Page 32 of Affinity

“Oh, so now it’s my fault you got married to that asshole. He’s already changed you, and you know what?” Her voice turned harsh with venom dripping from each word. “If you really feel that way, then I can’t be a part of your life.” In the next second, the line went dead.

Stunned and upset by what had just transpired, I wanted to get away from the scene of the crime. I walked out of my room and kept walking until I was at the security gate of the neighborhood. I would have kept going if it hadn’t been for the three men standing across the street with cameras in their hands. When I saw them, I turned around and headed back to the house. I knew they had gotten a shot of me with my puffy red-rimmed eyes, but at that moment I didn’t care. I couldn’t make sense of what my life had turned into.

Not wanting to run into Jenner, I opened the gate on the side of the house and made my way to the back of the property. I wanted to look out at the vast area that spanned behind his property and get lost in the city. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there before I saw Jenner appear a few feet away from me out of the corner of my eye. The sun had set and there was a fire in the firepit, and I realized I must have been sitting there for hours.

“Are you . . . I . . . ” He cleared his throat and tried again. “Are you okay?” His normally deep voice was soft. Dare I say he sounded as if he cared.

Without looking at him, I picked at my nail bed. “In the span of two days, we’ve both lost friends. Is that normal in Hollywood?”

“Not having real friends is normal, where influence and money are concerned. It’s hard to trust those you surround yourself with. After you’ve been burned, you’ll see what I mean.”

A lump in my throat formed, making it difficult to swallow. “I don’t want to be burned or be jaded.”

Like you.

“You’ve got to be a little jaded so you can learn to read people and get a fix on why they want to be in your space. Is it because they genuinely feel a connection with you, or do they want to use you? In my personal experience, nine times out of ten, they want to use you to further their career. Plain and simple.” He leaned forward and planted his arms on his legs and clasped his hands together. “Did something more happen between you and your friend?”

“I feel like I don’t know her anymore. I tried to get her to talk to me, and it didn’t work. And then . . . ” This was the part that killed me and made me doubt if she’d ever truly been my friend or if she pretended to be my friend to see what connections I’d eventually make for her. Maybe Sophie had always wanted to be an actress but hid it from me. After today, I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. Is this what Jenner felt like whenever someone new came into his life?

He moved to stand in front of me before he squatted down until we were eye to eye. “Then what?”

I couldn’t look him in the eye when I told him. Instead, I looked down and stared at his bare feet. “She wanted us to put in a good word for her so she could land some dream movie role she’s never mentioned to me before. Until a few months ago, she’d never even expressed an interest in being an actress, and now . . . ” I didn’t know what to think.

“It doesn’t surprise me. You can throw a rock anywhere in LA and tag someone who wants to be in the movie industry.” He sat down on the grass and leaned back on his elbows. “I hope you said no.”

“I’ve been at my job all of two days, and I haven’t even made it into the office yet. There’s no way in hell I’m mentioning her to Catherine.” I lowered my voice as if it might carry on the wind and get back to the person I once called my best friend. “She’s not even that good. The only reason she got the one job she had back in Louisiana was the guy’s son wanted to bang her.”

He let out a dark chuckle. “It doesn’t surprise me, but I’m sorry you lost a friend.”

Me, too.

“Can I ask you something?”

Lying back in the grass, he replied. “Hit me.”

“If everyone is out to fuck you over, how’d you become friends with Alex? How’d you know you could let her in?”

How did a single mom from Missouri become friends with a bunch of elite actors? And nab herself a sexy Swedish husband while she was at it.

“From the moment I met her, I could feel she was different and genuine. An old buddy of mine went with Colton Patrick back to his hometown and met her there. I don’t want to try and understand what he thought he was doing with her, but in the end, he fucked her over very publicly. They got into a fight about me on the way to the airport and ended up in a wreck. After she woke up, he ghosted her.” He shook himself as he looked off into the distance. “Alex couldn’t fly back home with her injuries and was desperate to get back to her son, so I drove her back. I ended up staying with her for a week, and we became close. I opened up about my problems with Poppy, and from then on, we’ve been friends. She’s the real deal.” His gaze met mine with a shining smile, proving he wasn’t all bad.

“She’s lucky to have you.” I meant it.

“I’m lucky to have her and Luke. They keep me grounded.”

“Have you ever thought about not living in LA and getting away from all the craziness?”

His lips turned down, the firelight dancing across his handsome face. “I haven’t, but now that you mention it, I might want to one day. I don’t think I want to raise any of my kids in LA. If it was up to my dad, he’d probably steal them away and have them at casting calls when they’re a couple of months old. I’d probably do what Luke and Alex do. Seventy-five percent of the time, they’re tucked away in their little town, and they love it.” He lifted one shoulder. “It works for them, and I’d like that one day.”

Jenner’s dad was a lot, and I couldn’t imagine what he was like to him when he was a little boy. What was most shocking was Jenner coming out here to check on me, but for him to open up. I liked it when he showed this side of himself.

He cleared his throat as he pulled a few blades of grass out of the ground. “I was thinking of having them over sometime soon. I’ll have to check Luke’s schedule, though. He doesn’t get many days off since they cram the entire season’s shooting into a few months.”

“It’s your house.” I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this. He could do whatever he wanted.

“Right, I know, but I thought we could grill or something. Maybe have a little pool party.”

“Just let me know when and I’ll make sure you have everything you need.” Even though Jenner had tried to make me feel better, I was still down about Sophie. One thing that always got me out of a funk was to bake, and luckily I had picked up all the ingredients to make peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies when we’d been at the store. “Do you like cookies?”

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