Page 116 of Confessions of a Smutty Romance Author

I scrubbed my hand over my jaw. That was about the last thing I’d been expecting Tracey to say. “Really?”

“Yeah,” she said softly, almost like she was shy. “You're a great guy, and you’re career-focused. Plus, you’re my best friend's brother, which is the ultimate fantasy, you know? When you asked me before, I was just so worried about messing up my relationship with Tess if things didn't go well with us.”

I shook my head. “Impossible. Tess would be more mad at me if things went off the rails than she would ever be with you.”

Tracey laughed. “You might be on to something.”

“I know.” I replied. I was still waiting on Tess to let into me for what happened with Mara.

“So,” she said, “are you still interested? I know it’s soon, probably too soon, but I didn't want to miss my chance again.”

I glanced back to the garage where Cohen and Steve were playing, and they quickly looked back at their cards.Eavesdroppers. But Steve's words ran through my mind.If it's meant to be, it'll be.There had to be a reason Tracey called today and asked me out, right?

“Yeah, Tracey, I’m interested,” I said. My stomach sank, already knowing I’d miss Mara like hell, but she didn’t want me. And I had to find a way to move on, one way or another.

“Great,” she said, clearly smiling big. “How does La Belle sound?”

I closed my eyes against the memories. It was time to cover them up with some new ones. “I’ll pick you up on Friday at six?”

“Sounds perfect,” she replied.

To me, it sounded anything but.

56

Mara

Confession: If I couldn't have forever with Jonas, I wanted to have forever withsomething.

I pickedup my leased car after arriving in Atlanta and went to the address that Bradley Mason's assistant had sent to me. When I pulled up to a bougie apartment complex with palm trees out front and a massive pool, my mouth fell wide open.

This was probably one of the nicest places I'd ever been. And I had to double-check the address to make sure I was in the right place. Holy shit, it was the right address.

I followed the directions in the email and walked inside to the front desk. (Yeah, they had someone manning a front desk full time at an apartment building too.)

“Hi,” I said to the girl behind the desk dressed in all black. “My name is Mara. I'm here for unit 1420, but I’m not sure I’m in the right place... Is there maybe a smaller apartment complex behind this one that doesn’t have a giant pool or a twenty-four-hour doorman?”

She laughed politely and spoke in the sweetest southern drawl. “You’re in the right spot, Mara. We've been expecting you.” She handed me a set of keys along with a parking pass and a brochure that listed all the amenities. (The list took up THREE SIDES!)

“It's great to have you here,” she said.

“It's great to be here,” I replied, and I meant it. This felt like a fresh start I needed, away from all the pain and loss I’d left in Emerson. Embracing the newness of it, I went back outside to park my car in the multi-level parking garage and used a baggage cart to bring all my bags upstairs. I was on the fourteenth floor out of twenty, and I couldn't wait to see the view and what was inside the apartment.

I pushed my key into the lock, twisted it, and pushed the door open. My eyes wide as saucers, I looked around, completely stunned. If twenty-year-old waitress Mara could see me now, she’d know all the struggle, all the extra shifts and late nights in front of a used computer were more than worth it.

There were floor-to-ceiling windows on one side along with a balcony, giving a panoramic view of the Atlanta city lights. They twinkled as a backdrop to the smooth stone floors and all the modern furniture that looked both beautiful and functional. There were two bedrooms, one with a desk in it, which I assumed would be my office space in case I needed to work from home, and then the other had a huge king bed. A fluffy white comforter topped it off and so many pillows that I... I pushed the baggage cart fully inside and ran to the bed, jumping in it like a little kid.

This was just confirmation that I wasexactlywhere I needed to be.

My phone began ringing, and I had to get out of the bed to pull it from my pocket and answer it. I didn't recognize the number, but when I swiped and said, “Hello?” Bradley Mason’s smooth-as-butter voice came from the other end.

“What do you think of the apartment?” he asked.

I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt. “It’s beyond perfect. Are you sure this is mine?”

He chuckled. “I like to treat my writers well, and money goes a hell of a lot further here than it does in LA.”

“Well, I feel like I’m sitting in the lap of luxury.”

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