Page 89 of You and Me, For Real
“We’re done talking.” I stalk around him.
“All I’m saying is, stay in your lane.”
I pause my steps for some stupid reason, waiting to hear whatever further nonsense this man spews.
“You’re made for TV roles, pretty boy. Leave the film industry for the real actors, you know?”
I clench my fists and slowly turn, keeping my voice quiet. “I earn whatever role I get.” Even though I practically spit the words, they taste sour in my mouth, and doubt creeps in.
Is he right? Can I not hack it? Am I just some washed-up, mediocre television actor with only a notorious set of abs to his name?
Jaxon chuckles. “Sure you do. Hey man, I’m just trying to save you some misery.”
“How’s that?” Why do I keep talking to this joker?
He grabs a glass from a passing server and sips. “Wesley’s sought me out about his next film project. You and I both know, if it’s between you and me, who he’ll pick.”
Is that true? Surely not. Wesley would be breaching our contract. This idiot’s got to be blowing smoke. “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”
He tips his cup to his forehead like a salute. “Guess we will. Enjoy the party, Griff. And say hi to your girlfriend for me…whichever one she may be.” He walks off, chuckling to himself, taking his waddling bulldog with him.
I inhale deeply and shake off some of my tension. I grab a couple of drinks from a serving tray and walk toward the ladies’ table. “Hey there, sorry about that, got tied up.”
Ashton keeps her head down, focused entirely on her plate.
Not the case with Wren.
“Did you, now? It seems you’ve gotten held up the entire night.” Wren arches an eyebrow, not letting me get away with crap. Her eyes dart to Ashton, wide-eyed, lips pursed, before looking at me again.
“I know, I’m sorry. It got a little crazy. But I’m here now.”
Yeah, you jerk. Like, problem solved. Let the fun begin. You’re going to have to do better than that.
“Uh-huh.” Wren stabs at the food with her fork, murder in her eyes.
I change directions. “Seems like the rescue is getting a lot of buzz. I overheard several people talking about it. That’s amazing, Ashton.”
“Yeah. It is.” She looks up briefly but jerks her gaze downward again.
I have some serious groveling to do. “Did you check your Venmo yet? Anyone send any donations?”
Her head leaps up like she hadn’t even considered looking until now. She pulls out her phone. “I don’t know, lemme check.”She clicks through her apps and opens it. “This has to be a mistake.”
Wren leans over, trying to glance at Ashton’s phone. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Ashton looks at me. “It says there’s almost fifty thousand dollars in here.”
“Sounds about right.” I sip on my drink, confident in her and her passion for animals, unsurprised she’d been able to move people into action from a mere interaction with her.
Wren pulls Ashton into a side hug. “That’s amazing! See! I told you! Wasn’t all this socialization worth it?”
Ashton laughs, putting a shaking hand over her mouth, and nods.
“This calls for a celebration,” I announce.
Wren lifts her cup into the air. “Hear, hear!”
Finally,finally,Ashton’s beautiful smile is back on her face where it should be.
