Page 56 of Romance Is Dead

“Are you ok?”

She shrugged. “I texted him to say I didn’t want my stuff back and he should pick it up off my porch. He never replied.”

“God, what an asshole.”

“Whatever. I’m feeling slightly less terrible every day.”

“Don’t you see my point? We’ve both seen firsthand why getting involved with actors is a terrible idea. Why would I put myself through that again?”

“You’re overthinking this.” Mara stood to pour some wine. “The fact that he’s a player could actually be an asset.”

“I have no idea where you’re going with this.”

“Think about it.” Getting excited, she handed me a glass and curled back up on the couch. “Both of you are obviously attracted to one another, are only going to be here for a limited amount of time, and then you never see each other again. Sounds like a prime opportunity for a friends-with-benefits situation.”

I opened my mouth to counter, but she cut me off.

“I get why you don’t want something serious. But why not collect as many orgasms as possible before filming wraps? You know, gotta catch ’em all, like a way sexier game of Pokémon?”

I cocked an eyebrow, skeptical. “Does that ever work?”

“Absolutely. Just look at Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher.”

“That was a movie. And they ended up together at the end!”

Mara waved her hand in dismissal. “There’s no reason it couldn’t work.”

“Those sound like famous last words.”

“Trust me. Now let’s eat, I’m starving.”

Happy to change the subject, I dug into my turkey and avocado sandwich, fully intending not to follow her advice. Mara fell in love quicker than anyone I knew and I had a sneaking suspicion she was trying to cast me and Teddy in her own private rom-com.

But as the night wore on, my mind kept trailing back to the idea. If Teddy and I were both willing, and there was a built-in expiration date, would there be any harm in a little indulging?

Getting ready to go to set the next morning, I was thinking less about whether Teddy and I should kiss again, and more about how I was supposed to act when I saw him. Sweet? Flirty? Indifferent, like it hadn’t happened at all?

Yes, maybe that one.

As I gathered my wallet and got ready to leave, I noticed something lying on the floor in front of the door. I froze. How long had it been there? I wracked my brain, trying to remember Mara leaving the night before. No, it definitely hadn’t been there.

My stomach sinking, I picked it up. Sure enough, the size and shape of the envelope were all too familiar. I slipped a finger under the flap and pulled out the note inside:

You’ve been sneaking around, you’ve been playing the spy,

So now it’s time for you to say goodbye.

You’ve had your fun, but it’s no lie,

If you don’t quit, prepare to die.

Mouth dry, I dropped the paper like I’d been burned.

Whoever was behind these notes had probably heard the rumors yesterday and believed that I wasn’t just investigating, but also now telling others that a murder had been committed. And they’d be willing to kill me too if I didn’t shut up.

It should have scared me. It should have made me back off. But all it did was make me mad.

I glanced at the clock. I wasn’t due on set for an hour, but if I remembered the schedule correctly, Teddy was already there and preparing to shoot. But he needed to know about this now. Pulling up his number on my phone, I quickly called him. No answer. Either he was deliberately ignoring me or he was already filming. Sending a text and dashing out the door, I prayed it was the latter.

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