Page 30 of Now or Never

Anger rose in Adam’s throat. The fatigue from the week caught up to him in that moment, and he’d had enough. “You don’t know what I’m like.”

Max lifted an eyebrow.

“Ugh. I’m capable of being friends with a pretty girl.”

“I’m not doubting that. I’m just not sure you can get close to her without . . . torturing yourself. Did you invite her to Float Fest?”

Adam stopped, confused by the direction of Max’s questioning, then surprised when he realized he hadn’t. “No,” he said. “Why?”

“You invite everyone. Why didn’t you invite her? Is it because you’re avoiding her? Too much temptation?”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll invite her. Want me to call her right now?”

Max waited a beat before continuing, “Come out with Antonio and me next week. His cousin and her friends are in town.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“We good?”

Max nodded.

Adam pulled on a pair of gloves and slipped his safety goggles back over his eyes. “You know, you used to be fun. Ever since the ink dried on that loan you’ve been downright grouchy. I’m gonna need a beer—”

His phone rang from his pocket again. When he looked at the display and saw his father’s name, he wanted to throw it on the ground and smash it to bits.

“Hi—”

“What is this about a fucking film crew?”

Adam was ready to scream when a beer appeared in front of his face. He took the beer from Max, gulped down the cold liquid, then went about reassuring his father that everything was perfectly fine.

nine

Chelsea was in love.

It was only the second time she’d been with Vincent, but she had never felt so strongly about someone in her life.

“See?” Vincent said, moving aside and gesturing to the camera.

Chelsea smiled as she leaned forward and peered through the viewfinder. The camera was on Winter Barlowe’s stand-in. She stood perfectly still in the middle of Chelsea’s garden, under dazzling lighting, with chaos surrounding her.

The set design crew was hard at work transforming the flower beds. Jasper was ranting and raving at a group of production assistants, and across the lawn, the roar of heavy equipment mixed with country music was coming from Adam’s crew.

Today was prep. Tomorrow they would start filming.

Chelsea had asked Vincent at least five hundred questions already that day, and each time, he patiently explained what he would do, then showed why.

He was incredible. She loved him.

“I see exactly what you mean now,” she said. “I hope I’m not annoying you with too many questions.”

Vincent smiled. “Not at all. It’s nice to have someone to pass my experience to. My kids were never interested.”

“Really?”

Vincent nodded. “They were only interested in the actors I worked with. You’re a film geek, like me. I enjoy talking about all this stuff. Besides, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ll be watching your films one day and bragging that you learned everything you know from me.”

---