Page 85 of Heart to Heart
“Michigan or hugs?”
“Both.” She broke away from me, turning her head to try to prevent me from seeing the tears welling in her eyes. “Don’t forget who you are, Avery. And who she isn’t.”
I walkedup the stairs after walking Bianca out the door. The entire house felt eerily quiet without everyone else here, and I welcomed the sound of the production crew echoing from the parlor below, where they were meeting to discuss the logistics of the last episodes. When I reached the top of the stairs, I met Jessica.
“Good luck, Avery,” she said, smiling at me with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“You too,” I returned her smile, which wasn’t a smile with one of my own.
“Oh, honey. That’s cute.”
HOLLYWOOD FILTH
TRISTAN TATE IS BACK!
Remember when I said that Tristan Tate seemed to have lost his edge? Allow me to walk that back a bit.
Producers ofHeart to Hearthave remained tight-lipped about exactly what went down on set, but whatever it was resulted in Tristan canning the highly sought-after Hollywood agent Wanda Van Thorn, something you absolutely do not want to do if you’re looking to have a career in Hollywood. Whatever transpired must have been huge, and Tristan is taking his newfound BDE to the show, completely shaking up the entire set by jumping straight to the finale, where we have early fan-favorite Avery facing off against Hollywood A-lister and Tristan’s (former?) flame, Jessica Davis. Although polls favor Jessica winning this competition, Avery has emerged as a powerful underdog.
Who’s going to come out victorious? Tune in tonight to the first of the two-part episode.
CHAPTER 49
AVERY
I satin the back of the limousine as it cruised down Highway 101 on my way to my final date with Tristan. My final chance to tell him how I felt about him, my final chance to have my heart shattered.
I should have told him before Jessica came into the picture. Who knew what the two of them had been able to work out, whether he’d forgiven her or whether he still had feelings for her. Or maybe they’d formed an alliance of their own. Maybe my feelings for him won’t matter to him. All I knew was that I would be spending an entire day with him and, if it all went well, an entire night, too.
An entire night with Tristan. What must that be like? I mean, I’d envisioned it a time or a thousand, but for it to come true? The temperature inside the limo rose with each memory of Tristan’s hand on my body, of his breath brushing the side of my neck, of his voice growling in my ear.
But what if he doesn’t want you?
If Tristan was unsure about me, if he had any feelings at all for Jessica, did I really want to give him not only my heart but my body, too?
Ugh. That answer was always so clear to me watching these shows from the comfort of Kiki’s and my free roadside couch, but to have to make that decision in real life, with real feelings involved, was a whole different animal entirely.
The limousine came to a stop, and I looked out the window to see…a zoo? Confused, I looked down at the Versace dress Bianca had gifted me, a lowcut, sleeveless chiffon gown with wide straps that clung tightly to my chest, cinched at the waist with a long flowing skirt. Its top half was a dark plum, tapering into a lighter purple and then gradually to all pink down the skirt. It was by far the most beautiful article of clothing I’d ever owned, and I was going to be wearing it to a zoo. That’sHeart to Heartfor you.
The limousine driver came to my door and opened it, allowing me to step out. As I looked around, I noticed no cars in the parking lot or people in sight.
Holy shit.
I remembered the questionnaire I had to complete before coming to the show. One of the questions had asked what my perfect idea of a date had been, and I, jokingly at the time, had said I would love to have a zoo all to myself. And here I was at a zoo, having it all to myself.
Well, not quite.
I moved to take a step as the gate in front of me opened, revealing Tristan standing in the middle of the entrance. Thank God he was in a navy blue suit, so I didn’t feel too overdressed. He smiled his blinding, panty-dropping smile that shot straight through me. Goosebumps rose on my arms. Every fiber of my body reacted viscerally to that man.
His eyes raked down my body, but instead of feeling uncomfortable like I usually did whenever a man looked me up and down, Tristan had a way of making me feel confident in my own skin.
“What is all this?” I asked, walking straight into his arms.
“Do you like it?” he asked, his ungodly large arms holding me tightly against him.
“Do I like it?” I asked, taking in the strings of fairy lights that snaked through branches of cajeput trees, strung between the ticket booth, buildings, and exhibits lining the brick walkway. I could only imagine how beautiful it would look in the evening—or maybe I wouldn’t have to imagine it. “It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad,” he spoke softly near my ear, sending all my nerve endings on high alert.
