Page 131 of The Sweetest Devotion

Jadyn lost her sense of humor. “Sure, you can read it here.”

That was the thing about Jay. She always turned down my offers to get her scripts into the right hands. There were plenty of Hollywood elites who often passed through our local Residence Hotel, but Jadyn wanted to make it on her own, not by nepotism.

The thing was, Jadyn was good. I’d read four of her scripts and she was truly gifted with words. Everything was easy to follow, from her descriptions to her dialogue. I lived for her character descriptions and how she set her scenes.

I couldn’t buy Jadyn’s career. She could sell herself.

“All I can do is hand your script to a director or producer, it’s up to you to sell it. Which you will because you’re so good,” I swore.

A sense of vulnerability tugged on Jadyn’s features. “Maybe someday.”

I didn’t push as Jadyn got ready for us to leave. She swapped out her shorts for a skirt, making me feel extra covered in my ripped jeans.

We were going to a gastropub for a much-needed night out. Usually when I was in Bedford Heights, I only hung out at Jay’s, but I was excited to be hitting the scene.

“Fuck your diet for the night,” Jadyn announced as she drove for the downtown area. “This place has the best food.”

My stomach grumbled in compliance. “Seafood?”

“Thebestbeer battered shrimp you can ask for,” Jadyn swore.

“All I need to hear.”

Jadyn smiled my way, and then a look crossed her face. She reached down and lowered the volume on the Muni Long song that was playing. “So, I got a crazy idea.”

Uh-oh. “Am I going to like this ‘crazy idea’?”

My best friend smirked. “Considering your unyielding loyalty to your dad, no.”

I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “So, let’s hear it.”

We reached a red light and Jadyn faced me. “What if…you married Keith?”

I waited for the punchline and it never came, but I forced myself to laugh anyway. “Excuse me?”

“Think about it,” Jadyn went on with an easy shrug. “You can’t get married, if you already are.”

While it was both true and obvious, it wouldn’t be that easy considering my father and Cain. My father would be upset and probably make good with his threat of snatching away my inheritance and funds, and Cain… Cain would probably retaliate, leaving me a widow before I was even out of the honeymoon phase.

It was too risky.

Then I thought about it from the angle purely involving Keith. I didn’t know him any more than I knew Cain, but the idea of marrying him didn’t terrify me nearly as much as marrying Cain.

“That’s ridiculous, Jay,” I told her as she began to drive as soon as the light hit green. “Marrying someone else would cause more problems than solve them.”

“Such as?” Jadyn challenged.

“Such as my dad and Cain’s deal. Cain would just back out and that would piss my dad off.”

“It’s not always about your dad, Kennedy. Besides, it’s just an idea to keep in the back of your mind, or thefront.”

It was an idea. When I thought about it, I had some big decisions to make. And I wasn’t sure if I were brave enough to face the consequences of any.

The car came to a stop and we’d arrived at On Tap. A neon blue sign illustrated that they were also a pool and billiards hall as well as a bar. It was the weekend, so the parking lot was pretty full, letting me know the inside would be packed. A sense of claustrophobia overtook me as I got out of Jadyn’s Volkswagen.

Music was pumping and could be heard even from outside of the building. The faint sounds of classic Cam’ron echoed from On Tap as we headed up the front walk toward the entrance.

Once inside we were immersed in a lively room. A bar greeted us first, and seated on every other stool were patrons drinking beers or shots. Some were even eating and stealing glimpses at the TV mounted on the wall replaying some NBA highlights.

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