Page 122 of Best Friends for Never

Aaron.

Shit. My agent.

He’s not going to stop calling until I answer.

I let the phone ring as I carefully extract myself from Parker’s hold. She groans a little, a wrinkle forming between her brows, then she’s back to snoring.

I smile down at her, wishing I could keep this moment forever.

Then my phone rings again.

I repress my sigh, then tug on my jeans and T-shirt before padding out of her bedroom.

Pumpkin meows at me from his perch on the back of the couch, a long string of last year’s Christmas garland dangling between his paws. I shake my head at him, then pull open the front door, stepping into the cool morning air.

It’s just six, and the town is quiet. I’ve been here a month, but I’m still getting used to peaceful mornings like this.

My phone goes off again, breaking through that peace, and I sigh, hitting the green button as I settle into the chair on Parker’s porch.

“Hello?” I answer.

“They want you.”

“Well, that’s an interesting greeting. Good morning to you, too, Aaron. How’s your Friday so far?”

He sighs, irritated. “I don’t have time for pleasantries. Plume Pictures wants you—badly. They want a face-to-face meeting on Wednesday to offer you the role formally.”

Fuck.

No, notfuck.

This is good news. Excellent news, really. This is the kind of news most actors hope for, can only dream of.

But it also means the one thing I was hoping it wouldn’t—I have to leave Emerald Grove a week early.

I count on my hand how many days I would have until I have to hop on a flight back to LA.

Five.

That’s all I have left here, and it’s five days too few.

To be fair, I don’t think any amount of time in this world would be enough with Parker.

I’ve gone ten years without her, and now I can’t imagine going one day. The way she’s nestled her way back into my heart in just a month ... it’s unreal. I wake up thinking about her, wanting her. I go to sleep doing the same. All my thoughts are centered around when I’ll see her next and how I can make her laugh.

She’s become everything to me all over again, and now I’m going to have to let her down.

I promised her six weeks, and I should have known the second I did that it would never be enough.

Not with Parker. Not with the woman I love.

“Noel?” Aaron barks. “Are you still there, or did you lose the connection in that little Podunk town you hail from?”

“It’s not Podunk,” I say defensively. It’s funny because I would have said the same thing just a few weeks ago.

But something about being back in Emerald Grove is different. Maybe it’s because I’m older and can appreciate the slower pace of life. Or perhaps it’s because I’ve gained enough distance from all the bad memories I have here, and the good ones feel brighter and more important. Or maybe it’s just because of Parker.

He snorts. “Whatever. Anyway, the meeting is on Wednesday at two o’clock, and I already have Vince booking your flight and car service to the studio so you can meet with the bigwigs and they can present us with a contract.”

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