“Yeah, she’s cool with that.” I went over to my side of the studio. Our joint space was large enough to give Jenny and me plenty of room to get lost in our work. I paced around the sculpture. The copper woman stood with one hand resting on her curvy hip. I was satisfied with her posture, which left her missing face the greatest challenge. A facial expression was always a challenge, but I couldn’t even decide on the right vibe.
“Just put a bag over her head!” Jenny called during my pacing.
“Like you do with your dates?”
She laughed. “Honey, at my age, I’m excited if they have a full set of teeth!”
In the end, I gave up on the copper woman for now and used the time to lay the groundwork for my next few projects.
Jenny stopped me at noon with Chinese food. She was usually the one paying since money wasn’t tight for her after her thirdhusband passed away last year. The previous two were still alive but divorcing them had landed her a nice settlement. She didn’t have children, and at fifty-five, she was more active than women half her age. It was pure luck I’d found her ad about sharing a workspace. The studio I’d rented before was a dump. I fell in love with this new space the second I stepped inside, with Jenny being the cherry on top.
My phone rang while we ate on our tattered couch. I put down the box of noodles and went to pick up the call, surprised to see Nick’s number. We weren’t the calling-each-other-to-say-hello kind of fling. I had only slept with him six times, which was the same number of times I’d seen him in my life.
“Hi, Nick.”
“Howdy, handsome. You’re working?”
“Eating now, but I’m in the studio.”
“Cool cool. Just wanted to let you know that they’ve canceled my audition. Turns out they sent an email about it two days ago, but I missed it. All those lines I read were for nothing!”
“That’s a bummer. Didn’t Agatha update you?”
“Nope. I’m sure she was nicer to you.”
Talking about my former agent made me agitated. I hadn’t spoken to her in years—not since I returned to LA and she showed me the door. She happened to be Nick’s agent as well, but LA was smaller than people thought.
“Try not to take her personally,” I said diplomatically.
“Yeah, I know. Anyway, I’m going out with a friend tonight to drown my sorrow. I met him a couple of weeks ago, and he’s taking me out—his treat. Older guys are the best.”
“Thanks.”
“You arenotold, Jonah Carter! We look the same age, and I'm pretty sure you’re drinking unicorn blood.”
I smiled despite myself. I had recently turned thirty-six, which meant an eleven-year difference between us—another reason why I didn’t see a future for us.
“Have fun tonight,” I said.
“Well, I washopingto keep most of the fun for later, at your place.”
I was about to say I didn’t have plans, but I stopped myself in time. Seeing Nick again so soon would move us further down a path I didn’t want to travel, especially with how things had ended with Hayden.
“Nick, I’m busy tonight.”
“Oh, that’s cool. Another night, then.”
“Let me call you, okay?”
I could almost feel Jenny rolling her eyes behind me.
Nick snorted. “Classy, Jonah. I can take the hint.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. I’d been straightforward with him from the start, but I could see how he might’ve gotten the wrong idea over time.
“I just need a few days.”
“Yeah, sure. No big deal.” For an actor, he wasn’t great at masking his feelings.
