Second to None, page 11
PART III
16
SAVANNAH
PRESENT
“Cassie, we’ll figure this out together,” Martin Harper said to me on the set of the Academy movie.
The lights were focused on us. Maddox’s incredible visual effects were on the two-hundred-and-seventy-degree screens surrounding us, which displayed the setting, as if we were really standing in Faerie, the world in which Academy took place.
My hand went to Martin’s chest. I looked up into his impossibly green eyes. “I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I could bring them forth with hardly a blink. It was one of the reasons I’d aced the first audition for the show. I’d managed to bring on actual waterworks while opposite Martin. I’d been cast into the lead a week later.
“We can,” Martin said.
Then, he dipped his head down, and his lips brushed across mine. They were shockingly familiar. We’d kissed on-screen hundreds of times over the years. Kissed even more times off-screen, tucked away in each other’s trailers, lost in each other at our Malibu home, on vacations in between seasons. But this kiss was not in the script. It shouldn’t have been there at all.
I pushed him away from me, stumbling backward a step. “What the fuck, Marty?”
“Cut!” Jimmy called.
“I was in the moment,” Martin said.
“What, like you’re a fucking method actor?” I snapped.
Martin stepped back, hurt.
Jimmy strode over in exasperation. This was the third time in the last week that Martin had gone off script because he was ‘in the moment.’ “Marty, Josie, what is going on?”
“He kissed me again, Jimmy! It’s not in the script. Fucking figure this shit out.”
“Josie!” Martin cried, just as infuriated with me.
But I stomped off the set before I could listen to his drivel. I passed an irritated Maddox and slumped into my seat. Someone immediately began touching up my makeup. I reached for my water bottle, trying to calm my racing heart.
“Marty, Marty, Marty,” Jimmy said, and then I tuned out the oncoming rant.
A throat cleared next to me, and Maddox appeared at my side, computer in hand. His eyes were focused on the screen. I had no idea what he was doing. Some sort of manipulation of the background that would appear on the screen. His tech skills were way beyond me.
“Yes?” I ground out.
We hadn’t spoken since last weekend when I’d gone to Gran’s house. Since then, we’d seen each other and nodded hello. Perfectly pleasant. But truly, it was hard to pretend that I didn’t care about him. And working fourteen-to-sixteen-hour days right now with him always on set was driving me bonkers.
Mars should be in town any minute, which meant we’d be together all weekend. And I still didn’t know how to act around him.
“That was some kiss,” he said with a smirk on his lips.
“Don’t even.”
“You called him a method actor.” Maddox could barely hold back the laughter. I saw it in his expression. The twinkling of his eyes as he imagined Martin fucking Harper method acting.
I deflated. A laugh left my lips. “God, I can’t believe I said that.”
“You weren’t wrong. He should stick to the script. It’s driving Jimmy nuts.”
“It’s driving me nuts.”
“I can tell.”
I nodded and met his dark gaze. “Any word from Mars?”
“Yeah. She’s on her way. Derek wanted to go home first and see his folks. She’s dropping him off and then driving out here.”
I sighed. “I wanted to meet her in town, but with Martin ad-libbing the entire fucking movie, who knows when we’ll get out of here?”
Maddox rested a hand on my shoulder. Sparks flew between us, and I bit my lip. His face was open and sincere. “You’ll get it. You’re great at this.”
My cheeks heated at the compliment. “I’m surprised that you’re even working on this movie. Isn’t it beneath you?”
It was a joke, but it came out with more venom than I’d intended. Why had I even said that? It went back to the core of our argument all those years ago. Why was it okay for him to work on this film, but it had been a problem for me in college when I got the audition?
Maddox dropped his hand and sighed. “You know I don’t believe that anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” I said automatically. “I shouldn’t have said that. You already told me why you’re doing it. We’ve all had a rough two years.”
“I shouldn’t have said it was beneath you the first time. The years have proven how wrong I was,” he said with a sad twist to his lips. Then, he nodded his head at me and left.
I wanted to follow after him. He’d said hurtful things to me back when I first got the audition. We’d broken up over it. But of course, it hadn’t been about the show at all. I followed along with whatever was the path of least resistance, and he forged his own path through the bushes. We’d both ended up right here, but we couldn’t have gotten there from more different paths.
“Okay, Josie,” Jimmy said, returning to my chair with a conciliatory look on his face. “Can we do it one more time?”
“One more time,” I agreed.
It was an hour later when we were finally done, and I could pull my best friend in for a hug.
“You’re here!”
Marley hugged me back just as tight. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too.”
Marley had stood by as I finished up my final lines. Her eyes had been wide with excitement. She was the least excitable person I knew, and even she could be mesmerized by a movie set.
“So, what’s the plan?”
Marley was our planner. I knew that though this weekend appeared spontaneous, she would have the entire thing mapped out for us. Which worked fine for me, who was a go with the flow sort of person. I just wanted to have as much fun during the holiday weekend as possible and not worry about a thing.
“Well, Derek is at his parents’. He and Amelia and his parents are eating at the Pink House.”
