Page 121 of The Last Second Chance
“Someone’s been hitting the champagne a little hard,” he teased her, pulling her into a secluded corner.
“I’m celebrating,” she told him with a goofy smile.
“And what exactly are you celebrating?”
“My brilliant boyfriend, of course,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Okay, there’s something more than champagne going on in there,” he said, brushing a loose curl over her shoulder.
“What are you doing in Blue Moon?” she asked, toying with the ends of his hair.
“Chasing you.”
“Why would you give all this up? Everyone knows you here. Everyone freaking loves you here. They all want a piece of you. Also, there’s no snow.”
He laughed then. “Well, the weather is certainly a plus to west coast living, but there’s no Joey here. Believe me, I looked. Everyone knows me at home. I’m liked there too and I think I’m pretty good at brewing beer.”
“You’ll give up all of this so you can brew beer and sleep in my bed?”
“It’s a nice bed. And I’m still going to write, and maybe I’ll still do some producing on occasion. But my heart belongs with you.”
“That is a very sweet, romantic thing to say.”
“I’m a sweet, romantic guy,” Jax agreed. “So what do you think of your first Hollywood premiere?”
She leaned in close as if to whisper, but her voice was still loud. “Well, I like Al. She loves you in like a family way. Like if anyone here tried to screw you out of something I could see her showing up at their house with a chainsaw and a smile.”
Jax nodded. It was a very accurate assessment of his Al. “How about the rest of the evening?”
“This is like an alternate universe. Why is everything a question out here and why is the traffic so bad? Did I tell you I met a model named, get this,Kale. She was a six-foot-tall Indian woman named Kale.Kale, Jax.”
He laughed and pulled her closer. “What do you say we get out of here and get some food in you?”
“Can we have burgers?” Her brown eyes looked at him with the hope and anticipation of a puppy.
He took her for burgers and fries, which they enjoyed in an orange vinyl booth under fluorescent lights still wearing their evening finery. They dissected the film together and Joey gave him the colorful highlights of all the people she met, including Kale.
She showed him the picture Didi had taken of them in the hotel suite.
“Wait, this is in Blue Moon’s Facebook group,” Jax said, peering at her phone’s screen.
“Oh, yeah. I figured we might as well control the spin on this,” she said with a dainty shrug.
Jax grinned. Someone was getting more and more comfortable with the idea of being his girl again.
“Listen,” Joey said, gesturing with a fistful of fries. She was mostly sober now, but the red meat and soda kept her from reverting too far into her shell. “I’ve been thinking about something.”
He prayed it wasn’t the screenplay. If only she knew how conflicted he was to share their story. On one hand, it deserved to be told. On the other, there were things long buried that perhaps should stay that way for the good of many. He’d been compelled to write it and with the ending he’d had in mind for them all along. Now, whether reality would mirror the big screen remained to be seen. He couldn’t begin to anticipate Joey’s reaction beyond the initial pissed off phase. How many relationships would the truth damage?
He needed more time. Needed to find the right way to tell her why he left all those years ago. And why it would all be okay.
“That awards ceremony for the guild thing,” she continued, taking a bite of fry.
“What about it?” Selfish relief coursed through him. He didn’t have to ruin tonight with a run at the truth.
“I think you should take your mom.”
“My mom? Really?”
