten. People online are begging for you two to get together. They even gave you a ship name—Romi.”
“What?” I giggled, half horrified, half flattered. “He’s going to lose his show at this rate.”
Cassie shrugged. “Maybe that’s what he needs—to finally lay it all on the line.”
“I hope not,” I muttered. “I’m already throwing my dignity out the window to save his show.”
Cassie yanked me off the couch with a look that brooked no argument. “Well, you’ll lose a lot more than that if he doesn’t unlock your heart. So go. And remember—you’ve only got four hours.”
I hugged her. “Thank you. Wish me luck.”
She squeezed tighter than usual, and for a moment I wondered if she thought this was a hopeless quest.
“May the gods be with you.”
That didn’t exactly give me warm, fuzzy feelings—considering it was the gods who had landed me in this mess. Them and whoever or whatever had unnaturally torn Roman and me apart. For all I knew, it was gods who had done that too.
On that unsettling note, Cassie and I parted ways—she to Jonas, me to Roman. He’d told me to meet him at the edge of the property, where a narrow service road wound through the trees, used by vendors to haul goods to the resort.
How we were sneaking out from there, I had no idea. The place was locked down like Fort Knox, every exit guarded, every secret kept until filming wrapped and the final episode aired. Even in the episodes they had already released, you couldn’t tell where we were exactly.
As I hustled across the property, I was more than grateful to have a best friend like Cassie. No one noticed me, and I wasn’t afraid of the cameras I knew were everywhere.
The glamour shimmered faintly over my skin, like a veil of starlight only I could sense. Cassie said it would bend perception—people would only see me if I wanted them to, and even then, they’d see whatever their imagination could conjure. A shadow, a trick of light, a stranger passing by. I didn’t understand how it worked, but I trusted Cassie.