“And you aren’t? It’s the best place in town.”
“Eh, I’m letting them have family time. I thought we could chill tonight.”
“I’m down. What do you have in mind?”
I was drunk.
That was what she’d had in mind.
I’d followed Marley to Gran’s house, where she had promptly raided Maddox’s wet bar. Marley only knew how to properly make one drink. So, we’d been drinking Gran’s sidecars into the evening until I was giddy and laughing at every single thing she said. We’d video-chatted Lila, who was on her way to Lake Lanier for summer camp for the Falcons. She’d rolled her eyes at us and said she wished that she could be there.
And now, I was slouched on the couch with my feet propped on the coffee table, Walt curled into my side, as if I lived here. Maddox hadn’t come home with us. He’d claimed he had hours of edits to do before he could leave, but I thought it was an excuse. I was glad that Marley hadn’t said anything about it.
We were halfway into the latest season of Euphoria when the door finally cracked open. Of course, there were full-frontal dicks on the television when it happened.
Maddox blinked. “What the fuck are y’all watching?”
Marley burst into laughter and paused the show. Somehow managing to stop it on McSteamy’s huge cock.
“Oh my God!” Marley said, pressing play again.
The next time she stopped it was when he was fucking some girl.
“Fuck!” she said and shut the entire TV off.
I burst into laughter, rolling on the floor as tears streamed down my cheeks. Walt jumped from the couch and ran for Maddox, who just shook his head.
“Why are you watching porn on my TV?”
“It wasn’t porn,” Marley said through her own laughter.
“It was Euphoria,” I said.
“Ah,” he said, closing the door behind him and picking up his dog. “I’ve heard that’s good.”
“It is good,” I said. “You wouldn’t like it though.”
He shrugged. “Probably not. How drunk are you? Is there any alcohol left in my house?”
“I can make you a drink,” I offered.
He looked down at me, lying on the floor of his house. I’d changed out of my Cassie Herrington getup into short lounge shorts and a tank top. I didn’t have to dress up for Mars, but I looked very dressed down for Maddox.
He quickly averted his eyes. “I can make it.”
“No, no, let me,” I said, jumping to my feet and hurrying into the kitchen.
“I’ll find something else to watch,” Marley said as Maddox followed me.
“Y’all have made yourself at home,” he said, dropping his bag on the dining room table. His computer made a clunk on the wood.
He went over to the pantry and scooped out some dog food for Walt, who promptly fell on it like he was starving.
“Well, it’s Gran’s home,” I said. “I’ve always been more at home here than with my mom.”
“What’s your mom doing this weekend?”
I shrugged as I poured the liquor for a sidecar. We were running low on the good brandy. “She and her gentleman caller went away on his yacht. Or something.”
“Interesting. Do you know who she’s dating?”
“I met him briefly earlier in the week.”
I had no opinion of the man my mother was currently sleeping with. He wasn’t my dad, and that was all I knew. She deserved to be happy after all these years alone, but I couldn’t help but feel a knot of betrayal.
“And did you finish her journal?”
I shook my head as I passed him his drink. “I haven’t had time with the long hours. I got to the end of her summer. She stopped writing during the first semester at UGA. And it’s been hard to keep going.”
Maddox took a sip of the drink and coughed. “Shit. I shouldn’t have let the drunk girl make my drink.”
“What? It’s not good?”
“It’s strong as hell.”
I laughed. “Oh. Well, you need to catch up.”
“I’ll pass. You and Mars have a good time.”
“Okay,” I said wistfully as he headed back into the living room with Walt on his heels.
Marley had turned a Pixar movie on. Her head lolled to the side as she watched absentmindedly. Maybe we’d had a little too much to drink.
“Did you work on this one?” Mars asked Maddox.
His eyes skipped to the screen, and he nodded. “Yeah. Before I started my own company.” He shook his head at Marley. “Maybe you should drink some water.”
“Probably a good idea,” she agreed. “I might have to call it an early night. I’m not cut out for this anymore.”
Marley stumbled into the kitchen to get water.
“You could stay,” I repeated.
“Nah, you have fun.”
“Maddox,” I said, reaching out for his hand. “Stay.”
He let me take it, and sparks flew all over again. I was sober enough to know that I should back off, but I was drunk enough to want to kiss him. Our fingers interlaced for the span of a breath before he released me.
“You’re drunk,” he said.
“So?”
He sighed. I could feel the conflict in him. He stepped forward, brushing a lock of my hair off of my face. He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I like having you here.”
I listed toward him, wanting nothing more than to let this go further. The alcohol making me even bolder than I already was.
“I like being here with you.”
“If only it were that easy,” he said with a sharp inhale.
“It could be.”
His forehead came to mine. His lips a breath away. I could lift to my tiptoes and claim them for my own.
But then he took a step back. “Good night, Josie.”
And I let him go.
“Come on, Walt.” He stepped into the downstairs master bedroom with Walt jogging in after him, and the door closed with finality. My heart crumpling at the gesture.
