“I nevertoldyou it was. You heard the wordfootballand ran with it.” She shrugs. “If you must know, it was about—”
“Robbie,” the rest of the table says in unison, and Olive goes beet red before fanning her face.
“I like sex. I just don’t talk about it like the rest of you,” she says. “Anyone else starving, or just me?” She picks up a menu off the table staring intensely at it. Cassandra scoffs playfully, and the conversation changes while Olive decides on what to eat.
***
“I’m nervous,” Tahnee says, fingers fiddling with the wedding band on her left hand, foot tapping unnecessarily loud on the black rubber floor beneath our feet.
Wingrove Estates is being used as the set for the film, and they’ve transformed the wedding barn completely. It’s almost unrecognizable. “I hope we have everything we need,” she whispers to me, even though nobody else is in earshot. They’re all busy focusing on what they’ve been assigned to do.
Tahnee arrived in the early hours of the morning and is running on coffee and fumes.
Ihad the worst sleep of my life.
I hoped the quiet of small town living would help me fall asleep, but it’s definitely going to take some getting used to. It’stooquiet.
“We’ve gone over everything a dozen times. We’re going to do great, Tahn. Deep breaths,” I instruct her, squeezing her hand in mine.
She closes her eyes and does exactly as I’ve told her.
I might be cool and calm on the outside, but on the inside, I’m a mess.
I’ve been up since five this morning, nervously baking the entire cast and crew–and Marv–miniature cupcakes that I placed on the snack table when I walked into the room.
I’m not a baker. I’ve never claimed to be a baker. Hell, I’m not even any good at it, but when I need to calm myself down, baking is what I do because it requires all of my attention.
It was harder than usual without my mixer, though. Bringing it with me to Grangewood Creek just didn’t seem like a logical move.
“Blondie!” a voice shouts from behind us, silencing the room. Everyone stops dead in their tracks, and I feel the weight of every single set of eyes boring into the back and sides of my head.
“I think he’s talking to you,” Tahnee tells me quietly, her eyes widening in disbelief, staring as she waits for me to turn around.
“Me?” I whisper back, slowly turning on my heels, finger buried into my chest.
I can feel my heart hammering against my ribs and into my fingertip. As it slowly calms down, I force my arms by my side. My knuckles are clenched into fists to hide the shaking.
“Yes, you.” He looks to be in his mid forties. Silver hair is forcing its way through his bad dye job, and his fake tan is still clearly developing. His eyes are so blue, they’re almost scary.
To his left is a man, back to the rest of us, deep in conversation with our executive producer, Laurel Jo. “I need you to stand in for Mara for the camera test. You’re both blonde and about the same height. She’s running late.” She and I have met a few times, and while she seemed nice enough, I now hold a tiny grudge toward her for being late and, in turn, having me sought out in front of everybody.
Of all things,this.
Of all people,me.
I don’t want to walk toward him, but my body feels as though it has no choice. My head nods slowly, eyes darting around the room, and my feet move on their own accord.
“Cole. This is—” He pauses, leaving me to fill in the blanks, his eyes flicking between me and the star of the film who I’m still yet to meet.
“Jennifer Rogers. Hair and makeup,” I tell him.
“Right, Jennifer Rogers. I assume you’ve both met,” he says to Cole, who politely ends his conversation with Laurel, turning his body to face mine.
Suddenly, everything is moving in slow motion.
“You assume correctly, Jude.” The mystery man, Mr. GQ, the love of my life for the nightandmorning, winks at me before turning his attention to our director, Jude Townsend. “This is my girlfriend,” he says loud enough for the whole room to hear. A devilish grin slapped across his smug, stupid, sexy face.
Gasps sound off from all around us, hovering in the air, but I think mine is the loudest. “Just go with it, Snow,” he whispers in my ear for only me to hear, planting a soft kiss on my cheek before pulling away. “Glad you could make it, baby.”
