Page 48 of Shatter

Parky: You sure you want to post that?

I bite my lower lip to suppress my grin.

Me: All press is good press, right?

It's something our agent has told us all the time when we've gotten scathing reviews of our work.

Parky: Your funeral 🤷‍♂️

Me: But you're good with what I said about you?

Parky: Yep. Thanks for leaving Marco's name out of it. He's not officially out yet and I think he'd hate the publicity

Me: Of course 😘 Say hi to your boyfriend for me

I bring up all of my socials and post the video with no captions or hashtags. If people want to find it, they will.

Satisfaction settles over me as I shut my phone off. I've made my statement. How people react to it is their business.

"Done!"

Harrison joins me on the couch then, and pulls me into his arms, flicking on the TV. So we can cuddle and relax together.

It's quickly becoming one of my favorite things.

Chapter twenty-four

Harrison

Melody must have stolen Cass's number from my phone and texted her about giving her a job as a bartender. Cass texted me earlier in the day asking if it was alright.

I replied that of course it was.

We can afford another bartender, and if it's what she wants, who am I to stop her?

I refuse to be her keeper or even offer my opinion on anything in her life. I don't want to influence her decisions in the slightest. That's not my job. This is the time in her life where she gets to set the rules, to try and fail at things, to spread her wings.

I'm sitting at a table in The Green Room, sipping a whiskey on the rocks as I watch her work.

She's struggling.

She's watching Benji show her how to make the different cocktails, but her brow is furrowed, and she's frowning.

I want nothing more than to watch her succeed, but I don't want to be overbearing, either.

"Take a picture; it'll last longer," Cass teases from my left, pulling out a chair and joining me. Daniel takes the chair on my other side, and we all start watching Mel.

"Don't fire her," I whisper. It's a shitty thing to say, but I'd hate for her to be fired from the first job she's ever had.

Cass waves me away. "There's a learning curve to every job. And Benji will make sure she doesn't screw up too badly."

I hope so.

"What's going on with you two? Playing happy house together?" Daniel asks. I know he's saying it in a teasing manner, but he cares. He often hides his concern and care behind humor.

I shake my head. "No. There's nothing going on. We're playing around for a bit, but she'll have to leave sooner or later."

"And that's it?" Cass asks.