Marley cleared her throat behind me. “Josie?”
My lip quavered for a breath, and I turned to my best friend. “Hey,” I said shakily.
“Are you all right?”
I wanted to lie. I wanted to tell her that what had happened didn’t matter. I was drunk and acting stupid. Maddox had made it clear that he didn’t want anything to happen. I was the one making it worse for him. And I needed to stop.
“No,” I whispered.
Marley came and put her arms around me. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing.”
“You look too hurt for nothing.”
“He just … he doesn’t want anything from me anymore.”
Marley laughed softly as she stroked my hair. “No, Josie, that isn’t true. He wants it more than anything. You just have a rough history. And you need to figure out how to trust each other again.”
“He said we’re too different.”
“Maybe you are,” she whispered. “But Derek and I are complete opposites, and we made it work. So, if you want to make it work, then you’re going to have to figure it out.”
My resolve hardened. The spark between us was still there. He felt it. I felt it. I couldn’t live with myself without seeing if we could do this one more time. No matter what our history said, I would prove to him that I was second to none.
17
SAVANNAH
PRESENT
Derek flopped down onto the towel next to Marley. “Are you going to sit here all day?”
She put her hand in her husband’s face. “Yes. Now, stop bothering me while I read.”
I snorted as I lathered another layer of tanning oil on my legs. Technically, I wasn’t supposed to change my appearance between one week and the next for the film, but that was what makeup was for.
“You’ve already read that book before,” he said, reaching for it. “Isn’t that the sexy Fae male alphaholes?”
“Derek Ballentine, so help me God.” She jerked the book away from him.
He only gave her an insufferable smirk and dropped his sweaty Carolina-blue UNC hat onto her head. She was already entirely hidden under an umbrella, so she wouldn’t lobster. The hat was merely a taunt, considering she had gone to Duke.
“Ew! Gross, Derek.” She flung the hat off into the sand.
“You love me.”
“Yes, but none of us know why,” I muttered.
Marley chuckled. “For real.”
“Because I’m irresistible,” he said, lounging back against her legs. “Obviously.”
“Obviously,” Marley said with an eye roll.
Maddox snorted from his seat opposite us. He’d gone into work for a few hours and then met us at the beach in the afternoon when Ash and Amelia showed up. He’d been sketching in his notebook and drinking the beer that Ash had brought in a cooler.
Up until Derek had plopped down, Amelia had been tanning with me, and Ash had been throwing a football with Derek. But Amelia wanted to go in the water despite what was surely too cold temperatures for me, but Ash had obliged. She was currently squealing as the water lapped at her thighs. Ash looked like a sun-kissed god as he strode into the water, unperturbed.
“Why didn’t you get in the water?” Marley asked Derek. “Then, you wouldn’t be bothering me.”
“I prefer to be on the water, not in the water, Minivan,” he said, the nickname dripping with affection. “That’s why we’re going sunset sailing tonight.”
“I prefer to be indoors,” Maddox said under his breath.
I couldn’t help it; I laughed. “Oh, you poor baby introvert.”
Another scream ripped from the water, and we all turned to watch Ash tackle Amelia into the oncoming wave. They came up, sputtering. Amelia slapped him across the chest. Whatever she said to him was lost to the wind.
The three of us slowly turned to look at Derek. We’d been waiting all morning to see if he’d realize what was happening with them. They’d been friendly all day. But I knew Ash Talmadge, and I knew what he looked like when he was into someone. I’d watched him with Lila my entire life. And though I doubted he’d ever look at anyone like he looked at Lila, I could tell that he was falling for Amelia.
And we were waiting for Derek to see it too.
“What?” he asked. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Maddox finally sighed. “Do you not see what is right before your eyes?”
“My sister and best friend are in the water.”
Marley covered her face with her book and giggled.
“He’s into her,” I filled him in.
Derek sighed. “Yeah, I gathered.”
“And you’re okay with it?” Marley gasped.
“No,” he said, heat in his voice. “But also … yes. It depends.”
“On what?” I asked.
“Lila.”
We all sighed at once. Didn’t it always come back to the lovely Delilah Greer?
“Man, I thought you were going to get in a fight today,” I said with a laugh.
He shook his head. “Nah. Ash knows where I stand regarding Mia. I wouldn’t fucking care if they dated. But …”
“But Lila,” Marley finished.
“Yeah.”
Ash Talmadge had loved one person, and he’d spent his life chasing her. Lila being happy with someone else hadn’t stopped him from falling back into her orbit over and over again. Two years wasn’t long enough to know whether or not it would last. I wouldn’t wish Ash Talmadge on anyone until he was over her. If he could ever get over her …
“Oh my God,” Amelia gushed when she reached our setup in the sand. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her body as her teeth chattered. “It is too cold for that.”
“You’re the idiot who wanted to go in there,” Derek pointed out.
Amelia rolled her eyes. “Thanks, ass.”
“Ash didn’t seem to care,” I pointed out.
He was striding back toward us, but he didn’t even look cold.
