“Oh mygod,” Emilia breathed once the couple left the storage room, followed by the camera operator. “I feel like you just defused a bomb!”
“Yeah, same,” I agreed. “I hope we’re going to make it through the next twenty-four hours.”
“Well, we have some collateral damage to assess,” she said as she walked over to the boxes Carter had just been sprawled on. “I’m not sure what’s in these but I sure hope it was something like extra napkins.”
I followed behind her. “I hate to tell you this, but I’m pretty sure I heard something break in one of these.”
“Shit, shit, shit,” she muttered under her breath as she tried to pull the tape off. “Do you happen to have a box cutter on you?”
“Sort of wish that I did,” I chuckled. “As protection. But no, I’ll open it.”
I pushed in front of her and stripped the tape from the smashed box. I stepped back to let her reveal what was inside, because I didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with whatever crisis awaited.
“No!” Emilia cried out. “This can’t be!”
I moved closer and saw the ubiquitous green of a motion capture suit.
“Oh, is that for that grandfather thing you pitched?” I asked her.
“Yes,” she said, the panic in her voice obvious. “The production company they hired asked to store some of the equipment here.”
She pulled out the suit and examined it closely. “Oh my god, the sensors are crushed!” She dug deeper into the box. “And two of the micro cameras look damaged.No!”
“Well, it’s not your fault,” I said. “We have security cameras in here so you have proof that Carter is responsible for the damage. And I’m assuming they have insurance for the damaged equipment. No big deal.”
She let out a weary sigh. “Kristen was so excited about this. Damn it, she’s going to be crushed. This was what she needed to have a perfect wedding, and now it’s ruined.”
I snorted. “Thiswedding? Perfect? Not a fucking chance. Haven’t you seen the same disasters I have? To hell with perfection. I’m aiming for surviving the next twenty-four hours without someone getting stabbed or the resort burning down. Anything above and beyond that is gravy. We’ve just got to get this couple down the aisle, and then we can sendthem and their cameras and their bullshit and their flimsy little love story away to get divorced in six months, tops.”
She shook her head, lips twisting in a frown. “Don’t be like that. Sure, they can be… a lot, and Carter has some serious growing up to do, but they really do love each other.”
I laughed out loud. “As ifthatmakes a difference. Come on, you know as well as I do that love doesn’t last. Not for them, not for anyone.”
She looked up at me wide-eyed, like I’d said something surprising. Somethingshocking. What the hell changed?
25
EMILIA
“You don’t mean that,” I said, voice strained. Hecouldn’tmean that.
Because if he really thought that love stood no chance of lasting, then what werewedoing?
“Isn’t that the way these things always go?” he huffed back at me. “The beginning is amazing. You’re getting to know each other, having tons of sex, and the only thing you have to worry about is where you’re going to dinner. Then, life throws obstacles at you, and you have to figure out if you can handle them together.”
“But that’s a good thing, right? The figuring it out together?”Please say yes.
“Sure. Unless the other person isn’t willing to put in the effort or they’re insistent on getting everything their way.”
“So, you talk it out. Figure out what’s important. Make compromises.”
“And then what? You wake up the next morning and realize the person sleeping next to you is just a regular person with their own flaws and issues. The fantasy that you built up is gone and real life has taken over.”
“Wow,” I breathed out softly. “That’show you view your relationships? That they should stay a fantasy and then you break it off when things become too real? Do you think you’re DiCaprio or something?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what that means. All I’m saying is I’ve been able to avoid any real disasters because I haven’t had many relationships get all that serious, but Harrison’s first marriage? That was ashitshow. Talk about a cautionary tale.”
“When was the last time you had a serious relationship?” I pressed.
